An atlas of predicted exotic gravitational lenses |
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Authors: | Gilles Orban de Xivry Phil Marshall |
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Affiliation: | Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston, ACT 2611, Australia;Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Locked Bag 194, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia;Raman Research Institute, C V Raman Avenue, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore 560080, India |
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Abstract: | 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. |
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Keywords: | galaxies: active galaxies: individual: MRC B0319−454 intergalactic medium galaxies: jets radio continuum: galaxies |
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