A very deep Chandra view of metals, sloshing and feedback in the
  Centaurus cluster of galaxies
  We examine deep Chandra X-ray observations of the Centaurus cluster of
galaxies, Abell 3526. Applying a gradient magnitude filter reveals a wealth of
structure, from filamentary soft emission on 100pc (0.5 arcsec) scales close to
the nucleus to features 10s of kpc in size at larger radii. The cluster
contains multiple high-metallicity regions with sharp edges. Relative to an
azimuthal average, the deviations of metallicity and surface brightness are
correlated, and the temperature is inversely correlated, as expected if the
larger scale asymmetries in the cluster are dominated by sloshing motions.
Around the western cold front are a series of ~7 kpc 'notches', suggestive of
Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. The cold front width varies from 4 kpc down to
close to the electron mean free path. Inside the front are multiple metallicity
blobs on scales of 5-10 kpc, which could have been uplifted by AGN activity,
also explaining the central metallicity drop and flat inner metallicity
profile. Close to the nucleus are multiple shocks, including a 1.9-kpc-radius
inner shell-like structure and a weak 1.1-1.4 Mach number shock around the
central cavities. Within a 10 kpc radius are 9 depressions in surface
brightness, several of which appear to be associated with radio emission. The
shocks and cavities imply that the nucleus has been repeatedly active on 5-10
Myr timescales, indicating a tight balance between heating and cooling. We
confirm the presence of a series of linear quasi-periodic structures. If they
are sound waves, the ~5 kpc spacing implies a period of 6 Myr, similar to the
ages of the shocks and cavities. Alternatively, these structures may be
Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, their associated turbulence or amplified
magnetic field layers.
