| Abstract: | Anticipating forthcoming Chandra X-ray observations, we describe the continuation of interstellar cooling flows deep into the cores of elliptical galaxies. Interstellar gas heated to T>1 keV in the potential of massive black holes (r less, similar50 pc) should be visible unless thermal heating is diluted by nonthermal pressure. Since our flows are subsonic near the massive black holes, distributed cooling continues within approximately 300 pc. Dark, low-mass stars formed in this region may be responsible for some of the mass attributed to central black holes. |
