27 research outputs found
Shock waves and non-thermal phenomena in merging galaxy clusters
In this Thesis, we used state of the art radio and X-ray datasets and techniques to derive constraints on the formation mechanisms of diffuse radio emission in merging galaxy clusters. In particular, turbulence is believed to be responsible for the formation of the central and likely spherical sources called radio halos, while shocks are the origin of the elongated and polarized emissions found in cluster outskirts known as radio relics. Although this scenario seems supported by current observations, the processes that originate these synchrotron sources are still poorly constrained.
An important goal achieved during the Thesis is a progress on the relic-shock connection and on the origin of radio relics. This was obtained thanks to the detection in the X-rays of new shocks in merging galaxy clusters. In combination with the analysis of radio observations, this allowed us to derive efficient constraints on the mechanisms of particle (re)acceleration and on the magnetic fields in relics. Notably, we demonstrated for the first time, in an homogeneous way, that merger shocks can not reproduce the luminosity of radio relics if particles are accelerated from the thermal pool. This strongly support that other mechanisms, such as shock re-acceleration, are involved in the formation of this kind of sources.
LOFAR is a new generation interferometer that is providing a revolutionary view of clusters at low frequencies. For this reason, the exploitation of LOFAR observations represented a central task of the Thesis. We used LOFAR observations in combination with X-ray and radio data coming from other facilities to study non-thermal phenomena in two dynamically complex cluster mergers providing also first hints of a radio bridge of emission connecting two clusters in a pre-merging phase. Our results proved the extraordinary potential of LOFAR in galaxy cluster science
A New Galaxy Cluster Merger Capable of Probing Dark Matter: Abell 56
We report the discovery of a binary galaxy cluster merger via a search of the
redMaPPer optical cluster catalog, with a projected separation of 535 kpc
between the BCGs. Archival XMM-Newton spectro-imaging reveals a gas peak
between the BCGs, suggesting a recent pericenter passage. We conduct a galaxy
redshift survey to quantify the line-of-sight velocity difference (
km/s) between the two subclusters. We present weak lensing mass maps from
archival HST/ACS imaging, revealing masses of
and M associated with the southern and
northern galaxy subclusters respectively. We also present deep GMRT 650 MHz
data revealing extended emission, 420 kpc long, which may be an AGN tail but is
potentially also a candidate radio relic. We draw from cosmological n-body
simulations to find analog systems, which imply that this system is observed
fairly soon (60-271 Myr) after pericenter, and that the subcluster separation
vector is within 22 of the plane of the sky, making it suitable for an
estimate of the dark matter scattering cross section. We find cm/g, suggesting that further study of this system could
support interestingly tight constraints.Comment: accepted to Ap
Surface brightness discontinuities in radio halos. Insights from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey
Dynamical motions in the ICM can imprint distinctive features on the X-ray
images that map the thermal emission from clusters, such as sharp surface
brightness discontinuities due to shocks and cold fronts. The gas dynamics
during cluster mergers may also drive large-scale turbulence in the ICM which
in turn generates extended synchrontron sources known as radio halos. The
presence of surface brightness edges in the thermal gas of clusters has been
established by a number of X-ray observations. In contrast, edges in radio
halos have been observed only in a handful of cases. Our goal is to search for
new radio surface brightness discontinuities in the ICM. We inspected the
images of the Bullet Cluster and the other 25 radio halos reported in the
MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey. To aid the identification of surface
brightness discontinuities, we applied a gradient filtering edge detection
method to the radio images. We found that the adopted filtering technique is
helpful to identify surface brightness edges in radio images, allowing us to
identify at least one gradient in half of the radio halos studied. For the
Bullet Cluster, we found excellent agreement between the locations of the 4
radio discontinuities detected and X-ray edges. This similarity informs us that
there is substantial interplay between thermal and non-thermal components in
galaxy clusters. This interplay is likely due to the forzen-in ICM magnetic
field which mediates the advection of cosmic rays while being dragged by
thermal gas flows. We conclude that radio halos are shaped by dynamical motions
in the ICM and that they often display surface brightness discontinuities
apparently co-located with edges in the thermal gas emission. Our results
demonstrate that new and future generations of radio telescopes will provide a
complementary approach to X-rays to efficiently detect shocks and cold fronts
in the ICM.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 table (excluding Appendixes). Abstract
abridged to meet arXiv requirements. Submitted to A&
Walk on the Low Side: LOFAR explores the low-frequency radio emission of GASP jellyfish galaxies
Jellyfish galaxies, characterized by long filaments of stripped interstellar
medium extending from their disks, are the prime laboratories to study the
outcomes of ram pressure stripping. At radio wavelengths, they often show
unilateral emission extending beyond the stellar disk, and an excess of radio
luminosity with respect to that expected from their current star formation
rate. We present new 144 MHz images provided by the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey
for a sample of six galaxies from the GASP survey. These galaxies are
characterized by a high global luminosity at 144 MHz ( W
Hz), in excess compared to their ongoing star formation rate. The
comparison of radio and H images smoothed with a Gaussian beam
corresponding to 10 kpc reveals a sub-linear spatial correlation between
the two emissions with an average slope . In their stellar disk we
measure , which is close to the radio-to-star formation linear
relation. We speculate that, as a consequence of the ram pressure, in these
jellyfish galaxies the cosmic rays transport is more efficient than in normal
galaxies. Radio tails typically have higher radio-to-H ratios than the
disks, thus we suggest that the radio emission is boosted by the electrons
stripped from the disks. In all galaxies, the star formation rate has decreased
by a factor within the last yr. The observed radio emission
is consistent with the past star formation, so we propose that this recent
decline may be the cause of their radio luminosity-to-star formation rate
excess.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication on ApJ on 24/08/202
On the encounter between the GASP galaxy JO36 and the radio plume of GIN 049
We report on the serendipitous discovery of an unprecedented interaction
between the radio lobe of a radio galaxy and a spiral galaxy. The discovery was
made thanks to LOFAR observations at 144 MHz of the galaxy cluster Abell 160
() provided by the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey. The new low-frequency
observations revealed that one of the radio plumes of the central galaxy GIN
049 overlaps with the spiral galaxy JO36. Previous studies carried out with
MUSE revealed that the warm ionized gas in the disk of JO36, traced by the
H emission, is severely truncated with respect to the stellar disk. We
further explore this unique system by including new uGMRT observations at 675
MHz to map the spectral index. The emerging scenario is that JO36 has
interacted with the radio plume in the past 200-500 Myr. The encounter resulted
in a positive feedback event for JO36 in the form of a star formation rate
burst of yr. In turn, the galaxy passage left a trace
in the radio-old plasma by re-shaping the old relativistic plasma via magnetic
draping.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication on ApJ on September
4th, 202
The discovery of a radio galaxy of at least 5 Mpc
We discover what is in projection the largest known structure of galactic
origin: a giant radio galaxy with a projected proper length of $4.99 \pm 0.04\
\mathrm{Mpc}45 \pm 3\%25 \pm 9 \%23
\pm 11 \%5 \cdot
10^{-16}\ \mathrm{Pa}$, the pressures in the lobes are the lowest hitherto
found, and Alcyoneus therefore represents one of the most promising radio
galaxies yet to probe the warm-hot intergalactic medium.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
Fast magnetic field amplification in distant galaxyclusters
In the present-day Universe, magnetic fields pervade galaxy clusters, with
strengths of a few microGauss obtained from Faraday Rotation. Evidence for
cluster magnetic fields is also provided by Megaparsec-scale radio emission,
namely radio halos and relics. These are commonly found in merging systems and
are characterized by a steep radio spectrum. It is widely believed that
magneto-hydrodynamical turbulence and shock-waves (re-)accelerate cosmic rays,
producing halos and relics. The origin and the amplification of magnetic fields
in clusters is not well understood. It has been proposed that turbulence drives
a small-scaledynamo that amplifies seed magnetic fields (primordial and/or
injected by galactic outflows, as active galactic nuclei, starbursts, or
winds). At high redshift, radio halos are expected to be faint, due to the
Inverse Compton losses and dimming effect with distance. Moreover, Faraday
Rotation measurements are difficult to obtain. If detected, distant radio
halosprovide an alternative tool to investigate magnetic field amplification.
Here, we report LOFAR observations which reveal diffuse radio emission in
massive clusters when the Universe was only half of its present age, with a
sample occurrence fraction of about 50%. The high radio luminosities indicate
that these clusters have similar magnetic field strengths to those in nearby
clusters, and suggest that magnetic field amplification is fast during the
first phases ofcluster formation.Comment: Published in Nature Astronomy on 2 November 2020. The published
version is available at this URL
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-01244-5#citea
Spectral study of the diffuse synchrotron source in the galaxy cluster Abell 523
The galaxy cluster Abell 523 (A523) hosts an extended diffuse synchrotron source historically classified as a radio halo. Its radio power at 1.4 GHz makes it one of the most significant outliers in the scaling relations between observables derived from multiwavelength observations of galaxy clusters: it has a morphology that is different and offset from the thermal gas, and it has polarized emission at 1.4 GHz typically difficult to observe for this class of sources. A magnetic field fluctuating on large spatial scales (similar to 1 Mpc) can explain these peculiarities but the formation mechanism for this source is not yet completely clear. To investigate its formation mechanism, we present new observations obtained with the LOw Frequency ARray at 120-168 MHz and the Jansky Very Large Array at 1-2 GHz, which allow us to study the spectral index distribution of this source. According to our data the source is observed to be more extended at 144 MHz than previously inferred at 1.4 GHz, with a total size of about 1.8 Mpc and a flux density S-144 MHz = (1.52 +/- 0.31) Jy. The spectral index distribution of the source is patchy with an average spectral index alpha similar to 1.2 between 144 MHz and 1.410 GHz, while an integrated spectral index alpha similar to 2.1 has been obtained between 1.410 and 1.782 GHz. A previously unseen patch of steep spectrum emission is clearly detected at 144 MHz in the south of the cluster. Overall, our findings suggest that we are observing an overlapping of different structures, powered by the turbulence associated with the primary and a possible secondary merger.Peer reviewe