B2 1144+35B, a giant low power radio galaxy with superluminal motion. Orientation and evidence for recurrent activity

The goal of this work is a detailed study of the nearby, low power radio galaxy B2 1144+35B. For this purpose, we performed new Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and Very Large Array (VLA) observations. This source has several properties (bright, nearby, large range of spatial structures, visible counterjet, etc.) that make it an excellent astrophysical laboratory for the study of the evolution of radio jets. Here we report the detection of motion in the counterjet at 0.23 $\pm$ 0.07 c, which allows us to estimate the orientation of the parsec-scale jet at 33$^\circ \pm 7^\circ$ from the line of sight, with an intrinsic velocity of (0.94$^{+0.06}_{-0.11}$)c. We also report on a brightening of the core at high frequencies which we suggest could be the result of a new component emerging from the core. High dynamic range VLBA observations at 5 GHz reveal, for the first time, extended emission connecting the core with the bright complex of emission that dominates the flux density of the parsec scale structure at frequencies below 20 GHz. The evolution of this bright complex is considered and its slow decline in flux density is interpreted as the result of an interaction with the interstellar medium of the host galaxy.Comment: 7 pages, 6 b&w figures. A&A in pres

VLBI observations of nearby radio loud Active Galactic Nuclei

We present an update of the parsec scale properties of the Bologna Complete Sample consisting of 95 radio sources from the B2 Catalog of Radio Sources and the Third Cambridge Revised Catalog (3CR), with z < 0.1. Thanks to recent new data we have now parsec scale images for 76 sources of the sample. Most of them show a one-sided jet structure but we find a higher fraction of two-sided sources in comparison with previous flux-limited VLBI surveys. A few peculiar sources are presented and discussed in more detail.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, Proceedings for "The Universe under the Microscope" (AHAR 2008), April 2008, to be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series by Institute of Physics Publishing; R. Schoedel, A. Eckart, S. Pfalzner, and E. Ros ed

Halo and Relic Sources in Clusters of Galaxies

New images of 7 radio halos and relics, obtained with the Very Large Array at 20 or 90 cm, are presented here. The existence of a cluster-wide radio halo in the clusters A 665 and CL 0016+16 is confirmed. Both these clusters share the properties of the other clusters with radio halos, i.e. are luminous in X-rays, have high temperature, and show recent merger processes. No diffuse sources are detected in a sample of clusters showing at least a tailed radio galaxy within 300 kpc from the cluster center, indicating that the connection between tailed radio galaxies and halos is not relevant. For these clusters we give limits to the surface brightness and to the angular size of possible undetected diffuse sources.Comment: 16 Figures in separated files. A large ps file with figures (gg-aug00.ps.gz) in the text is avaialble at ftp://terra.bo.cnr.it/papers/journals New Astronomy Vol. 5, p.335, in pres

A sample of low-redshift BL Lacertae objects. II. EVN and MERLIN data and multi-wavelength analysis

We present new radio observations of 9 members of a sample of 29 nearby (z < 0.2) BL Lac objects. The new data have been obtained with the European VLBI Network and/or the MERLIN at 1.6 and 5 GHz and complement previous observations. For one object, the TeV source Mrk 421, we also present deep multi-epoch VLBA and Global VLBI data, which reveal a resolved diffuse jet, with clear signatures of limb brightening. We use the new and old data to estimate physical parameters of the jets of the sample from which the subset with new radio data is drawn. We derive Doppler factors in the parsec scale radio jet in the range ~2 < delta < ~9. Using HST data, we separate the contribution of the host galaxy from that of the active core. From the measured and de-beamed observables, we find a weak correlation between radio power and black hole mass, and a tight correlation between radio and optical core luminosities. We interpret this result in terms of a common synchrotron origin, with little contribution from a radiatively efficient accretion disk. The BL Lacs in our sample have de-beamed properties similar to low power radio galaxies, including the fundamental plane of black hole activity.Comment: Accepted by ApJ. 17 page

Radio Halo and Relic Candidates from the NRAO VLA Sky Survey

We present the first results of the search of new halo and relic candidates in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey. We have inspected a sample of 205 clusters from the X-ray-brightest Abell-type clusters presented by Ebeling et al (1996), and found 29 candidates. Out of them, 11 clusters are already known from the literature to contain a diffuse cluster-wide source, while in 18 clusters this is the first indication of the existence of this type of sources. We classify these sources as halos or relics according to their location in the cluster center or periphery, respectively. We find that the occurrence of cluster halos and relics is higher in clusters with high X-ray luminosity and high temperature. We also confirm the correlation between the absence of a cooling flow and the presence of a radio halo at the cluster center.Comment: 25 Pages, 4 Figures included in the text, Figures 3a to 3g in separated files. New Astronomy in pres