Multiwavelength Observations of the Second Largest Known FRII Radio Galaxy, NVSS 2146+82 Christopher Palma1 and Franz E. Bauer2 Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia P. O. Box 3818, Charlottesville, VA 22903-0818 William D. Cotton and Alan H. Bridle National Radio Astronomy Observatory3, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 Steven R. Majewski4 and Craig L. Sarazin Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia P. O. Box 3818, Charlottesville, VA 22903-0818 1 NOAO WIYN Queue Investigator 2 National Radio Astronomy Observatory Jansky Pre-Doctoral Fellow 3The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. 4David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellow; Cottrell Scholar of the Research Corporation; National Science Foundation CAREER Fellow; Visiting Associate, The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington

Abstract:

We present multi-frequency VLA, multicolor CCD imaging, optical spectroscopy, and ROSAT HRI observations of the giant FR II radio galaxy NVSS 2146+82. This galaxy, which was discovered by the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS), has an angular extent of nearly 20' from lobe to lobe. The radio structure is normal for an FR II source except for its large size and regions in the lobes with unusually flat radio spectra. Our spectroscopy indicates that the optical counterpart of the radio core is at a redshift of z=0.145, so the linear size of the radio structure is ~ 4h₅₀^-1 Mpc, H₀ = 50h₅₀ . This object is therefore the second largest FR II known (3C 236 is ~ 6h₅₀^-1 Mpc). Optical imaging of the field surrounding the host galaxy reveals an excess number of candidate galaxy cluster members above the number typically found in the field surrounding a giant radio galaxy. WIYN HYDRA spectra of a sample of the candidate cluster members reveal that six share the same redshift as NVSS 2146+82, indicating the presence of at least a "rich group'' containing the FR II host galaxy. ROSAT HRI observations of NVSS 2146+82 place upper limits on the X-ray flux of 1.33 × 10^-13 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 for any hot IGM and 3.52 × 10^-14 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 for an X-ray AGN, thereby limiting any X-ray emission at the distance of the radio galaxy to that typical of a poor group or weak AGN. Several other giant radio galaxies have been found in regions with overdensities of nearby galaxies, and a separate study has shown that groups containing FR IIs are underluminous in X-rays compared to groups without radio sources. We speculate that the presence of the host galaxy in an optically rich group of galaxies that is underluminous in X-rays may be related to the giant radio galaxy phenomenon.

galaxies: distances and redshifts -- galaxies: individual: (NVSS 2146+82) -- galaxies: photometry -- radio continuum: galaxies -- X-rays: galaxies

 
• Introduction
• Radio Observations
  • Radio Results
  • Association of Features
  • Polarimetry
  • Spectral Index Distribution
  • Source Alignment
• Optical Observations of NVSS 2146+82 and its Environs
  • Photometric Observations
  • Spectroscopic Observations
  • Redshifts and Line Luminosities
  • Optical Properties of the Host Galaxy
  • Environment
• X-ray Observations and Constraints
• Discussion
  • Physical Properties of the Radio Source
    • Size and Luminosity
    • Equipartition calculations
    • Magnetic Field and Faraday Rotation
    • Spectral Index Variations
    • Size Scales of Symmetry in the Radio Source
  • The Optical Environment
• Summary and Conclusions
• References
• About this document ...