The diverse morphologies and evolution of low-luminosity edge-brightened radio galaxies
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Barkus, B. Croston, J. H. Mingo, B. Hardcastle, M. J. Gürkan, G. Mahatma, V. H. |
| author_facet | Barkus, B. Croston, J. H. Mingo, B. Hardcastle, M. J. Gürkan, G. Mahatma, V. H. |
| contents | Fanaroff-Riley class I (FRI) radio galaxies show centre-brightened emission from disrupted lower power jets, while traditionally more luminous class II (FRIIs), are edge-brightened, with relativistic jets terminating in hotspots. Population studies of radio-loud AGN (RLAGN) with low frequency, deep, wide-field surveys have revealed FRII-like radio structures at lower luminosities. We present the first high-resolution morphological investigation of a representative LOFAR-selected sample of low-luminosity FRIIs, to determine whether this new population is physically distinct from traditional high-luminosity FRIIs. Using new $1.5$-GHz Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations for a sample of 19 low-luminosity FRIIs, from the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey Data Release 1 (LoTSS DR1), with luminosities up to three orders of magnitude lower than the typical FR break ($L_{150} = 10^{26}$ W Hz$^{-1}$). We examine the compact features and perform spectral index analysis to identify hotspots, cores and signatures of restarting or remnant activity. We find a higher prevalence of cores and a comparable number of hotspots in the low-luminosity FRII sample compared to a randomly-selected sample of luminous ($L_{150}>10^{26}$ W Hz$^{-1}$) FRIIs selected from the same parent LOFAR sample. Approximately 32 per cent of low-luminosity FRIIs show restarting or remnant behaviour, while $\sim 32$ per cent are active FRIIs with compact hotspots. Our results show that FRII source dynamics occur at low radio luminosities, but reinforce earlier conclusions that the population of low-luminosity edge-brightened RLAGN is highly diverse. Binary morphological classifications should be used cautiously as a first step towards more nuanced investigations of the complexity of jet life cycles and evolution. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_07684 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The diverse morphologies and evolution of low-luminosity edge-brightened radio galaxies Barkus, B. Croston, J. H. Mingo, B. Hardcastle, M. J. Gürkan, G. Mahatma, V. H. Astrophysics of Galaxies Fanaroff-Riley class I (FRI) radio galaxies show centre-brightened emission from disrupted lower power jets, while traditionally more luminous class II (FRIIs), are edge-brightened, with relativistic jets terminating in hotspots. Population studies of radio-loud AGN (RLAGN) with low frequency, deep, wide-field surveys have revealed FRII-like radio structures at lower luminosities. We present the first high-resolution morphological investigation of a representative LOFAR-selected sample of low-luminosity FRIIs, to determine whether this new population is physically distinct from traditional high-luminosity FRIIs. Using new $1.5$-GHz Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations for a sample of 19 low-luminosity FRIIs, from the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey Data Release 1 (LoTSS DR1), with luminosities up to three orders of magnitude lower than the typical FR break ($L_{150} = 10^{26}$ W Hz$^{-1}$). We examine the compact features and perform spectral index analysis to identify hotspots, cores and signatures of restarting or remnant activity. We find a higher prevalence of cores and a comparable number of hotspots in the low-luminosity FRII sample compared to a randomly-selected sample of luminous ($L_{150}>10^{26}$ W Hz$^{-1}$) FRIIs selected from the same parent LOFAR sample. Approximately 32 per cent of low-luminosity FRIIs show restarting or remnant behaviour, while $\sim 32$ per cent are active FRIIs with compact hotspots. Our results show that FRII source dynamics occur at low radio luminosities, but reinforce earlier conclusions that the population of low-luminosity edge-brightened RLAGN is highly diverse. Binary morphological classifications should be used cautiously as a first step towards more nuanced investigations of the complexity of jet life cycles and evolution. |
| title | The diverse morphologies and evolution of low-luminosity edge-brightened radio galaxies |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.07684 |