No Arabic abstract
Using Chandra X-ray and VLA radio data, we investigate the scaling relationship between jet power, P_jet, and synchrotron luminosity, P_rad. We expand the sample presented in Birzan et al. (2008) to lower radio power by incorporating measurements for 21 gEs to determine if the Birzan et al. (2008) P_jet-P_rad scaling relations are continuous in form and scatter from giant elliptical galaxies (gEs) up to brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). We find a mean scaling relation of P_jet approximately 5.8x10^43 (P_rad/10^40)^(0.70) erg/s which is continuous over ~6-8 decades in P_jet and P_rad with a scatter of approximately 0.7 dex. Our mean scaling relationship is consistent with the model presented in Willott et al. (1999) if the typical fraction of lobe energy in non-radiating particles to that in relativistic electrons is > 100. We identify several gEs whose radio luminosities are unusually large for their jet powers and have radio sources which extend well beyond the densest parts of their X-ray halos. We suggest that these radio sources are unusually luminous because they were unable to entrain appreciable amounts of gas.
We present an analysis of the energetics and particle content of the lobes of 24 radio galaxies at the cores of cooling clusters. The radio lobes in these systems have created visible cavities in the surrounding hot, X-ray-emitting gas, which allow direct measurement of the mechanical jet power of radio sources over six decades of radio luminosity, independently of the radio properties themselves. Using these measurements, we examine the ratio between radio power and total jet power (the radiative efficiency). We find that jet (cavity) power increases with radio synchrotron power approximately as P_jet ~ (L_radio)^beta, where 0.35 < beta < 0.70 depending on the bandpass of measurement and state of the source. However, the scatter about these relations caused by variations in radiative efficiency spans more than four orders of magnitude. After accounting for variations in synchrotron break frequency (age), the scatter is reduced by ~ 50%, yielding the most accurate scaling relation available between the lobe bolometric radio power and the jet (cavity) power. We place limits on the magnetic field strengths and particle content of the radio lobes using a variety of X-ray constraints. We find that the lobe magnetic field strengths vary between a few to several tens of microgauss depending on the age and dynamical state of the lobes. If the cavities are maintained in pressure balance with their surroundings and are supported by internal fields and particles in equipartition, the ratio of energy in electrons to heavy particles (k) must vary widely from approximately unity to 4000, consistent with heavy (hadronic) jets.
Studies investigating the relationship between AGN power and the star formation rates (SFRs) of their host galaxies often rely on averaging techniques -- such as stacking -- to incorporate information from non-detections. However, averages, and especially means, can be strongly affected by outliers and can therefore give a misleading indication of the typical case. Recently, a number of studies have taken a step further by binning their sample in terms of AGN power (approximated by the 2-10keV luminosity of the AGN), and investigating how the SFR distribution differs between these bins. These bin thresholds are often weakly motivated, and binning implicitly assumes that sources within the same bin have similar (or even identical) properties. In this paper, we investigate whether the distribution of host SFRs -- relative to the locus of the star-forming main sequence (i.e., $R_{rm MS}$) -- changes continuously as a function of AGN power. We achieve this by using a hierarchical Bayesian model that completely removes the need to bin in AGN power. In doing so, we find strong evidence that the $R_{rm MS}$ distribution changes with 2-10keV X-ray luminosity. The results suggest that higher X_ray luminosity AGNs have a tighter physical connection to the star-forming process than lower X-ray luminosity AGNs, at least within the $0.8 < z < 1.2$ redshift range considered here.
We present a new analysis of the widely used relation between cavity power and radio luminosity in clusters of galaxies with evidence for strong AGN feedback. We study the correlation at low radio frequencies using two new surveys - the First Alternative Data Release of the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS ADR1) at 148 MHz and LOFARs first all-sky survey, the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS) at 140 MHz. We find a scaling relation $P_{rm cav} propto L_{148}^{beta}$, with a logarithmic slope of $beta = 0.51 pm 0.14$, which is in good agreement with previous results based on data at 327 MHz. The large scatter present in this correlation confirms the conclusion reached at higher frequencies that the total radio luminosity at a single frequency is a poor predictor of the total jet power. We show that including measurements at 148 MHz alone is insufficient to reliably compute the bolometric radio luminosity and reduce the scatter in the correlation. For a subset of four well-resolved sources, we examine the detected extended structures at low frequencies and compare with the morphology known from higher frequency images and Chandra X-ray maps. In Perseus we discuss details in the structures of the radio mini-halo, while in the 2A 0335+096 cluster we observe new diffuse emission associated with multiple X-ray cavities and likely originating from past activity. For A2199 and MS 0735.6+7421, we confirm that the observed low-frequency radio lobes are confined to the extents known from higher frequencies. This new low-frequency analysis highlights the fact that existing cavity power to radio luminosity relations are based on a relatively narrow range of AGN outburst ages. We discuss how the correlation could be extended using low frequency data from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) in combination with future, complementary deeper X-ray observations.
NGC 1275 is one of the most conspicuous active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the local Universe. The radio jet currently emits a flux density of $sim 10$ Jy at $sim 1$ mm wavelengths, down from the historic high of $sim 65$ Jy in 1980. Yet, the nature of the AGN in NGC 1275 is still controversial. It has been debated whether this is a broad emission line (BEL) Seyfert galaxy, an obscured Seyfert galaxy, a narrow line radio galaxy or a BL-Lac object. We clearly demonstrate a persistent H$beta$ BEL over the last 35 years with a full width half maximum (FWHM) of 4150 - 6000 km/s. We also find a prominent P$alpha$ BEL (FWHM $approx 4770 $ km/s) and a weak CIV BEL (FWHM $approx 4000 $ km/s), H$beta$/CIV $approx 2$. A far UV HST observation during suppressed jet activity reveals a low luminosity continuum. The H$beta$ BEL luminosity is typical of broad line Seyfert galaxies with similar far UV luminosity. X-ray observations indicate a softer ionizing continuum than expected for a broad line Seyfert galaxy with similar far UV luminosity. This is opposite of the expectation of advection dominated accretion. The AGN continuum appears to be thermal emission from a low luminosity, optically thick, accretion flow with a low Eddington ratio, $sim 0.0001$. The soft, weak ionizing continuum is consistent with the relatively weak CIV BEL. Evidence that the BEL luminosity is correlated with the jet mm wave luminosity is presented. Apparently, the accretion rate regulates jet power.
We present here the first results from the Chandra ERA (Environments of Radio-loud AGN) Large Project, characterizing the cluster environments of a sample of 26 radio-loud AGN at z ~ 0.5 that covers three decades of radio luminosity. This is the first systematic X-ray environmental study at a single epoch, and has allowed us to examine the relationship between radio luminosity and cluster environment without the problems of Malmquist bias. We have found a weak correlation between radio luminosity and host cluster X-ray luminosity, as well as tentative evidence that this correlation is driven by the subpopulation of low-excitation radio galaxies, with high-excitation radio galaxies showing no significant correlation. The considerable scatter in the environments may be indicative of complex relationships not currently included in feedback models.