Overpressured emission-line clouds in the haloes of powerful radio galaxies
Abstract
We present accurate measurements of the physical conditions in five powerful radio galaxies, as derived from deep, long-slit spectroscopic observations. All five objects show prominent extended line emission, and have X-ray luminosities similar to those of isolated elliptical galaxies. The data are high enough quality that the electron density and temperature can be measured at several positions across the emission-line nebulae. We subtract a model continuum comprising a combination of a 15-Gyr stellar template, a young stellar template and a power law, so as to be better able to measure faint diagnostic lines. Electron temperatures measured from the [OIII](4959+5007)/4363 line ratio are in the range 10000<Te<20000K, whilst [SII](6716/6731) densities fall between 100-500cm-3. Using these values, we find pressures within the line-emitting clouds a factor of 10-100 times higher than expected for pressure balance with the hot X-ray haloes of the host galaxies. Previous studies of sources that show significant evidence of jet-cloud interactions, both in terms of their kinematics and ionization, have concluded that the overpressure is a result of the warm, line-emitting gas being compressed by the radio cocoon; however, there is no evidence that the radio jet is influencing the emission-line regions in four of our five objects. We suggest that it is plausible that the line-emitting clouds have not yet relaxed into pressure equilibrium from their initial photoionization by the central active galactic nucleus.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- March 2002
- DOI:
- 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05318.x
- Bibcode:
- 2002MNRAS.331L..13R
- Keywords:
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- galaxies: active;
- galaxies: haloes;
- galaxies: ISM