Starbursts and black hole masses in X-shaped radio galaxies: Signatures of a merger event?

Abstract

We present new spectroscopic identifications of 12 X-shaped radio galaxies and use the spectral data to derive starburst histories and masses of the nuclear supermassive black holes in these galaxies. The observations were done with the 2.1-m telescope of the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional at San Pedro Mártir, México. The new spectroscopic results extend the sample of X-shaped radio galaxies studied with optical spectroscopy. We show that the combined sample of the X-shaped radio galaxies has statistically higher black-hole masses and older episodes of star formation than a control sample of canonical double-lobed radio sources with similar redshifts and luminosities. The data reveal enhanced star-formation activity in the X-shaped sample on the timescales expected in galactic mergers. We discuss the results obtained in the framework of the merger scenario.

9 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

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• X-shaped Radio Galaxies: Optical Properties, Large-scale Environment and Relationship to Radio Structure
• Dynamical analysis of the complex radio structure in 3C 293: Clues on a rapid jet realignment in X-shaped radio galaxies
• Spinning compact binary dynamics and chameleon orbits
• Multifrequency JVLA observations of the X-shaped radio galaxy in Abell 3670
• Multifrequency analysis of the radio emission from a post-merger galaxy CGCG 292-057
• Quasar Host Galaxies and the $M_{SMBH}$ - ${\sigma }_{\ast }$ Relation
• From 100 MHz to 10 GHz: Unveiling the spectral evolution of the X-shaped radio galaxy in Abell 3670