An inward flow driven by loss of thermal pressure as hot gas undergoes radiative cooling. A classical unheated cluster model predicts substantial central cooling and deposition of cold material. active-galactic-nucleus feedback, transport and other heating can reduce the actual inflow; an X-ray cooling luminosity is not automatically a measured mass-deposition rate.
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Cooling flow refers to a process in astrophysics and cosmology where hot gas loses energy and cools down over time, often resulting in a flow of gas towards a central gravitational source, such as a galaxy or galaxy cluster. This phenomenon is particularly relevant in the context of the intracluster medium (ICM) in galaxy clusters, where the hot, X-ray emitting gas can experience cooling below a certain temperature threshold.