On the Interaction of the PKS B1358-113 Radio Galaxy with the Abell 1836 Cluster

TL;DR

This study analyzes multifrequency data of the PKS B1358-113 radio galaxy in Abell 1836, revealing a powerful jet, a bow-shock in the cluster environment, and implications for cluster heating and galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of the jet power, age, and shock interactions of PKS B1358-113, highlighting the role of FRII radio galaxies in cluster environments.

Findings

Jet kinetic luminosity $ ightarrow$ (0.5-3) x 10^{45} erg/s

Radio source lifetime $ ightarrow$ 40-70 Myrs

Presence of bow-shock with Mach number $ ightarrow$ 2-4

Abstract

[abridged] Here we present the analysis of multifrequency data gathered for the FRII radio galaxy PKS B1358-113, hosted in the brightest cluster galaxy of Abell 1836. The galaxy harbors one of the most massive black holes known to date and our analysis of the optical data reveals that this black hole is only weakly active. Based on new Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations and archival radio data we derive the preferred range for the jet kinetic luminosity $\sim (0.5-3) \times 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$. This is above the values implied by various scaling relations proposed for radio sources in galaxy clusters, being instead very close to the maximum jet power allowed for the given accretion rate. We constrain the radio source lifetime as $\sim 40-70$ Myrs, and the total amount of deposited jet energy $\sim (2-8) \times 10^{60}$\,ergs. The detailed analysis of the X-ray data provides indication for the presence of a bow-shock driven by the expanding radio lobes into the Abell 1836 cluster environment, with the corresponding Mach number $\sim 2-4$. This, together with the recently growing evidence that powerful FRII radio galaxies may not be uncommon in the centers of clusters at higher redshifts, supports the idea that jet-induced shock heating may indeed play an important role in shaping the properties of clusters, galaxy groups, and galaxies in formation. We speculate on a possible bias against detecting jet-driven shocks in poorer environments, resulting from an inefficient electron heating at the shock front, combined with a relatively long electron-ion equilibration timescale.