ASKAP reveals the radio tail structure of the Corkscrew Galaxy shaped by its passage through the Abell 3627 cluster

TL;DR

ASKAP radio observations reveal complex filamentary and bubble-like structures in the long, helical tail of the Corkscrew Galaxy, providing insights into galaxy-ICM interactions and possibly the first detection of a proto-lobe in such a context.

Contribution

This study presents the first detailed radio imaging of the Corkscrew Galaxy's tail, uncovering filamentary structures and a proto-lobe, advancing understanding of galaxy interactions within clusters.

Findings

Discovery of intricate filamentary structures in the galaxy's radio tail.

Detection of arc-shaped filaments forming a partial bubble, possibly a proto-lobe.

Identification of small ram-pressure stripped tails in other cluster galaxies.

Abstract

Among the bent tail radio galaxies common in galaxy clusters are some with long, collimated tails (so-called head-tail galaxies) shaped by their interactions with the intracluster medium (ICM). Here we report the discovery of intricate filamentary structure in and beyond the ~28' (570 kpc) long, helical radio tail of the Corkscrew Galaxy (1610-60.5, ESO137-G007), which resides in the X-ray bright cluster Abell 3627 (D = 70 Mpc). Deep radio continuum data were obtained with wide-field Phased Array Feeds on the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) at 944 MHz and 1.4 GHz. The Corkscrew Galaxy is located 15' north of the prominent wide-angle tail (WAT) radio galaxy 1610-60.8 (ESO137-G006) near the cluster centre. While the bright (young) part of its radio tail is highly collimated, the faint (old) part shows increasing oscillation amplitudes, break-ups, and filaments. We find a stunning set of arc-shaped radio filaments beyond and mostly orthogonal to the collimated Corkscrew tail end, forming a partial bubble. This may be the first detection of a "proto-lobe" seen in 3D MHD simulations by Nolting et al. (2019), formed by the face-on impact of the Corkscrew Galaxy with a shock front in the cluster outskirts. Interactions of the radio galaxy tail with the ICM are likely responsible for the tail collimation and shear forces within the ICM for its increasingly filamentary structure. We also report the discovery of small (~20-30 kpc) ram-pressure stripped radio tails in four Abell 3627 cluster galaxies.