A variety of large-scale diffuse radio structures have been identified in many clusters with the advent of new state-of-the-art facilities in radio astronomy. Among these diffuse radio structures, radio mini-halos are found in the central regions of cool core clusters. Their origin is still unknown and they are challenging to discover; less than thirty have been published to date. Based on new VLA observations, we confirmed the mini-halo in the massive strong cool core cluster PKS 0745−191 (z = 0.1028) and discovered one in the massive cool core cluster MACS J1447.4+0827 (z = 0.3755). Furthermore, using a detailed analysis of all known mini-halos, we explore the relation between mini-halos and AGN feedback processes from the central galaxy. We find evidence of strong, previously unknown correlations between mini-halo radio power and X-ray cavity power, and between mini-halo and the central galaxy radio power related to the relativistic jets when spectrally decomposing the AGN radio emission into a component for past outbursts and one for on-going accretion. Overall, our study indicates that mini-halos are directly connected to the central AGN in clusters, following previous suppositions. We hypothesize that AGN feedback may be one of the dominant mechanisms giving rise to mini-halos by injecting energy into the intra-cluster medium and reaccelerating an old population of particles, while sloshing motion may drive the overall shape of mini-halos inside cold fronts. AGN feedback may therefore not only play a vital role in offsetting cooling in cool core clusters, but may also play a fundamental role in re-energizing non-thermal particles in clusters.

During the summer of 2013, a 4-month spectroscopic campaign took place to observe the variabilities in three Wolf-Rayet stars. The spectroscopic data have been analyzed for WR 134 (WN6b), to better understand its behaviour and long-term periodicity, which we interpret as arising from corotating interaction regions (CIRs) in the wind. By analyzing the variability of the He II λ5411 emission line, the previously identified period was refined to P = 2.255 ± 0.008 (s.d.) days. The coherency time of the variability, which we associate with the lifetime of the CIRs in the wind, was deduced to be 40 ± 6 days, or ∼ 18 cycles, by cross-correlating the variability patterns as a function of time. When comparing the phased observational grayscale difference images with theoretical grayscales previously calculated from models including CIRs in an optically thin stellar wind, we find that two CIRs were likely present. A separation in longitude of ∆φ 90 • was determined between the two CIRs and we suggest that the different maximum velocities that they reach indicate that they emerge from different latitudes. We have also been able to detect observational signatures of the CIRs in other spectral lines (C IV λλ5802,5812 and He I λ5876). Furthermore, a DAC was found to be present simultaneously with the CIR signatures detected in the He I λ5876 emission line which is consistent with the proposed geometry of the large-scale structures in the wind. Small-scale structures also show a presence in the wind, simultaneously with the larger scale structures, showing that they do in fact co-exist.

We present a new $2\rm \, Ms$Chandra observation of the cluster merger Abell 2146, which hosts two huge M ∼ 2 shock fronts each ${\sim }500\rm \, kpc$ across. For the first time, we resolve and measure the width of cluster merger shocks. The best-fit width for the bow shock is $17\pm 1\rm \, kpc$ and for the upstream shock is $10.7\pm 0.3\rm \, kpc$. A narrow collisionless shock will appear broader in projection if its smooth shape is warped by local gas motions. We show that both shock widths are consistent with collisionless shocks blurred by local gas motions of $290\pm 30{\rm \, km\rm \, s^{-1}\,}$. The upstream shock forms later on in the merger than the bow shock and is therefore expected to be significantly narrower. From the electron temperature profile behind the bow shock, we measure the timescale for the electrons and ions to come back into thermal equilibrium. We rule out rapid thermal equilibration of the electrons with the shock-heated ions at the 6σ level. The observed temperature profile instead favours collisional equilibration. We find no evidence for electron heating over that produced by adiabatic compression. This supports the existing picture from collisionless shocks in the solar wind and supernova remnants. The upstream shock is consistent with this result but has a more complex structure, including a $\sim 2\rm \, keV$ increase in temperature ${\sim }50\rm \, kpc$ ahead of the shock.

We present new deep, high-resolution, 1.5 GHz observations of the prototypical nearby Perseus galaxy cluster from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We isolate for the first time the complete tail of radio emission of the bent-jet radio galaxy NGC 1272, which had been previously mistaken to be part of the radio mini-halo. The possibility that diffuse radio galaxy emission contributes to mini-halo emission may be a general phenomenon in relaxed cool-core clusters, and should be explored. The collimated jets of NGC 1272 initially bend to the west, and then transition eastward into faint, 60 kpc long extensions with eddy-like structures and filaments. We suggest interpretations for these structures that involve bulk motions of intracluster gas, the galaxy’s orbit in the cluster including projection effects, and the passage of the galaxy through a sloshing cold front. Instabilities and turbulence created at the surface of this cold front and in the turbulent wake of the infalling host galaxy most likely play a role in the formation of the observed structures. We also discover a series of faint rings, southeast of NGC 1272, which are a type of structure that has never been seen before in galaxy clusters.