Spectrally Resolved Gas Kinematics in Cygnus A: XRISM Detects AGN Jet-induced Velocity Dispersion in Multitemperature Gas

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Authors: Anwesh Majumder, T. Heckman, J. Meunier, A. Simionescu, B. R. McNamara, L. Gu, A. Ptak, E. Hodges-Kluck, M. Yukita, M. W. Wise, N. Roy
Cited by: 5
References: 72

Abstract

Abstract We report spectral analysis on a 170 ks XRISM Resolve exposure of the core of Cygnus A. Analyzing the full field of view spectrum in the 1.7–12.0 keV band, we find evidence for two-temperature cluster gas. The hotter ( kT = 5.53 ± 0.13 keV) gas has a velocity dispersion of 261 ± 13 km s −1 and a bulk velocity of 120 ± 20 km s −1 with respect to the central galaxy. The cooler gas ( k T = 2 . 0 − 0.3 + 0.4 keV) has an even broader velocity dispersion of 440 ± 130 km s −1 , with a systematic uncertainty of 120 km s −1 . The relative line-of-sight velocity between the hotter and cooler gas can be as high as 450 ± 140 km s −1 . We interpret the high velocity dispersions as a combination of turbulence and bulk motion due to the cocoon shock. The upper limit on the nonthermal pressure fraction for the hotter gas is 7.7% ± 0.7%. We associate the cooler gas with the central region (

Fields of Study & Subjects

Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysical Research

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Volume
998
Issue
1
Pages
160–160
Publication date
6 February 2026
Language
EN