On the detection of multiple shock fronts in A1914 using deep Chandra X-ray observations

TL;DR

This study reports the detection of three shock fronts in galaxy cluster A1914 using deep Chandra X-ray observations, linking shock activity to radio features and cluster merger dynamics.

Contribution

It is the first to identify multiple shock fronts in A1914 and analyze their relation to radio emissions and cluster thermodynamics using advanced imaging techniques.

Findings

Detection of three shock fronts in A1914.

Radio halo contained within two X-ray shock fronts.

Evidence of multiple merger events shaping cluster morphology.

Abstract

Here, we report the new detection of three shock fronts using archival \textit{Chandra} X-ray observations in Abell 1914, which also hosts a radio halo, a radio phoenix, and a head-tail galaxy. In this study, we report the X-ray shock front at the position of the radio phoenix, which further strengthens the scenario that radio phoenix traces old plasma that gets lit up when compressed by shock passage. We further analyze the thermodynamic structure of the cluster in detail. We create temperature maps of A1914 using three different techniques, Adaptive Circular Binning (ACB), Weighted Voronoi Tessellations (WVT), and Contour binning (Contbin) method. These thermodynamic maps, along with the pseudo pressure and the pseudo entropy maps for the cluster, are evidence of disturbed morphology produced by multiple merger events. These merger events create cluster-wide turbulence, which may re-accelerate the relativistic particles and result in a radio halo within the cluster. Further, comparing X-ray and radio images reveals that the radio halo is contained within two X-ray shock fronts. Our analysis suggests that A1914 has both equatorial shock and axial shock within the cluster's ICM. We proposed a dual merging scenario based on the shock position and analysis of the thermodynamic maps obtained from the deeper \textit{Chandra} X-ray observations.