The clumpy medium around distant radio galaxies

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Abstract

Radio observations at λ 6 and 20 cm are presented for a sample of distant 3C radio galaxies, chosen for strong nuclear or extended optical emission lines. The rotation measure and depolarization distributions are patchy on scales from <5 to >50 kpc, leading us to a model of an irregular thermal medium at the boundaries or partially entrained by the radio plasma. The sources are most strongly depolarized near the center of their parent galaxy; within 60-100 kpc, the emission is typically depolarized by a factor of 3 more than at larger distances. Further information on the covering factor of the thermal irregularities could be obtained from observations over a broader range of wavelengths. Although the statistics are small, the arm-length ratios in this sample are atypically large, correlated with the amount of depolarization, and with emission-line asymmetries. These correlations suggest that the thermal medium may also have an important dynamic influence on these luminous radio sources, and raise questions about interpretations where the external medium simply produces line-of-sight effects.

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