A small X-ray corona of the narrow-angle tail radio galaxy NGC 1265 soaring through the Perseus cluster

Abstract

A deep Chandra observation of NGC 1265 (3C 83.1B), the prototype for the narrow-angled-tailed (NAT) radio galaxy, reveals a small cool X-ray thermal corona (~ 0.6 keV) embedded in the hot ICM of the Perseus cluster (~ 6.7 keV). The corona is asymmetric with a sharp edge (~ 2.2'', or 0.8 kpc from the nucleus) to the south and an extension to the north (at least ~ 8'' from the nucleus), which is interpreted as the action of ram pressure while solely the static ICM confinement is unable to explain. We estimate that the corona is moving with a velocity of ~ 2.4 - 4.2 times the local sound speed to the south. The presence of the sharp edge for this small corona indicates that the transport processes are largely suppressed by the magnetic field there. The magnetic field around the corona also suppresses heat conduction by at least a factor of ~ 60 across the corona boundary. We conclude that it is unrealistic to study the interaction of the small X-ray coronae with the hot ICM without the consideration of the roles that magnetic field plays, a factor not included in current simulations. An absorbed (N_H=1.5-3x10^22 cm^-2) nucleus is also detected, which is not usual for FR I radio galaxies. Weak X-ray emission from three inner radio knots in the jets is also detected. Indentations at the east and west of the corona indicate interaction between the jets and the X-ray corona. Narrow jets carry great amounts of energy out of the central AGN and release the energy outside the corona, preserving the tiny and vulnerable corona. This case reveals that the inner kpc core of the corona of massive galaxies can survive both high-speed stripping and powerful AGN feedback. Thus, the cooling of the X-ray coronae potentially provides fuel to the central SMBH in rich environments where the amount of the galactic cold gas is at a minimum.