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Radio Galaxy Zoo: the distortion of radio galaxies by galaxy clusters

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 00:07 authored by Garon, AF, Rudnick, L, Wong, OI, Jones, TW, Kim, J-A, Andernach, H, Stanislav ShabalaStanislav Shabala, Kapinska, D, Norris, RP, de Gasperin, F, Tate, J, Tang, H
We study the impact of cluster environment on the morphology of a sample of 4304 extended radio galaxies from Radio Galaxy Zoo. 87% of the sample lies within a projected 15 Mpc of an optically identified cluster. Brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) are more likely to be radio sources than other cluster members are, and are also moderately bent. The surface density as a function of separation from cluster center of non-BCG radio galaxies follows a power law with index -1.10 ± 0.03 out to 10 𝑟500 (∼7 Mpc), which is steeper than the corresponding distribution for optically-selected galaxies. Non-BCG radio galaxies are statistically more bent the closer they are to the cluster center. Within the inner 1.5 𝑟500(∼1 Mpc) of a cluster, non-BCG radio galaxies are statistically more bent in high mass clusters than in low mass clusters. Together, we find that non-BCG sources are statistically more bent in environments that exert greater ram pressure. We use the orientation of bent radio galaxies as an indicator of galaxy orbits, and find that they are preferentially in radial orbits. Away from clusters, there is a large population of bent radio galaxies, limiting their use as cluster locators; however, they are still located within statistically overdense regions. We investigate the asymmetry in the tail length of sources that have their tails aligned along the radius vector from the cluster center, and find that the length of the inward-pointing tail is weakly suppressed for sources close to the center of the cluster.

Funding

Australian Research Council

History

Publication title

Astronomical Journal

Volume

157

Article number

126

Number

126

Pagination

1-17

ISSN

0004-6256

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Univ Chicago Press

Place of publication

1427 E 60Th St, Chicago, USA, Il, 60637-2954

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences

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