The Ophiuchus cluster exhibits a curious concave gas discontinuity near itscore. It was discovered by Werner et al, who considered a possibility of itbeing a boundary of an AGN-inflated bubble, but discounted it because itrequired too powerful an outburst. Using very low-frequency (70-240 MHz) datafrom MWA/GLEAM and GMRT, we found that it is in fact a giant bubble filled withdiffuse radio emission with an extremely steep spectrum. It appears to be afossil of the most powerful AGN outbursts seen in any cluster - with the centralAGN being a negligible radio source at present. We propose to survey this sectorof the cluster to map the X-ray cavity, look for signs of cluster-scale sloshingpossibly triggered by this powerful event (hinted at by ROSAT), and clarify the merger details.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2020-08-31T00:25:44Z/2021-03-19T08:10:07Z
Version
19.16_20210326_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Dr Maxim Markevitch, 2022, 'Excavating a dinosaur in the Ophiuchus Cluster', 19.16_20210326_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-7y7k3br
