MeerKAT's discovery of a radio relic in the bimodal merging cluster A2384

Abstract

We present the discovery of a single radio relic located at the edge of the galaxy cluster A2384, using the MeerKAT radio telescope. A2384 is a nearby (z = 0.092), low mass, complex bimodal, merging galaxy cluster that displays a dense X-ray lament ( 700 kpc in length) between A2384(N) (Northern cluster) and A2384(S) (Southern cluster). The origin of the radio relic is puzzling. By using the MeerKAT observation of A2384, we estimate that the physical size of the radio relic is 824 264 kpc2 and that it is a steep spectrum source. The radio power of the relic is P1:4GHz (3.87 0.40) 1023 W Hz1. This radio relic could be the result of shock wave propagation during the passage of the low-mass A2384(S) cluster through the massive A2384(N) cluster, creating a trail appearing as a hot X-ray lament. In the previous GMRT 325 MHz observation we detected a peculiar FR I radio galaxy interacting with the hot X-ray lament of A2384, but the extended radio relic was not detected; it was confused with the southern lobe of the FR I galaxy. This newly detected radio relic is elongated and perpendicular to the merger axis, as seen in other relic clusters. In addition to the relic, we notice a candidate radio ridge in the hot X-ray lament. The physical size of the radio ridge source is 182 129 kpc2. Detection of the di use radio sources in the X-ray lament is a rare phenomenon, and could be a new class of radio source found between the two merging clusters of A2384(N) and A2384(S).