D.E.HarrisSmithsonian Astrophysical Observatory,60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 A. FinoguenovMax-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, 85748 Garching, Germany
A.H.BridleNational Radio Astronomy Observatory520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475.
M.J.HardcastleDepartment of Physics, University of Bristol,Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, U.K. R.A.LaingUniversity of Oxford, Department of Astrophysics,Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, U.K. Astrophysical Journal, in press |
During the course of an investigation of the interaction of the radio galaxy M84 and its ambient cluster gas, we found excess X-ray emission aligned with the northern radio jet. The emission extends from the X-ray core of the host galaxy as a weak bridge and then brightens to a local peak coincident with the first detectable radio knot at ˜2.5" from the core. The second radio knot at 3.3" is brighter in both radio and X-rays. The X-ray jet terminates 3.9" from the core. Although all the evidence suggests that Doppler favoritism augments the emission of the northern jet, it is unlikely that the excess X-ray emission is produced by inverse Compton emission. We find many similarities between the M84 X-ray jet and recent jet detections from Chandra data of low luminosity radio galaxies. For most of these current detections synchrotron emission is the favored explanation for the observed X-rays.
2002 July 22