Brightest Cluster Galaxies in the Extended GMRT radio halo cluster sample. Radio properties and cluster dynamics

TL;DR

This study investigates how the dynamical state of galaxy clusters influences the radio properties of their brightest galaxies, revealing a strong dependence on whether clusters are relaxed or merging.

Contribution

It provides the first statistical analysis of BCG radio properties in relation to cluster dynamics using the Extended GMRT Radio Halo Survey sample.

Findings

Radio-loud BCGs are mostly in relaxed clusters (71%).

Fraction of radio-loud BCGs is nearly 90% in relaxed clusters.

Radio power correlates with cool core strength in relaxed clusters.

Abstract

Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) show exceptional properties over the whole electromagnetic spectrum. Their special location at the centres of galaxy clusters raises the question of the role of the environment on their radio properties. To decouple the effect of the galaxy mass and of the environment in their statistical radio properties, we investigate the possible dependence of the occurrence of radio loudness and of the fractional radio luminosity function on the dynamical state of the hosting cluster. We studied the radio properties of the BCGs in the Extended GMRT Radio Halo Survey (EGRHS). We obtained a statistical sample of 59 BCGs, which was divided into two classes, depending on the dynamical state of the host cluster, i.e. merging (M) and relaxed (R). Among the 59 BCGs, 28 are radio-loud, and 31 are radio--quiet. The radio-loud sources are located favourably located in relaxed clusters (71\%), while the reverse is true for the radio-quiet BCGs, mostly located in merging systems (81\%). The fractional radio luminosity function (RLF) for the BCGs is considerably higher for BCGs in relaxed clusters, where the total fraction of radio loudness reaches almost 90\%, to be compared to the $\sim$30\% in merging clusters. For relaxed clusters, we found a positive correlation between the radio power of the BCGs and the strength of the cool core, consistent with previous studies on local samples. Our study suggests that the radio loudness of the BCGs strongly depends on the cluster dynamics, their fraction being considerably higher in relaxed clusters. We compared our results with similar investigations, and briefly discussed them in the framework of AGN feedback.