High-energy particle acceleration and production of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays in the giant lobes of Centaurus A

The nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A is poorly studied at high frequencies with conventional radio telescopes because of its very large angular size, but is one of a very few extragalactic objects to be detected and resolved by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP ). We have used the five-year WMAP data for Cen A to constrain the high-frequency radio spectra of the 10° giant lobes and to search for spectral changes as a function of position along the lobes. We show that the high-frequency radio spectra of the northern and southern giant lobes are significantly different: the spectrum of the southern lobe steepens monotonically (and is steeper further from the active nucleus) whereas the spectrum of the northern lobe remains consistent with a power law. The inferred differences in the northern and southern giant lobes may be the result of real differences in their high-energy particle acceleration histories, perhaps due to the influence of the northern middle lobe, an intermediate-scale feature which has no detectable southern counterpart. In light of these results, we discuss the prospects for Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detections of inverse-Compton emission from the giant lobes and the lobes' possible role in the production of the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR) detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory. We show that the possibility of a Fermi detection depends sensitively on the physical conditions in the giant lobes, with the northern lobe more likely to be detected, and that any emission observed by Fermi is likely to be dominated by photons at the soft end of the Fermi energy band. On the other hand, we argue that the estimated conditions in the giant lobes imply that UHECRs can be accelerated there, with a potentially detectable γ-ray signature at TeV energies.     

Superdisks and the structural asymmetry of radio galaxies

We present a sample of 16 radio galaxies, each of which is characterized by a wide, elongated emission gap with fairly sharp and straight edges between the two radio lobes. This particular subset of the “superdisk” radio galaxies is chosen because of a highly asymmetric location of the host elliptical galaxy relative to the gap’s central axis. In addition to posing a considerable challenge to the existing models, such a morphology also means that the two jets traverse highly unequal distances through the superdisk material. One thus has a possibility to directly investigate if the marked asymmetry between the two jets’ interaction with the (much denser) ambient medium, during their propagation, has a significant import for the brightness of the hot spot forming near each jet’s extremity. We also propose a new explanation for the formation of superdisks through the merger of a smaller elliptical galaxy with the massive host, in which the gas attached to the infalling galaxy deposits its angular momentum into the host’s circumgalactic gas, thereby causing it to flatten into a fat pancake, or superdisk. The asymmetric location of the host galaxy can be assisted by the kick imparted to it during the merger. We also suggest a physical link between these radio galaxies and those with X-shaped and Z-symmetric radio lobes, commonly believed to arise from mergers of two galactic nuclei, each harboring a supermassive black hole.     

3C 459: a highly asymmetric radio galaxy with a starburst

Multifrequency radio observations of the radio galaxy 3C 459 using MERLIN, VLA and the EVN and an optical Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) image using the F702W filter are presented. The galaxy has a very asymmetric radio structure, a high infrared luminosity and a young stellar population. The eastern component of the double-lobed structure is brighter, much closer to the nucleus and is significantly less polarized than the western one. This is consistent with the jet on the eastern side interacting with dense gas, which could be due to a merged companion or dense cloud of gas. The HST image of the galaxy presented here exhibits filamentary structures and is compared with the MERLIN 5-GHz radio map. EVN observations of the prominent central component, which has a steep radio spectrum, show a strongly curved structure suggesting a bent or helical radio jet. The radio structure of 3C 459 is compared with other highly asymmetric, Fanaroff–Riley II radio sources, which are also good candidates for studying jet–cloud interactions. Such sources are usually of small linear size and it is possible that the jets are interacting with clouds of infalling gas that fuel the radio source.     

Bending of radio trails by galactic winds and rotation

We study the kinds of distorted radio structures likely to be produced by the combination of slingshot mechanism, galaxy rotation, and nonradial gas flows. Since all deviations from simple radial symmetry must in the slingshot scenario be produced by passive motion of the thermally confined synchrotron emitting plasma, the dynamics of the ambient medium together with the radial motion of the ejected black holes completely determine the overall structure and evolution of the radio lobes and jets. Numerical calculations show that many commonly observed basic morphological types result naturally from the assumed mechanism. In particular, very nonsymmetric, strongly-bent sources, small sources with Z-symmetry, and jets which are initially straight and then bend suddenly over large angles, are common. Passive bending may also became important in beam models, resulting in strong distortions of the jets and lobes.     

On dynamical models for radio galaxies

The tailed radio galaxies that have been called ‘Type I’ are not a uniform set. To study their dynamics, we have used the Ledlow–Owen data set, which provides a new sample of 250 radio galaxies in nearby Abell clusters. These sources divide into two clear categories based on their radio morphology. Type A sources (‘straight’) contain nearly straight jets which are embedded in outer radio lobe. Type B sources (‘tailed’) have a well-collimated jet flow which undergoes a sudden transition, at an inner hot spot, to a less collimated flow which continues on and forms a radio tail. We have not found any separation of these classes in terms of radio power, radio flux size, galaxy power or external gas density. We propose the difference is due to the development, or not, of a disruptive flow instability, such as Kelvin–Helmholtz, and the saturation of the instability when it develops.     

On the depolarization asymmetry seen in giant radio lobes

The depolarization asymmetry seen in double-lobed radio sources, referred to as the Laing-Garrington (L-G) effect where more rapid depolarization is seen in the lobe with no visible jet as the wavelength increases, can be explained either by internal differences between the two lobes, or by an external Faraday screen that lies in front of only the depolarized lobe. If the jet one-sidedness is due to relativistic beaming the depolarization asymmetry must be due to an intervening Faraday screen. If it is intrinsic the depolarization asymmetry must be related to internal differences in the lobes. For a random viewing angle distribution, which must be the case here where un-beamed lobe radiation dominates, jet one-sidedness is unrelated to viewing angle and therefore cannot be used either to estimate the viewing angle or to imply beaming. The outflow speed in the kpc jet is notoriously difficult to determine. However, although it has not yet been proven conclusively, we assume in this paper that the speed in the outer jet of several Fanaroff-Riley Class 1 (FRI) sources exhibiting the L-G effect is close to the 0.1c reported by several other investigators. For these sources we find that the jet one-sidedness cannot be explained by beaming and therefore must be intrinsic. In these FRI sources the L-G effect must be due to differences that originate inside the lobes themselves, with the outer regions of the relevant lobe acting as a Faraday screen. Although it is not known if the flow in the outer jets of FRII sources also slows to this speed it is suggested that the explanation of the L-G effect is likely to be the same in both types. This argument is strengthened by the recent evidence that FRII galaxies have very large viewing angles, which in turn implies that the L-G model cannot work regardless of the jet velocity. It may therefore be too soon to completely rule out internal depolarization in the lobes as the true explanation for the L-G effect.     

Chandra imaging of the complex X-ray core of the Perseus cluster

We report subarcsec-resolution X-ray imaging of the core of the Perseus cluster around the galaxy NGC 1275 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory . The ROSAT -discovered holes associated with the radio lobes have X-ray bright rims which are cooler than the surrounding gas and not a result of shocks. The holes themselves may contain some hotter gas. We map strong photoelectric absorption across the northern lobe and rim owing to a small infalling irregular galaxy, known as the high-velocity system. Two outer holes, one of which was previously known, are identified with recently found spurs of low-frequency radio emission. The spiral appearance of the X-ray cooler gas and the outer optical parts of NGC 1275 may be due to angular momentum in the cooling flow.     

Radio jet interactions in the radio galaxy PKS 2152–699

We present radio observations of the radio galaxy PKS 2152–699 obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The much higher resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of the new radio maps reveal the presence of a bright radio component about 10 arcsec north-east of the nucleus. This lies close to the highly ionized cloud previously studied in the optical and here shown in a broad-band red snapshot image with the HST PC 2. It suggests that PKS 2152–699 may be a jet/cloud interaction similar to 3C 277.3. This could cause the change in the position angle (of ∼ 20°) of the radio emission from the inner to the outer regions. On the large scale, the source has Fanaroff & Riley type II morphology although the presence of the two hotspots in the centres of the lobes is unusual. The northern lobe shows a particularly relaxed structure while the southern one has an edge-brightened, arc-like structure.     

Wakes of ram-pressure-stripped disc galaxies

We present a sample of 30 wide-angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs) that we use to constrain the jet speeds in these sources. We measure the distribution of the jet-sidedness ratios for the sample, and assuming that the jets are beamed, the jet speeds in the range (0.3–0.7) c are obtained. Whilst the core prominence of the sample, which ought to be a reliable indicator of beaming, shows little correlation with the jet sidedness, we argue that due to the peculiar nature of the WATs, core prominence is unlikely to be a good indicator of beaming in these sources. We further show that if the jets are fast and light, then the galaxy speeds required to bend the jets into C-shapes such as those seen in 0647+693 are reasonable for a galaxy in a merging or recently merged cluster.     

A Chandra and XMM–Newton study of the wide-angle tail radio galaxy 3C 465

We have observed the prototypical wide-angle tail (WAT) radio galaxy 3C 465 with Chandra and XMM–Newton . X-ray emission is detected from the active nucleus and the inner radio jet, as well as a small-scale, cool component of thermal emission, a number of the individual galaxies of the host cluster (Abell 2634), and the hotter thermal emission from the cluster itself. The X-ray detection of the jet allows us to argue that synchrotron emission may be an important mechanism in other well-collimated, fast jets, including those of classical double radio sources. The bases of the radio plumes are not detected in the X-ray, which supports the model in which these plumes are physically different from the twin jets of lower-power radio galaxies. The plumes are in fact spatially coincident with deficits of X-ray emission on large scales, which argues that they contain little thermal material at the cluster temperature, although the minimum pressures throughout the source are lower than the external pressures estimated from the observed thermal emission. Our observations confirm both spatially and spectrally that a component of dense, cool gas with a short cooling time is associated with the central galaxy. However, there is no evidence for the kind of discontinuity in external properties that would be required in many models of the jet–plume transition in WATs. Although the WAT jet–plume transition appears likely to be related to the interface between this central cool component and the hotter intracluster medium, the mechanism for WAT formation remains unclear. We revisit the question of the bending of WAT plumes, and show that the plumes can be bent by plausible bulk motions of the intracluster medium, or by motion of the host galaxy with respect to the cluster, as long as the plumes are light.     

The growth and assembly of a massive galaxy at z∼ 2

We study the stellar mass assembly of the Spiderweb galaxy  (MRC 1138−262)  , a massive   z = 2.2  radio galaxy in a protocluster and the probable progenitor of a brightest cluster galaxy. Nearby protocluster galaxies are identified and their properties are determined by fitting stellar population models to their rest-frame ultraviolet to optical spectral energy distributions. We find that within 150 kpc of the radio galaxy the stellar mass is centrally concentrated in the radio galaxy, yet most of the dust-uncorrected, instantaneous star formation occurs in the surrounding low-mass satellite galaxies. We predict that most of the galaxies within 150 kpc of the radio galaxy will merge with the central radio galaxy by   z = 0  , increasing its stellar mass by up to a factor of ≃2. However, it will take several hundred Myr for the first mergers to occur, by which time the large star formation rates are likely to have exhausted the gas reservoirs in the satellite galaxies. The tidal radii of the satellite galaxies are small, suggesting that stars and gas are being stripped and deposited at distances of tens of kpc from the central radio galaxy. These stripped stars may become intracluster stars or form an extended stellar halo around the radio galaxy, such as those observed around cD galaxies in cluster cores.     

Interaction of jets with the ISM of radio galaxies

We present three dimensional simulations of the interaction of a light hypersonic jet with an inhomogeneous thermal and turbulently supported disk in an elliptical galaxy. These simulations are applicable to the GPS/CSS phase of some extragalactic radio sources. We identify four generic phases in the evolution of such a jet with the interstellar medium. The first is a “flood and channel” phase, dominated by complex jet interactions with the dense cloudy medium close to the nucleus. This is characterized by high pressure jet gas finding changing weak points in the ISM and flowing through channels that form and reform over time. A spherical, energy driven, bubble phase ensues, wherein the bubble is larger than the disk scale, but the jet remains fully disrupted close to the nucleus, so that the jet flux is thermalised and generates a smooth isotropic energy-driven bubble. In the subsequent, rapid, jet break-out phase the jet breaks free of the last obstructing dense clouds, becomes collimated and pierces the more or less spherical bubble. In the final classical phase, the jet propagates in a momentum-dominated fashion similar to jets in single component hot haloes, leading to the classical jet–cocoon–bow-shock structure.     

Chandra finds that X-ray jets are common in low-power radio galaxies

We present results for the first three low-power radio galaxies from the B2 bright sample to have been observed with Chandra . Two have kiloparsec-scale radio jets, and in both Chandra resolves jet X-ray emission, and detects soft X-ray core emission and an X-ray-emitting galaxy-scale atmosphere of luminosity a few ×10⁴¹ erg s⁻¹. These are the first detections of X-ray jets in low-power radio galaxies more distant than Centaurus A and M87. The cooling time of the galaxy-scale gas implies mass infall rates of the order of 1 M_⊙ yr⁻¹. The gas pressure near the jets is comparable to the minimum pressure in the jets, implying that the X-ray-emitting gas may play an important role in jet dynamics. The third B2 radio galaxy has no kiloparsec-scale radio jet, and here only soft X-ray emission from the core is detected. The ratio of X-ray to radio flux is similar for the jets and cores, and the results favour a synchrotron origin for the emission. Kiloparsec-scale radio jets are detected in the X-ray in ∼7-ks exposures with Chandra more readily than in the optical via Hubble Space Telescope snapshot surveys.     

The broad-line radio galaxy J2114+820

In the framework of the study of a new sample of large angular size radio galaxies selected from the NRAO VLA Sky Survey, we have made radio observations of J2114+820, a low-power radio galaxy with an angular size of 6′. Its radio structure basically consists of a prominent core, a jet directed in northwest direction and two extended S-shaped lobes. We have also observed the optical counterpart of J2114+820, a bright elliptical galaxy with a strong unresolved central component. The optical spectrum shows broad emission lines. This fact, together with its low radio power and FR-I morphology, renders J2114+820 a non-trivial object from the point of view of the current unification schemes of radio-loud active galactic nuclei.     

Galactic disc dark matter, terrestrial impact cratering and the law of large numbers

We present ROSAT PSPC observations of the twin-jet radio galaxy 3C 449. The soft X-ray emission from this object is dominated by an extended halo with a scale comparable to that of the radio source. The asymmetry of the X-ray emission is reflected in that of the radio lobes, providing evidence that the behaviour of the jets is strongly influenced by the external medium. A region of reduced X-ray surface brightness coincident with the southern radio lobe of 3C 449 suggests that the radio source has displaced thermal plasma from the X-ray-emitting halo. However, the minimum pressure in the radio lobe is considerably lower than our estimates of the pressure in the external medium. We discuss the implications for the dynamics of the radio source.     

Centaurus A – NGC 5128

Summary. At a distance of 3.4 Mpc, NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) is by far the nearest active radio galaxy. It is often considered to be the prototype Fanaroff-Riley Class I ‘low-luminosity’ radio galaxy, and as such it plays an important role in our understanding of a major class of active galaxies. Its proximity has spawned numerous detailed investigations of its properties, yielding unrivalled but still incomplete knowledge of its structure and dynamics. The massive elliptical host galaxy is moderately triaxial and contains a thin, strongly warped disk rich in dust, atomic and molecular gas and luminous young stars. Its globular cluster ensemble has a bimodal distribution of metallicities. Deep optical images reveal faint major axis extensions as well as a system of filaments and shells. These and other characteristics are generally regarded as strong evidence that NGC 5128 has experienced a major merging events at least once in its past. The galaxy has a very compact, subparsec nucleus exhibiting noticeable intensity variations at radio and X-ray wavelengths, probably powered by accretion events. The central object may be a black hole of moderate mass. Towards the nucleus, rich absorption spectra of atomic hydrogen and various molecular species suggest the presence of significant amounts of material falling into the nucleus, presumably ‘feeding the monster’. Emanating from the nucleus are linear radio/X-ray jets, becoming subrelativistic at a few parsec from the nucleus. At about 5 kpc from the nucleus, the jets expand into plumes. Huge radio lobes extend beyond the plumes out to to 250 kpc. A compact circumnuclear disk with a central cavity surrounds the nucleus. Its plane, although at an angle to the minor axis of the galaxy, is perpendicular to the inner jets. The jet-collimating mechanism, probably connected to the circumnuclear disk, appears to precess on timescales of order a few times 10 years. This review summarizes the present state of knowledge of NGC 5128 and its associated radio source Centaurus A. Underlying physical processes are outside its scope: they are briefly referred to, but not discussed. Received 30 December 1997     

Dark spots,bubbles, and shells in the lobes of extragalactic radio sources

Based on maps of the extragalactic radio sources Cyg A, Her A, Cen A, 3C 277.3 and others, arguments are given that the twin-jets from the respective active galactic nucleus ram their channels repeatedly through thin, massive shells. The jets are thereby temporarily choked and blow radio bubbles. Warm shell matter in the cocoon shows up radio-dark through electron-scattering.     

An atlas of predicted exotic gravitational lenses

We present an investigation of the relationships between the radio properties of a giant radio galaxy MRC B0319−454 and the surrounding galaxy distribution with the aim of examining the influence of intergalactic gas and gravity associated with the large-scale structure on the evolution in the radio morphology. Our new radio continuum observations of the radio source, with high surface brightness sensitivity, images the asymmetries in the megaparsec-scale radio structure in total intensity and polarization. We compare these with the three-dimensional galaxy distribution derived from galaxy redshift surveys. Galaxy density gradients are observed along and perpendicular to the radio axis: the large-scale structure is consistent with a model wherein the galaxies trace the ambient intergalactic gas and the evolution of the radio structures are ram-pressure limited by this associated gas. Additionally, we have modelled the off-axis evolution of the south-west radio lobe as deflection of a buoyant jet backflow by a transverse gravitational field: the model is plausible if entrainment is small. The case study presented here is a demonstration that giant radio galaxies may be useful probes of the warm-hot intergalactic medium believed to be associated with moderately over dense galaxy distributions.     

Interactions of radio galaxies and the intracluster medium in Abell 160 and Abell 2462

We present Chandra and Very Large Array observations of two galaxy clusters, Abell 160 and Abell 2462, whose brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) host wide angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs). We search for evidence of interactions between the radio emission and the hot, X-ray emitting gas, and we test various jet termination models. We find that both clusters have cool BCGs at the cluster centre, and that the scale of these cores (∼30–40 kpc for both sources) is of approximately the same scale as the length of the radio jets. For both sources, the jet flaring point is coincident with a steepening in the host cluster's temperature gradient, and similar results are found for 3C 465 and Hydra A. However, none of the published models of WAT formation offers a satisfactory explanation as to why this may be the case. Therefore, it is unclear what causes the sudden transition between the jet and the plume. Without accurate modelling, we cannot ascertain whether the steepening of the temperature gradient is the main cause of the transition, or merely a tracer of an underlying process.