arXiv subjects

F. Govoni

Publications and source records attributed to F. Govoni.

95 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

A Comparison of Radio and X-Ray Morphologies of Four Clusters of Galaxies Containing Radio Halos

Clusters of galaxies may contain cluster-wide, centrally located, diffuse radio sources, called halos. They have been found to show morphologies similar to those of the X-ray emission. To quantify this qualitative statement we performed a point-to-point comparison of the radio and the X-ray emission for four clusters of galaxies containing radio halos: Coma, Abell 2255, Abell 2319, Abell 2744. Our study leads to a linear relation between the radio and the X-ray surface brightness in two clusters, namely Abell 2255 and Abell 2744. In Coma and A2319 the radio and the X-ray brightnesses seem to be related with a sub-linear power law. Implications of these findings within simple radio halo formation models are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2000

Non thermal emission from galaxy clusters: radio halos

The number of diffuse radio halos in clusters of galaxies has grown in recent years, making it possible to derive statistical properties of these sources and of the hosting clusters. We show that diffuse sources are associated with X-ray luminous clusters which have undergone recent merger processes. The radio and X-ray structures are often similar, and correlations are found between radio and X-ray parameters. A model for the formation and maintenance of these sources is suggested, including a first phase of relativistic particle injection by past major merger events, starbust and AGN activity and a second phase of reacceleration by the energy supplied from shocks and turbulence in a recent merger event.

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arXiv2000

Optical surface photometry of radio galaxies - II. Observations and data analysis

Optical imaging observations for 50 radio galaxies are presented. For each object isophotal contours, photometric profiles, structural parameters (position angle, ellipticity, Fourier coefficients), and total magnitudes are given. These observations, obtained in the Cousins R band, complement the data presented in a previous paper and are part of a larger project aimed at studying the optical properties of low redshift (z<0.12) radio galaxies (Govoni et al. 1999). Comments for each individual source are reported.

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arXiv1999

The optical properties of low redshift radio galaxies

We present morphological and photometric properties of 79 low redshift (z<0.12) radio galaxies extracted from two radio flux limited samples of radio sources. All objects are imaged in the R band and for a subsample we have also obtained B band images. The sample includes sources of both FRI and FRII radio morphological type. Through the decomposition of the luminosity profiles and the analysis of the structural profiles (ellipticity, PA, c4) of the galaxies we are able to characterize in detail the optical properties of the radio galaxies. The average absolute magnitude is M_HOST(tot)=-24.0 with a clear trend for FRI sources to be 0.5 mag brighter than FRII galaxies. In about 40% of the objects observed we find an excess of light in the nucleus that is attributed to the presence of a nuclear point source whose luminosity is on average 1-2% of the total flux of the host galaxy. The luminosity of these nuclear point sources appears correlated with the core radio power of the galaxies. Radio galaxies follow the same mu_e - R_e relationship as normal elliptical galaxies. The distribution of ellipticity, the amount of twisting and shape of isophotes (boxy,disky) do not differ significantly from other ellipticals. The evidence for recent interactions is therefore rather modest. Finally on average radio galaxies are bluer and have a color dispersion larger than normal elliptical galaxies, and the average color gradient in radio galaxies appears slightly steeper than in normal ellipticals. These results support a scenario where radio emission is weakly related with the overall properties and/or the activity have negligible effects on the global characteristics of the host galaxy.

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arXiv1999

The radio galaxies and the magnetic field in Abell 119

We present new, multiwavelength Very Large Array observations of the 3 radio galaxies in the cluster Abell 119: 0053-015, 0053-016 and 3C 29. The first two radio galaxies, which lie close to the cluster center, show a narrow-angle-tailed structure, with many twists in the tails. The third radio source is located at the cluster periphery, and shows an undistorted FR I morphology. All three radio sources are strongly polarized at the highest frequencies, and all three show both more depolarization and higher Faraday Rotation Measures with increasing proximity to the cluster center. We interpret this polarization behaviour as induced by the magneto-ionized intracluster medium, whose magnetic field is estimated to be in the range 5-10 microG.

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