Landing page for project ET053

We propose EVN+eMerlin VLBI observations of a pilot sample of X-shaped radio galaxies (XRGs). XRGs are anomalous radio galaxies of extreme astrophysical interest, showing two axes of emission instead of the single one in other radio galaxies. The formation scenarios for this morphology variously invoke hydrodynamical interaction or spin-flip/precession of the central SMBH axes, the latter hinting at origins in binary/dual-SMBH mergers. The key to solving the puzzle of these unusual sources lies in linking these large-scale jet physics with the jets at parsec and kiloparsec scale, which we propose to do through a pilot survey of a small sample of scientifically-selected X-shaped radio galaxies. With EVN+eMERLIN observations we expect to be able to directly observe key physical properties of the jets in these sources, with a focus on signatures of jet precession and flipping, giving crucial insights towards understanding the mysteries which shroud the hearts of these enigmatic sources.

This data is part of the archive of VLBI data maintained by JIVE on behalf of the EVN, a network of radio telescopes located primarily in Europe and Asia, with additional antennas in South Africa. The EVN archive itself has the DOI https://doi.org/10.17616/R3Z197