Unveiling the nonthermal environments of NGC 3411 and NGC 5903 through new MeerKAT observations
Abstract
Galaxy groups are key laboratories for investigating the interplay between active galactic nucleus (AGN) outbursts and the dynamical processes of the intra-group medium. We aim to characterize the morphology, spectral properties, and magnetic field structure of the diffuse nonthermal radio emission in two peculiar galaxy groups, NGC 3411 and NGC 5903, selected from an originally larger sample, in order to constrain its origin and its connection with the dynamics of the intra-group medium. We present new MeerKAT UHF- and L-band observations of the two groups, complemented by archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data already analyzed in previous works. In NGC 3411, we detect extended radio emission surrounding the central AGN over scales of ~70 kpc, and resolve previously undetected arc-shaped substructures on scales of ~20-30 kpc. This extended component exhibits a relatively uniform steep spectrum (α ~ -1.7). We discuss possible scenarios for its origin, including mini-halos, aged AGN plasma, weak shocks, and the possibility of a radio galaxy observed along the line of sight. In NGC 5903, MeerKAT reveals a complex filamentary morphology, including a previously unknown ring-like structure surrounding the central AGN. Spectral-index mapping shows localized flattening (α ~ -0.9) along the north arc, while polarization data reveal ordered magnetic fields and a patchy rotation measure distribution across the source. Together with the disturbed X-ray morphology, these results support a scenario in which fossil AGN plasma has been redistributed and locally reenergized by group-scale dynamical processes such as turbulence, shear, and weak compression. Our results demonstrate that galaxy groups can host a rich variety of nonthermal phenomena, whose properties can only be fully revealed through the combination of sensitive, high-resolution, and multifrequency radio observations.
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BibTeX
@misc{pasini2026unveiling,
title = {{Unveiling the nonthermal environments of NGC 3411 and NGC 5903 through new MeerKAT observations}},
author = {T. Pasini and F. De Gasperin and E. O'Sullivan and M. Brüggen and M. Gaspari and K. Kolokythas and E. Bulbul and E. Bahar},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.36170},
eprint = {2610.36170},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36170},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Unveiling the nonthermal environments of NGC 3411 and NGC 5903 through new MeerKAT observations
AU - T. Pasini
AU - F. De Gasperin
AU - E. O'Sullivan
AU - M. Brüggen
AU - M. Gaspari
AU - K. Kolokythas
AU - E. Bulbul
AU - E. Bahar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.36170
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36170
AB - Galaxy groups are key laboratories for investigating the interplay between active galactic nucleus (AGN) outbursts and the dynamical processes of the intra-group medium. We aim to characterize the morphology, spectral properties, and magnetic field structure of the diffuse nonthermal radio emission in two peculiar galaxy groups, NGC 3411 and NGC 5903, selected from an originally larger sample, in order to constrain its origin and its connection with the dynamics of the intra-group medium. We present new MeerKAT UHF- and L-band observations of the two groups, complemented by archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data already analyzed in previous works. In NGC 3411, we detect extended radio emission surrounding the central AGN over scales of ~70 kpc, and resolve previously undetected arc-shaped substructures on scales of ~20-30 kpc. This extended component exhibits a relatively uniform steep spectrum (α ~ -1.7). We discuss possible scenarios for its origin, including mini-halos, aged AGN plasma, weak shocks, and the possibility of a radio galaxy observed along the line of sight. In NGC 5903, MeerKAT reveals a complex filamentary morphology, including a previously unknown ring-like structure surrounding the central AGN. Spectral-index mapping shows localized flattening (α ~ -0.9) along the north arc, while polarization data reveal ordered magnetic fields and a patchy rotation measure distribution across the source. Together with the disturbed X-ray morphology, these results support a scenario in which fossil AGN plasma has been redistributed and locally reenergized by group-scale dynamical processes such as turbulence, shear, and weak compression. Our results demonstrate that galaxy groups can host a rich variety of nonthermal phenomena, whose properties can only be fully revealed through the combination of sensitive, high-resolution, and multifrequency radio observations.
ER -