Sensitive Radio and Optical Observations of z~0.2 Rich Abell Clusters
Abstract
We present optical observations and radio continuum imaging data for a sample of rich, X-ray-bright Abell clusters at intermediate (z~0.2) redshifts. We find that the radio galaxy population varies substantially from cluster to cluster within this homogeneous sample. The spatial distribution of the high-luminosity radio galaxies (HLRGs; L1.4>1023 W Hz-1) is very different from the low-luminosity radio galaxies (LLRGs; L1.4<=1022.75 W Hz-1), with the LLRGs displaying a flat spatial distribution in contrast to the centrally peaked HLRGs. A color-morphology classification shows that the HLRGs are composed primarily of galaxies with old stellar populations, whereas the LLRGs have a much more diverse composition. We do not see a correlation between the cluster radio fraction and cluster blue fraction. However, there is a moderate anticorrelation with richness, suggesting that a rich cluster is less likely to have radio-bright galaxies, whether the radio emission is due to active galactic nuclei or star formation.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- July 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1086/375642
- Bibcode:
- 2003AJ....126..119R
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: Active;
- Galaxies: Clusters: General;
- Galaxies: Starburst;
- Radio Continuum