The deepest $Chandra$ view of RBS 797: evidence for two pairs of equidistant X-ray cavities

Abstract

We present the first results of a deep $Chandra$ observation of the galaxy cluster RBS 797, whose previous X-ray studies revealed two pronounced X-ray cavities in the east-west (E-W) direction. Follow-up VLA radio observations of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) uncovered different jet and lobe orientations, with radio lobes filling the E-W cavities and perpendicular jets showing emission in the north-south (N-S) direction over the same scale ($\approx$30 kpc). With the new $\sim$427 ks total exposure, we report the detection of two additional, symmetric X-ray cavities in the N-S direction at nearly the same radial distance as the E-W ones. The newly discovered N-S cavities are associated with the radio emission detected at 1.4 GHz and 4.8 GHz in archival VLA data, making RBS 797 the first galaxy cluster found to have four equidistant, centrally-symmetric, radio-filled cavities. We derive the dynamical and radiative ages of the four cavities from X-ray and radio data, respectively, finding that the two outbursts are approximately coeval, with an age difference of $⪅$10 Myr between the E-W and N-S cavities. We discuss two scenarios for the origin of the two perpendicular, equidistant cavity systems: either the presence of a binary AGN which is excavating coeval pairs of cavities in perpendicular directions, or a fast ($<$10 Myr) jet reorientation event which produced subsequent, misaligned outbursts.

arXiv comment14 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJL

References in corpus (56)

• Array Programming with NumPy
• Astropy: A Community Python Package for Astronomy
• The NumPy array: a structure for efficient numerical computation
• The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package
• Observational Evidence of AGN Feedback
• Heating Hot Atmospheres with Active Galactic Nuclei
• A Systematic Study of Radio-Induced X-ray Cavities in Clusters, Groups, and Galaxies
• Mechanical Feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei in Galaxies, Groups, and Clusters
• Chandra X-ray Observations of the Hydra A Cluster: An Interaction Between the Radio Source and the X-Ray-Emitting Gas
• Chandra imaging of the complex X-ray core of the Perseus cluster
• Tracing Black Hole Mergers Through Radio Lobe Morphology
• Raining on black holes and massive galaxies: the top-down multiphase condensation model
• X-ray Supercavities in the Hydra A Cluster and the Outburst History of the Central Galaxy's Active Nucleus
• Radio Bubbles in Clusters
• The Dance of Heating and Cooling in Galaxy Clusters: 3D Simulations of Self-Regulated AGN Outflows
• X-ray cavities in a sample of 83 SPT-selected clusters of galaxies: Tracing the evolution of AGN feedback in clusters of galaxies out to z=1.2
• Linking Macro, Meso, and Micro Scales in Multiphase AGN Feeding and Feedback
• Evidence for AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters and Groups
• The powerful outburst in Hercules A
• Spectral ageing in the lobes of FR-II radio galaxies: New methods of analysis for broadband radio data
• The jet feedback mechanism (jfm) in stars, galaxies and clusters
• Jet reorientation in AGN: two winged radio galaxies
• A Very Deep Chandra Observation of the Galaxy Group NGC 5813: AGN Shocks, Feedback, and Outburst History
• Feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei in Galaxy Groups
• On viscosity, conduction and sound waves in the intracluster medium
• Gentle re-energisation of electrons in merging galaxy clusters
• X-shaped radio galaxies as observational evidence for the interaction of supermassive binary black holes and accretion disk at pc scale
• Cycling of the powerful AGN in MS 0735.6+7421 and the duty cycle of radio AGN in Clusters
• GMRT observations of X-shaped radio sources
• Deep Chandra, HST-COS, and Megacam Observations of the Phoenix Cluster: Extreme Star Formation and AGN Feedback on Hundred Kiloparsec Scales
• Constraining the Nature of X-ray Cavities in Clusters and Galaxies
• Galaxy cluster mass profiles
• Cavities and shocks in the galaxy group HCG 62 as revealed by Chandra, XMM and GMRT data
• Precessing jets and X-ray bubbles from NGC1275 (3C84) in the Perseus galaxy cluster: a view from 3D numerical simulations
• X-ray Detection of the Proto Supermassive Binary Black Hole at the Centre of Abell 400
• Discovery of depressions in the X-ray emission of the distant galaxy cluster RBS797 in a CHANDRA observation
• Feedback through multiple outbursts in the cluster 2A 0335+096
• Feedback from Reorienting AGN Jets
• Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster A478: the interaction of hot gas and radio plasma in the core, and an improved determination of the Compton y-parameter
• Multifrequency VLA radio observations of the X-ray cavity cluster of galaxies RBS797: evidence of differently oriented jets
• A Powerful AGN Outburst in RBS 797
• A Chandra study of the large-scale shock and cool filaments in Hydra A: Evidence for substantial gas dredge-up by the central outburst
• A Chandra - VLA Investigation of the X-ray Cavity System and Radio Mini-Halo in the Galaxy Cluster RBS 797
• Isotropic Heating of Galaxy Cluster Cores via Rapidly Reorienting AGN Jets
• Constraining the AGN duty cycle in the cool-core cluster MS 0735.6+7421 with LOFAR data
• AGN Feedback in Galaxy Group 3C 88: Cavities, Shock and Jet Reorientation
• Evidence of AGN feedback and sloshing in the X-ray luminous NGC 1550 galaxy group
• A Deep Chandra Observation of the X-shaped Radio Galaxy 4C +00.58: A Candidate for Merger-induced Reorientation?
• Discovery of an X-ray cavity near the radio lobes of Cygnus A indicating previous AGN activity
• The Dynamic Age of Centaurus A
• A candidate supermassive binary black hole system in the brightest cluster galaxy of RBS 797
• Particle acceleration in radio galaxies with flickering jets: GeV electrons to ultrahigh energy cosmic rays
• Searching for Dual Active Galactic Nuclei
• Multifrequency JVLA observations of the X-shaped radio galaxy in Abell 3670
• Thermally Unstable Cooling Stimulated by Uplift: The Spoiler Clusters
• Discovery of a Powerful >10^61 erg AGN Outburst in Distant Galaxy Cluster SPT-CLJ0528-5300

Cited by in corpus (13)

• Recent Progress in Modeling the Macro- and Micro-Physics of Radio Jet Feedback in Galaxy Clusters
• A unique, ring-like radio source with quadrilateral structure detected with machine learning
• Multiple shock fronts in RBS 797: the Chandra window on shock heating in galaxy clusters
• Misaligned magnetized accretion flows onto spinning black holes: Magneto-spin alignment, outflow power, and intermittent jets
• Halo Scaling Relations and Hydrostatic Mass Bias in the Simba Simulation From Realistic Mock X-ray Catalogues
• New filamentary remnant radio emission and duty cycle constraints in the radio galaxy NGC 6086
• Detection of a radio-filled X-ray cavity within the interstellar medium of NGC 5141
• The Multi-Epoch Jet Outbursts in Abell 496: synchrotron ageing and buoyant X-ray cavities draped by warm gas filaments
• X-ray investigation of the remarkable galaxy group Nest200047
• Investigating AGN feedback in H$\alpha$-luminous galaxy clusters: first Chandra X-ray analysis of Abell 2009
• Evidence of sloshing-driven mini-halo formation in the cool-core cluster RXCJ1558.3-1410
• Testing the Limits of AGN Feedback and the Onset of Thermal Instability in the Most Rapidly Star Forming Brightest Cluster Galaxies
• Bridging Bondi and Event Horizon Scales: 3D GRMHD Simulations Reveal X-Shaped Radio Galaxy Morphology