Imprints of a cooling flow on the radio continuum spectrum of NGC 4631

Details Imprints of a cooling flow on the radio continuum spectrum of NGC 4631 Imprints of a cooling flow on the radio continuum spectrum of NGC 4631

Dec 1991

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991a%26a...252..493p&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 252, no. 2, Dec. 1991, p. 493-497.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

5

Dark Matter, Energy Spectra, Intergalactic Media, Radio Astronomy, Radio Spectra, Spiral Galaxies, Astronomical Models, Continuous Radiation, Electron Energy, Relativistic Particles, Thermal Stability

Scientific paper

The radio spectrum of NGC 4631 exhibits a spectral flattening at lower frequencies that is much too fast to be explained by common models. An interpretation is given that assumes an electron-energy spectrum flattened by ionization losses to constitute the low-frequency radio spectrum of NGC 4631. This model implies an effective gas density and magnetic-field strength about one order of magnitude higher than previously estimated. The discrepancy can be solved by assuming a cooling flow as radial infall of the intergalactic medium. Thermal instabilities lead to the formation of dense clouds with typical diameter 1 pc and a filling factor of 0.001. The cooling flow explains the systematic differences between the mass estimates obtained from rotation curves and those determined for pairs of galaxies. Additionally, relativistic electrons are contained in shell-like structures around the clouds, and therefore the mean gas density of their environment is increased.

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