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Register a new userRadio multifrequency observations of galaxy clusters. The Abell 399$-$401 pair
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Galaxy clusters are assembled via merging of smaller structures, in a process that generates shocks and turbulence in the intra cluster medium and produces radio emission in the form of halos and relics. The cluster pair A 399-A 401 represents a special case: both clusters host a radio halo and recent LOFAR observations at 140~MHz revealed the presence of a radio bridge connecting the two clusters and two candidate relics, one South of A 399 and the other in between the two clusters in proximity of a shock front detected in X-ray observations. In this paper we present Westerbork observations at 1.7, 1.4 and 1.2~GHz and 346~MHz of the A 399-A 401 cluster pair. We detected the radio halo in the A 399 cluster at 346~MHz, extending up to $sim 650$~kpc and with a $125 pm 6$~mJy flux density. Its spectral index between 1.4~GHz and 346~MHz and between 140~MHz and 346~MHz is $alpha = 1.47 pm 0.05$, and $alpha = 1.75 pm 0.14$ respectively. The two candidate relics are also seen at 346~MHz and we determined their spectral index to be $alpha = 1.10 pm 0.14$ and $alpha = 1.46 pm 0.14$. The low surface brightness bridge connecting the two clusters is below the noise level at 346~MHz, therefore we constrained the bridge average spectral to be steep, i.e. $alpha > 1.5$ at $2sigma$ confidence level. This result favours the scenario where dynamically-induced turbulence is a viable mechanism to reaccelerate a population of mildly relativistic particles and amplify magnetic fields even in cluster bridges, i.e. on scales of a few Mpcs.
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We report a significant detection of the hot intergalactic medium in the filamentary bridge connecting the galaxy clusters Abell 399 and Abell 401. This result is enabled by a low-noise, high-resolution map of the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and Planck satellite. The ACT data provide the $1.65$ resolution that allows us to clearly separate the profiles of the clusters, whose centres are separated by $37$, from the gas associated with the filament. A model that fits for only the two clusters is ruled out compared to one that includes a bridge component at $>5sigma$. Using a gas temperature determined from Suzaku X-ray data, we infer a total mass of $(3.3pm0.7)times10^{14},mathrm{M}_{odot}$ associated with the filament, comprising about $8%$ of the entire Abell 399-Abell 401 system. We fit two phenomenological models to the filamentary structure; the favoured model has a width transverse to the axis joining the clusters of ${sim}1.9,mathrm{Mpc}$. When combined with the Suzaku data, we find a gas density of $(0.88pm0.24)times10^{-4},mathrm{cm}^{-3}$, considerably lower than previously reported. We show that this can be fully explained by a geometry in which the axis joining Abell 399 and Abell 401 has a large component along the line of sight, such that the distance between the clusters is significantly greater than the $3.2,mathrm{Mpc}$ projected separation on the plane of the sky. Finally, we present initial results from higher resolution ($12.7$ effective) imaging of the bridge with the MUSTANG-2 receiver on the Green Bank Telescope.
We report on the detection of a giant radio halo in the cluster Abell 3404 as well as confirmation of the radio halo observed in Abell 141 (with linear extents $sim 770$ kpc and $sim 850$ kpc, respectively). We use the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in conjunction with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to characterise the emission and intervening radio sources from $sim100$-$1000$ MHz; power law models are fit to the spectral energy distributions with spectral indices $alpha_{88}^{1110} = -1.66 pm 0.07$ and $alpha_{88}^{944} = -1.06 pm 0.09$ for the radio halos in Abell 3404 and Abell 141, respectively. We find strong correlation between radio and X-ray surface brightness for Abell~3404 but little correlation for Abell~141. We note each cluster has an atypical morphology for a radio-halo--hosting cluster, with Abell 141 having been previously reported to be in a pre-merging state, and Abell 3404 is largely relaxed with only minor evidence for a disturbed morphology. We find that the radio halo power is consistent with the current radio halo sample and $P_ u$-$M$ scaling relations, but note that the radio halo in Abell 3404 is an ultra-steep-spectrum radio halo (USSRH) and, as with other USSRHs lies slightly below the best-fit $P_{1.4}$-$M$ relation. We find that an updated scaling relation is consistent with previous results and shifting the frequency to 150 MHz does not significantly alter the best-fit relations with a sample of 86 radio halos. We suggest that the USSRH halo in Abell 3404 represents the faint class of radio halos that will be found in clusters undergoing weak mergers.
The pre-merging system of galaxy clusters Abell 3391-Abell 3395 located at a mean redshift of 0.053 has been observed at 1 GHz in an ASKAP/EMU Early Science observation as well as in X-rays with eROSITA. The projected separation of the X-ray peaks of the two clusters is $sim$50$$ or $sim$ 3.1 Mpc. Here we present an inventory of interesting radio sources in this field around this cluster merger. While the eROSITA observations provide clear indications of a bridge of thermal gas between the clusters, neither ASKAP nor MWA observations show any diffuse radio emission coinciding with the X-ray bridge. We derive an upper limit on the radio emissivity in the bridge region of $langle J rangle_{1,{rm GHz}}< 1.2 times 10^{-44} {rm W}, {rm Hz}^{-1} {rm m}^{-3}$. A non-detection of diffuse radio emission in the X-ray bridge between these two clusters has implications for particle-acceleration mechanisms in cosmological large-scale structure. We also report extended or otherwise noteworthy radio sources in the 30 deg$^2$ field around Abell 3391-Abell 3395. We identified 20 Giant Radio Galaxies, plus 7 candidates, with linear projected sizes greater than 1 Mpc. The sky density of field radio galaxies with largest linear sizes of $>0.7$ Mpc is $approx 1.7$ deg$^{-2}$, three times higher than previously reported. We find no evidence for a cosmological evolution of the population of Giant Radio Galaxies. Moreover, we find seven candidates for cluster radio relics and radio halos.
We examine the possible acceleration mechanisms of the relativistic particles responsible for the extended radio emission in Abell 520. We used new LOFAR 145 MHz, archival GMRT 323 MHz and VLA 1.5 GHz data to study the morphological and spectral properties of extended cluster emission. The observational properties are discussed in the framework of particle acceleration models associated with cluster merger turbulence and shocks. In Abell 520, we confirm the presence of extended synchrotron radio emission that has been classified as a radio halo. The comparison between the radio and X-ray brightness suggests that the halo might originate in a cocoon rather than from the central X-ray bright regions of the cluster. The halo spectrum is roughly uniform on the scale of 66 kpc. There is a hint of spectral steepening from the SW edge towards the cluster centre. Assuming DSA, the radio data are suggestive of a shock of $mathcal{M}_{SW}=2.6_{-0.2}^{+0.3}$ that is consistent with the X-ray derived estimates. This is in line with the scenario in which relativistic electrons in the SW radio edge gain their energies at the shock front via acceleration of either thermal or fossil electrons. We do not detect extended radio emission ahead of the SW shock that is predicted if the emission is the result of adiabatic compression. An X-ray surface brightness discontinuity is detected towards the NE region that may be a counter shock of $mathcal{M}_{NE}^{X}=1.52pm0.05$. This is lower than the value predicted from the radio emission ($mathcal{M}_{NE}=2.1pm0.2$). Our observations indicate that the SW radio emission in Abell 520 is likely effected by the prominent X-ray detected shock in which radio emitting particles are (re-)accelerated through the Fermi-I mechanism. The NE X-ray discontinuity that is approximately collocated with an edge in the radio emission hints at the presence of a counter shock.
Galaxy clusters undergo mergers that can generate extended radio sources called radio relics. Radio relics are the consequence of merger-induced shocks that propagate in the intra cluster medium (ICM). In this paper we analyse the radio, optical and X-ray data from a candidate galaxy cluster that has been selected from the radio emission coming from a candidate radio relic detected in NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS). Our aim is to clarify the nature of this source and prove that under certain conditions radio emission from radio relics can be used to trace relatively low-mass galaxy clusters. We have observed the candidate galaxy cluster with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at three different frequencies. These datasets have been analysed together with archival data from ROSAT in the X-ray and with archival data from the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector (GROND) telescope in four different optical bands. We confirm the presence of a 1 Mpc long radio relic located in the outskirts of a previously unknown galaxy cluster. We confirm the presence of the galaxy cluster through dedicated optical observations and using archival X-ray data. Due to its proximity and similar redshift to a known Abell cluster, we named it: Abell 3527-bis. The galaxy cluster is among the least massive cluster known to host a radio relic. We showed that radio relics can be effectively used to trace a subset of relatively low-mass galaxy clusters that might have gone undetected in X-ray or Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) surveys. This technique might be used in future deep, low-frequency surveys as those carried on by LOFAR, uGMRT and, ultimately, SKA.
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