PKS B1545-321: Bow shocks of a relativistic jet?

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution imaging and spectral analysis to investigate the structure, dynamics, and environment of the double-double radio galaxy PKS B1545-321, revealing insights into jet reactivation, bow shocks, and galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides a detailed interpretation of restarted jet interactions with relic cocoons, including the dynamics of bow shocks and the impact of entrainment on hot spot speeds.

Findings

Restarted jets generate narrow bow shocks.

Inner lobes are a mix of reaccelerated cocoon plasma and new jet material.

Hot spots advance at mildly relativistic speeds with Mach numbers ≥ 5.

Abstract

Sensitive, high resolution images of the double-double radio galaxy PKS B1545-321 reveal detailed structure, which we interpret in the light of previous work on the interaction of restarted jets with pre-existing relict cocoons. We have also examined the spectral and polarization properties of the source, the color distribution in the optical host and the environment of this galaxy in order to understand its physical evolution. We propose that the restarted jets generate narrow bow shocks and that the inner lobes are a mixture of cocoon plasma reaccelerated at the bow shock and new jet material reaccelerated at the termination shock. The dynamics of the restarted jets implies that their hot spots advance at mildly relativistic speeds with external Mach numbers of at least 5. The existence of supersonic hot spot Mach numbers and bright inner lobes is the result of entrainment causing a reduction in the sound speed of the pre-existing cocoon. The interruption to jet activity in PKS B1545-321 has been brief - lasting less than a few percent of the lifetime $\sim (0.3-2)\times 10^{8} yr$ of the giant radio source. The host galaxy is located at the boundary of a large scale filamentary structure, and shows blue patches in color distribution indicative of a recent merger, which may have triggered the Mpc-scale radio galaxy.