Detection of a radio-filled X-ray cavity within the interstellar medium of NGC 5141

TL;DR

This study reports the first detection of an X-ray cavity in the interstellar medium of NGC 5141, demonstrating that even low-power radio galaxies can influence their environment through AGN feedback.

Contribution

First identification of an X-ray cavity in NGC 5141, showing AGN feedback operates in low-power systems similar to galaxy groups and clusters.

Findings

Detected a single X-ray cavity 4 kpc from the galaxy center.

Calculated the cavity's energy and age, indicating AGN can heat the ISM.

Confirmed the P_cav-L_cool relation applies to low-power radio galaxies.

Abstract

We present the first Chandra detection of a single X-ray cavity within the interstellar medium of the small Fanaroff-Riley type I (FRI) radio galaxy NGC 5141. The X-ray surface brightness depression, located $\approx 4$ kpc away from the galaxy center, is projected on the northern radio lobe, which is completely contained within the galaxy. The thermal gas surrounding the cavity, which extends to $\approx$ 20 kpc, has a bolometric X-ray luminosity (0.1 - 100 keV) of L${_X}\approx2\times10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and a temperature of $kT\approx0.8$ keV. We calculated the total energy (E$_{cav} = 4PV \approx 10^{55}$ erg) required to inflate the cavity and its age ($t_{cav}\approx 9$ Myrs), assuming that it is filled with relativistic particles and rises buoyantly. The inferred total cavity power is as low as P$_{cav}=E_{cav}/t_{cav}\approx6\times10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which is the lowest one among the radio-filled systems. Comparing $P_{cav}$ to the bolometric X-ray luminosity (i.e., the cooling luminosity), we conclude that NGC 5141's central active galactic nucleus can heat the interstellar medium and balance its cooling luminosity, confirming that the $P_{cav}-L_{cool}$ relation, mainly tested on groups and clusters, also works for such a low-power system.