arXiv subjects

M. Brueggen

Publications and source records attributed to M. Brueggen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey DR2: Cumulative X-ray catalogues from the first three surveys and multi-wavelength counterparts in the western Galactic hemisphere

The eROSITA telescope array on board the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission began its all-sky survey program in December 2019, scanning the sky at an approximately six-month cadence. Here, we present new catalogues of point-like and extended X-ray sources derived from the first three completed eROSITA all-sky surveys (eRASS:3), covering the western Galactic hemisphere, which Germany's eROSITA consortium holds proprietary rights for. We describe the observational strategy, data processing, and analysis pipelines. We also characterise the resulting X-ray source populations. The eRASS:3 main catalogue contains nearly two million sources, including 1,911,744 point-like and 63,796 extended sources, detected in the 0.2-2.3 keV energy band, eROSITA's most sensitive energy window. This volume has doubled the X-ray source content of eRASS1 and provides a comprehensive census of X-ray-emitting objects across diverse astrophysical classes. We also released a secondary hard catalogue of nearly 15,000 sources detected in the harder 2.3-5.0 keV energy band. In addition, we released six catalogues, three for the main sample and three for the hard sample, in which we identify and classify the optical and infrared counterparts of eRASS:3 point-like sources. This approach delivers a homogeneous, high-quality identification of mostly extragalactic X-ray emitters; for example, we estimate that approximately 88% of the 1.4 million counterparts identified within the footprints of the Legacy Survey Imaging for DESI are extragalactic sources. This work has enabled the generation of samples optimised for completeness and purity, while expanding the discovery space for rare populations. The second data release (DR2) of the SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey is a catalogue-only release, comprising the catalogues presented in this work together with an updated version of the eROSITA upper flux limit server.

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arXiv2025

The evolution of cosmic ray electrons in the cosmic web: seeding by AGN, star formation and shocks

Several processes in the Universe convert a fraction of gas kinetic energy into the acceleration of relativistic electrons, making them observable at radio wavelengths, or contributing to a dormant reservoir of low-energy cosmic rays in cosmic structures. We present a new suite of cosmological simulations, with simple galaxy formation models calibrated to work at a specific spatial resolution, tailored to study all most important processes of injection of relativistic electrons in evolving large-sale structures: accretion and merger shocks, feedback from active galactic nuclei and winds from star forming regions. We also follow the injection of magnetic fields by active galactic nuclei and star formation, and compute the observational signatures of these mechanisms. We find that the injection of cosmic ray electrons by shocks is the most volume filling process, and that it also dominates the energy density of fossil relativistic electrons in halos. The combination of the seeding mechanisms studied in this work, regardless of the uncertainties related to physical or numerical uncertainties, is more than enough to fuel large-scale radio emissions with a large amount of seed fossil electrons. We derive an approximated formula to predict the number of fossil cosmic ray electrons injected by z=0 by the total activity of shocks, AGN and star formation in the volume of halos. By looking at the maximum possible contribution to the magnetisation of the cosmic web by all our simulated sources, we conclude that galaxy formation-related processes, alone, cannot explain the values of Faraday Rotation of background polarised sources recently detected using LOFAR.

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arXiv2024

The Galaxy Group Merger Origin of the Cloverleaf Odd Radio Circle System

Odd radio circles (ORCs) are a newly discovered class of extended faint radio sources of unknown origin. We report the first detection of diffuse X-ray gas at the location of a low-redshift ORC (z=0.046) known as Cloverleaf ORC. This observation was performed with the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope. The physical extent of the diffuse X-ray emission corresponds to a region of approximately 230 kpc by 160 kpc, lying perpendicular to the radio emission detected by ASKAP. The X-ray spectrum shows characteristics of thermal multiphase gas with temperatures of 1.10+/-0.08 keV and 0.22+/-0.01 keV and a central density of $(4.9\pm0.6)\times10^{-4}$ cm$^{-3}$, indicating that the Cloverleaf ORC resides in a low-mass galaxy group. Using X-ray observations, with hydrostatic equilibrium and isothermal assumptions, we measure the galaxy group to have a gas mass and a total mass of $(7.7\pm 0.8) \times 10^{11}$ M$_{\rm sun}$ and $2.6\pm0.3\times10^{13}$~$M_{\rm sun}$ within the overdensity radius R$_{500}$. The presence of a high-velocity subgroup identified in optical data, the orientation of the brightest cluster galaxy, the disturbed morphologies of galaxies toward the east of the Cloverleaf ORC, and the irregular morphology of the X-ray emission suggest that this system is undergoing a galaxy group merger. The radio power of the ORC could be explained by the shock reacceleration of fossil cosmic rays generated by a previous episode of black hole activity in the central active galactic nucleus.

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arXiv2024

Giant radio galaxies in the LOFAR deep fields

In this study, we compare the radio, optical and environmental properties of GRGs with those of a control sample of smaller RGs we found in the three LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR) deep fields, namely the Bootes, ELAIS-N1, Lockman Hole, for a total area of about 95 deg^2. We inspected the LOFAR deep fields and created a catalogue of 1609 extended radio galaxies (ERGs). By visual inspection, we identified their host galaxies and spectroscopically or photometrically classified 280 of these as GRGs. We studied their properties, such as their accretion state, stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) using deep optical and infrared survey data. Moreover, we explored the environment in terms of the surface number density of neighbouring galaxies within these surveys. Integrated flux densities and radio luminosities were also determined for a subset of ERGs through available survey images at 50, 150, 610, and 1400 MHz to compute integrated spectral indices. Considering the fraction of GRGs displaying an FRII morphology alongside the host galaxy properties, we suggest that GRGs consistently possess sufficient power to overcome jet frustration caused by the interstellar medium. Moreover, clear differences emerge in the environmental densities between GRGs and smaller RGs, using the number of neighbouring galaxies within 10 Mpc from the host galaxy as a proxy. GRGs preferentially reside in sparser environments compared to their smaller counterparts. In particular, only 3.6% of the GRGs reside within a 3D comoving distance of 5 Mpc from a previously reported galaxy cluster. We found that larger sources exhibit steeper integrated spectral indices, suggesting that GRGs are late-stage versions of RGs. These results suggest that GRGs are amongst the oldest radio sources with the most stable nuclear activity that reside in sparse environments.

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arXiv2024

The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: First catalog of superclusters in the western Galactic hemisphere

Superclusters of galaxies mark the large-scale overdense regions in the Universe. Superclusters provide an ideal environment to study structure formation and to search for the emission of the intergalactic medium such as cosmic filaments and WHIM. In this work, we present the largest-to-date catalog of X-ray-selected superclusters identified in the first SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey (eRASS1). By applying the Friends-of-Friends method on the galaxy clusters detected in eRASS1, we identified 1338 supercluster systems in the western Galactic hemisphere up to redshift 0.8, including 818 cluster pairs and 520 rich superclusters with $\ge 3$ members. The most massive and richest supercluster system is the Shapley supercluster at redshift 0.05 with 45 members and a total mass of $2.58\pm0.51 \times10^{16} M_{\odot}$. The most extensive system has a projected length of 127~Mpc. The sizes of the superclusters we identified in this work are comparable to the structures found with galaxy survey data. We also found a good association between the eRASS1 superclusters and the large-scale structures formed by optical galaxies. 3948 clusters, corresponding to $45\%$ of the cluster sample, were identified as supercluster members. The reliability of each supercluster was estimated by considering the uncertainties in cluster redshifts and peculiar velocities. 63\% of the systems have a reliability larger than 0.7. The eRASS1 supercluster catalog provided in this work represents the most extensive sample of superclusters selected in the X-ray band in terms of the unprecedented sample volume, sky coverage, redshift range, the availability of X-ray properties, and the well-understood selection function of the parent cluster sample, which enables direct comparisons with numerical simulations. This legacy catalog will greatly advance our understanding of superclusters and the cosmic large-scale structure.

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arXiv2023

Simulating the enrichment of fossil radio electrons by multiple radio galaxies

{We simulate the evolution of relativistic electrons injected into the intracluster medium by five radio galaxies. We study the spatial transport and the emission properties of the injected radio plasma over a $\sim 5$ Gyr period, and the sequence of cooling and re-acceleration events experienced by electrons, using a Lagrangian approach joint with a numerical method to model the evolution of momentum spectra of relativistic electrons. When compared with electrons injected by shock waves, electrons injected by radio galaxies (here limited to a single injection event) in our tests are unable to fuel large, $\sim \rm ~Mpc$ sized radio relics with fossil electrons, as required by current theoretical models, while electrons previously seeded by other shocks can do this. On the other hand, the combination of seeding from radio galaxies, and of re-acceleration events from plasma perturbation, can produce detectable, small scale and filamentary emissions in the proximity ($\leq 100-200$ kpc) of radio galaxies.

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arXiv2023

The Planck clusters in the LOFAR sky: IV: LoTSS-DR2: statistics of radio halos and re-acceleration models

Diffuse cluster-scale synchrotron radio emission is discovered in an increasing number of galaxy clusters in the form of radio halos (RHs), probing the presence of relativistic electrons and magnetic fields in the intra-cluster medium. The favoured scenario to explain their origin is that they trace turbulent regions generated during cluster mergers where particles are re-accelerated. In this framework, RHs are expected to probe cluster dynamics and are predicted to be more frequent in massive systems. Statistical studies are important to study the connection of RHs with cluster dynamics and to constrain theoretical models. Furthermore, low-frequency surveys can shed light on the existence of RHs with very steep radio-spectra, a key prediction of turbulent models. We study the properties of RHs from clusters of the second catalog of Planck Sunyaev Zel'dovich detected sources that lie within the 5634 deg^2 covered by the second Data Release (DR2) of the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey. We find that the number of observed RHs, their radio flux density and redshift distributions are in line with what is expected in the framework of the re-acceleration scenario. In addition, the fraction of clusters with RHs increases with the cluster mass, confirming the leading role of the gravitational process of cluster formation in the generation of RHs. These models predict a large fraction of RHs with very steep spectrum in the DR2 Planck sample, this will be tested in future studies, yet a comparison of the occurrence of halos in GMRT and LOFAR samples indeed shows a larger occurrence of RHs at lower frequencies suggesting the presence of a number of very steep spectrum RH that is preferentially detected by LOFAR. Using morphological information we confirm that RHs are preferentially located in merging systems and that the fraction of newly LOFAR discovered RHs is larger in less disturbed systems.

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arXiv2022

Galaxy clusters enveloped by vast volumes of relativistic electrons

The central regions of galaxy clusters are permeated by magnetic fields and filled with relativistic electrons. When clusters merge, the magnetic fields are amplified and relativistic electrons are re-accelerated by turbulence in the intra cluster medium. These electrons reach energies of 1 -- 10 GeV and, in the presence of magnetic fields, produce diffuse radio halos that typically cover an area of ~1 square Mpc. Here we report observations of four clusters whose radio halos are embedded in much more extended, diffuse radio emission, filling a volume 30 times larger than that of radio halos. The emissivity in these larger features is about 20 times lower than the emissivity in radio halos. We conclude that relativistic electrons and magnetic fields extend far beyond radio halos, and that the physical conditions in the outer regions of the clusters are quite different from those in the radio halos.

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arXiv2021

The eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS): Catalog of galaxy clusters and groups

The eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey has been carried out during the PV phase of the SRG/eROSITA telescope and completed in November 2019. This survey is designed to provide the first eROSITA-selected sample of galaxy clusters and groups and to test the predictions for the all-sky survey in the context of cosmological studies with clusters. In the 140 deg$^2$ area covered by eFEDS, 542 candidate clusters and groups are detected as extended X-ray sources, down to a flux of $\sim10^{-14} $erg/s/cm$^2$ in the soft band (0.5-2 keV) within 1'. In this work, we provide the catalog of candidate galaxy clusters and groups in eFEDS. We perform imaging and spectral analysis on the eFEDS clusters with eROSITA X-ray data, and study the properties of the sample. The clusters are distributed in the redshift range [0.01, 1.3], with the median redshift at 0.35. We obtain the ICM temperature measurement with $>2σ$ c.l. for $\sim$1/5 (102/542) of the sample. The average temperature of these clusters is $\sim$2 keV. Radial profiles of flux, luminosity, electron density, and gas mass are measured from the precise modeling of the imaging data. The selection function, the purity and completeness of the catalog are examined and discussed in detail. The contamination fraction is $\sim1/5$ in this sample, dominated by misidentified point sources. The X-ray Luminosity Function of the clusters agrees well with the results obtained from other recent X-ray surveys. We also find 19 supercluster candidates in eFEDS, most of which are located at redshifts between 0.1 and 0.5. The eFEDS cluster and group catalog provides a benchmark proof-of-concept for the eROSITA All-Sky Survey extended source detection and characterization. We confirm the excellent performance of eROSITA for cluster science and expect no significant deviations from our pre-launch expectations for the final All-Sky Survey.

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arXiv2020

MIGHTEE: Are giant radio galaxies more common than we thought?

We report the discovery of two new giant radio galaxies (GRGs) using the MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey. Both GRGs were found within a 1 deg^2 region inside the COSMOS field. They have redshifts of z=0.1656 and z=0.3363 and physical sizes of 2.4Mpc and 2.0Mpc, respectively. Only the cores of these GRGs were clearly visible in previous high resolution VLA observations, since the diffuse emission of the lobes was resolved out. However, the excellent sensitivity and uv coverage of the new MeerKAT telescope allowed this diffuse emission to be detected. The GRGs occupy a unpopulated region of radio power - size parameter space. Based on a recent estimate of the GRG number density, the probability of finding two or more GRGs with such large sizes at z<0.4 in a ~1deg^2 field is only 2.7x10^-6, assuming Poisson statistics. This supports the hypothesis that the prevalence of GRGs has been significantly underestimated in the past due to limited sensitivity to low surface brightness emission. The two GRGs presented here may be the first of a new population to be revealed through surveys like MIGHTEE which provide exquisite sensitivity to diffuse, extended emission.

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arXiv2018

The intergalactic magnetic field probed by a giant radio galaxy

Cosmological simulations predict that an intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) pervades the large scale structure (LSS) of the Universe. Measuring the IGMF is important to determine its origin (i.e. primordial or otherwise). Using data from the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS), we present the Faraday rotation measure (RM) and depolarisation properties of the giant radio galaxy J1235+5317, at a redshift of $z = 0.34$ and 3.38 Mpc in size. We find a mean RM difference between the lobes of $2.5\pm0.1$ rad/m$^2$ , in addition to small scale RM variations of ~0.1 rad/m$^2$ . From a catalogue of LSS filaments based on optical spectroscopic observations in the local universe, we find an excess of filaments intersecting the line of sight to only one of the lobes. Associating the entire RM difference to these LSS filaments leads to a gas density-weighted IGMF strength of ~0.3 μG. However, direct comparison with cosmological simulations of the RM contribution from LSS filaments gives a low probability (~5%) for an RM contribution as large as 2.5 rad/m$^2$ , for the case of IGMF strengths of 10 to 50 nG. It is likely that variations in the RM from the Milky Way (on 11' scales) contribute significantly to the mean RM difference, and a denser RM grid is required to better constrain this contribution. In general, this work demonstrates the potential of the LOFAR telescope to probe the weak signature of the IGMF. Future studies, with thousands of sources with high accuracy RMs from LoTSS, will enable more stringent constraints on the nature of the IGMF.

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arXiv2016

Constraining the efficiency of cosmic ray acceleration by cluster shocks

We study the acceleration of cosmic rays by collisionless structure formation shocks with ENZO grid simulations. Data from the FERMI satellite enable the use of galaxy clusters as a testbed for particle acceleration models. Based on advanced cosmological simulations that include different prescriptions for gas and cosmic rays physics, we use the predicted γ-ray emission to constrain the shock acceleration efficiency. We infer that the efficiency must be on average <0.1% for cosmic shocks, particularly for the 2<M<5 merger shocks that are mostly responsible for the thermalisation of the intracluster medium. These results emerge, both, from non-radiative and radiative runs including feedback from active galactic nuclei, as well as from zoomed resimulations of a cluster resembling MACSJ1752.0+0440. The limit on the acceleration efficiency we report is lower than what has been assumed in the literature so far. Combined with the information from radio emission in clusters, it appears that a revision of the present understanding of shock acceleration in the ICM is unavoidable.

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arXiv2016

Detecting the cosmic web with radio surveys

We study the challenges to detect the cosmic web at radio wavelengths with state-of-the-art cosmological simulations of extragalactic magnetic fields. The incoming generation of radio surveys operating at low frequency, like LOFAR, SKA-LOW and MWA will have the best chance to detect the large-scale, low surface brightness emission from the shocked cosmic web. The detected radio emission will enable to constrain the average magnetisation level of the gas in filaments and the acceleration efficiency of electrons by strong shocks. In case of detections, through statistical modelling (e.g. correlation functions) it will be possible to discriminate among competing scenarios for the magnetisation of large-scale structures (i.e. astrophysical versus primordial scenarios), making radio surveys an important probe of cosmic magnetogenesis.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Using rotation measure grids to detect cosmological magnetic fields -- a Bayesian approach

Determining magnetic field properties in different environments of the cosmic large-scale structure as well as their evolution over redshift is a fundamental step toward uncovering the origin of cosmic magnetic fields. Radio observations permit the study of extragalactic magnetic fields via measurements of the Faraday depth of extragalactic radio sources. Our aim is to investigate how much different extragalactic environments contribute to the Faraday depth variance of these sources. We develop a Bayesian algorithm to distinguish statistically Faraday depth variance contributions intrinsic to the source from those due to the medium between the source and the observer. In our algorithm the Galactic foreground and the measurement noise are taken into account as the uncertainty correlations of the galactic model. Additionally, our algorithm allows for the investigation of possible redshift evolution of the extragalactic contribution. This work presents the derivation of the algorithm and tests performed on mock observations. With cosmic magnetism being one of the key science projects of the new generation of radio interferometers we have made predictions for the algorithm's performance on data from the next generation of radio interferometers. Applications to real data are left for future work.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Constraining the electron and proton acceleration efficiencies in merger shocks in galaxy clusters

Radio relics in galaxy clusters are associated with powerful shocks that (re)accelerate relativistic electrons. It is widely believed that the acceleration proceeds via diffusive shock acceleration. In the framework of thermal leakage, the ratio of the energy in relativistic electrons to the energy in relativistic protons should should be smaller than $K_{\rm e/p} \sim 10^{-2}$. The relativistic protons interact with the thermal gas to produce $γ$-rays in hadronic interactions. Combining observations of radio relics with upper limits from $γ$-ray observatories can constrain the ratio $K_{\rm e/p}$. In this work we selected 10 galaxy clusters that contain double radio relics, and derive new upper limits from the stacking of $γ$-ray observations by FERMI. We modelled the propagation of shocks using a semi-analytical model, where we assumed a simple geometry for shocks and that cosmic ray protons are trapped in the intracluster medium. Our analysis shows that diffusive shock acceleration has difficulties in matching simultaneously the observed radio emission and the constraints imposed by FERMI, unless the magnetic field in relics is unrealistically large ($\gg 10 ~\rm μG$). In all investigated cases (also including realistic variations of our basic model and the effect of re-acceleration) the mean emission of the sample is of the order of the stacking limit by FERMI, or larger. These findings put tension on the commonly adopted model for the powering of radio relics, and imply that the relative acceleration efficiency of electrons and protons is at odds with predictions of diffusive shock acceleration, requiring $K_{\rm e/p} \geq 10-10^{-2}$.

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arXiv2014

No Shock Across Part of a Radio Relic in the Merging Galaxy Cluster ZwCl 2341.1+0000?

The galaxy cluster ZwCl 2341.1+0000 is a merging system at z=0.27, which hosts two radio relics and a central, faint, filamentary radio structure. The two radio relics have unusually flat integrated spectral indices of -0.49 +/- 0.18 and -0.76 +/- 0.17, values that cannot be easily reconciled with the theory of standard diffusive shock acceleration of thermal particles at weak merger shocks. We present imaging results from XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of the cluster, aimed to detect and characterise density discontinuities in the ICM. As expected, we detect a density discontinuity near each of the radio relics. However, if these discontinuities are the shock fronts that fuelled the radio emission, then their Mach numbers are surprisingly low, both <=2. We studied the aperture of the density discontinuities, and found that while the NW discontinuity spans the whole length of the NW radio relic, the arc spanned by the SE discontinuity is shorter than the arc spanned by the SE relic. This startling result is in apparent contradiction with our current understanding of the origin of radio relics. Deeper X-ray data are required to confirm our results and to determine the nature of the density discontinuities.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Discovery of Carbon Radio Recombination Lines in absorption towards Cygnus~A

We present the first detection of carbon radio recombination line absorption along the line of sight to Cygnus A. The observations were carried out with the LOw Frequency ARray in the 33 to 57 MHz range. These low frequency radio observations provide us with a new line of sight to study the diffuse, neutral gas in our Galaxy. To our knowledge this is the first time that foreground Milky Way recombination line absorption has been observed against a bright extragalactic background source. By stacking 48 carbon $α$ lines in the observed frequency range we detect carbon absorption with a signal-to-noise ratio of about 5. The average carbon absorption has a peak optical depth of 2$\times$10$^{-4}$, a line width of 10 km s$^{-1}$ and a velocity of +4 km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the local standard of rest. The associated gas is found to have an electron temperature $T_{e}\sim$ 110 K and density $n_{e}\sim$ 0.06 cm$^{-3}$. These properties imply that the observed carbon $α$ absorption likely arises in the cold neutral medium of the Orion arm of the Milky Way. Hydrogen and helium lines were not detected to a 3$σ$ peak optical depth limit of 1.5$\times$10$^{-4}$ for a 4 km s$^{-1}$ channel width. Radio recombination lines associated with Cygnus A itself were also searched for, but are not detected. We set a 3$σ$ upper limit of 1.5$\times$10$^{-4}$ for the peak optical depth of these lines for a 4 km s$^{-1}$ channel width.

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arXiv2013

Viscous Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in highly ionised plasmas

Transport coefficients in highly ionised plasmas like the intra-cluster medium (ICM) are still ill-constrained. They influence various processes, among them the mixing at shear flow interfaces due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). The observed structure of potential mixing layers can be used to infer the transport coefficients, but the data interpretation requires a detailed knowledge of the long-term evolution of the KHI under different conditions. Here we present the first systematic numerical study of the effect of constant and temperature-dependent isotropic viscosity over the full range of possible values. We show that moderate viscosities slow down the growth of the KHI and reduce the height of the KHI rolls and their rolling-up. Viscosities above a critical value suppress the KHI. The effect can be quantified in terms of the Reynolds number Re = Uλ/ν, where U is the shear velocity, λ the perturbation length, and ν the kinematic viscosity. We derive the critical Re for constant and temperature dependent, Spitzer-like viscosities, an empirical relation for the viscous KHI growth time as a function of Re and density contrast, and describe special behaviours for Spitzer-like viscosities and high density contrasts. Finally, we briefly discuss several astrophysical situations where the viscous KHI could play a role, i.e., sloshing cold fronts, gas stripping from galaxies, buoyant cavities, ICM turbulence, and high velocity clouds.

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