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PreprintCC BY-NC-SA 4.0arXiv

Comprehensive X-ray Study of Giant Radio Galaxies with XMM-Newton and Chandra

  • Niraj Maurya
  • Satish S. Sonkamble
  • Suraj Dhiwar
  • M. B. Pandge
  • S. Ilani Loubser
  • Avinash Kale
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Abstract

We present a systematic X-ray spectral analysis of 27 giant radio galaxies (GRGs) using archival \textit{XMM-Newton} and \textit{Chandra} data. Roughly 44\% of the sample show intrinsic absorption (NH,int ≳ 1021 cm−2), while several exhibit narrow Fe Kα emission lines with equivalent widths up to ∼570 eV. Soft X-ray features are also common, including thermal plasma emission (kT∼ 0.2--0.8 keV) and ionized absorbers, in some cases consistent with high-velocity outflows. The photon indices are typically hard (median $ Γ\sim 1.6$), in line with radio-loud AGN. A comparison between nuclear X-ray luminosity and extended radio power shows that many sources host relatively strong X-ray cores compared to their lobes, pointing toward possible restarted nuclear activity. For 10 GRGs with published black hole masses, we explore preliminary relations with X-ray luminosity, Eddington ratio, and photon index. We find a positive trend between MBH and L2−10 keV, while Eddington ratios show no clear dependence on mass. A tentative negative relation between λEdd and Γ hints at inefficient accretion, although confirmation will require larger samples. Overall, GRGs display diverse nuclear conditions and accretion states, supporting scenarios where obscuration, episodic or restarted activity, and low-efficiency accretion shape their long-term evolution.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{maurya2026comprehensive,
  title = {{Comprehensive X-ray Study of Giant Radio Galaxies with XMM-Newton and Chandra}},
  author = {Niraj Maurya and Satish S. Sonkamble and Suraj Dhiwar and M. B. Pandge and S. Ilani Loubser and Avinash Kale},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.27754},
  eprint = {2607.27754},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.27754},
  note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Comprehensive X-ray Study of Giant Radio Galaxies with XMM-Newton and Chandra
AU  - Niraj Maurya
AU  - Satish S. Sonkamble
AU  - Suraj Dhiwar
AU  - M. B. Pandge
AU  - S. Ilani Loubser
AU  - Avinash Kale
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/30
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.27754
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.27754
AB  - We present a systematic X-ray spectral analysis of 27 giant radio galaxies (GRGs) using archival \textit{XMM-Newton} and \textit{Chandra} data. Roughly 44\% of the sample show intrinsic absorption (N_H,int ≳ 10^21 cm^−2), while several exhibit narrow Fe Kα emission lines with equivalent widths up to ∼570 eV. Soft X-ray features are also common, including thermal plasma emission (kT∼ 0.2--0.8 keV) and ionized absorbers, in some cases consistent with high-velocity outflows. The photon indices are typically hard (median $ Γ\sim 1.6$), in line with radio-loud AGN. A comparison between nuclear X-ray luminosity and extended radio power shows that many sources host relatively strong X-ray cores compared to their lobes, pointing toward possible restarted nuclear activity. For 10 GRGs with published black hole masses, we explore preliminary relations with X-ray luminosity, Eddington ratio, and photon index. We find a positive trend between M_BH and L_2−10 keV, while Eddington ratios show no clear dependence on mass. A tentative negative relation between λ_Edd and Γ hints at inefficient accretion, although confirmation will require larger samples. Overall, GRGs display diverse nuclear conditions and accretion states, supporting scenarios where obscuration, episodic or restarted activity, and low-efficiency accretion shape their long-term evolution.
ER  -