Bibcode
Loi, F.; Murgia, M.; Govoni, F.; Vacca, V.; Feretti, L.; Giovannini, G.; Carretti, E.; Gastaldello, F.; Girardi, M.; Vazza, F.; Concu, R.; Melis, A.; Paladino, R.; Poppi, S.; Valente, G.; Boschin, W.; Clarke, T. E.; Colafrancesco, S.; Enßlin, T.; Ferrari, C.; de Gasperin, F.; Gregorini, L.; Johnston-Hollitt, M.; Junklewitz, H.; Orrù, E.; Parma, P.; Perley, R.; Taylor, G. B.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 472, Issue 3, p.3605-3623
Advertised on:
12
2017
Citations
26
Refereed citations
24
Description
We observed the galaxy cluster CIZA J2242.8+5301 with the Sardinia Radio
Telescope to provide new constraints on its spectral properties at high
frequency. We conducted observations in three frequency bands centred at
1.4, 6.6 and 19 GHz, resulting in beam resolutions of 14, 2.9 and 1
arcmin, respectively. These single-dish data were also combined with
archival interferometric observations at 1.4 and 1.7 GHz. From the
combined images, we measured a flux density of S1.4 GHz =
(158.3 ± 9.6) mJy for the central radio halo and S1.4
GHz = (126 ± 8) and (11.7 ± 0.7) mJy for the
northern and the southern relics, respectively. After the spectral
modelling of the discrete sources, we measured at 6.6 GHz S6.6
GHz = (17.1 ± 1.2) and (0.6 ± 0.3) mJy for the
northern and southern relics, respectively. Assuming simple diffusive
shock acceleration, we interpret measurements of the northern relic with
a continuous injection model represented by a broken power law. This
yields an injection spectral index αinj = 0.7 ±
0.1 and a Mach number M = 3.3 ± 0.9, consistent with recent X-ray
estimates. Unlike other studies of the same object, no significant
steepening of the relic radio emission is seen in data up to 8.35 GHz.
By fitting the southern relic spectrum with a simple power law
(Sν ∝ ν-α), we obtained a
spectral index α ≈ 1.9 corresponding to a Mach number (M ≈
1.8) in agreement with X-ray estimates. Finally, we evaluated the
rotation measure of the northern relic at 6.6 GHz. These results provide
new insights on the magnetic structure of the relic, but further
observations are needed to clarify the nature of the observed Faraday
rotation.