Extreme jet bending on kiloparsec scales: the 'doughnut' in NGC 6109

Josie Rawes, Mark Birkinshaw, Diana M Worrall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)
339 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We present new radio observations of the z = 0.029 radio galaxy NGC 6109, a member of the 3CRR sample. We find the radio morphology of the counter-jet to be highly distorted, showing a unique 'doughnut' structure ~6 kpc in diameter. The doughnut is overpressured compared with the surrounding atmosphere as measured with Chandra. We investigate the polarisation properties of the source and find evidence for an interaction between the doughnut and the external environment. This may cause the extreme jet bend. Alternatively, while providing no explanation for the rotation-measure and magnetic field structure seen in the doughnut, a ballistic precession model may be feasible if the ballistic flow persists for a distance much less than the full extent of the 100 kpc-scale jet. A light jet being deflected by gas flows and winds just outside the transition between the galaxy and cluster atmospheres appears to be a more plausible interpretation.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbersty2074
Pages (from-to)3644-3654
Number of pages11
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume480
Issue number3
Early online date1 Aug 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2018

Keywords

  • galaxies: active
  • galaxies: individual: (NGC 6109)
  • radio continuum: galaxies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Extreme jet bending on kiloparsec scales: the 'doughnut' in NGC 6109'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this