Cooling flows in elliptical galaxies

Cooling flows in elliptical galaxies are reviewed with an emphasis on recent x-ray results and a comparison with the phenomenon as manifest in clusters of galaxies. There is now strong, though indirect, evidence far both inflow and cooling in the hot ISM in elliptical galaxies. The search for signatures of catastrophic cooling such as excess absorption, central surface brightness excesses, and multiple temperatures has begun, but strong evidence for these has yet to be uncovered. A notable exception is the ASCA detection of at least two temperature components in the center of NGC 4636 which I have recently confirmed and present here.