Studying X-ray spectra from large-scale jets of FR II radio galaxies: application of shear particle acceleration

TL;DR

This study models X-ray emissions from large-scale jets of FR II radio galaxies using shear particle acceleration, demonstrating the viability of this mechanism for high-energy emission and UHECR acceleration.

Contribution

It applies shear acceleration models to 24 X-ray knots, integrating multi-wavelength data and exploring jet properties with new spectral modeling techniques.

Findings

X-ray spectra can be modeled by shear-accelerated electrons reaching multi-TeV energies.

Jet flow speeds are consistent with mildly relativistic large-scale jets.

Magnetic fields are a few to ten microGauss, with particle power below Eddington limits.

Abstract

Shear particle acceleration is a promising candidate for the origin of extended high-energy emission in extra-galactic jets. In this paper, we explore the applicability of a shear model to 24 X-ray knots in the large-scale jets of FR II radio galaxies, and study the jet properties by modeling the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in a leptonic framework including synchrotron and inverse Compton - CMB processes. In order to improve spectral modelling, we analyze Fermi-LAT data for five sources and reanalyzed archival data of Chandra on 15 knots, exploring the radio to X-ray connection. We show that the X-ray SEDs of these knots can be satisfactorily modelled by synchrotron radiation from a second, shear-accelerated electron population reaching multi-TeV energies. The inferred flow speeds are compatible with large-scale jets being mildly relativistic. We explore two different shear flow profiles (i.e., linearly decreasing and power-law) and find that the required spine speeds differ only slightly, supporting the notion that for higher flow speeds the variations in particle spectral indices are less dependent on the presumed velocity profile. The derived magnetic field strengths are in the range of a few to ten microGauss, and the required power in non-thermal particles typically well below the Eddington constraint. Finally, the inferred parameters are used to constrain the potential of FR II jets as possible UHECR accelerators.