We present far-infrared ( FIR ) analysis of 68 Brightest Cluster Galaxies ( BCGs ) at 0.08 < z < 1.0 .
Deriving total infrared luminosities directly from Spitzer and Herschel photometry spanning the peak of the dust component ( 24–500 µm ) , we calculate the obscured star formation rate ( SFR ) .
22 ^ { +6.2 } _ { -5.3 } % of the BCGs are detected in the far-infrared , with SFR = 1–150 M _ { \sun } yr ^ { -1 } .
The infrared luminosity is highly correlated with cluster X-ray gas cooling times for cool-core clusters ( gas cooling time < 1 Gyr ) , strongly suggesting that the star formation in these BCGs is influenced by the cluster-scale cooling process .
The occurrence of the molecular gas tracing H \alpha emission is also correlated with obscured star formation .
For all but the most luminous BCGs ( L _ { TIR } > 2 \times 10 ^ { 11 } L _ { \odot } ) , only a small ( \lesssim 0.4 mag ) reddening correction is required for SFR ( H \alpha ) to agree with SFR _ { FIR } .
The relatively low H \alpha extinction ( dust obscuration ) , compared to values reported for the general star-forming population , lends further weight to an alternate ( external ) origin for the cold gas .
Finally , we use a stacking analysis of non-cool-core clusters to show that the majority of the fuel for star formation in the FIR-bright BCGs is unlikely to originate form normal stellar mass loss .