MeerKAT 1.3 GHz Observations of the Wide Angle Tail Radio Galaxy J1712$-$2435

TL;DR

This paper presents detailed polarization radio images of the giant wide-angle tail galaxy J1712-2435, revealing its morphology, environment, and dynamics, and compares observations with magneto-hydrodynamics simulations to understand its structure.

Contribution

The study provides high-resolution polarization images of J1712-2435 at 1.3 GHz and models its dynamics with MHD simulations, offering new insights into its morphology and environment.

Findings

The galaxy extends over 1.02 Mpc with bent jets and extended plumes.

Inner jets are aligned close to the plane of the sky.

The radio power is below the FRI/FRII divide, with total emitted power estimated at 5.6×10^{41} erg/sec.

Abstract

We present full polarization MeerKAT images of the wide-angle tail, giant radio galaxy J1712$-$2435 at 1.3 GHz with 7.\asec5 resolution and an RMS sensitivity of 8 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$. Due to the angular proximity to the Galactic Center (l=359.6$^\circ$, b=+8.5$^\circ$) the immediate environment is not well understood but there are massive clusters nearby. Emission can be traced over an extent of 34.\amin6 which at the redshift of 0.024330 corresponds to a projected length of 1.02 Mpc. The inner jets are quite straight but then bend and completely decollimate into extended plumes nearly orthogonal to the initial jet directions at a projected distance of approximately 100 kpc. The nearly unity brightness ratio of the inner jets suggest that they are orientated within a few degrees of the plane of the sky. The 1400 MHz power is 3.9$\times 10^{24}$ W Hz$^{-1}$, somewhat below the FRI/FRII divide. The total power emitted is estimated to be 5.6$\times 10^{41}$ erg sec$^{-1}$ over the range 10 MHz to 100 GHz. The source dynamics are modeled with magneto-hydrodynamics simulations; the result is a rough reproduction of the source's radio morphology / appearance. This study further highlights the merit of alternative scenarios, calling for future observational and numerical efforts.