A statistical investigation of the radio emission of clusters : role of AGNs

Radio emission in the direction of galaxy clusters is due to the individual emission of AGNs, and to the diffuse non-thermal emission of the intracluster medium (ICM). The population of AGNs in clusters is correlated to the overall halo properties, and likely impacts their evolutions. In order to better understand this connection (which will also leads to constraints on the non-thermal ICMemission for lower mass systems), we are conducting a statistical analysis of the radio emission in the direction of a large number of X-ray clusters. By means of their stacked radio emission, we are investigating the radio luminosities in clusters of galaxies with respect to their mass, with the goal to better understand their link to and their imprint on the intra-cluster gas physics.
Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, to appear in proceedings of the conference "Non-thermal phenomena in colliding galaxy clusters" (Nice, France, Nov 2010)