The phase-space of tailed radio galaxies in massive clusters

The radio jets of radio galaxies in galaxy clusters are often bent due to the ram pressure of the intracluster medium. Most studies of bent radio tails initially identified tailed sources and then attempted to characterise their environments. In this paper we take an alternative approach, by starting with a well-defined sample of galaxy clusters and subsequently identifying tailed radio sources in these known environments. Our sample consists of 81 galaxy clusters from the Planck ESZ cluster sample. We present a catalogue of 127 extended cluster radio sources, including brightest cluster galaxies, obtained by visually inspecting Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (1–2 GHz) observations. We have determined the bending angle of 109 well-structured sources, and classified them accordingly: 84 narrow-angle tailed sources (NATs), 16 wide-angle tailed sources (WATs), and 9 non-bent radio sources (i.e. with bending angles of less than 15°). We find a negative correlation between the bending angle and the distance to the cluster centre (impact radius), and we observe that NATs generally have smaller impact radii than the regular galaxy population and WATs. We present a phase-space diagram of tailed radio galaxy velocities and impact radii and find that NATs have a significant excess in the high-velocity and low-impact radius region of phase space, indicating they undergo the largest amount of ram pressure bending. We compared the results from our sample with those for jellyfish galaxies, and suggest that the mechanism responsible for bending the radio tails is similar to the stripping of gas in jellyfish galaxies, although tailed radio galaxies are more concentrated in the centre of the phase space. Finally, we find that NATs and WATs have the same occurrence ratio in merging and relaxed clusters. However, their distribution in the phase-space is significantly different. We report an excess of NATs in the high-velocity and low-impact-radius phase-space region in merging clusters, and an excess of NATs in relaxed clusters in the low-velocity and low-impact-radius region.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-05-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451216
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31

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article

The phase-space of tailed radio galaxies in massive clusters

E. Osinga, A. Botteon, G. K. Miley, R. J. van Weeren et al.
2 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology
2.31
article

The phase-space of tailed radio galaxies in massive clusters

E. Osinga, A. Botteon, G. K. Miley, R. J. van Weeren, Ian Roberts, S. van der Jagt, A. Ignesti
article en
2 citations

Abstract

The radio jets of radio galaxies in galaxy clusters are often bent due to the ram pressure of the intracluster medium. Most studies of bent radio tails initially identified tailed sources and then attempted to characterise their environments. In this paper we take an alternative approach, by starting with a well-defined sample of galaxy clusters and subsequently identifying tailed radio sources in these known environments. Our sample consists of 81 galaxy clusters from the Planck ESZ cluster sample. We present a catalogue of 127 extended cluster radio sources, including brightest cluster galaxies, obtained by visually inspecting Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (1–2 GHz) observations. We have determined the bending angle of 109 well-structured sources, and classified them accordingly: 84 narrow-angle tailed sources (NATs), 16 wide-angle tailed sources (WATs), and 9 non-bent radio sources (i.e. with bending angles of less than 15°). We find a negative correlation between the bending angle and the distance to the cluster centre (impact radius), and we observe that NATs generally have smaller impact radii than the regular galaxy population and WATs. We present a phase-space diagram of tailed radio galaxy velocities and impact radii and find that NATs have a significant excess in the high-velocity and low-impact radius region of phase space, indicating they undergo the largest amount of ram pressure bending. We compared the results from our sample with those for jellyfish galaxies, and suggest that the mechanism responsible for bending the radio tails is similar to the stripping of gas in jellyfish galaxies, although tailed radio galaxies are more concentrated in the centre of the phase space. Finally, we find that NATs and WATs have the same occurrence ratio in merging and relaxed clusters. However, their distribution in the phase-space is significantly different. We report an excess of NATs in the high-velocity and low-impact-radius phase-space region in merging clusters, and an excess of NATs in relaxed clusters in the low-velocity and low-impact-radius region.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 699
Leiden University (NL), University of Waterloo (CA), University of Toronto (CA), Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CA), Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna (IT), Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (IT)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Yale University, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Vanderbilt University, Ohio State University, California Institute of Technology, University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Notre Dame, University of Portsmouth, New Mexico State University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Carnegie Institution for Science, York University, University of Oxford, European Commission, Queen's University Belfast, Durham University, University of Hertfordshire, Science Foundation Ireland, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Queen's University, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, National Central University, Université d'Orléans, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ministerium für Innovation, Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Gauss Centre for Supercomputing, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Science Mission Directorate, Observatoire de Paris, Université de Recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, Planetary Science Division, DST-NRF Centre Of Excellence In Tree Health Biotechnology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology
2.31
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