Search

We present a detailed analysis of jet activity in the radio galaxy 3C348 at the center of the galaxy cluster Hercules A. We use archival Chandra data to investigate the jet-driven shock front, the radio-faint X-ray cavities, the eastern jet, and the presence of extended Inverse Compton (IC) X-ray emission from the radio lobes. We detect two pairs of shocks: one in the north-south direction at 150 kpc from the center, and another in the east-west direction at 280 kpc. These shocks have Mach numbers of $\mathcal{M} = 1.65\pm0.05$ and $\mathcal{M} = 1.9\pm0.3$, respectively. Together, they form a complete cocoon around the large radio lobes. Based on the distance of the shocks from the center, we estimate that the corresponding jet outburst is 90-150 Myr old. We confirm the presence of two radio-faint cavities within the cocoon, misaligned from the lobes, each $\sim$100 kpc wide and 40-60 Myr old. A backflow from the radio lobes might explain why the cavities are dynamically younger than the cocoon shock front. We also detect non-thermal X-ray emission from the eastern jet and from the large radio lobes. The X-ray emission from the jet is visible at 80 kpc from the AGN and can be accounted for by an IC model with a mild Doppler boosting ($\delta\sim2.7$). A synchrotron model could explain the radio-to-X-ray spectrum only for very high Lorentz factors $\gamma\geq10^{8}$ of the electrons in the jet. For the large radio lobes, we argue that the X-ray emission has an IC origin, with a 1 keV flux density of $21.7\pm1.4\text{(statistical)}\pm1.3\text{(systematic)}$ nJy. A thermal model is unlikely, as it would require unrealistically high gas temperature, density, and pressure, along with a strong depolarization of the radio lobes, which are instead highly polarized. The IC detection, combined with the synchrotron flux density, suggests a magnetic field of $12\pm3\mu$G in the lobes., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We characterise the entropy profiles of 32 very high mass ($M_{500}>7.75\times10^{14}~M_{\odot}$) galaxy clusters (HIGHMz), selected from the CHEX-MATE sample, to study the intracluster medium (ICM) entropy distribution in a regime where non-gravitational effects are minimised. Using XMM-Newton measurements, we measure the entropy profiles up to ~$R_{500}$ for all objects. The scaled profiles exhibit large dispersion in the central regions, but converge rapidly to the expectation from pure gravitational collapse beyond the core. We quantify the correlation between the ICM morphological parameters and scaled entropy as a function of radius, showing that morphologically relaxed (disturbed) objects have low (high) central entropy. We compare our data to other observational samples, finding differences in normalisation which are linked to the average mass of the samples in question. We find that a weaker mass dependence than self-similar in the scaling (Am ~ -0.25) allows us to minimise the dispersion in the radial range [0.3-0.8]$R_{500}$ for clusters spanning over a decade in mass. The deviation from self-similarity is radially dependent and is more pronounced at small and intermediate radii than at $R_{500}$. We also investigate the distribution of central entropy $K_0$, finding no evidence for bimodality, and outer slopes $\alpha$, which peaks at ~1.1. Using weak lensing masses, we find indication for a small suppression of the scatter (~30%) beyond the core when using masses derived from Yx in the rescaling. Finally, we compare to recent cosmological numerical simulations from THE THREE HUNDRED and MACSIS, finding good agreement with our observational data. These results provide a robust observational benchmark in the gravity-dominated regime and will serve as a future reference for samples at lower mass, higher redshifts, and for ongoing work using cosmological numerical simulations., Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A

X-shaped radio galaxies (XRGs) are characterised by two pairs of misaligned lobes, namely the active lobes hosting radio jets and the wings. None of the formation mechanisms proposed so far can exhaustively reproduce the diverse features observed among XRGs. The emerging evidence is the existence of sub-populations of XRGs forming via different processes. The brightest cluster galaxy in Abell 3670 (A3670) is a dumbbell system hosting the XRG MRC 2011-298. The morphological and spectral properties of this interesting XRG have been first characterised through Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) data at 1-10 GHz. In the present work, we followed-up MRC 2011-298 with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) at 120-800 MHz to further constrain its properties and origin. We carried out a detailed spectral analysis sampling different spatial scales. Integrated radio spectra, spectral index maps, radio colour-colour diagrams, and radiative age maps of both the active lobes and prominent wings have been employed to test the origin of the source. We confirm a progressive spectral steepening from the lobes to the wings. The maximum radiative age of the source is $\sim 80$ Myr, with the wings being older than the lobes by $\gtrsim 30$ Myr in their outermost regions. The observed properties are in line with an abrupt reorientation of the jets by $\sim 90$ deg from the direction of the wings to their present position. This formation mechanism is further supported by the comparison with numerical simulations in the literature, which additionally highlight the role of hydrodynamic processes in the evolution of large wings such as those of MRC 2011-298. Potentially, the coalescence of supermassive black holes could have triggered the spin-flip of the jets. Moreover, we show that the S-shape of the radio jets is likely driven by precession with a period $P \sim 10$ Myr., Comment: 23 pages (including Appendices), 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

The connection between the thermal and non-thermal properties in galaxy clusters hosting radio halos seems fairly well established. However, a comprehensive analysis of such a connection has been made only for integrated quantities (e.g. $L_X - P_{radio}$ relation). In recent years new-generation radio telescopes have enabled the unprecedented possibility to study the non-thermal properties of galaxy clusters on a spatially resolved basis. Here, we perform a pilot study to investigate the mentioned properties on five targets, by combining X-ray data from the CHEX-MATE project with the second data release from the LOFAR Two meter Sky survey. We find a strong correlation ($r_s \sim 0.7$) with a slope less than unity between the radio and X-ray surface brightness. We also report differences in the spatially resolved properties of the radio emission in clusters which show different levels of dynamical disturbance. In particular, less perturbed clusters (according to X-ray parameters) show peaked radio profiles in the centre, with a flattening in the outer regions, while the three dynamically disturbed clusters have steeper profiles in the outer regions. We fit a model to the radio emission in the context of turbulent re-acceleration with a constant ratio between thermal and non-thermal particles energy density and a magnetic field profile linked to the thermal gas density as $B(r) \propto n_{th}^{0.5}$. We found that this simple model cannot reproduce the behaviour of the observed radio emission., Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

In this work, we analysed new LOw Frequency ARray observations of the mini halo in the cluster RBS797, together with archival Very Large Array observations and the recent Chandra results. This cluster is known to host a powerful active galactic nucleus (AGN) at its centre, with two pairs of jets propagating in orthogonal directions. Recent X-ray observations have detected three pairs of shock fronts, connected with the activity of the central AGN. Our aim is to investigate the connection between the mini halo emission and the activity of the central source. We find that the diffuse radio emission is elongated in different directions at 144 MHz (east-west) with respect to 1.4 GHz (north-south), tracing the orientation of the two pairs of jets. The mini halo emission is characterised by an average spectral index $\alpha=-1.02\pm 0.05$. The spectral index profile of the mini halo shows a gradual flattening from the centre to the periphery. Such a trend is unique among the mini halos studied to date, and resembles the spectral index trend typical of particles re-accelerated by shocks. However, the estimated contribution to the radio brightness profile coming from shock re-acceleration is found to be insufficient to account for the radial brightness profile of the mini halo. We propose three scenarios that could explain the observed trend: (i) the AGN-driven shocks are propagating onto an already existing mini halo, re-energising the electrons. We estimate that the polarisation induced by the shocks could be detected at 6 GHz and above; (ii) we could be witnessing turbulent re-acceleration in a high magnetic field cluster; and (iii) the mini halo could have a hadronic origin, in which the particles are injected by Future observations in polarisation would be fundamental to understand the role of shocks and the magnetic field., Comment: A&A, accepted

Theoretical and observational studies have suggested that ram-pressure stripping by the intracluster medium can be enhanced during cluster interactions, boosting the formation of the "jellyfish" galaxies. In this work, we study the incidence of galaxies undergoing ram-pressure stripping in 52 clusters of different dynamical states. We use optical data from the WINGS/OmegaWINGS surveys and archival X-ray data to characterise the dynamical state of our cluster sample, applying eight different proxies. We then compute the number of ram-pressure stripping candidates relative to the infalling population of blue late-type galaxies within a fixed circular aperture in each cluster. We find no clear correlation between the fractions of ram-pressure stripping candidates and the different cluster dynamical state proxies considered. These fractions also show no apparent correlation with cluster mass. To construct a dynamical state classification closer to a merging "sequence", we perform a visual classification of the dynamical states of the clusters, combining information available in optical, X-ray, and radio wavelengths. We find a mild increase in the RPS fraction in interacting clusters with respect to all other classes (including post-mergers). This mild enhancement could hint at a short-lived enhanced ram-pressure stripping in ongoing cluster mergers. However, our results are not statistically significant due to the low galaxy numbers. We note this is the first homogeneous attempt to quantify the effect of cluster dynamical state on ram-pressure stripping using a large cluster sample, but even larger (especially wider) multi-wavelength surveys are needed to confirm the results., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Using $\sim$427 ks of Chandra observations, we present a study of shock heating and ICM cooling in the galaxy cluster RBS 797. We discover three nested pairs of weak shocks at roughly 50 kpc, 80 kpc and 130 kpc from the center. The total energy associated with the shocks is $\sim6\times10^{61}$ erg, with the central AGN driving a pair of weak shocks every 20-30 Myr with a power $P_{sh}\approx10^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$. Based on its morphology and age ($\sim$30 Myr), the inner cocoon shock is associated with the four equidistant X-ray cavities previously discovered. From the thermodynamic analysis of the inner 30 kpc, we find evidence for ICM condensation into colder gas between and behind the X-ray cavities. The total AGN mechanical power (cavities and shocks) of $3.4\times10^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$ can balance the ICM radiative losses, estimated as $L_{cool} = 2.3\times10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$. By building plots of $P_{cav}$ vs. $L_{cool}$, $P_{shock}$ vs. $L_{cool}$ and $P_{tot}$ vs. $L_{cool}$ for RBS 797 and 14 other galaxy clusters, groups and elliptical galaxies where both cavities and shocks are detected, we verify that the most powerful outbursts are found in the strongest cooling systems. Ultimately, we observe that the mechanical power of the AGN exceeds the gas radiative losses by a factor that is different for FR I and FR II radio galaxies, being less than a few tens for FR Is (as RBS 797) and more than roughly a hundred for FR IIs., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

We aim to investigate the AGN/ICM interplay in ZwCl 235, a galaxy cluster with high X-ray flux, an extended central radio galaxy, and evidence of multi-phase gas at its center. Using archival data from the Chandra telescope, the VLASS survey, the LOTSS survey and the VLBA telescope, we perform a complete study of ZwCl 235, dissecting the dynamics of the ICM, the thermodynamic state of the central gas, and the properties of the BCG. By means of radial profiles and 2D spectral maps, we measure the temperature, entropy and cooling time of the ICM, and we compare the morphology of the central radio galaxy with the surrounding medium. We find evidence that ZwCl 235 is a sloshing cool core cluster in which the activity of the central galaxy has excavated a pair of cavities and possibly uplifted enriched gas to an altitude of ~30 kpc. In the cluster core, the lowest entropy ICM is preferentially found in a 20 kpc-long filament tangential to the southern radio lobe of the AGN. We argue that the observed cool (~1.3 keV) filament is likely produced by a combination of sloshing and stimulated ICM cooling, that may be fueling the central supermassive black hole. Additionally, we determine that the X-ray emission of the BCG originates from a ~1.4 keV plasma kernel which extends for 5 kpc in radius and has a short cooling time (~240 Myr), and could represent the thermal corona of the BCG. Overall, we propose that several sources (the large scale ICM, the low entropy filament and the ~1.4 keV kernel) of cold material are currently feeding the central AGN, and that the ICM cooling cycle expectations are met from the macro scales (between 5 - 100 kpc) to the meso scales (<5 kpc) of AGN feedback., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

We investigate the cold and warm gas content, kinematics, and spatial distribution of six local massive elliptical galaxies to probe the origin of the multiphase gas in their atmospheres. We report new observations, including SOFIA [CII], ALMA CO, MUSE H$\alpha$+[NII] and VLA radio observations. These are complemented by a large suite of multiwavelength archival datasets, including thermodynamical properties of the hot gas and radio jets, which are leveraged to investigate the role of AGN feeding/feedback in regulating the multiphase gas content. Our galaxy sample shows a significant diversity in cool gas content, spanning filamentary and rotating structures. In our non-central galaxies, the distribution of such gas is often concentrated, at variance with the more extended features observed in central galaxies. Misalignment between the multiphase gas and stars suggest that stellar mass loss is not the primary driver. A fraction of the cool gas might be acquired via galaxy interactions, but we do not find quantitative evidence of mergers in most of our systems. Instead, key evidence supports the origin via condensation out of the diffuse halo. Comparing with Chaotic Cold Accretion (CCA) simulations, we find that our cool gas-free galaxies are likely in the overheated phase of the self-regulated AGN cycle, while for our galaxies with cool gas the k-plot and AGN power correlation corroborate the phase of CCA feeding in which the condensation rain is triggering more vigorous AGN heating. The related C-ratio further shows that central/non-central galaxies are expected to generate an extended/inner rain, consistent with our sample., Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ; typos corrected, reference added

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. We investigate the origin of the radio mini-halo at the center 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 lifecycle of the relativistic electrons in its radio tails. We use 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. We have made the first measurement of the spectral index of the mini-halo ($\alpha=-1.2\pm0.1$ between 144 MHz and 1.4 GHz) and the lobes of the central source ($\alpha\simeq-1.5\pm0.1$ 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 revealed the presence of a Mpc-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 toward the end of the tail are kept alive by the ICM gentle re-acceleration., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication on A&A on 29/11/2021

X-ray studies of jellyfish galaxies play a crucial role in understanding the interactions between the interstellar medium (ISM) and the intracluster medium (ICM). In this paper, we focused on the jellyfish galaxy JO201. By combining archival Chandra observations, MUSE H$\alpha$ cubes, and maps of the emission fraction of the diffuse ionised gas, we investigated both its high energy spectral properties and the spatial correlation between its X-ray and optical emissions. The X-ray emission of JO201 is provided by both the Compton thick AGN (L$_{\text{X}}^{0.5-10 \text{keV}}$=2.7$\cdot$10$^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$, not corrected for intrinsic absorption) and an extended component (L$_{\text{X}}^{0.5-10 \, \text{keV}}\approx$1.9-4.5$\cdot$10$^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$) produced by a warm plasma (kT$\approx$1 keV), whose luminosity is higher than expected from the observed star formation (L$_{\text{X}}\sim$3.8$\cdot10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$). The spectral analysis showed that the X-ray emission is consistent with the thermal cooling of hot plasma. These properties are similar to the ones found in other jellyfish galaxies showing extended X-ray emission. A point-to-point analysis revealed that this X-ray emission closely follows the ISM distribution, whereas CLOUDY simulations proved that the ionisation triggered by this warm plasma would be able to reproduce the [OI]/H$\alpha$ excess observed in JO201. We conclude that the galactic X-ray emitting plasma is originated on the surface of the ISM as a result of the ICM-ISM interplay. This process would entail the cooling and accretion of the ICM onto the galaxy, which could additionally fuel the star formation, and the emergence of [OI]/H$\alpha$ excess in the optical spectrum., Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables. Manuscript in press in Apj

The Cluster HEritage project with XMM-Newton - Mass Assembly and Thermodynamics at the Endpoint of structure formation (CHEX-MATE) is a three mega-second Multi-Year Heritage Programme to obtain X-ray observations of a minimally-biased, signal-to-noise limited sample of 118 galaxy clusters detected by Planck through the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. The programme, described in detail in this paper, aims to study the ultimate products of structure formation in time and mass. It is composed of a census of the most recent objects to have formed (Tier-1: 0.05 < z < 0.2; 2 x 10e14 M_sun < M_500 < 9 x 10e14 M_sun), together with a sample of the highest-mass objects in the Universe (Tier-2: z < 0.6; M_500 > 7.25 x 10e14 M_sun). The programme will yield an accurate vision of the statistical properties of the underlying population, measure how the gas properties are shaped by collapse into the dark matter halo, uncover the provenance of non-gravitational heating, and resolve the major uncertainties in mass determination that limit the use of clusters for cosmological parameter estimation. We will acquire X-ray exposures of uniform depth, designed to obtain individual mass measurements accurate to 15-20% under the hydrostatic assumption. We present the project motivations, describe the programme definition, and detail the ongoing multi-wavelength observational (lensing, SZ, radio) and theoretical effort that is being deployed in support of the project., Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures; A&A, in press

The radio source at the center of the galaxy cluster Abell 2626, also known as the Kite, stands out for its unique morphology composed of four, symmetric arcs. Previous studies have probed the properties of this source at different frequencies and its interplay with the surrounding thermal plasma, but the puzzle of its origin is still unsolved. We use new LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) observation from the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey at 144 MHz to investigate the origin of the Kite.} We present a detailed analysis of the new radio data which we combined with archival radio and X-ray observations. We have produced a new, resolved spectral index map of the source with a resolution of 7$''$ and we studied the spatial correlation of radio and X-ray emission to investigate the interplay between thermal and non-thermal plasma. The new LOFAR data have changed our view of the Kite by discovering two steep-spectrum ($\alpha<-1.5$) plumes of emission connected to the arcs. The spectral analysis shows, for the first time, a spatial trend of the spectrum along the arcs with evidence of curved synchrotron spectra and a spatial correlation with the X-ray surface brightness. On the basis of our results, we propose that the Kite was originally an X-shaped radio galaxy whose fossil radio plasma, after the end of the activity of the central active galactic nucleus, has been compressed due to motions of the thermal plasma in which it is encompassed. The interplay between the compression and advection of the fossil plasma, with the restarting of the nuclear activity of the central galaxy, could have enhanced the radio emission of the fossil plasma producing the arcs of the Kite. We present also the first, low-frequency observation of a jellyfish galaxy in the same field, in which we detect extended, low-frequency emission without a counterpart at higher frequencies., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics on 23/09/2020

Our understanding of how AGN feedback operates in galaxy clusters has improved in recent years owing to large efforts in multi-wavelength observations and hydrodynamical simulations. However, it is much less clear how feedback operates in galaxy groups, which have shallower gravitational potentials. In this work, using very deep VLA and new MeerKAT observations from the MIGHTEE survey, we compiled a sample of 247 X-ray selected galaxy groups detected in the COSMOS field. We have studied the relation between the X-ray emission of the intra-group medium and the 1.4 GHz radio emission of the central radio galaxy. For comparison, we have also built a control sample of 142 galaxy clusters using ROSAT and NVSS data. We find that clusters and groups follow the same correlation between X-ray and radio emission. Large radio galaxies hosted in the centres of groups and merging clusters increase the scatter of the distribution. Using statistical tests and Monte-Carlo simulations, we show that the correlation is not dominated by biases or selection effects. We also find that galaxy groups are more likely than clusters to host large radio galaxies, perhaps owing to the lower ambient gas density or a more efficient accretion mode. In these groups, radiative cooling of the ICM could be less suppressed by AGN heating. We conclude that the feedback processes that operate in galaxy clusters are also effective in groups., Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures

Non-thermal properties of galaxy clusters have been studied with detailed and deep radio images in comparison with X-ray data. While much progress has been made, most of the studied clusters are at a relatively low redshift (z < 0.3). We here investigate the evolutionary properties of the non-thermal cluster emission using two statistically complete samples at z > 0.3. We obtained short JVLA observations at L-band of the statistically complete sample of very X-ray luminous clusters from the Massive Cluster Survey (MACS) presented by Ebeling et al. (2010), and redshift range 0.3 - 0.5. We add to this list the complete sample of the 12 most distant MACS clusters (z > 0.5) presented in Ebeling et al. (2007). Most clusters show evidence of emission in the radio regime. We present the radio properties of all clusters in our sample and show images of newly detected diffuse sources. A radio halo is detected in 19 clusters, and five clusters contain a relic source. Most of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) in relaxed clusters show radio emission with powers typical of FRII radio galaxies, and some are surrounded by a radio mini-halo. The high frequency of radio emission from the BCG in relaxed clusters suggests that BCG feedback mechanisms are in place already at z about 0.6. The properties of radio halos and the small number of detected relics suggest redshift evolution in the properties of diffuse sources. The radio power (and size) of radio halos could be related to the number of past merger events in the history of the system. In this scenario, the presence of a giant and high-power radio halo is indicative of an evolved system with a large number of past major mergers., Comment: Accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysics. 19 pages, 24 Figures

We present the results of a new Chandra study of the galaxy cluster A2626. The radio emission of the cluster shows a complex system of four symmetric arcs without known correlations with the X-ray emission. The mirror symmetry of the radio arcs toward the center and the presence of two optical cores in the central galaxy suggested that they may be created by pairs of precessing radio jets powered by dual AGNs inside the cD galaxy. However, previous observations failed to observe the second jetted AGN and the spectral trend due to radiative age along the radio arcs, thus challenging this interpretation. The new Chandra observation had several scientific objectives, including the search for the second AGN that would support the jet precession model. We focus here on the detailed study of the local properties of the thermal and non-thermal emission in the proximity of the radio arcs, in order to get more insights into their origin. We performed a standard data reduction of the Chandra dataset deriving the radial profiles of temperature, density, pressure and cooling time of the intra-cluster medium. We further analyzed the 2D distribution of the gas temperature, discovering that the south-western junction of the radio arcs surrounds the cool core of the cluster. We studied the X-ray SB and spectral profiles across the junction, finding a cold front spatially coincident with the radio arcs. This may suggest a connection between the sloshing of the thermal gas and the nature of the radio filaments, raising new scenarios for their origin. A possibility is that the radio arcs trace the projection of a complex surface connecting the sites where electrons are most efficiently reaccelerated by the turbulence that is generated by the gas sloshing. In this case, diffuse emission embedded by the arcs and with extremely steep spectrum should be most visible at very low radio frequencies., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication on A&A

Galaxy clusters are unique laboratories to investigate turbulent fluid motions and large scale magnetic fields. Synchrotron radio halos at the center of merging galaxy clusters provide the most spectacular and direct evidence of the presence of relativistic particles and magnetic fields associated with the intracluster medium. The study of polarized emission from radio halos is extremely important to constrain the properties of intracluster magnetic fields and the physics of the acceleration and transport of the relativistic particles. However, detecting this polarized signal is a very hard task with the current radio facilities.We use cosmological magneto-hydrodynamical simulations to predict the expected polarized surface brightness of radio halos at 1.4 GHz. We compare these expectations with the sensitivity and the resolution reachable with the SKA1. This allows us to evaluate the potential for studying intracluster magnetic fields in the surveys planned for SKA1., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures; to appear as part of 'Cosmic Magnetism' in Proceedings 'Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA (AASKA14)', PoS(AASKA14)105

Giant Radio Halos (RH) are diffuse, Mpc-sized, synchrotron radio sources observed in a fraction of merging galaxy clusters. The current scenario for the origin of RHs assumes that turbulence generated during cluster mergers re-accelerates pre-existing fossil and/or secondary electrons in the intra-cluster-medium (ICM) to the energies necessary to produce the observed radio emission. Moreover, more relaxed clusters could host diffuse "off state" halos produced by secondary electrons. In this Chapter we use Monte Carlo simulations, that combine turbulent-acceleration physics and the generation of secondaries in the ICM, to calculate the occurrence of RHs in the Universe, their spectral properties and connection with properties of the hosting clusters. Predictions for SKA1 surveys are presented at low (100-300 MHz) and mid (1-2 GHz) frequencies assuming the expected sensitivities and spatial resolutions of SKA1. SKA1 will step into an unexplored territory allowing us to study the formation and evolution of RHs in a totally new range of cluster masses and redshift, allowing firm tests of the current theoretical hypothesis. In particular, the combination of SKA1-LOW and SUR will allow the discovery of ~1000 ultrasteep- spectrum halos and to detect for the very first time "off state" RHs. We expect that at least ~2500 giant RHs will be discovered by SKA1-LOW surveys up to z~0.6. Remarkably these surveys will be sensitive to RHs in a cluster mass range (down to ~10^14 solar masses) and redshifts (up to ~1) that are unexplored by current observations. SKA1 surveys will be highly competitive with present and future SZ-surveys in the detection of high-redshift massive objects., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, to appear in proceedings of "Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array" PoS(AASKA14)073

We present an analysis of deep Chandra X-ray observations of the galaxy cluster MS 0735.6+7421, which hosts the most energetic radio AGN known. Our analysis has revealed two cavities in its hot atmosphere with diameters of 200-240 kpc. The total cavity enthalpy, mean age, and mean jet power are $9\times 10^{61}$ erg, $1.6\times 10^{8}$ yr, and $1.7\times 10^{46}$ erg/s, respectively. The cavities are surrounded by nearly continuous temperature and surface brightness discontinuities associated with an elliptical shock front of Mach number 1.26 (1.17-1.30) and age of $1.1\times 10^{8}$ yr. The shock has injected at least $4\times 10^{61}$ erg into the hot atmosphere at a rate of $1.1\times 10^{46}$ erg/s. A second pair of cavities and possibly a second shock front are located along the radio jets, indicating that the AGN power has declined by a factor of 30 over the past 100 Myr. The multiphase atmosphere surrounding the central galaxy is cooling at a rate of 36 Msun/yr, but does not fuel star formation at an appreciable rate. In addition to heating, entrainment in the radio jet may be depleting the nucleus of fuel and preventing gas from condensing out of the intracluster medium. Finally, we examine the mean time intervals between AGN outbursts in systems with multiple generations of X-ray cavities. We find that, like MS0735, their AGN rejuvenate on a timescale that is approximately 1/3 of their mean central cooling timescales, indicating that jet heating is outpacing cooling in these systems., Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS on May 21, 2014

The radio source at the center of the cool core galaxy cluster RBS 797 (z=0.35) is known to exhibit a misalignment of its radio jets and lobes observed at different VLA-scale, with the innermost kpc-scale jets being almost orthogonal to the radio emission which extends for tens of kpc filling the X-ray cavities. Gitti et al. suggested that this peculiar radio morphology may indicate a recurrent activity of the central radio source, where the jet orientation is changing between the different outbursts due to the effects of supermassive binary black holes (SMBBHs). We aim at unveiling the nuclear radio properties of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in RBS 797 and at investigating the presence of a SMBBH system in its center. We have performed new high-resolution observations at 5 GHz with the European VLBI Network (EVN), reaching an angular resolution of 9x5 mas^2 and a sensitivity of 36 microJy/beam. We report the EVN detection of two compact components in the BCG of RBS 797, with a projected separation of ~77 pc. We can envisage two possible scenarios: the two components are two different nuclei in a close binary system, or they are the core and a knot of its jet. Both interpretations are consistent with the presence of SMBBHs. Our re-analysis of VLA archival data seems to favor the first scenario, as we detect two pairs of radio jets misaligned by ~90 degrees on the same kpc scale emanating from the central radio core. If the two outbursts are almost contemporaneous, this is clear evidence of the presence of two active SMBHs, whose radio nuclei are unresolved at VLA resolution. The nature of the double source detected by our EVN observations in the BCG of RBS 797 can be established only by future sensitive, multi-frequency VLBI observations. If confirmed, RBS 797 would be the first SMBBH system observed at medium-high redshift at VLBI resolution. (abridged), Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, A&A Letter in press

Mechanical feedback via Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) jets in the centres of galaxy groups and clusters is a crucial ingredient in current models of galaxy formation and cluster evolution. Jet feedback is believed to regulate gas cooling and thus star formation in the most massive galaxies, but a robust physical understanding of this feedback mode is currently lacking. The large collecting area, excellent spectral resolution and high spatial resolution of Athena+ will provide the breakthrough diagnostic ability necessary to develop this understanding, via: (1) the first kinematic measurements on relevant spatial scales of the hot gas in galaxy, group and cluster haloes as it absorbs the impact of AGN jets, and (2) vastly improved ability to map thermodynamic conditions on scales well-matched to the jets, lobes and gas disturbances produced by them. Athena+ will therefore determine for the first time how jet energy is dissipated and distributed in group and cluster gas, and how a feedback loop operates in group/cluster cores to regulate gas cooling and AGN fuelling. Athena+ will also establish firmly the cumulative impact of powerful radio galaxies on the evolution of baryons from the epoch of group/cluster formation to the present day., Comment: Supporting paper for the science theme The Hot and Energetic Universe to be implemented by the Athena+ X-ray observatory (http://www.the-athena-x-ray-observatory.eu). 9 pages, 7 figures

As the nodes of the cosmic web, clusters of galaxies trace the large-scale distribution of matter in the Universe. They are thus privileged sites in which to investigate the complex physics of structure formation. However, the complete story of how these structures grow, and how they dissipate the gravitational and non-thermal components of their energy budget over cosmic time, is still beyond our grasp. Fundamental questions such as How do hot diffuse baryons accrete and dynamically evolve in dark matter potentials? How and when was the energy that we observe in the ICM generated and distributed? Where and when are heavy elements produced and how are they circulated? are still unanswered. Most of the cluster baryons exists in the form of a diffuse, hot, metal-enriched plasma that radiates primarily in the X-ray band (the intracluster medium, ICM), allowing the X-ray observations of the evolving cluster population to provide a unique opportunity to address these topics. Athena+ with its large collecting area and unprecedented combination of high spectral and angular resolution offers the only way to make major advances in answering these questions. Athena+ will show how the baryonic gas evolves in the dark matter potential wells by studying the motions and turbulence in the ICM. Athena+ will be able to resolve the accreting region both spatially and spectroscopically, probing the true nature and physical state of the X-ray emitting plasma. Athena+ has the capabilities to permit a definitive understanding of the formation and evolution of large-scale cosmic structure through the study of the cluster population., Comment: Supporting paper for the science theme The Hot and Energetic Universe to be implemented by the Athena+ X-ray observatory (http://www.the-athena-x-ray-observatory.eu). 10 pages, 5 figures

(Context) In recent years, our understanding of the cool cores of galaxy clusters has changed. Once thought to be relatively simple places where gas cools and flows toward the centre, now they are believed to be very dynamic places where heating from the central Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) and cooling, as inferred from active star formation, molecular gas, and Halpha nebulosity, find an uneasy energetic balance. (Aims) We want to characterize the X-ray properties of the nearby cool-core cluster Zw1742+3306, selected because it is bright at X-ray (with a flux greater than 1e-11 erg/s/cm2 in the 0.1-2.4 keV band) and Halpha wavelengths (Halpha luminosity > 1e40 erg/s). (Methods) We used Chandra data to analyze the spatial and spectral properties of the cool core of Zw1742+3306, a galaxy cluster at z=0.0757 that emits in Halpha and presents the brightest central galaxy located in a diffuse X-ray emission with multiple peaks in surface brightness. (Results) We show that the X-ray cool core of the galaxy cluster Zw1742+3306 is thermodynamically very active with evidence of cold fronts and a weak shock in the surface brightness map and of an apparently coherent, elongated structure with metallicity greater than the value measured in the surrounding ambient gas by about 50 per cent. This anisotropic structure is 280 x 90 kpc2 and is aligned with the cold fronts and with the X-ray emission on larger scales. We suggest that all these peculiarities in the X-ray emission of Zw1742+3306 are either a very fine-tuned output of a sloshing gas in the cluster core or the product of a metal-rich outflow from the central AGN., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. A&A in press. Minor changes to match accepted version

Utilizing $\sim 50$ ks of Chandra X-ray Observatory imaging, we present an analysis of the intracluster medium (ICM) and cavity system in the galaxy cluster RBS 797. In addition to the two previously known cavities in the cluster core, the new and deeper X-ray image has revealed additional structure associated with the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The surface brightness decrements of the two cavities are unusually large, and are consistent with elongated cavities lying close to our line-of-sight. We estimate a total AGN outburst energy and mean jet power of $\approx 3 - 6 \times 10^{60}$ erg and $\approx 3 - 6 \times 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$, respectively, depending on the assumed geometrical configuration of the cavities. Thus, RBS 797 is apparently among the the most powerful AGN outbursts known in a cluster. The average mass accretion rate needed to power the AGN by accretion alone is $\sim 1 M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. We show that accretion of cold gas onto the AGN at this level is plausible, but that Bondi accretion of the hot atmosphere is probably not. The BCG harbors an unresolved, non-thermal nuclear X-ray source with a bolometric luminosity of $\approx 2 \times 10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The nuclear emission is probably associated with a rapidly-accreting, radiatively inefficient accretion flow. We present tentative evidence that star formation in the BCG is being triggered by the radio jets and suggest that the cavities may be driving weak shocks ($M \sim 1.5$) into the ICM, similar to the process in the galaxy cluster MS 0735.6+7421., Comment: Accepted to ApJ; 20 pages, 11 low-resolution figures

The frequently observed association between giant radio halos and merging galaxy clusters has driven present theoretical models of non-thermal emission from galaxy clusters, which are based on the idea that the energy dissipated during cluster-cluster mergers could power the formation of radio halos. To quantitatively test the merger-halo connection we present the first statistical study based on deep radio data and X-ray observations of a complete X-ray selected sample of galaxy clusters with X-ray luminosity > 5x 10^44 erg/s and redshift 0.2

Recent work based on a global measurement of the ICM properties find evidence for an increase of the iron abundance in galaxy clusters with temperature around 2-4 keV up to a value about 3 times larger than that typical of very hot clusters. We have started a study of the metal distribution in these objects from the sample of Baumgartner et al. (2005), aiming at resolving spatially the metal content of the ICM. We report here on a 42ks XMM observation of the first object of the sample, the cluster Abell 2028. The XMM observation reveals a complex structure of the cluster over scale of 300 kpc, showing an interaction between two sub-clusters in cometary-like configurations. At the leading edges of the two substructures cold fronts have been detected. The core of the main subcluster is likely hosting a cool corona. We show that a one-component fit for this region returns a biased high metallicity. This inverse iron bias is due to the behavior of the fitting code in shaping the Fe-L complex. In presence of a multi-temperature structure of the ICM, the best-fit metallicity is artificially higher when the projected spectrum is modeled with a single temperature component and it is not related to the presence of both Fe-L and Fe-K emission lines in the spectrum. After accounting for the bias, the overall abundance of the cluster is consistent with the one typical of hotter, more massive clusters. We caution the interpretation of high abundances inferred when fitting a single thermal component to spectra derived from relatively large apertures in 3-4 keV clusters, because the inverse iron bias can be present. Most of the inferences trying to relate high abundances in 3-4 keV clusters to fundamental physical processes will likely have to be revised., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures.Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysycs. Minor changes to match published version

As a part of an ongoing study of a sample of galaxy groups showing evidence for AGN/hot gas interaction, we report on the preliminary results of an analysis of new XMM and GMRT data of the X-ray bright compact group HCG 62. This is one of the few groups known to possess very clear, small X-ray cavities in the inner region as shown by the existing Chandra image. At higher frequencies (>1.4 GHz) the cavities show minimal if any radio emission, but the radio appears clearly at lower frequencies (<610 MHz). We compare and discuss the morphology and spectral properties of the gas and of the radio source. We find that the cavities are close to pressure balance, and that the jets have a "light" hadronic content. By extracting X-ray surface brightness and temperature profiles, we also identify a shock front located around 35 kpc to the south-west of the group center., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. To appear in proceedings of "The Monster's Fiery Breath", Madison, WI, 1-5 June 2009, Eds. Sebastian Heinz & Eric Wilcots

Using deep Chandra observations of the Hydra A galaxy cluster, we examine the metallicity structure near the central galaxy and along its powerful radio source. We show that the metallicity of the intracluster medium is enhanced by up to 0.2 dex along the radio jets and lobes compared to the metallicity of the undisturbed gas. The enhancements extend from a radius of 20 kpc from the central galaxy to a distance of ~ 120 kpc. We estimate the total iron mass that has been transported out of the central galaxy to be between 2 x 10^7 M_sun and 7 x 10^7 M_sun which represents 10% - 20% of the iron mass within the central galaxy. The energy required to lift this gas is roughly 1% to 5% of the total energetic output of the AGN. Evidently, Hydra A's powerful radio source is able to redistribute metal-enriched, low entropy gas throughout the core of the galaxy cluster. The short re-enrichment time scale < 10^9 yr implies that the metals lost from the central galaxy will be quickly replenished., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, includes changes based on comments from referee

We present an ongoing study of 18 nearby galaxy groups, chosen for the availability of Chandra and/or XMM-Newton data and evidence for AGN/hot intragroup gas interaction. We have obtained 235 and 610 MHz observations at the GMRT for all the groups, and 327 and 150 MHz for a few. We discuss two interesting cases - NGC 5044 and AWM 4 - which exhibit different kinds of AGN/hot gas interaction. With the help of these examples we show how joining low-frequency radio data (to track the history of AGN outbursts through emission from aged electron populations) with X-ray data (to determine the state of hot gas, its disturbances, heating and cooling) can provide a unique insight into the nature of the feedback mechanism in galaxy groups., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in proceedings of the conference "The Monster's Fiery Breath: Feedback in Galaxies, Groups, and Clusters", June 2009, Madison Wisconsin

The brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the Abell 1664 cluster is unusually blue and is forming stars at a rate of ~ 23 M_{\sun} yr^{-1}. The BCG is located within 5 kpc of the X-ray peak, where the cooling time of 3.5x10^8 yr and entropy of 10.4 keV cm^2 are consistent with other star-forming BCGs in cooling flow clusters. The center of A1664 has an elongated, "bar-like" X-ray structure whose mass is comparable to the mass of molecular hydrogen, ~ 10^{10} M_{\sun} in the BCG. We show that this gas is unlikely to have been stripped from interloping galaxies. The cooling rate in this region is roughly consistent with the star formation rate, suggesting that the hot gas is condensing onto the BCG. We use the scaling relations of Birzan et al. 2008 to show that the AGN is underpowered compared to the central X-ray cooling luminosity by roughly a factor of three. We suggest that A1664 is experiencing rapid cooling and star formation during a low-state of an AGN feedback cycle that regulates the rates of cooling and star formation. Modeling the emission as a single temperature plasma, we find that the metallicity peaks 100 kpc from the X-ray center, resulting in a central metallicity dip. However, a multi-temperature cooling flow model improves the fit to the X-ray emission and is able to recover the expected, centrally-peaked metallicity profile., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures

We study the X-ray morphology and dynamics of the galaxy cluster Abell 514. Also, the relation between the X-ray properties and Faraday Rotation measures of this cluster are investigated in order to study the connection of magnetic fields and the intra-cluster medium. We use two combined XMM - Newton pointings that are split into three distinct observations. The data allow us to evaluate the overall cluster properties like temperature and metallicity with high accuracy. Additionally, a temperature map and the metallicity distribution are computed, which are used to study the dynamical state of the cluster in detail. Abell 514 represents an interesting merger cluster with many substructures visible in the X-ray image and in the temperature and abundance distributions. The new XMM - Newton data of Abell 514 confirm the relation between the X-ray brightness and the sigma of the Rotation Measure (S_X - sigma_RM relation) proposed by Dolag et al. (2001)., Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

In this letter we present a morphological comparison between giant radio halos and radio mini-halos in galaxy clusters based on radio--X-ray luminosity, P_{1.4}-L_X, and radio luminosity-size, P_{1.4}-R_H, correlations. We report evidence that P_{1.4}-L_X and P_{1.4}-R_H trends may also exist for mini--halos: mini--halo clusters share the same region of giant halo clusters in the (P_{1.4},L_X) plane, whereas they are clearly separated in the (P_{1.4},R_H) plane. The synchrotron emissivity of mini-halos is found to be more than 50 times larger than that of giant halos, implying a very efficient process for their origins. By assuming a scenario of sporadical turbulent particle re-acceleration for both giant and mini halos, we discuss basic physical differences between these sources. Regardless of the origin of the turbulence, a more efficient source of injection of particles, which eventually takes part in the re-acceleration process, is required in mini-halos, and this may result from the central radio galaxy or from proton-proton collisions in the dense cool core regions., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, A&A Letter in press

We present a detailed analysis of the medium redshift (z=0.2906) galaxy cluster Z3146 which is part of the ongoing ARCRAIDER project, a systematic search for gravitational arcs in massive clusters of galaxies. The analysis of Z3146 is based on deep optical wide field observations in the B, V and R bands obtained with the WFI@ESO2.2m, and shallow archival WFPC2@HST taken with the F606W filter, which are used for strong as well as weak lensing analyses. Additionally we have used publicly available XMM/Newton observations for a detailed X-ray analysis of Z3146. Both methods, lensing and X-ray, were used to determine the dynamical state and to estimate the total mass. We also identified four gravitational arc candidates. We find this cluster to be in a relaxed state, which is confirmed by a large cooling flow with nominal ~1600M_\odot per year, regular galaxy density and light distributions and a regular shape of the weak lensing mass reconstruction. The mass content derived with the different methods agrees well within 25% at r_{200}=1661 h_{70}^{-1}kpc indicating a velocity dispersion of \sigma_v=869^{+124}_{-153}km/s., Comment: accepted by A&A; 23 pages, 28 figures, 6 tables; High resolution version can be found here: http://astro.uibk.ac.at/~w.kausch/Z3146_astroph_hires.pdf.gz