Multifrequency analysis of the radio emission from a post-merger galaxy CGCG 292-057

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2023-05, Vol.523 (2), p.1648-1660
• Main Authors: Misra, Arpita, Jamrozy, Marek, Weżgowiec, Marek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad1533

ABSTRACT Galaxies exhibiting a specific large-scale extended radio emission, such as X-shaped radio galaxies, belong to a rare class of winged radio galaxies. The morphological evolution of these radio sources is explained using several theoretical models, including galaxy mergers. However, such a direct link between a perturbed radio morphology and a galaxy merger remains observationally sparse. Here, we investigate a unique radio galaxy J1159+5820, whose host CGCG 292-057 displays the optical signature of a post-merger system with a distinct tidal tail feature, and an X-shaped radio morphology accompanied by an additional pair of inner lobes. We observed the target on a wide range of radio frequencies ranging from 147 to 4959 MHz, using dedicated GMRT and VLA observations, and supplemented it with publicly available survey data for broad-band radio analysis. Particle injection models were fitted to radio spectra of lobes and different parts of the wings. Spectral ageing analysis performed on the lobes and the wings favours a fast jet realignment model with a reorientation time-scale of a few million years. We present our results and discuss the possible mechanisms for the formation of the radio morphology.