Chandra detection of massive black holes in galactic cooling flows

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 than or similar to 50 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 similar to 300 pc. Dark, low-mass stars formed in this region may be responsible for some of the mass attributed to central black holes.