The relation between the radio emission of the core and host galaxy properties in Fanaroff-Riley type II radio galaxies

TL;DR

This study investigates the relationship between radio core emission and host galaxy properties in FRII radio galaxies, revealing higher [O III] luminosities in core FRIIs, possibly indicating more gas near the nucleus.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the connection between radio core activity and host galaxy gas content in FRII radio galaxies, especially distinguishing between LERG and HERG types.

Findings

Core FRIIs have higher [O III] luminosities than non-core FRIIs.

Host galaxy properties are similar between core and non-core FRIIs of LERG type.

Results are not biased by stellar mass, redshift, or size.

Abstract

We study the radio power of the core and its relation to the optical properties of the host galaxy in samples of high excitation (HERG) and low excitation (LERG) Fanaroff-Riley type II (FRII) radio galaxies. The radio galaxy sample is divided into two groups of core/non-core FRII, based on the existence of strong, weak or lack of single radio core component. We show that FRII LERGs with radio emission of the core have significantly higher [O III] line luminosities compared to the non-core LERG FRIIs. There is no significant difference between the hosts of the core and non-core FRIIs of LERG type in galaxy sizes, concentration indices, star formation rates, 4000-\AA\ break strengths, colours, black hole masses and black hole to stellar masses. We show that the results are not biased by the stellar masses, redshifts and angular sizes of the radio galaxies. We argue that the detection of higher [O III] luminosities in the core FRIIs may indicate the presence of higher amounts of gas, very close to the AGN nucleus in the core FRIIs compared to the non-core FRIIs or may result from the interaction of the radio jets with this gas. The core and non-core FRIIs of the HERG type show no significant differences perhaps due to our small sample size. The effect of relativistic beaming on the radio luminosities and the contribution of restating AGN activity have also been considered.