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Low frequency radio observations of galaxy groups. S.Giacintucci (CfA), J. Vrtilek (CfA), E. O'Sullivan (CfA), S. Raychaudhury (CfA, U. Birmingham), L.David (CfA), T.Venturi (INAF-IRA Italy), M. Murgia (INAF-Oss. Cagliari). With acknowledgements to:
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Low frequency radio observations of galaxy groups S.Giacintucci (CfA), J. Vrtilek (CfA), E. O'Sullivan (CfA), S. Raychaudhury (CfA, U. Birmingham), L.David (CfA), T.Venturi (INAF-IRA Italy), M. Murgia (INAF-Oss. Cagliari) With acknowledgements to: R. Athreya, P. Mazzotta, T. Clarke, W. Forman, C. Jones, T. Ponman
The project For a sample of nearby groups of galaxies: GMRT observations at low frequency (235, 327 & 610 MHz) X-ray data from Chandra and/or XMM-Newton • Questions • How do X-ray and radio structures correlate? • What are the properties of central radio sources over a broad frequency range and what do they imply for ages, outburst cycles…? • What are the effects of AGN at various phases of activity? • What are the mechanisms of energy injection?
Why groups? Examining outbursts in systems smaller than the well-studied rich clusters is valuable for a number of reasons: • shallow group potential large impact on intragroup medium • low pressure environment more apparent radio/thermal gas interaction • significant influence on galaxy evolution Why GMRT? • very high sensitivity at low radio frequency: • rms ≈ 50-100 microJy/b @ 610 MHz • rms ≈ 300-500 microJy/b @ 235 MHz • high resolution: from 5 arcsec @ 610 MHz to 12 arsec @ 235 MHz 2-3 hrs obs.
Targets and status of the GMRT observations observed at 327 MHz • 18 galaxy groups • All have Chandra and/or XMM data • Temperatures 1-3 keV • All have at least NVSS 1.4 GHz data initially • Presence of X-ray or radio structure indicative of AGN interaction with hot gas
The prototype analysis: AWM 4 Composite XMM - optical image 4C +24.36 GMRT 610 MHz on SDSS 20 kpc • Poor cluster (~30 members) centered on giant elliptical NGC 6051 • No optical substructure (Koranyi & Geller 2002) • X-ray bright (~ 2 x 1043 erg s-1) , T~ 3 keV • Apparently relaxed (but disturbance in the temperature and abundance distribution; O’Sullivan et al. 2005, see also O’Sullivan’s poster)
Radio overview • Similar WAT morphology at 235 and 327 MHz • Lobes and jets are symmetric in flux, size and spectral index properties • Jet-to-counterjet brightness ratio → θ~ 81°-87° VLA 5 GHz β = 0.5 ± 0.2 GMRT 610 MHz (res. 5 arcsec) Giacintucci et al. (2008) , astro-ph/0804.1906
Spectral analysis and age of the radio source 235-610 MHz spectral index image (res. 13 arcsec) • Fit using a JP model (Jaffe & Perola 1973) and assuming νb prop. to d-2 - expected under the assumption that the growth velocity is constant - reflects the fact that the electron age increases as electrons move away from the nucleus RESULTS: αinj ~ 0.5 νb~ 350 MHz t rad~ 1.6 x 108 yr Beq = 5 μG
Gas heating at the core of AWM 4? • Regular X-ray emission • Monotonic increase of brightness toward the centre • Cooling time ~ 2 Gyr • Metallicity decline from the centre to large radii Relaxed cluster with a well-established cool core AWM 4 occupies an unusual place among groups and clusters BUT O’Sullivan et al. (2005) Gas (re)heating by the central AGN: • Required energy ~ 9 x 1058 ergs - Etot, RADIO ~ 2.9 x 1057 ergs (t ~ 160 Myr) - Mechanical energy?? → ~ 80 kpc bubbles No X-ray cavities in the XMM image (see Giacintucci et al. 2008 for details)
New 80 ksec Chandra observation (Cycle 9) 610 MHz on the 0.3-2 keV smoothed Chandra image Preliminary!
Conclusions and future perspectives • Our analysis of AWM 4 shows that the combination of X-ray and high sensitivity multi-(low) frequency radio observations offers useful insight into AGN/hot gas interaction, geometry, timescales, energetics ... in the central region of groups and clusters • A similar study will be carried out for other individual interesting groups in the sample (see preliminary results in E. O’ Sullivan’s poster) • Statistical analysis of the whole sample (completion of the GMRT observations at 235/610 MHz in August 2008)
Large scale radio galaxies NGC 7626 (NCC?) GMRT 610 MHz (resolution: 5 arcsec) NGC 383 (3C 31) CC? NGC 741/742 (CC) (S. Raychaudhury’s talk) NGC 741 & NGC 7626: see also E.O’Sullivan’s poster
Small scale radio galaxies HCG 62 - res. 14’’(CC) (S. Raychaudhury’s talk) GMRT 610 MHz (res. 5’’) NGC 1407 (CC) NGC 4636 (CC) (see E. O’Sullivan & A. Baldi posters) NGC 6269 (CC)
Amorphous radio galaxies GMRT 610 MHz NGC 3411 - res. 6”(NCC) (E. O’Sullivan’s poster) HCG 15 - res. 18’’ (NCC?) NGC 1587 (NCC?) - res. 5’’ & 20’’
Active and dying radio galaxies UGC 408 GMRT 610 MHz (res. 5’’) NGC 507 (CC) CI OFF + pow α=0.8 power law tOFF /ts=0.3 Dying Active Murgia et al. submitted
UGC 408 – GMRT 610 MHz (res. 5’’) 0.3-2.5 keV smoothed Chandra image