X-ray and radio observations of the galaxy cluster 3C 129

The galaxy cluster 3C 129 contains two radio galaxies, the prototypical head tail radio galaxy 3C 129 and the weaker radio galaxy 3C 129.1. The tail of the first radio galaxy extends over more than 15′ across the sky. In this paper, we report on Chandra spectroscopy observations of the galaxy cluster, complemented by new and archival radio data taken with the Very Large Array (VLA) at 0.33, 1.4, 5, and 8 GHz and by HI-observations performed with the dominion radio astrophysical observatory (DRAO). We describe the Chandra results on the properties of the Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM) and discuss extended X-ray emission detected from the host galaxy of the radio galaxy 3C 129.1 and from the inner jet of the radio galaxy 3C 129. Finally, we report on the results of an ICM/radio plasma pressure balance study along the tail of the radio galaxy 3C 129.     

Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Outflows

In this review we confront the current theoretical understanding of particle acceleration at relativistic outflows with recent observational results on various source classes thought to involve such outflows, e.g. gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, and pulsar wind nebulae. We highlight the possible contributions of these sources to ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.