Interactions between the Abell 2597 central radio source and dense gas in its host galaxy

We present a detailed HST/WFPC2 study of the complex network of emission-line filaments and blue continuum emission associated with the lobes of the radio source at the center of the nearby strong cooling-flow cluster Abell 2597. This object is a prototypical "blue-lobed" cluster radio galaxy. We discuss ways in which the radio source is interacting with the cool dense gas around it, and derive detailed constraints on the physical properties of the gas. We also resolve the blue continuum emission, which is most likely due to young stars, and discuss possible relationships between the radio source, the supply of gas and the triggering mechanisms for the active nucleus and the star formation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.