A high-resolution study of the double radio relic system in MACS J1752.0+4440

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Auteurs principaux: Della Chiesa, M., Botteon, A., Bonafede, A., Rajpurohit, K., Cuciti, V., Hoang, D., van Weeren, R. J., Zhang, X., Gastaldello, F.
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Publié: 2026
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author Della Chiesa, M.
Botteon, A.
Bonafede, A.
Rajpurohit, K.
Cuciti, V.
Hoang, D.
van Weeren, R. J.
Zhang, X.
Gastaldello, F.
author_facet Della Chiesa, M.
Botteon, A.
Bonafede, A.
Rajpurohit, K.
Cuciti, V.
Hoang, D.
van Weeren, R. J.
Zhang, X.
Gastaldello, F.
contents Radio relics are diffuse, extended synchrotron sources located at the outskirts of merging galaxy clusters. Their origin has been linked with shock waves injected into the intracluster medium, but the acceleration mechanism at the shock front is still under debate. Some clusters, like MACS J1752.0+4440, host a double relic system, with two relics found on opposite sides with respect to the cluster center. To investigate the acceleration mechanism that generates radio relics, we study the morphological and spectral properties of the double relic system in MACS J1752. We present new wideband radio continuum observations made with uGMRT and JVLA, and LOFAR data. We perform a detailed, high-resolution spectral analysis of the double relic system in MACS J1752, observing and characterizing substructures, particularly for the brighter relic. We find a double-peaked surface brightness and spectral index profile for the NE relic and identify a "bright bar" substructure. Moreover, we observed surprisingly flat integrated spectral indices for both relics, at $α_{\mathrm{int}}^{\mathrm{NE}} = -0.91 \pm 0.06$ and $α_{\mathrm{int}}^{\mathrm{SW}} = -0.83 \pm 0.05$. We study the spatial variation of the spectral index, observing a coherent trend with the observed substructures. We estimate an injection Mach number of $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{NE}} = 3.1^{+0.1}_{-0.1}$ and $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{SW}} = 3.2^{+0.1}_{-0.1}$. By performing a spectral curvature analysis for both relics, generating color-color plots and a spectral curvature maps, we observe two "concave" spectra represented by positive spectral curvature, in contrast with particle population ageing models. The observed properties of the NE relic are not consistent with a simple scenario with a single shock front. Multiple shock surfaces, re-acceleration, and projection effects likely play a role in shaping the morphology of the relic.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_02410
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A high-resolution study of the double radio relic system in MACS J1752.0+4440
Della Chiesa, M.
Botteon, A.
Bonafede, A.
Rajpurohit, K.
Cuciti, V.
Hoang, D.
van Weeren, R. J.
Zhang, X.
Gastaldello, F.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Radio relics are diffuse, extended synchrotron sources located at the outskirts of merging galaxy clusters. Their origin has been linked with shock waves injected into the intracluster medium, but the acceleration mechanism at the shock front is still under debate. Some clusters, like MACS J1752.0+4440, host a double relic system, with two relics found on opposite sides with respect to the cluster center. To investigate the acceleration mechanism that generates radio relics, we study the morphological and spectral properties of the double relic system in MACS J1752. We present new wideband radio continuum observations made with uGMRT and JVLA, and LOFAR data. We perform a detailed, high-resolution spectral analysis of the double relic system in MACS J1752, observing and characterizing substructures, particularly for the brighter relic. We find a double-peaked surface brightness and spectral index profile for the NE relic and identify a "bright bar" substructure. Moreover, we observed surprisingly flat integrated spectral indices for both relics, at $α_{\mathrm{int}}^{\mathrm{NE}} = -0.91 \pm 0.06$ and $α_{\mathrm{int}}^{\mathrm{SW}} = -0.83 \pm 0.05$. We study the spatial variation of the spectral index, observing a coherent trend with the observed substructures. We estimate an injection Mach number of $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{NE}} = 3.1^{+0.1}_{-0.1}$ and $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{SW}} = 3.2^{+0.1}_{-0.1}$. By performing a spectral curvature analysis for both relics, generating color-color plots and a spectral curvature maps, we observe two "concave" spectra represented by positive spectral curvature, in contrast with particle population ageing models. The observed properties of the NE relic are not consistent with a simple scenario with a single shock front. Multiple shock surfaces, re-acceleration, and projection effects likely play a role in shaping the morphology of the relic.
title A high-resolution study of the double radio relic system in MACS J1752.0+4440
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.02410