449 research outputs found
On the Merging Cluster Abell 578 and Its Central Radio Galaxy 4C +67.13
Here we analyze radio, optical, and X-ray data for a peculiar cluster Abell
578. This cluster is not fully relaxed and consists of two merging sub-systems.
The brightest cluster galaxy, CGPG 0719.8+6704, is a pair of interacting
ellipticals with projected separation 10 kpc, the brighter of which hosts
the radio source 4C +67.13. The Fanaroff-Riley type-II radio morphology of 4C
+67.13 is unusual for central radio galaxies in local Abell clusters. Our new
optical spectroscopy revealed that both nuclei of the CGPG 0719.8+6704 pair are
active, albeit at low accretion rates corresponding to the Eddington ratio
(for the estimated black hole masses of and ). The gathered X-ray ({\it Chandra})
data allowed us to confirm and to quantify robustly the previously noted
elongation of the gaseous atmosphere in the dominant sub-cluster, as well as a
large spatial offset (\,kpc projected) between the position of the
brightest cluster galaxy and the cluster center inferred from the modeling of
the X-ray surface brightness distribution. Detailed analysis of the brightness
profiles and temperature revealed also that the cluster gas in the vicinity of
4C\,+67.13 is compressed (by a factor of about ) and heated (from
\,keV up to 2.7\,keV), consistent with the presence of a weak shock
(Mach number ) driven by the expanding jet cocoon. This would then
require the jet kinetic power of the order of \,erg\,s,
implying either a very high efficiency of the jet production for the current
accretion rate, or a highly modulated jet/accretion activity in the system.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
On the Interaction of the PKS B1358-113 Radio Galaxy with the Abell 1836 Cluster
[abridged] Here we present the analysis of multifrequency data gathered for
the FRII radio galaxy PKS B1358-113, hosted in the brightest cluster galaxy of
Abell 1836. The galaxy harbors one of the most massive black holes known to
date and our analysis of the optical data reveals that this black hole is only
weakly active. Based on new Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations and
archival radio data we derive the preferred range for the jet kinetic
luminosity erg s. This is above the values
implied by various scaling relations proposed for radio sources in galaxy
clusters, being instead very close to the maximum jet power allowed for the
given accretion rate. We constrain the radio source lifetime as
Myrs, and the total amount of deposited jet energy \,ergs. The detailed analysis of the X-ray data provides indication for
the presence of a bow-shock driven by the expanding radio lobes into the Abell
1836 cluster environment, with the corresponding Mach number . This,
together with the recently growing evidence that powerful FRII radio galaxies
may not be uncommon in the centers of clusters at higher redshifts, supports
the idea that jet-induced shock heating may indeed play an important role in
shaping the properties of clusters, galaxy groups, and galaxies in formation.
We speculate on a possible bias against detecting jet-driven shocks in poorer
environments, resulting from an inefficient electron heating at the shock
front, combined with a relatively long electron-ion equilibration timescale.Comment: Version accepted to Ap
Feedback under the microscope II: heating, gas uplift, and mixing in the nearest cluster core
Using a combination of deep 574ks Chandra data, XMM-Newton high-resolution
spectra, and optical Halpha+NII images, we study the nature and spatial
distribution of the multiphase plasma in M87. Our results provide direct
observational evidence of `radio mode' AGN feedback in action, stripping the
central galaxy of its lowest entropy gas and preventing star-formation. This
low entropy gas was entrained with and uplifted by the buoyantly rising
relativistic plasma, forming long "arms". These arms are likely oriented within
15-30 degrees of our line-of-sight. The mass of the uplifted gas in the arms is
comparable to the gas mass in the approximately spherically symmetric 3.8 kpc
core, demonstrating that the AGN has a profound effect on its immediate
surroundings. The coolest X-ray emitting gas in M87 has a temperature of ~0.5
keV and is spatially coincident with Halpha+NII nebulae, forming a multiphase
medium where the cooler gas phases are arranged in magnetized filaments. We
place strong upper limits of 0.06 Msun/yr on the amount of plasma cooling
radiatively from 0.5 keV and show that a uniform, volume-averaged heating
mechanism could not be preventing the cool gas from further cooling. All of the
bright Halpha filaments appear in the downstream region of the <3 Myr old shock
front, at smaller radii than ~0.6'. We suggest that shocks induce shearing
around the filaments, thereby promoting mixing of the cold gas with the ambient
hot ICM via instabilities. By bringing hot thermal particles into contact with
the cool, line-emitting gas, mixing can supply the power and ionizing particles
needed to explain the observed optical spectra. Mixing of the coolest X-ray
emitting plasma with the cold optical line emitting filamentary gas promotes
efficient conduction between the two phases, allowing non-radiative cooling
which could explain the lack of X-ray gas with temperatures under 0.5 keV.Comment: to appear in MNRA
ALMA observation of the disruption of molecular gas in M87
We present the results from Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations centred 40 arcsec (3 kpc in projection) south-east of the nucleus of M87. We report the detection of extended CO (2-1) line emission with a total flux of (5.5 ± 0.6) × 10-18 erg s-1 cm-2 and corresponding molecular gas mass M_{H_2}=(4.7 ± 0.4) × 10^5 M_{⊙}, assuming a Galactic CO to H2 conversion factor. ALMA data indicate a line-of-sight velocity of -129 ± 3 km s-1, in good agreement with measurements based on the [C II] and H α+[N II] lines, and a velocity dispersion of σ = 27 ± 3 km s-1. The CO (2-1) emission originates only outside the radio lobe of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) seen in the 6 cm Very Large Array image, while the filament prolongs further inwards at other wavelengths. The molecular gas in M87 appears to be destroyed or excited by AGN activity, either by direct interaction with the radio plasma, or by the shock driven by the lobe into the X-ray emitting atmosphere. This is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding the impact of the central AGN on the amount of the coldest gas from which star formation can proceed
The far-infrared view of M87 as seen by the Herschel Space Observatory
The origin of the far-infrared emission from the nearby radio galaxy M87
remains a matter of debate. Some studies find evidence of a far-infrared excess
due to thermal dust emission, whereas others propose that the far-infrared
emission can be explained by synchrotron emission without the need for an
additional dust emission component. We observed M87 with PACS and SPIRE as part
of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS). We compare the new Herschel data
with a synchrotron model based on infrared, submm and radio data to investigate
the origin of the far-infrared emission. We find that both the integrated SED
and the Herschel surface brightness maps are adequately explained by
synchrotron emission. At odds with previous claims, we find no evidence of a
diffuse dust component in M87.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, proceedings IAU Symposium 275 (Jets at all
scales
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