4.7 Article

The First Murchison Widefield Array low-frequency radio observations of cluster scale non-thermal emission: the case of Abell 3667

Journal

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Volume 445, Issue 1, Pages 330-346

Publisher

OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu1669

Keywords

galaxies: clusters: individual: A3667; radio continuum: galaxies

Funding

  1. Marsden Fund
  2. US National Science Foundation [AST-0457585, PHY-0835713, CAREER-0847753, AST-0908884]
  3. Australian Research Council (LIEF) [LE0775621, LE0882938]
  4. US Air Force Office of Scientific Research [FA9550-0510247]
  5. Centre for All-sky Astrophysics (an Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence) [CE110001020]
  6. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
  7. MIT School of Science
  8. Raman Research Institute
  9. Australian National University
  10. Victoria University of Wellington via New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development [MED-E1799]
  11. Victoria University of Wellington via IBM Shared University Research Grant
  12. Australian Federal government via the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)
  13. National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
  14. Education Investment Fund
  15. Australia India Strategic Research Fund
  16. Astronomy Australia Limited
  17. NVIDIA at Harvard University
  18. International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), a Joint Venture of Curtin University
  19. University of Western Australia - Western Australian State government

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We present the first Murchison Widefield Array observations of the well-known cluster of galaxies Abell 3667 (A3667) between 105 and 241 MHz. A3667 is one of the best known examples of a galaxy cluster hosting a double radio relic and has been reported to contain a faint radio halo and bridge. The origin of radio haloes, relics and bridges is still unclear, however galaxy cluster merger seems to be an important factor. We clearly detect the north-west (NW) and south-east radio relics in A3667 and find an integrated flux density at 149 MHz of 28.1 +/- 1.7 and 2.4 +/- 0.1 Jy, respectively, with an average spectral index, between 120 and 1400 MHz, of -0.9 +/- 0.1 for both relics. We find evidence of a spatial variation in the spectral index across the NW relic steepening towards the centre of the cluster, which indicates an ageing electron population. These properties are consistent with higher frequency observations. We detect emission that could be associated with a radio halo and bridge. However, due to the presence of poorly sampled large-scale Galactic emission and blended point sources we are unable to verify the exact nature of these features.

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