The eMERLIN and EVN view of FR0 radio galaxies

Abstract

We present the results from high-resolution observations carried out with the eMERLIN UK-array and the European VLBI network (EVN) for a sample of 15 FR0s, i.e. compact core-dominated radio sources associated with nearby early-type galaxies (ETGs) which represent the bulk of the local radio galaxy population. The 5-GHz eMERLIN observations available for 5 objects exhibit sub-mJy core components, and reveal pc-scale twin jets for 4 out of 5 FR0s once the eMERLIN and JVLA archival visibilities data are combined. The 1.66-GHz EVN observations available for 10 FR0s display one- and two-sided jetted morphologies and compact cores. The pc-scale core emission contributes, on average, to about one tenth of the total extended radio emission, although we note a increasing core contribution for flat/inverted-spectrum sources. We found an unprecedented linear correlation between the pc-scale core luminosity ($\sim$10${}^{21.3}$-10${}^{23.6}$ W Hz${}^{-1}$) and [O III] line luminosity, generally considered as proxy of the accretion power, for a large sample of LINER-type radio-loud low-luminosity active nuclei, all hosted in massive ETGs, which include FR0s and FRIs. This result represents further evidence of a common jet-disc coupling in FR0s and FRIs, despite they differ in kpc-scale radio structure. For our objects and for other FR0 samples reported in the literature, we estimate the jet brightness sidedness ratios, which typically range between 1 and 3. This parameter roughly gauges the jet bulk Lorentz factor $\Gamma$, which turns out to range between 1 and 2.5 for most of the sample. This corroborates the scenario that FR0s are characterized by mildly-relativistic jets, possibly as a result of lower spinning black holes (BHs) than the highly-spinning BHs of relativistic-jetted radio galaxies, FRIs.

Accepted for publication in the Special Issue of Galaxies, for the conference 'A New Window on the Radio Emission from Galaxies, Galaxy Clusters and Cosmic Web: Current Status and Perspectives'. 24 pages, 6 figures

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