MeerKAT 1.3 GHz Observations of the Wide-angle Tail Radio Galaxy J1712–2435

We present full-polarization MeerKAT images of the wide-angle tail, giant radio galaxy J1712−2435 at 1.3 GHz with 7 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x02033}}$ 5 resolution and an rms sensitivity of 8 μ Jy beam ^−1 . Due to its angular proximity to the Galactic center ( l = 359 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unico...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: W. D. Cotton, Gourab Giri, P. J. Agnihotri, D. J. Saikia, K. Thorat, F. Camilo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adf186
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Summary:We present full-polarization MeerKAT images of the wide-angle tail, giant radio galaxy J1712−2435 at 1.3 GHz with 7 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x02033}}$ 5 resolution and an rms sensitivity of 8 μ Jy beam ^−1 . Due to its angular proximity to the Galactic center ( l = 359 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x000b0}}$ 6, b = +8 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x000b0}}$ 5), the immediate environment is not well understood, but there are massive clusters nearby. Emission can be traced over an extent of 34 $\mathop{.}\limits^{{\rm{^{\prime} }}}$ 6, 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 near-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 × 10 ^24 W Hz ^−1 , somewhat below the FRI/FRII divide. The total power emitted is estimated to be 5.6 × 10 ^41 erg s ^−1 over the range 10 MHz–100 GHz. The source dynamics are modeled with magnetohydrodynamics 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.
ISSN:1538-4357