INTEGRAL spectroscopy of three powerful radio galaxies: Jet-cloud interactions seen in 3-D

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0301157

From: Carmen Solorzano-Inarrea <csi@roe.ac.uk>

Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 10:36:33 GMT   (582kb)

Authors:
C. Solorzano-Inarrea (IfA, Edinburgh),
C. N. Tadhunter (Sheffield)

Comments: 19 pages, including 16 figures (4 in colour), MNRAS accepted

Integral-field spectroscopic observations are presented for three powerful
radio galaxies, namely 3C277.3 (Coma A; z=0.0857), 3C171 (z=0.2384) and 3C265
(z=0.811), which are known to be undergoing jet-cloud interactions. The
morphology, kinematics and ionization of the gas in the emission-line structure
of these sources are mapped and analysed. One-dimensional spectra are also
extracted and integrated over the different emission-line regions in each
galaxy. In two of the galaxies (3C277.3 and 3C171) the radio sizes are of
similar extent to the emission-line structure. For these, enhanced
emission-line regions are found associated with the radio structures, in
addition to complex kinematics and low ionization states close to the radio
hotspots, indicating that jet-induced shocks disturb and ionize the gas.
Interestingly, the bright — presumably shock-ionized — emission-line region
coincident with the radio jet knot in 3C277.3 shows quiescent kinematics and
high ionization state. Possible explanations for this puzzling result are
proposed. The images of 3C171 and 3C265 indicate that the lateral expansion of
the cocoon has a significant effect on the kinematics and ionization of the
gas, showing for the first time that the effects of the radio source are felt
far from the jet axis. In addition, the presence of a stellar-photoionized HII
region is detected in the extended emission-line nebula of the radio galaxy
3C277.3.

References and citations for this submission:

SLAC-SPIRES HEP (refers to ,
cited by, arXiv reformatted)