Do massive black holes reside in elliptical galaxies?

Evidence that radio-loud quasars and powerful radio galaxies occur in elliptical galaxies suggests that most bright ellipticals now contain a 'dead' or inactive quasar. In most theories, the central 'engine' is a massive, perhaps rapidly spinning black hole, with a mass ∼ 108 - 109 M solar mass. There have been a number of searches for the massive black holes that are expected to reside at the centres of elliptical galaxies. Here we examine the accretion by a central black hole of the hot interstellar medium in an elliptical galaxy, and estimate the minimum expected luminosity and the manner of its emission. It is not obviously detected at any wavelength. (author)