A Deep uGMRT View of the Ultra-steep Spectrum Radio Halo in A521

Autor: R. Santra, R. Kale, S. Giacintucci, M. Markevitch, F. De Luca, H. Bourdin, T. Venturi, D. Dallacasa, R. Cassano, G. Brunetti, K. D. Buch
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Astrophysical Journal, Vol 962, Iss 1, p 40 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1538-4357
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad1190
Popis: We present the first detailed analysis of the ultra-steep spectrum radio halo in the merging galaxy cluster A521, based on upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio telescope observations. The combination of radio observations (300–850 MHz) and archival X-ray data provides a new window into the complex physics occurring in this system. When compared to all previous analyses, our sensitive radio images detected the centrally located radio halo emission to a greater extent of ∼1.3 Mpc. A faint extension of the southeastern radio relic has been discovered. We detected another relic, recently discovered by MeerKAT, and coincident with a possible shock front in the X-rays, at the northwest position of the center. We find that the integrated spectrum of the radio halo is well-fitted with a spectral index of −1.86 ± 0.12. A spatially resolved spectral index map revealed the spectral index fluctuations, as well as an outward radial steepening of the average spectral index. The radio and X-ray surface brightness is well correlated for the entire and different subparts of the halo, with sublinear correlation slopes (0.50–0.65). We also found a mild anticorrelation between the spectral index and X-ray surface brightness. Newly detected extensions of the SE relic and the counter relic are consistent with the merger in the plane of the sky.
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