Chandra Observations of Abell 2261 Brightest Cluster Galaxy, a Candidate Host to a Recoiling Black Hole

We use Chandra X-ray observations to look for evidence of a recoiling black hole from the brightest cluster galaxy in Abell 2261 (A2261-BCG). A2261-BCG is a strong candidate for a recoiling black hole because of its large, flat stellar core, revealed by Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations. We took 100-ks observations with Chandra and combined it with 35 ks of archival observations to look for low-level accretion onto a black hole of expected mass M ∼ 1E10 solar mass that could possibly be located in one of four off-center stellar knots near the galaxy’s center or else in the optical center of the galaxy or in the location of radio emission. We found no X-ray emission arising from a point source in excess of the cluster gas and can place limits on the accretion of any black hole in the central region to a 2–7 keV flux below 4.3E−16 erg/s/cm, corresponding to a bolometric Eddington fraction of about 1E−6. Thus there is either no 1E10 solar mass black hole in the core of A2261-BCG, or it is accreting at a low level. We also discuss the morphology of the X-ray emitting gas in the cluster and how its asymmetry is consistent with a large dynamic event.