Dynamical State of BEAMS SZ-Selected Galaxy Clusters Hosting Radio AGN

Project Description:

Brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) often host radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) that inject energy into the hot gas of galaxy clusters through powerful jets. However, it remains unclear whether this radio-mode AGN activity is linked to the dynamical state of the host cluster. This project will investigate the internal structure of 25 Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) selected galaxy clusters from the BEAMS programme whose BCGs are detected in radio emission. Using optical galaxy catalogues with photometric redshifts, the student will map the spatial distribution of cluster galaxies and measure indicators of cluster dynamics, including galaxy density structure, BCG positional offsets from the SZ centre, and the magnitude gap between the brightest cluster galaxies. If feasible, these measurements will be compared with a control sample of clusters without radio-detected BCGs.

Research Area:

Astronomy

Project Level:

Honours

This Project Is Offered At The Following Node(s):

(UCT)

Special Requirements:

Student should have basic experience with Python and data analysis, as the project involves working with astronomical datasets.