VLBI observations of Brightest Cluster Galaxies: are cooling and parsec scale morphology correlated?

TL;DR

This study investigates the parsec scale jet morphologies of Brightest Cluster Galaxies in Abell Clusters, revealing potential correlations between cooling properties of clusters and jet structures, with implications for jet-medium interactions.

Contribution

It provides the first statistical analysis linking cool core cluster environments to two-sided jet morphologies in BCGs, suggesting jet deceleration due to dense surroundings.

Findings

BCGs in cool core clusters tend to have two-sided jets.

BCGs in non cool core clusters predominantly show one-sided jets.

Jet morphology may be influenced by interaction with dense ambient medium.

Abstract

We present a statistical study on parsec scale properties of a sample of Brigthest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in Abell Clusters. These data show a possible difference between BCGs in cool core clusters (two-sided parsec scale jets) and in non cool core clusters (one-sided parsec scale jet). We suggest that the two-sided morphology in cool core clusters could be due to the presence of mildly relativistic jets slowed down already at mas scale as consequence of the jet interaction with a dense surrounding medium.