arXiv subjects

Martin J. Hardcastle

Publications and source records attributed to Martin J. Hardcastle.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Gas Sloshing and Radio Galaxy Dynamics in the Core of the 3C449 Group

We present results from a 140 ks Chandra/ACIS-S observation of the hot gas around the canonical FR I radio galaxy 3C 449. An earlier, shorter 30 ks Chandra observation of the group gas showed an unusual entropy distribution and a surface brightness edge in the gas that could be a strong shock around the inner radio lobes. In our deeper data we find no evidence for a temperature increase inside of the brightness edge, but a temperature decrease across part of the edge. This suggests that the edge is a "sloshing" cold front due to a merger within the last ~1.3-1.6 Gyrs. Both the northern and the southern inner jets are bent slightly to the west in projection as they enter their respective lobes, suggesting that the sloshing core is moving to the east. The straight inner jet flares at approximately the position where it crosses the contact edge, suggesting that the jet is entraining and thermalizing some of the hot gas as it crosses the edge. We also detect filaments of X-ray emission around the southern inner radio jet and lobe which we attribute to low entropy entrained gas. The lobe flaring and gas entrainment were originally predicted in simulations of Loken et al. (1995) and are confirmed in our deep observation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Shocks, Seyferts and the SNR connection: a Chandra observation of the Circinus galaxy

We analyse new Chandra observations of the nearest (D=4 Mpc) Seyfert 2 active galaxy, Circinus, and match them to pre-existing radio, infrared and optical data to study the kpc-scale emission. The proximity of Circinus allows us to observe in striking detail the structure of the radio lobes, revealing for the first time edge-brightened emission both in X-rays and radio. After considering various other possible scenarios, we show that this extended emission in Circinus is most likely caused by a jet-driven outflow, which is driving shells of strongly shocked gas into the halo of the host galaxy. In this context, we estimate Mach numbers M=2.7-3.6 and M=2.8-5.3 for the W and E shells respectively. We derive temperatures of 0.74 (+0.06, -0.05) keV and 0.8-1.8 keV for the W and E shells, and an expansion velocity of ~900-950 km/s. We estimate that the total energy (thermal and kinetic) involved in creating both shells is ~2x10^55 erg, and their age is ~10^6 years. Comparing these results with those we previously obtained for Centaurus A, NGC 3801 and Mrk 6, we show that these parameters scale approximately with the radio power of the parent AGN. The spatial coincidence between the X-ray and edge-brightened radio emission in Circinus resembles the morphology of some SNR shocks. This parallel has been expected for AGN, but has never been observed before. We investigate what underlying mechanisms both types of systems may have in common, arguing that, in Circinus, the edge-brightening in the shells may be accounted for by a B field enhancement caused by shock compression, but do not preclude some local particle acceleration. These results can be extrapolated to other low-power systems, particularly those with late type hosts.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

A Transient Sub-Eddington Black Hole X-ray Binary Candidate in the Dust Lanes of Centaurus A

We report the discovery of a bright X-ray transient, CXOU J132527.6-430023, in the nearby early-type galaxy NGC 5128. The source was first detected over the course of five Chandra observations in 2007, reaching an unabsorbed outburst luminosity of 1-2*10^38 erg/s in the 0.5-7.0 keV band before returning to quiescence. Such luminosities are possible for both stellar-mass black hole and neutron star X-ray binary transients. Here, we attempt to characterize the nature of the compact object. No counterpart has been detected in the optical or radio sky, but the proximity of the source to the dust lanes allows for the possibility of an obscured companion. The brightness of the source after a >100 fold increase in X-ray flux makes it either the first confirmed transient non-ULX black hole system in outburst to be subject to detailed spectral modeling outside the Local Group, or a bright (>10^38 erg/s) transient neutron star X-ray binary, which are very rare. Such a large increase in flux would appear to lend weight to the view that this is a black hole transient. X-ray spectral fitting of an absorbed power law yielded unphysical photon indices, while the parameters of the best-fit absorbed disc blackbody model are typical of an accreting ~10 Msol black hole in the thermally dominant state.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Markarian 6: shocking the environment of an intermediate Seyfert

Markarian 6 is a nearby (D~78 Mpc) Seyfert 1.5, early-type galaxy, with a double set of radio bubbles. The outer set spans ~7.5 kpc and is expanding into the halo regions of the host galaxy. We present an analysis of our new Chandra observation, together with archival XMM-Newton data, to look for evidence of emission from shocked gas around the external radio bubbles, both from spatially resolved regions in Chandra and from spectral analysis of the XMM data. We also look for evidence of a variable absorbing column along our line of sight to Mrk 6, to explain the evident differences seen in the AGN spectra from the various, non-contemporaneous, observations. We find that the variable absorption hypothesis explains the differences between the Chandra and XMM spectra, with the Chandra spectrum being heavily absorbed. The intrinsic N_H varies from ~8x10^{21} atoms*cm^{-2} to ~3x10^{23} atoms*cm^{-2} on short timescales (2-6 years). The past evolution of the source suggests this is probably caused by a clump of gas close to the central AGN, passing in front of us at the moment of the observation. Shells of thermal X-ray emission are detected around the radio bubbles, with a temperature of ~0.9 keV. We estimate a temperature of ~0.2 keV for the external medium using luminosity constraints from our Chandra image. We analyse these results using the Rankine-Hugoniot shock jump conditions, and obtain a Mach number of ~3.9, compatible with a scenario in which the gas in the shells is inducing a strong shock in the surrounding ISM. This could be the third clear detection of strong shocks produced by a radio-powerful Seyfert galaxy. These results are compatible with previous findings on Centaurus A and NGC 3801, supporting a picture in which these AGN-driven outflows play an important role in the environment and evolution of the host galaxy.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Suzaku Observations of the Radio Galaxy 3C 33

We present results from a new 100-ks Suzaku observation of the nearby radio galaxy 3C 33, and investigate the nature of absorption, reflection, and jet production in this source. We model the 2-70 keV nuclear continuum with a power law that is absorbed either through one or more layers of pc-scale neutral material, or through a modestly ionized pc-scale obscurer. The expected signatures of reflection from a neutral accretion disk are absent in 3C 33: there is no evidence of a relativistically blurred Fe K$α$ emission line, and no Compton reflection hump above 10 keV. We discuss the implications of this for the nature of jet production in 3C 33.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

GMRT study of X-shaped radio sources

Context. The nature of X-shaped sources is a matter of considerable debate in the literature: it has even been proposed that they provide evidence for black-hole-mergers/spin-reorientation, and therefore constrain the rate of strong gravitational wave events. Aim. To explore the nature of these X-shaped radio galaxies. Method. We conduct a systematic study of a large sample of known and newly discovered X-shaped sources along with a comparison sample. We used the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope with resolution of $\sim6^{\prime\prime}$ to $\sim15^{\prime\prime}$ at 610 MHz and 240 MHz in the dual-frequency mode. Preliminary Result. Based on our careful analysis and estimation of the possible systematic errors, the known X-shaped sources divide into the following three categories: (i) the wings have flatter spectral indices than the active lobes, (ii) the wings and the active lobes have comparable spectral indices, and (iii) the wings have steeper spectral indices than the active lobes. In addition, based on our preliminary analysis, one sample source from our comparison sample shows a spectral index result belonging to category (i). Future. Milliarcsecond scale imaging will be conducted on some of these X-shaped sources to investigate if they are examples of binary AGN systems and thereby understand the nature of these sources.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

"Normal" FRII Radio Galaxies as a Probe of the Nature of X-Shaped Radio Sources

We present a multiwavelength radio study of a sample of nearby Fanaroff-Riley class II (FRII) radio galaxies, matched with the sample of known X-shaped radio sources in size, morphological properties and redshift, using new Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) data and archival data from the Very Large Array (VLA). Our principal aim in this paper is to provide a control sample for earlier studies of samples of `X-shaped' radio sources, which have similar luminosities and small-scale radio structures to our targets but exhibit large-scale extensions to their lobes that more typical FRII sources lack; earlier spectral work with the GMRT has suggested that these `wings' sometimes have flat spectral indices at low frequencies, in contrast to expectations from models in which the wings are formed hydrodynamically or by jet reorientation. In our new observations we find that almost all of our target FRII radio galaxies show standard spectral steepening as a function of distance from the hotspot at the low frequencies (610 MHz and 240 MHz) provided by the GMRT data, even when transverse extensions to the lobes are present. However, one source, 3C321, has a low-surface-brightness extension to one lobe that shows a flatter spectral index than the high-surface-brightness hotspots/lobes, as found in X-shaped sources.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Shock heating in the group atmosphere of the radio galaxy B2 0838+32A

We present Chandra and radio observations, and analysis of Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, of the radio galaxy B2 0838+32A (4C 32.26) and its environment. The radio galaxy is at the centre of a nearby group that has often been identified with the cluster Abell 695, but we argue that the original Abell cluster is likely to be an unrelated and considerably more distant system. The radio source is a restarting radio galaxy and, using our Chandra data, we argue that the currently active lobes are expanding supersonically, driving a shock with Mach number $2.4^{+1.0}_{-0.5}$ into the inter-stellar medium. This would be only the third strong shock round a young radio source to be discovered, after Centaurus A and NGC 3801. However, in contrast to both these systems, the host galaxy of B2 0838+32A shows no evidence for a recent merger, while the AGN spectrum shows no evidence for the dusty torus that would imply a large reservoir of cold gas close to the central black hole. On the contrary, the AGN spectrum is of a type that has been associated with the presence of a radiativelyinefficient accretion flow that could be controlled by AGN heating and subsequent cooling of the hot, X-ray emitting gas. If correct, this means that B2 0838+32A is the first source in which we can directly see entropy-increasing processes (shocks) driven by accretion from the hot phase of the interstellar medium.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

XMM-Newton Observations of the Nuclei of the Radio Galaxies 3C 305, DA 240, and 4C 73.08

We present new XMM-Newton EPIC observations of the nuclei of the nearby radio galaxies 3C 305, DA 240, and 4C 73.08, and investigate the origin of their nuclear X-ray emission. The nuclei of the three sources appear to have different relative contributions of accretion- and jet-related X-ray emission, as expected based on earlier work. The X-ray spectrum of the FRII narrow-line radio galaxy (NLRG) 4C 73.08 is modeled with the sum of a heavily absorbed power law that we interpret to be associated with a luminous accretion disk and circumnuclear obscuring structure, and an unabsorbed power law that originates in an unresolved jet. This behavior is consistent with other narrow-line radio galaxies. The X-ray emission of the low-excitation FRII radio galaxy DA 240 is best modeled as an unabsorbed power law that we associate with a parsec-scale jet, similar to other low-excitation sources that we have studied previously. However, the X-ray nucleus of the narrow-line radio galaxy 3C 305 shows no evidence for the heavily absorbed X-ray emission that has been found in other NLRGs. It is possible that the nuclear optical spectrum in 3C 305 is intrinsically weak-lined, with the strong emission arising from extended regions that indicate the presence of jet--environment interactions. Our observations of 3C 305 suggest that this source is more closely related to other weak-lined radio galaxies. This ambiguity could extend to other sources currently classified as NLRGs. We also present XMM-Newton and VLA observations of the hotspot of DA 240, arguing that this is another detection of X-ray synchrotron emission from a low-luminosity hotspot.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

A Transient Black-Hole Low-Mass X-Ray Binary Candidate in Centaurus A

We report the discovery of a bright transient X-ray source, CXOU J132518.2-430304, towards Centaurus A (Cen A) using six new Chandra X-Ray Observatory observations in 2007 March--May. Between 2003 and 2007, its flux has increased by a factor of >770. The source is likely a low-mass X-ray binary in Cen A with unabsorbed 0.3-10 keV band luminosities of (2-3) x 10^{39} erg s^-1 and a transition from the steep-power law state to the thermal state during our observations. CXOU J132518.2-430304 is the most luminous X-ray source in an early-type galaxy with extensive timing information that reveals transience and a spectral state transition. Combined with its luminosity, these properties make this source one of the strongest candidates to date for containing a stellar-mass black hole in an early-type galaxy. Unless this outburst lasts many years, the rate of luminous transients in Cen A is anomalously high compared to other early-type galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

A Radio Through X-ray Study of the Jet/Companion-Galaxy Interaction in 3C 321

We present a multiwavelength study of the nucleus, environment, jets, and hotspots of the nearby FRII radio galaxy 3C 321, using new and archival data from MERLIN, the VLA, Spitzer, HST, and Chandra. An initially collimated radio jet extends northwest from the nucleus of its host galaxy and produces a compact knot of radio emission adjacent (in projection) to a companion galaxy, after which it dramatically flares and bends, extending out in a diffuse structure 35 kpc northwest of the nucleus. We argue that the simplest explanation for the unusual morphology of the jet is that it is undergoing an interaction with the companion galaxy. Given that the northwest hotspot that lies >250 kpc from the core shows X-ray emission, which likely indicates in situ high-energy particle acceleration, we argue that the jet-companion interaction is not a steady-state situation. Instead, we suggest that the jet has been disrupted on a timescale less than the light travel time to the end of the lobe, $\sim 10^6$ years, and that the jet flow to this hotspot will only be disrupted for as long as the jet-companion interaction takes place. The host galaxy of 3C 321 and the companion galaxy are in the process of merging, and each hosts a luminous AGN. As this is an unusual situation, we investigate the hypothesis that the interacting jet has driven material on to the companion galaxy, triggering its AGN. Finally, we present detailed radio and X-ray observations of both hotspots, which show that there are multiple emission sites, with spatial offsets between the radio and X-ray emission.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The nature of the ghost cavity in the NGC 741 group

We discuss the effects of energy injection into the intra-group medium of the group of galaxies associated with NGC 741. The X-ray emission reveals a large bubble, which in the absence of a currently bright central radio source, may have been inflated by a previous cycle of nuclear activity . If the bubble is filled with a light, relativistic fluid we calculate that in expanding, it has done more than sufficient work to counteract the energy lost from the intra-group medium via radiative cooling; the bubble can provide this energy as it expands and rises. Using upper limits on the flux density of the plasma filling the bubble at 330 MHz and 1.4 GHz, we derive constraints on its electron energy distribution and magnetic field strength. We show that the data require the high-energy cut-off of the electron spectrum to be very low compared to the cut-offs seen in more typical radio sources if the fluid filling the bubble is a conventional relativistic plasma. This suggests that the fluid filling the bubble may not have evolved by expansion or synchrotron losses consistent with a dead radio source, leaving a puzzle as to what the origin of the bubble may be.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Low-Mass X-ray Binaries and Globular Clusters in Centaurus A

We present results of Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of globular clusters (GCs) and low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the central regions of Centaurus A. Out of 440 GC candidates we find that 41 host X-ray point sources that are most likely LMXBs. We fit King models to our GC candidates in order to measure their structural parameters. We find that GCs that host LMXBs are denser and more compact, and have higher encounter rates and concentrations than the GC population as a whole. We show that the higher concentrations and masses are a consequence of the dependence of LMXB incidence on central density and size plus the general trend for denser GCs to have higher masses and concentrations. We conclude that neither concentration nor mass are fundamental variables in determining the presence of LMXBs in GCs, and that the more fundamental parameters relate to central density and size.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

High redshift FRII radio sources: large-scale X-ray environment

We investigate the properties of the environment around 20 powerful radio galaxies and quasars at redshifts between 0.45 and 1. Using XMM-Newton and Chandra observations we probe the spatial distribution and the temperature of the cluster gas. We find that more than 60 per cent of powerful radio sources in the redshift range of our sample lie in a cluster of X-ray luminosity greater than 10^44 erg/s, and all but one of the narrow-line radio galaxies, for which the emission from the nucleus is obscured by a torus, lie in a cluster environment. Within the statistical uncertainties we find no significant difference in the properties of the environment as a function of the orientation to the line of sight of the radio jet. This is in agreement with unification schemes. Our results have important implications for cluster surveys, as clusters around powerful radio sources tend to be excluded from X-ray and Sunyaev-Zeldovich surveys of galaxy clusters, and thus can introduce an important bias in the cluster luminosity function. Most of the radio sources are found close to pressure balance with the environment in which they lie, but the two low-excitation radio galaxies of the sample are observed to be under-pressured. This may be the first observational indication for the presence of non-radiative particles in the lobes of some powerful radio galaxies. We find that the clusters around radio sources in the redshift range of our sample have a steeper entropy-temperature relation than local clusters, and the slope is in agreement with the predictions of self-similar gravitational heating models for cluster gas infall. This suggests that selection by AGN finds systems less affected by AGN feedback than the local average.(Abridged)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Chandra, HST, and VLA View of the Circumnuclear Extended Emission in the Narrow Emission Line Galaxy NGC 2110

We present results from new Chandra and archival HST and VLA imaging observations of the circumnuclear extended emission in the nearby Type 2 Seyfert galaxy NGC 2110. We find resolved soft-band X-ray emission 4'' (~160 pc) north of the nucleus, which is spatially coincident with [OIII] emission, but lies just beyond the northern edge of the radio jet in the source. We find that shock-heating of multi-phase gas clouds can successfully account for this extended emission, although we cannot rule out alternative models, such as the scattering of nuclear radiation by ionized material, or pure photoionization from the nucleus. In addition, we detect kpc-scale (~30'') extended soft-band X-ray emission south of the nucleus. Finally, we compare our results for NGC 2110 with the prototypical Type 2 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068, and suggest that different physical processes could produce extended circumnuclear X-ray emission in Seyfert galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Jet Speeds in Wide Angle Tailed Radio Galaxies

We present a sample of 30 wide angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs) that we use to constrain the jet speeds in these sources. We measure the distribution of jet-sidedness ratios for the sample, and assuming that the jets are beamed, jet speeds in the range (0.3-0.7)c are obtained. Whilst the core prominence of the sample, which ought to be a reliable indicator of beaming, shows little correlation with the jet-sidedness, we argue that due to the peculiar nature of WATs core-prominence is unlikely to be a good indicator of beaming in these sources. We further show that if the jets are fast and light, then the galaxy speeds required to bend jets into C-shapes such as those seen in 0647+693 are reasonable for a galaxy in a merging or recently merged cluster.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

A VLA Study of 15 3CR Radio Galaxies

We present VLA radio maps in total intensity and polarization at 1.4, 4.9 and 8.4 GHz of fifteen 3CR radio galaxies for which good maps showing the large-scale radio structure have not previously been available. Previously unknown cores are detected in several sources and a bright one-sided jet in 3C 287.1 is mapped for the first time; several other jet-like features are also imaged. Total and core fluxes are tabulated and radio core positions are listed and compared to optical positions. The galaxy at the optical position listed for 3C 169.1 is found to lie farther from the radio core position than another dimmer, bluer galaxy. We discuss individual sources in some detail.

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