# The filamentary radio lobes of the Seyfert-Starburst composite galaxy NGC3079

## TL;DR

This study uses multi-frequency radio observations to analyze the complex filamentary structure of the radio lobes in NGC3079, revealing magnetic field alignments and polarization features that suggest a combined influence of superwinds and AGN jets.

## Contribution

It provides new insights into the magnetic field structure and filament origins in NGC3079's radio lobes, integrating polarization data with existing X-ray and optical observations.

## Key findings

- Radio filaments are not directly correlated with emission line filaments.
- The north-eastern lobe shows high polarization (~33%) at 5 GHz.
- Magnetic fields align with the filaments and rotation measure inversion is observed.

## Abstract

We present results from multi-frequency polarization-sensitive Very Large Array observations of the Seyfert-starburst composite galaxy NGC3079. Our sensitive radio observations reveal a plethora of radio filaments comprising the radio lobes in this galaxy. We analyze the origin of these radio filaments in the context of existing Chandra X-ray and HST emission-line data. We do not find a one-to-one correlation of the radio filaments with the emission line filaments. The north-eastern lobe is highly polarized with polarization fractions $\sim$33% at 5 GHz. The magnetic fields are aligned with the linear extents of the optically-thin filaments, as observed in our, as well as other observations in the literature. Our rotation measure images show evidence for rotation measure inversion in the north-eastern lobe. Our data best fit a model where the cosmic rays follow the magnetic field lines generated as a result of the dynamo mechanism. There could be additional effects like shock acceleration that might also be playing a role. We speculate that the peculiar radio lobe morphology is a result of an interplay between both the superwinds and the AGN jet that are present in the galaxy. The jet, in fact, might be playing a major role in providing the relativistic electron population that is present in the radio lobes.