Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2009-08-06
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
ApJL, in press
Scientific paper
We analyse a 100-ks Chandra observation of the powerful radio galaxy, 4C60.07 at z=3.79. We identify extended X-ray emission with Lx~10^45 erg/s across a ~90-kpc region around the radio galaxy. The energetics of this X-ray halo and its morphological similarity to the radio emission from the galaxy suggest that it arises from inverse Compton (IC) scattering, by relativistic electrons in the radio jets, of Cosmic Microwave Background photons and potentially far-infrared photons from the dusty starbursts around this galaxy. The X-ray emission has a similar extent and morphology to the Ly-alpha halo around the galaxy, suggesting that it may be ionising this halo. Indeed we find that the GHz-radio and X-ray and Ly-alpha luminosities of the halo around 4C60.07 are identical to those of 4C41.17 (also at z=3.8) implying that these three components are linked by a single physical process. This is only the second example of highly-extended IC emission known at z>3, but it underlines the potential importance of IC emission in the formation of the most massive galaxies at high redshifts. In addition, we detect two X-ray luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) within ~30kpc of the radio galaxy. These two companion AGN imply that the radio and starburst activity in the radio galaxy is triggered through multiple mergers of massive progenitors on a short timescale, ~100Myrs. These discoveries demonstrate the wealth of information which sensitive X-ray observations can yield into the formation of massive galaxies at high redshifts.
Alexander Dave M.
Bower Richard G.
Coppin Kristen E. K.
Geach James E.
Ivison Rob J.
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