Coffee talks
Friday 19/05/2023 @ 11:30, Sala riunioni quarto piano e on-line (meet.google.com/sue-bwvk-axf)
Chiara Stuardi (INAF-IRA Bologna), "The origin of radio relics from a polarization perspective"
Radio relics are Mpc-size synchrotron sources observed in the outskirts of some merging galaxy clusters. Their radio emission fills large volumes of the intracluster medium (ICM), unveiling the presence of a non-thermal component mixed with the thermal gas, i.e. relativistic electrons and magnetic fields. The origin of radio relics is recognized to be connected to shock waves injected in the ICM during cluster mergers, yet the details of particle acceleration processes leading to their emission are unclear. Furthermore, magnetic fields in radio relics, and in galaxy clusters in general, are difficult to measure and still poorly known. However, being highly polarized, radio relics offer a peculiar view of their magnetic fields through the study of their polarization and Faraday rotation properties. In this talk, I will review recent advances made in the knowledge of radio relics' origin through the study of their polarized emission.