{
  "abstract": "We aim at investigating the presence of diffuse radio emission in low-mass (M$_{500}\\leq3\\times10^{14}$ M$_{\\odot}$), relaxed galaxy clusters. We present a pilot study for the MIMIC (MIni-halos in MIni-Clusters) project, focusing on Abell 496 and ZwCl 235, using LOFAR (54, 144 MHz), uGMRT (400, 650 MHz), and MeerKAT (1.28 GHz) data, as well as Chandra X-ray data. We detect diffuse radio emission in the central 100 kpc of both Abell 496 and ZwCl 235, spatially confined within sloshing-induced cold fronts seen in X-ray images. The diffuse sources satisfy the classification criteria for radio mini-halos and represent the least powerful known to date, with 1.4 GHz radio powers of $(2.2\\pm0.2)\\times10^{22}$ W/Hz in Abell 496 and $(1.3\\pm0.3)\\times10^{22}$ W/Hz in ZwCl 235. The mini-halos have steep spectra ($-1.9\\leqα\\leq-1.4$), and in Abell 496 we find outward steepening of the spectral index. In both clusters, the radio and X-ray surface brightness are correlated over the diffuse source extent, with sub-linear or nearly linear slopes depending on frequency. Separately, we present the properties of two extended (>200 kpc) tailed radio galaxies in both clusters. The steep spectra, sub-linear radio-X-ray correlations, and confinement within cold fronts suggest that contribution from fossil plasma advected from the central radio galaxy and plausible turbulent re-acceleration are at play in Abell 496 and ZwCl 235. These two systems allow us to extend mini-halo scaling relations toward the low-power regime. We confirm a strong correlation between the mini-halo radio power and the cool core X-ray luminosity, with $P_{1.4} \\propto L_{X,70}^{1.5\\pm0.2}$. We find, for the first time, tentative indications that mini-halos with steeper radio spectra may preferentially be associated with lower core X-ray luminosities and lower radio power. (abridged)",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.28756",
  "author_total": 21,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "F. Ubertosi"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Giacintucci"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Botteon"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Bonafede"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. Pasini"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Balboni"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. Biava"
    },
    {
      "name": "G. Brunetti"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. Clarke"
    },
    {
      "name": "V. Cuciti"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. de Gasperin"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Domínguez-Fernández"
    },
    {
      "name": "H. Edler"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. Gastaldello"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Gitti"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. Kolokythas"
    },
    {
      "name": "G. V. Pignataro"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. J. Riseley"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. J. van Weeren"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. Venturi"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Zuhone"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bs4vbnk838g84.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.28756",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "bs4vbnk838g84",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.28756",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.28756",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bs4vbnk838g84.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:34:19Z",
      "native_id": "2610.28756",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.28756"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The MIni-Halos in MIni-Clusters (MIMIC) project: New insights into the origin of mini-halos from a LOFAR, uGMRT, and MeerKAT study of diffuse radio emission in Abell 496 and ZwCl 235",
  "title_text": "The MIni-Halos in MIni-Clusters (MIMIC) project: New insights into the origin of mini-halos from a LOFAR, uGMRT, and MeerKAT study of diffuse radio emission in Abell 496 and ZwCl 235",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:34:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bs4vbnk838g84",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}