A representative survey of the dynamics and energetics of FRII radio galaxies
We report the first large, systematic study of the dynamics and energetics of a representative sample of FRII radio galaxies with well-characterized group/cluster environments. We used X-ray inverse-Compton and radio synchrotron measurements to determine the internal radio-lobe conditions, and these were compared with external pressures acting on the lobes, determined from measurements of the thermal X-ray emission of the group/cluster. Consistent with previous work, we found that FRII radio lobes are typically electron-dominated by a small factor relative to equipartition, and are over-pressured relative to the external medium in their outer parts. These results suggest that there is typically no energetically significant proton population in the lobes of FRII radio galaxies (unlike for FRIs), and so for this population, inverse-Compton modelling provides an accurate way of measuring total energy content and estimating jet power. We estimated the distribution of Mach numbers for the population of expanding radio lobes, finding that at least half of the radio galaxies are currently driving strong shocks into their group/cluster environments. Finally, we determined a jet power--radio luminosity relation for FRII radio galaxies based on our estimates of lobe internal energy and Mach number. The slope and normalisation of this relation are consistent with theoretical expectations, given the departure from equipartition and environmental distribution for our sample.
Item Type | Article |
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Additional information | This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. |
Keywords | galaxies: active, gaalxies: clusters: intracluster medium, galaxies: jets |
Date Deposited | 15 May 2025 13:25 |
Last Modified | 15 May 2025 13:25 |
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grid_on - 1701.05612v1
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subject - Submitted Version
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