{
  "id": "2210.01591",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2022-10-03T17:59:59.000Z",
  "updated": "2022-10-03T17:59:59.000Z",
  "title": "Life cycle of cosmic-ray electrons in the intracluster medium",
  "authors": [
    "F. Vazza",
    "D. Wittor",
    "L. Di Federico",
    "M. Brüggen",
    "M. Brienza",
    "G. Brunetti",
    "F. Brighenti",
    "T. Pasini"
  ],
  "comment": "25 pages, 24 figures. A & A accepted, in press",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.HE",
    "astro-ph.CO",
    "astro-ph.GA"
  ],
  "abstract": "We simulate the evolution of relativistic electrons injected into the medium of a small galaxy cluster by a central radio galaxy, studying how the initial jet power affects the dispersal and the emission properties of radio plasma. By coupling passive tracer particles to adaptive-mesh cosmological MHD simulations, we study how cosmic-ray electrons are dispersed as a function of the input jet power. We also investigate how the latter affects the thermal and non-thermal properties of the intracluster medium, with differences discernible up to $\\sim$ Gyr after the start of the jet. We evolved the energy spectra of cosmic-ray electrons, subject to energy losses that are dominated by synchrotron and inverse Compton emission as well as energy gains via re-acceleration by shock waves and turbulence. We find that in the absence of major mergers the amount of re-acceleration experienced by cosmic-ray electrons is not enough to produce long-lived detectable radio emissions. However, for all simulations the role of re-acceleration processes is crucial to maintain a significant and volume-filling reservoir of fossil electrons ($\\gamma \\sim 10^3$) for several Gyrs after the first injection by jets. This is important to possibly explain recent discoveries of cluster-wide emission and other radio phenomena in galaxy clusters.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2022-10-03T17:59:59.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "cosmic-ray electrons",
      "intracluster medium",
      "life cycle",
      "galaxy cluster",
      "initial jet power affects"
    ],
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 25,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable"
    }
  }
}