Astronomers discover a peculiar radio galaxy

Utilizing the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR), astronomers have found a brand new radio galaxy. The newfound galaxy, designated J0011+3217, showcases peculiar options, together with a one-sided secondary lobe. The discovering was reported in a analysis paper published June 21 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Radio galaxies emit enormous quantities of radio waves from their central cores. Black holes on the facilities of those galaxies accrete fuel and dust, producing high-energy jets seen in radio wavelengths, which speed up electrically charged particles to excessive velocities.

Throughout its lively stage (lasting as much as 100 million years) a typical radio galaxy is noticed to comprise such options as core, lobes, jets and hotspots. Nevertheless, after this stage passes, these signatures of exercise usually disappear because the supply’s lively galactic nucleus (AGN) switches off and the galaxy enters the so-called remnant or dying phase.

Now, a staff of astronomers led by Shobha Kumari of the Midnapore Metropolis Faculty in India, experiences the detection of such a radio galaxy with lobes.

“From the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey second knowledge launch (LoTSS DR2) at 144 MHz, we recognized a peculiar radio galaxy, J0011+3217,” the researchers wrote within the research.

In keeping with the paper, J0011+3217 is a big radio galaxy with a one-sided secondary lobe and misaligned large main lobes. It seems that the newfound galaxy is related to the galaxy cluster Abell 7.

LOFAR observations present that the secondary lobe has a linear dimension of roughly 2.77 million light years, which is about 85% of the first lobe. Such one-sided secondary lobes are extraordinarily uncommon, as solely a handful of them have beforehand been found in some X-shaped radio galaxies.

The astronomers underline the massive dimension of the one-sized secondary lobe in J0011+3217, as such options are normally greater than four-times smaller than the first lobes. Thus, an enormous one-sized secondary lobe just like the one in J0011+3217 has by no means been noticed in another X-shaped radio galaxies.

The research additionally discovered that J0011+3217 possesses minor distortions or off-axis diversions. Such bending within the jet is extra widespread for wide-angle tails (WATs). The so-called WATs are highly effective, bent radio sources usually related to the dominant galaxy in a cluster or group.

Summing up the outcomes, the authors of the paper underline the necessity for additional research of J0011+3217 so as to totally perceive its peculiarities.

“To measure the detailed parameters and research the circumstances beneath which this peculiar radio galaxy J0011+3217 kinds, additional research, together with simulations and optical follow-up observations, will likely be inspired,” the researchers conclude.

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