Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2610.24097

The evolution of 3C 306 in the galaxy cluster RXCJ1454.4+1622: linking spectral ageing, ICM conditions, and jet dynamics through MHD simulations

A. S. R. Antas·A. Caproni·L. Loinard·G. S. Souza·T. F. Laganá
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We present a methodology for analysing radio sources in galaxy clusters by combining multi-frequency radio observations, X-ray analysis of the intracluster medium (ICM), and three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, and apply it to the galaxy cluster RXCJ1454.4+1622 and its associated FR II radio galaxy 3C 306 (IC 4516). The radio emission exhibits a curved structure connecting the lobes, likely indicating a complex dynamical evolution influenced by environmental effects. Spectral index and break-frequency maps reveal a relatively homogeneous radiative ageing distribution, with characteristic spectral ages of $\sim220$ Myr and a smooth spatial gradient. From equipartition arguments, we estimate an equivalent jet magnetic field of $2.1 \pm 0.3\,μ$G, consistent with values observed in FR II radio galaxies. These observational constraints are used to initialise non-relativistic MHD simulations exploring three scenarios: jet precession, bulk motion of the source through the ICM, and a combined model including both effects. Neither pure precession nor pure source motion alone fully reproduces the observed morphology, whereas the combined model provides a more consistent representation of the jet curvature and lobe asymmetries. Nevertheless, the simulations indicate that source motion is the dominant mechanism shaping the large-scale radio morphology, with jet precession playing a secondary role. The inferred source velocity ($\sim280$ km s$^{-1}$) and precession timescale ($\sim250$ Myr) are compatible with the spectral ageing constraints. These results suggest that the morphology of 3C 306 is influenced by the interplay between jet precession and dynamical interaction with the ICM, highlighting the role of environmental effects in radio-galaxy evolution in clusters.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.HEastro-ph.GA

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

A. S. R. Antas, A. Caproni, L. Loinard, G. S. Souza, T. F. Laganá. 2026-10-16. The evolution of 3C 306 in the galaxy cluster RXCJ1454.4+1622: linking spectral ageing, ICM conditions, and jet dynamics through MHD simulations. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstag1880

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Intermediate States in Chaotic Triple Evolution and Applications to Black Hole Merger Statistics

Three-body interactions exhibit phases of strong chaotic evolution as well as hierarchical motion where one body separates from a binary and follows a hyperbolic or elliptic trajectory around it. The binaries produced during phases of hierarchical motion may lead to gravitational wave (GW) inspirals, but this depends on the outcomes of the chaotic states. In this paper we re-derive the elliptic outcome distribution using equilibrium statistical mechanics and explore it together with the hyperbolic distribution. When comparing to N-body simulations, we find that we can reduce the elliptic outcome model to one free parameter instead of the previously used two and that the predicted disintegration probabilities agree except for very low angular momentum triples. We then use both outcome distributions along with a star cluster model to design a Monte Carlo algorithm for repeated binary-single scatterings within dense star systems. We explore star cluster masses of $[10^5 - 10^7] M_{\odot}$, with the goal of quantifying observably eccentric merger (OEM) GWs, visible to instruments such as LIGO and Virgo. Assuming an OEM detection sensitivity of $f_{\rm min}=10 {\rm Hz}, e_{\rm min} = 0.1$, we find the elliptic OEMs are about $\sim (32 - 63)\%$ of the total elliptic mergers and that the total cluster mass greatly impacts the fraction of ejected binaries. The OEM to total merger fraction (OEM fraction) is found to be $(2.6 - 4.4)\%$. Considering the detection sensitivity that GW interferometers have today $(f_{\rm min} \simeq 34.4 {\rm Hz})$ we obtain the OEM fraction in the $(1.6 - 3.1)\%$ range.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Probing an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Companion of Sagittarius A* with Pulsar Timing

An intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) hidden in our Galactic Center (GC) may explain the puzzling observations of the stellar distribution around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the GC. Future observations with the next-generation radio telescopes, such as the SKA, are promising to discover pulsars orbiting around Sgr A*, and thus provide the possibility of constraining the hidden IMBH with pulsar timing. We study the detectability of a third-body, the IMBH, in the pulsar-SMBH system based on radio timing observation. We find that the pulsar-SMBH system is very sensitive to such a third-body perturbation and can be used to put stringent constraints on the existence of the IMBH. Even under strong perturbations caused by the complex GC astrophysical environments, timing observation will still complement the existing observational constraints.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

The impact of recombination during tidal disruption events

During a tidal disruption event, the resulting debris stream cools down adiabatically due to the tidal stretching. As the temperature drops, the gas is expected to undergo chemical processes, which can release thermal energy into the stream, potentially affecting the subsequent gas evolution. For the first time, we investigate in detail this effect and its dynamical impact on the early-time evolution of the stream by making use of three dimensional hydrodynamic simulations coupled with a realistic equation of state. We find that a few days after disruption, the energy injected by hydrogen recombination and molecular hydrogen formation causes the stream thickness to grow much more rapidly. In the bound debris, this effect stops the stream's confinement by self-gravity before the gas reaches apocentre. As a result, the maximum stream thickness increases by a factor that ranges from a few, for the most bound gas, to a few tens for the near-parabolic gas, reaching $\approx 30 \, R_{\star} $ around the peak of the mass fallback rate. We discuss how this accelerated stream expansion may affect the subsequent evolution of the gas, estimate the luminosity powered by recombination in the unbound debris, and evaluate the potential influence of non-ideal magneto-hydrodynamic effects. By characterizing the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties of the stream before its return near pericentre, our results provide physically motivated initial conditions to self-consistently model the later stages of tidal disruption events, offering a promising pathway to unveiling the physical origins of their observed emission.

astro-ph.HE↗