Context.
Abell 1033 is a merging galaxy cluster of moderate mass (
M
500
= 3.24 × 10
14
M
⊙
). It hosts a broad variety of diffuse radio sources that are linked to different astrophysical ...phenomena. The most peculiar phenomenon is an elongated feature with an ultra-steep spectrum that is the prototype of the category of gently reenergized tails (GReET). Furthermore, the cluster hosts sources that were previously classified as a radio phoenix and a radio halo.
Aims.
We aim to improve the understanding of the cosmic-ray acceleration mechanisms in galaxy clusters in a frequency and mass range that has been poorly explored so far.
Methods.
To investigate the ultra-steep synchrotron emission in the cluster, we performed a full direction-dependent calibration of a LOFAR observation centered at 54 MHz. We analyzed this observation together with recalibrated data of the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey at 144 MHz and an archival GMRT observation at 323 MHz. We performed a spectral study of the radio galaxy tail that is connected to the GReET to test whether the current interpretation of the source agrees with observational evidence below 100 MHz. Additionally, we employed a Markov chain Monte Carlo code to fit the halo surface brightness profile at different frequencies.
Results.
We report an extreme spectral curvature for the GReET. The spectral index flattens from
α
144 MHz
323 MHz
≈ -4 to α
144 MHz
54 MHz
≈ -2
. This indicates the presence of a cutoff in the electron energy spectrum. At the cluster center, we detect the radio halo at 54, 144, and at lower significance at 323 MHz. We categorize it as an ultra-steep spectrum radio halo with a low-frequency spectral index
α
= −1.65 ± 0.17. Additionally, with a radio power of
P
150 MHz
= 1.22 ± 0.13 × 10
25
W Hz
−1
, it is found to be significantly above the correlations of radio power to cluster mass reported in the literature. Furthermore, the synchrotron spectrum of the halo is found to further steepen between 144 and 323 MHz, in agreement with the presence of a break in the electron spectrum, which is a prediction of homogeneous reacceleration models.
ABSTRACT We present deep LOFAR observations between 120 and 181 MHz of the "Toothbrush" (RX J0603.3+4214), a cluster that contains one of the brightest radio relic sources known. Our LOFAR ...observations exploit a new and novel calibration scheme to probe 10 times deeper than any previous study in this relatively unexplored part of the spectrum. The LOFAR observations, when combined with VLA, GMRT, and Chandra X-ray data, provide new information about the nature of cluster merger shocks and their role in re-accelerating relativistic particles. We derive a spectral index of at the northern edge of the main radio relic, steepening toward the south to . The spectral index of the radio halo is remarkably uniform ( , with an intrinsic scatter of ). The observed radio relic spectral index gives a Mach number of , assuming diffusive shock acceleration. However, the gas density jump at the northern edge of the large radio relic implies a much weaker shock ( , with an upper limit of ). The discrepancy between the Mach numbers calculated from the radio and X-rays can be explained if either (i) the relic traces a complex shock surface along the line of sight, or (ii) if the radio relic emission is produced by a re-accelerated population of fossil particles from a radio galaxy. Our results highlight the need for additional theoretical work and numerical simulations of particle acceleration and re-acceleration at cluster merger shocks.
A number of radio observations have revealed the presence of large synchrotron-emitting sources associated with the intra-cluster medium. There is strong observational evidence that the emitting ...particles have been (re-)accelerated by shocks and turbulence generated during merger events. The particles that are accelerated are thought to have higher initial energies than those in the thermal pool but the origin of such mildly relativistic particles remains uncertain and needs to be further investigated. The galaxy cluster Abell 1914 is a massive galaxy cluster in which X-ray observations show clear evidence of merging activity. We carried out radio observations of this cluster with the LOw Frequency ARay (LOFAR) at 150 MHz and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 610 MHz. We also analysed Very Large Array (VLA) 1.4 GHz data, archival GMRT 325 MHz data, CFHT weak lensing data and Chandra observations. Our analysis shows that the ultra-steep spectrum source (4C38.39; α ≲ −2), previously thought to be part of a radio halo, is a distinct source with properties that are consistent with revived fossil plasma sources. Finally, we detect some diffuse emission to the west of the source 4C38.39 that could belong to a radio halo.
ABSTRACT
Diffuse radio emission at the centre of galaxy clusters has been observed both in merging clusters on scales of Mpc, called giant radio haloes, and in relaxed systems with a cool-core on ...smaller scales, named mini haloes. Giant radio haloes and mini haloes are thought to be distinct classes of sources. However, recent observations have revealed the presence of diffuse radio emission on Mpc scales in clusters that do not show strong dynamical activity. RX J1720.1+2638 is a cool-core cluster, presenting both a bright central mini halo and a fainter diffuse, steep-spectrum emission extending beyond the cluster core that resembles giant radio halo emission. In this paper, we present new observations performed with the LOw Frequency ARray Low Band Antennas (LBA) at 54 MHz. These observations, combined with data at higher frequencies, allow us to constrain the spectral properties of the radio emission. The large-scale emission presents an ultrasteep spectrum with $\alpha _{54}^{144}\sim 3.2$. The radio emission inside and outside the cluster core have strictly different properties, as there is a net change in spectral index and they follow different radio-X-ray surface brightness correlations. We argue that the large-scale diffuse emission is generated by particles re-acceleration after a minor merger. While for the central mini halo, we suggest that it could be generated by secondary electrons and positrons from hadronic interactions of relativistic nuclei with the dense cool-core gas, as an alternative to re-acceleration models.
It is well established that particle acceleration by shocks and turbulence in the intra-cluster medium can produce cluster-scale synchrotron emitting sources. However, the detailed physics of these ...particle acceleration processes is still not well understood. One of the main open questions is the role of fossil relativistic electrons that have been deposited in the intracluster medium (ICM) by radio galaxies. These synchrotron-emitting electrons are very difficult to study as their radiative lifetime is only tens of Myr at gigahertz frequencies, and they are therefore a relatively unexplored population. Despite the typical steep radio spectrum due to synchrotron losses, these fossil electrons are barely visible even at radio frequencies well below the gigahertz level. However, when a pocket of fossil radio plasma is compressed, it boosts the visibility at sub-gigahertz frequencies, creating what are known as radio phoenices. This compression can be the result of bulk motion and shocks in the ICM due to merger activity. In this paper we demonstrate the discovery potential of low-frequency radio sky surveys to find and study revived fossil plasma sources in galaxy clusters. We used the 150 MHz TIFR GMRT Sky Survey and the 1.4 GHz NVSS sky survey to identify candidate radio phoenices. A subset of three candidates was studied in detail using deep multi-band radio observations (LOFAR and GMRT), X-ray obserations (
Chandra
or
XMM-Newton
), and archival optical observations. Two of the three sources are new discoveries. Using these observations, we identified common observational properties (radio morphology, ultra-steep spectrum, X-ray luminosity, dynamical state) that will enable us to identify this class of sources more easily, and will help us to understand the physical origin of these sources.
Context.
Radio observations represent a powerful probe of the physics occurring in the intracluster medium (ICM) because they trace the relativistic cosmic rays in the cluster magnetic fields, or ...within galaxies themselves. By probing the low-energy cosmic rays, low-frequency radio observations are especially interesting because they unveil emission powered by low-efficiency particle acceleration processes, which are believed to play a crucial role in the origin of diffuse radio emission.
Aims.
We investigate the origin of the radio mini-halo at the centre of the galaxy cluster 2A0335+096 and its connection to the central galaxy and the sloshing cool core. We also study the properties of the head-tail galaxy GB6 B0335+096 hosted in the cluster to explore the life cycle of the relativistic electrons in its radio tails.
Methods.
We used new LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) observations from the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey at 144 MHz to map the low-frequency emission with a high level of detail. The new data were combined with archival Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and
Chandra
observations to carry out a multi-wavelength study.
Results.
We have made the first measurement of the spectral index of the mini-halo (
α
= −1.2 ± 0.1 between 144 MHz and 1.4 GHz) and the lobes of the central source (
α
≃ −1.5 ± 0.1 between 144 and 610 MHz). Based on the low-frequency radio emission morphology with respect to the thermal ICM, we propose that the origin of the diffuse radio emission is linked to the sloshing of the cool core. The new data reveal the presence of a megaparsec-long radio tail associated with GB6 B0335+096. The observed projected length is a factor 3 longer than the expected cooling length, with evidence of flattening in the spectral index trend along the tail. Therefore, we suggest that the electrons towards the end of the tail are kept alive by the ICM gentle re-acceleration.
Multi-band photometric and multi-object spectroscopic surveys of merging galaxy clusters allow for the characterization of the distributions of constituent DM and galaxy populations, constraints on ...the dynamics of the merging subclusters, and an understanding of galaxy evolution of member galaxies. We present deep photometric observations from Subaru/SuprimeCam and a catalog of 4431 spectroscopic galaxies from Keck/DEIMOS observations of 29 merging galaxy clusters ranging in redshift from z = 0.07 to 0.55. The ensemble is compiled based on the presence of radio relics, which highlight cluster-scale collisionless shocks in the intracluster medium. Together with the spectroscopic and photometric information, the velocities, timescales, and geometries of the respective merging events may be tightly constrained. In this preliminary analysis, the velocity distributions of 28 of the 29 clusters are shown to be well fit by single Gaussians. This indicates that radio-relic mergers largely occur transverse to the line of sight and/or near-apocenter. In this paper, we present our optical and spectroscopic surveys, preliminary results, and a discussion of the value of radio-relic mergers for developing accurate dynamical models of each system.
Abell 1033: birth of a radio phoenix de Gasperin, F; Ogrean, G. A; van Weeren, R. J ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
04/2015, Volume:
448, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Extended steep-spectrum radio emission in a galaxy cluster is usually associated with a recent merger. However, given the complex scenario of galaxy cluster mergers, many of the discovered sources ...hardly fit into the strict boundaries of a precise taxonomy. This is especially true for radio phoenixes that do not have very well defined observational criteria. Radio phoenixes are aged radio galaxy lobes whose emission is reactivated by compression or other mechanisms. Here, we present the detection of a radio phoenix close to the moment of its formation. The source is located in Abell 1033, a peculiar galaxy cluster which underwent a recent merger. To support our claim, we present unpublished Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and Chandra observations together with archival data from the Very Large Array and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We discover the presence of two subclusters displaced along the N–S direction. The two subclusters probably underwent a recent merger which is the cause of a moderately perturbed X-ray brightness distribution. A steep-spectrum extended radio source very close to an active galactic nucleus (AGN) is proposed to be a newly born radio phoenix: the AGN lobes have been displaced/compressed by shocks formed during the merger event. This scenario explains the source location, morphology, spectral index, and brightness. Finally, we show evidence of a density discontinuity close to the radio phoenix and discuss the consequences of its presence.
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