Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-22dnz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T11:58:35.724Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Extraordinary Radio Galaxy MRC B1221–423

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

V. Safouris ,
R. W. Hunstead  and
O. R. Prouton
V. Safouris
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. vickis@physics.usyd.edu.au, rwh@physics.usyd.edu.au
R. W. Hunstead
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. vickis@physics.usyd.edu.au, rwh@physics.usyd.edu.au
O. R. Prouton
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Padova, I-35122 Padova, Italy. prouton@pd.astro.it
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

MRC B1221–423 is a compact steep spectrum (CSS) radio source in the core of a remarkable elliptical galaxy. We examine its environment with long-slit spectra and multicolour images. A high-resolution synthesis image shows the radio source to have a 1″.5 (5.7 kpc) double structure. We use the empirical relationship between jet kinetic power and narrow line luminosity to infer a source age of ˜105 yr. The z = 0.1706 host galaxy is clearly disturbed, with tidal features and shells providing plausible evidence for a merger with one or more close companions. This evidence leads us to conclude that B1221–423 may be the progenitor of a much larger source, caught at an early stage in its radio evolution. We speculate that it is the interaction and accompanying events which have triggered this young powerful radio source.

Keywords

galaxies: activegalaxies: interactionsgalaxies: individual (B1221–423)
Type
GPS/CSS Workshop
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , 2003 , pp. 1 - 5
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2003

References

Baker, J. C., Hunstead, R. W., Athreya, R. M., Barthel, P. D., de Silva, E., Lehnert, M. D. & Saunders, R. D. E. 2002, ApJ, 568, 592 Google Scholar
Best, P. N., Longair, M. S., & Röttgering, H. J. A. 1996, MNRAS, 280, L9 Google Scholar
Bolton, J. G., Clarke, M. E., & Ekers, R. D. 1965, AuJPh, 18, 627 Google Scholar
Clark, B. G. 1980, A&A, 89, 377 Google Scholar
De Silva, E. 2001, PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge Google Scholar
de Vries, W. H., Barthel, P. D., & O'Dea, C. P. 1997, A&A, 321, 105 Google Scholar
Duncan, R. A., & Sproats, L. N. 1992, PASA, 10, 16 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frick, P., Stepanov, R., Shukurov, A., & Sokoloff, D. 2001, MNRAS, 325, 649 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, P. C., Vavasour, J. D., Scott, W. K. & Condon, J. J. 1994, ApJS, 90, 173 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Large, M. I., Mills, B. Y., Little, A. G., Crawford, D. F., & Sutton, J. M. 1981, MNRAS, 194, 693 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Longair, M. S., Best, P. N., & Röttgering, H. J. A. 1995, MNRAS, 275, L47 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Dea, C. P. 1998, PASP, 110, 493 Google Scholar
Owsianik, I., Conway, J., & Polatidis, A. 1998, A&A, 336, L37 Google Scholar
Rawlings, S., & Saunders, R. 1991, Nature, 349, 138 Google Scholar
Simpson, C., Clements, D. L., Rawlings, S., & Ward, M. 1993, MNRAS, 262, 889 Google Scholar
Taylor, G. B., Marr, J. M., Pearson, T. J., & Readhead, A. C. S. 2000, ApJ, 541, 112 Google Scholar
Willott, C. J., Rawlings, S., Blundell, K. M., & Lacy, M. 1999, MNRAS, 309, 1017 Google Scholar
Wright, A. E., Griffith, M. R., Burke, B. F., & Ekers, R. D. 1994, ApJS, 91, 111 Google Scholar