• Volume 32, Issue 4

December 2011,   pages  425-640

• Preface

• Particle Acceleration at Shocks: Insights from Supernova Remnant Shocks

I review some basic properties of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in the context of young supernova remnants (SNRs). I also point out some key differences with cosmological, cluster-related shocks. DSA seems to be very efficient in strong, young SNR shocks. Provided the magnetic fields exceed some hundreds of 𝜇Gauss (possibly amplified by CR related dynamics), these shocks can accelerate cosmic ray hadrons to PeV energies in the time available to them. Electron energies, limited by radiative losses, are likely limited to the TeV range. Injection of fresh particles at these shocks is poorly understood, but hadrons are much more easily injected than the more highly magnetized electrons. That seems supported by observational data, as well. So, while CR protons in young SNRs may play very major roles in the SNR evolution, the CR electron populations have minimal such impact, despite their observational importance.

• Giant Radio Halos in Galaxy Clusters as Probes of Particle Acceleration in Turbulent Regions

Giant radio halos in galaxy clusters probe mechanisms of particle acceleration connected with cluster merger events. Shocks and turbulence are driven in the inter-galactic medium (IGM) during clusters mergers and may have a deep impact on the non-thermal properties of galaxy clusters. Models of turbulent (re)acceleration of relativistic particles allow good correspondence with present observations, from radio halos to 𝛾-ray upper limits, although several aspects of this complex scenario still remain poorly understood.

After providing basic motivations for turbulent acceleration in galaxy clusters, we discuss relevant aspects of the physics of particle acceleration by MHD turbulence and the expected broad-band non-thermal emission from galaxy clusters. We discuss (in brief) the most important results of turbulent (re)acceleration models, the open problems, and the possibilities to test models with future observations. In this respect, further constraints on the origin of giant nearby radio halos can also be obtained by combining their (spectral and morphological) properties with the constraints from 𝛾-ray observations of their parent clusters.

• Coherence Inherent in an Incoherent Synchrotron Radio Source

We show that a partial coherence due to antenna mechanism can be inherently present in any compact synchrotron source, which resolves many long-standing problems in the spectra and variability of compact extragalactic radio sources.

• The Central Point Source in G76.9+1.0

We describe the serendipitous discovery of a very steep-spectrum radio point source in low-frequency Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) images of the supernova remnant (SNR) G76.9+1.0. The steep spectrum, as well as the location of the point source near the centre of this SNR confirm that this indeed is the pulsar J2022+3842. Archival Chandra X-ray data shows a point source coincident with the radio point source. However, no pulsed radio emission was detected despite deep searches at 610 MHz and 1160 MHz – which can be understood to be due to temporal broadening of the pulses. Weak pulsed emission has indeed been seen at 2 GHz with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), establishing the fact that scattering is responsible for its non-detection at low radio frequencies. We underline the usefulness of low-frequency radio imaging as a good technique to prospect for pulsar candidates.

• Galactic Diffuse Polarized Emission

Diffuse polarized emission by synchrotron is a key tool to investigate magnetic fields in the Milky Way, particularly the ordered component of the large scale structure. Key observables are the synchrotron emission itself and the RM is by Faraday rotation. In this paper the main properties of the radio polarized diffuse emission and its use to investigate magnetic fields will be reviewed along with our current understanding of the galactic magnetic field and the data sets available. We will then focus on the future perspective discussing RM-synthesis – the new powerful instrument devised to unlock the information encoded in such an emission – and the surveys currently in progress like S-PASS and GMIMS.

• GMRT Low Radio Frequency Study of the Wolf Rayet Galaxy NGC 4214 and Detection of a Distant Galaxy

In this paper, we present the first low frequency (&lt; 1.4 GHz) radio continuum study of a Wolf Rayet galaxy NGC 4214 using the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We detect diffuse extended emission from the galaxy disk at 325 MHz and find that the radio emission closely follows the ultraviolet emission mapped by GALEX. The galaxy is undergoing continuous star formation which can explain the diffuse emission. We suggest that the diffuse radio continuum emission and X-ray emission detected in the northern part of NGC 4214 is associated with a background galaxy, 2MASX J12153795+3622218.

• CGCG292-057: A Near-Distance Merger Galaxy with Double;Double Radio Lobes and X-shape Structure

J1159+5820 is an extended radio galaxy with a quite unusual morphology, featuring two pairs of radio lobes. Such sources, called double–double radio galaxies, constitute a very rare class of extragalactic radio sources. Furthermore, the extended radio structure of this source shows an X-shape form. According to a much likely scenario, such a morphology is due to interrupting nuclear activity in its central active galactic nucleus. Interestingly, the host of this source is a near-distance bright galaxy named CGCG292-057, which is clearly disturbed, with tidal features and shells as plausible signs of a recent merger.

• A Multifrequency Study of Five Large Radio Galaxies

We present the results of GMRT and VLA observations of five large radio sources over a wide frequency range to investigate their structural and spectral asymmetries. The hot-spot brightness ratios suggest intrinsic source asymmetries, while the spectral indices show evidence of re-acceleration of particles.

• The First Polarization Maps from the GMRT

We present the first set of polarimetric images made with the GMRT. We find that the instrumental polarization leakage at the GMRT varies with frequency. It is possible to calibrate these terms to better than 1% accuracy, making it feasible to study sources that are polarized at the few per cent level. We present 610 MHz polarization images of two extended FR-II radio galaxies, viz. 3C 79 and 3C 265. We present high resolution polarization images of these two sources and also find that the polarization fractions of the two sources as seen at the GMRT are consistent with those reported by Conway &amp; Strom (1984).

• The Dynamics of Radio Galaxies and Double–Double Radio Galaxies

Relativistic and magnetized plasma ejected by radio loud AGNs through jets form the diffuse lobes of radio galaxies. The radiating particles (electron/electron–positron) in lobes emit in radio via the synchrotron process and X-ray via inverse-Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons. The thermal environment around radio galaxies emits X-rays via the thermal bremsstrahlung process. By combining information from these processes we can measure physical conditions in and around the radio lobes and thus study the dynamics of radio galaxies, including double–double radio galaxies.

• The Double–Double Radio Galaxy 3C293

We present the results of radio continuum observations at frequencies ranging from ∼ 150–5000 MHz of the misaligned double–double radio galaxy (DDRG) 3C293 (J1352+3126) using the GMRT and the VLA, and estimate the time-scale of interruption of jet activity to be less than ∼ 0.1 Myr.

• Tailed Radio Sources in the CDFS Field

Using 1.4 GHz ATCA &amp; VLA images with 5.5 GHz ATCA data, we present a sample of 12 bent-tailed galaxies over the 4 deg2 area of the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS). We find 10 new sources, one of which is possibly the highest red-shift bent-tailed galaxy detected at 𝑧 ∼ 2.

• Interaction of the WAT Source in A3395 with the Intracluster Medium

Using X-ray observations from Chandra and XMM-Newton and radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we have examined the merging environment of the bimodal cluster Abell 3395. From X-ray data we have produced thermodynamic maps of the cluster. The Wide Angle Tail (WAT) galaxy seen in the radio is slightly offset from the X-ray emission peak of the southern part of the cluster. The unsharp masked Chandra image of the cluster does not show any deficit in the X-ray flux near the location of the source possibly because the thermal plasma has leaked into the cavities.

• Radio-Optical Imaging of ATLBS Survey

We present the radio-optical imaging of ATLBS, a sensitive radio survey (Subrahmanyan et al. 2010). The primary aim of the ATLBS survey is to image low-power radio sources which form the bulk of the radio source population to moderately high red-shifts (𝑧 ∼ 1.0). The accompanying multiband optical and near infra-red observations provide information about the hosts and environments of the radio sources. We give here details of the imaging of the radio data and optical data for the ATLBS survey.

• Seyfert Galaxies: Radio Continuum Emission Properties and the Unification Scheme

Seyfert galaxies are classified mainly into type 1 and type 2 depending on the presence and absence of broad permitted emission lines in their optical spectra, respectively. Unification scheme hypothesizes that the observed similarities and differences between the two Seyfert subtypes can be understood as due to the differing orientations of anisotropically distributed obscuring material having a torus-like geometry around the AGN. We investigate the radio continuum emission properties of a sample of Seyfert galaxies in the framework of the unification scheme.

• A Hidden Radio Halo in the Galaxy Cluster A1682?

High sensitivity observations of radio halos in galaxy clusters at frequencies 𝑣 ≤ 330 MHz are still relatively rare, and very little is known compared to the classical 1.4 GHz images. The few radio halos imaged down to 150–240 MHz show a considerable spread in size, morphology and spectral properties. All clusters belonging to the GMRT Radio Halo Survey with detected or candidate cluster-scale diffuse emission have been imaged at 325 MHz with the GMRT. Few of them were also observed with the GMRT at 240 MHz and 150 MHz. For A1682, imaging is particularly challenging due to the presence of strong and extended radio galaxies at the center. Our data analysis suggests that thew radio galaxies are superposed to very low surface brightness radio emission extended on the cluster scale, which we present here.

• Relics as Probes of Galaxy Cluster Mergers

Galaxy clusters grow by mergers with other clusters and galaxy groups. These mergers create shocks within the intracluster medium (ICM). It is proposed that particles can be accelerated to extreme energies within the shocks. In the presence of a magnetic field these particles should then form large regions emitting synchrotron radiation, creating the so-called radio relics. An example of a cluster with relics is CIZA J2242.8+5301. Here we present hydrodynamical simulations of idealized binary cluster collisions with the aim of constraining the merger scenario for this cluster. We conclude that by using the location, size and width of double radio relics we can set constraints on the mass ratios, impact parameters, time scales, and viewing geometries of binary cluster merger events.

• Radio Relics in Cosmological Simulations

Radio relics have been discovered in many galaxy clusters. They are believed to trace shock fronts induced by cluster mergers. Cosmological simulations allow us to study merger shocks in detail since the intra-cluster medium is heated by shock dissipation. Using high resolution cosmological simulations, identifying shock fronts and applying a parametric model for the radio emission allows us to simulate the formation of radio relics. We analyze a simulated shock front in detail. We find a rather broad Mach number distribution. The Mach number affects strongly the number density of relativistic electrons in the downstream area, hence, the radio luminosity varies significantly across the shock surface. The abundance of radio relics can be modeled with the help of the radio power probability distribution which aims at predicting radio relic number counts. Since the actual electron acceleration efficiency is not known, predictions for the number counts need to be normalized by the observed number of radio relics. For the characteristics of upcoming low frequency surveys we find that about thousand relics are awaiting discovery.

• The Connection between Radio Halos and Cluster Mergers and the Statistical Properties of the Radio Halo Population

We discuss the statistical properties of the radio halo population in galaxy clusters. Radio bi-modality is observed in galaxy clusters: a fraction of clusters host giant radio halos while a majority of clusters do not show evidence of diffuse cluster-scale radio emission. The radio bi-modality has a correspondence in terms of dynamical state of the hosting clusters showing that merging clusters host radio halos and follow the well-known radio-X-ray correlation, while more relaxed clusters do not host radio halos and populate a region well separated from that correlation. These evidences can be understood in the framework of a scenario wheremerger-driven turbulence re-accelerate the radio emitting electrons. We discuss the main statistical expectations of this scenario underlining the important role of the upcoming LOFAR surveys to test present models.

• Discovery of a Giant Radio Halo in a Massive Merging Cluster at 𝑧 = 0.443

We have discovered a giant radio halo in the massive merging cluster MACSJ0417.5-1154. This cluster, at a redshift of 0.443, is one of the most X-ray luminous galaxy cluster in the MAssive Cluster Survey (MACS) with an X-ray luminosity in the 0.1–2.4 keV band of 2.9 × 1045 erg s-1. Recent observations from GMRT at 230 and 610 MHz have revealed a radio halo of ∼ 1.2 × 0.3 Mpc2 in extent. This halo is elongated along the North-West, similar to the morphology of the X-ray emission from Chandra. The 1400 MHz radio luminosity (𝐿r) of the halo is ∼ 2 × 1025 W Hz-1, in good agreement with the value expected from the 𝐿x - 𝐿r correlation for cluster halos.

• Double Relics in the Outskirts of A3376: Accretion Flows Meet Merger Shocks?

The case of spectacular ring-like double radio relics in the merging, rich galaxy cluster A3376 is of great interest to study non-thermal phenomena at cluster outskirts.We present the first low frequency (330 and 150 MHz) images of the double relics using the GMRT. With our GMRT 330 MHz map and the VLA 1400 MHz map (Bagchi et al. 2006), we have constructed and analyzed the distribution of spectral indices over the radio relics. We find flat spectral indices at the outer edges of both the relics and a gradual steepening of spectral indices toward the inner regions. This supports the model of outgoing merger shock waves. The eastern relic has a complex morphology and spectral index distribution toward the inner region. This will be discussed in the context of the effect of large-scale accretion flows on the outgoing merger shocks as reported in the recent simulations.

• A Zoo of Radio Relics: Cluster Cores to Filaments

Radio relics in galaxy clusters can be electrons accelerated at cluster merger shocks or adiabatically compressed fossil radio cocoons or dying radio galaxies. The spectral evolution of radio relics is affected by the surrounding thermal plasma. We present a low frequency study of three radio relics representing environments of dense cluster core (A4038), cluster outskirts (A1664) and filaments (A786). The properties of the relics are found to be consistent with the effect of confinement by external medium if the effects of projection are ignored.

• Searching for Excess Rotation Measures in Galaxy Clusters with the NVSS

We present a statistical analysis of the rotation measure (RM) catalogue from the NVSS in search for a statistical excess of rotation measure through Abell clusters. After excluding the data known to be affected by the large-scale magnetic field of the Galaxy (𝑏 ≤ |30|), we consider RMs as a function of normalized Abell radius for 496 galaxy clusters. Despite that it is now well established that galaxy clusters contain magnetic fields, we find no evidence of an increase of the rotation measure for lines of sight toward Abell clusters. Additionally, we find no evidence for statistically different rotation measure values between cluster lines of sight and RMs up to 7 Abell radii from the cluster over that expected from the intrinsic variation of the NVSS dataset. We suggest this is the result of sparse spatial coverage of suitably polarized sources in the NVSS.

• 18 GHz SZ Measurements of the Bullet Cluster

We present 18 GHz observations of the Bullet cluster using the Austalia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), which show structure in the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect; in particular, a deep, compact feature which does not correspond to any bright feature in X-ray, optical or lensing maps. In general, the relatively deeper SZE features appear to avoid the regions with the most intense X-ray emission. SZE displaced from X-ray centres implies that modeling cluster dynamics is non-trivial. The SZE distribution in the western parts of the cluster are co-spatial with the radio halo indicative of a common origin for the hot and relativistic electrons in the turbulent wake of the Bullet.

• Active Galactic Nuclei Feedback and Clusters

The Intracluster Medium (ICM) is believed to have been affected by feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and/or supernovae-driven winds. These sources are supposed to have injected entropy into the ICM gas. The recently determined universal pressure profile of the ICM gas has been used and after comparing with the entropy profile of the gas from gravitational effects of the dark matter halo, the additional entropy injected by non-gravitational sources, as a function of the total cluster mass is determined. The current observational data of red-shift evolution of cluster scaling relation is shown that allow models in which the entropy injection decreases at high red-shift.

• Manifestations of Magnetic Field Inhomogeneities

Both observations and simulations reveal large inhomogeneities in magnetic field distributions in diffuse plasmas. Incorporating these inhomogeneities into various calculations can significantly change the inferred physical conditions. In extragalactic sources, e.g., these can compromise analyses of spectral ageing, which I will illustrate with some current work on cluster relics. I also briefly re-examine the old issue of how inhomogeneous fields affect particle lifetimes; perhaps not surprisingly, the next generation of radio telescopes are unlikely to find many sources that can extend their lifetimes from putting relativistic electrons into a low-field ‘freezer’. Finally, I preview some new EVLA results on the complex relic in Abell 2256, with implications for the interspersing of its relativistic and thermal plasmas.

• LOFAR and APERTIF Surveys of the Radio Sky: Probing Shocks and Magnetic Fields in Galaxy Clusters

At very low frequencies, the new pan-European radio telescope LOFAR is opening the last unexplored window of the electromagnetic spectrum for astrophysical studies. The revolutionary APERTIF-phased arrays that are about to be installed on the Westerbork radio telescope (WSRT) will dramatically increase the survey speed for the WSRT. Combined surveys with these two facilities will deeply chart the northern sky over almost two decades in radio frequency from ∼ 15 up to 1400 MHz. Here we briefly describe some of the capabilities of these new facilities and what radio surveys are planned to study fun-damental issues related to the formation and evolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies. In the second part we briefly review some recent observational results directly showing that diffuse radio emission in clusters traces shocks due to cluster mergers. As these diffuse radio sources are relatively bright at low frequencies, LOFAR should be able to detect thousands of such sources up to the epoch of cluster formation. This will allow addressing many question about the origin and evolution of shocks and magnetic fields in clusters. At the end we briefly review some of the first and very preliminary LOFAR results on clusters.

• The Large Scale Structure: Polarization Aspects

Polarized radio emission is detected at various scales in the Universe. In this document, I will briefly review our knowledge on polarized radio sources in galaxy clusters and at their outskirts, emphasizing the crucial information provided by the polarized signal on the origin and evolution of such sources. Successively, I will focus on Abell 2255, which is known in the literature as the first cluster for which filamentary polarized emission associated with the radio halo has been detected. By using RM synthesis on our multi-wavelength WSRT observations, we studied the 3-dimensional geometry of the cluster, unveiling the nature of the polarized filaments at the borders of the central radio halo. Our analysis points out that these structures are relics lying at large distance from the cluster center.

• Synchrotron Emission on the Largest Scales: Radio Detection of the Cosmic-Web

Shocks and turbulence generated during large-scale structure formation are predicted to produce large-scale, low surface-brightness synchrotron emission. On the largest scales, this emission is globally correlated with the thermal baryon distribution, and constitutes the synchrotron cosmic-web’. I present the observational prospects and challenges for detecting this faint emission with upcoming SKA pathfinders.

• ATLAS, and Wide-Angle Tail Galaxies in ATLAS

Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), ATLAS (Australia Telescope Large Area Survey) is imaging two fields totalling 7 square degrees down to 10 𝜇Jy beam-1 at 1.4 GHz. We have found 6 wide-angle tail galaxies (WATs), 4 of which have sufficient data to identify associated galaxy overdensities. The largest WAT, at a red-shift of 0.22, appears to be associated with an overdensity of galaxies that is spread over an unusually large extent of 12Mpc, with a velocity range of 4500 km s-1. Here we present the WATs in ATLAS and discuss the implications of these observations for future large-scale radio surveys such as ASKAP-EMU.

• LOFAR: Recent Imaging Results and Future Prospects

The Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) is under construction in the Netherlands and in several surrounding European countries. In this contribution, we describe the layout and design of the telescope, with particular emphasis on the imaging characteristics of the array when used in its standard imaging’ mode. After briefly reviewing the calibration and imaging software used for LOFAR image processing, we show some recent results from the ongoing imaging commissioning efforts. We conclude by summarizing future prospects for the use of LOFAR in observing the little-explored low-frequency Universe.

• Evolutionary Map of the Universe: Tracing Clusters to High Red-shift

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a new radio-telescope being built in Western Australia. One of the key surveys for which it is being built is EMU (Evolutionary Map of the Universe), which will make a deep (∼ 10 𝜇Jy/bm rms) radio continuum survey covering the entire sky as far North as +30°. EMU may be compared to the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS), except that it will have about 45 times the sensitivity, and five times the resolution. EMU will also have much better sensitivity to diffuse emission than previous large surveys, and is expected to produce a large catalogue of relics, tailed galaxies, and halos, and will increase the number of known clusters by a significant factor. Here we describe the EMU project and its impact on the astrophysics of clusters.

• High-Redshift Radio Galaxies from Deep Fields

Most of the radio galaxies with 𝑧 &gt; 3 have been found using the red-shift spectral index correlation.We have started a programme with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) to exploit this correlation at flux density levels about 100 times deeper than the known high-redshift radio galaxies, with an aim to detect candidate high-redshift radio galaxies. Here we present results from the deep 150 MHz observations of LBDS-Lynx field, which has been imaged at 327, 610 and 1412 MHz with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) and at 1400 and 4860 MHz with the Very Large Array (VLA). We find about 150 radio sources with spectra steeper than 1. About two-thirds of these are not detected in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), hence are strong candidate high-redshift radio galaxies, which need to be further explored with deep infra-red imaging and spectroscopy to estimate the red-shift.

• Deep GMRT 150 MHz Observations of the DEEP2 Fields: Searching for High Red-Shift Radio Galaxies Revisited

High red-shift radio galaxies are best searched at low radio frequencies, due to its steep radio spectra. Here we present preliminary results from our programme to search for high red-shift radio galaxies to ∼ 10 to 100 times fainter than the known population till date. We have extracted ultra-steep spectrum (USS) samples from deep 150 MHz Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations from one of the three well-studied DEEP2 fields to this effect. From correlating these radio sources with respect to the high-frequency catalogues such as VLA, FIRST and NVSS at 1.4 GHz, we find ∼ 100 steep spectrum (spectral index, 𝛼 &gt; 1) radio sources, which are good candidates for high red-shift radio galaxies.

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