The complex radio spectrum of 3C130

Abstract

I present four-frequency radio observations of the wide-angle tail radio galaxy 3C130. By a technique of simulated observations, I assess the systematic errors in the data due to the varying uv plane coverage in the different observations used. Using spectral tomography I show that, at least in the southern plume, the source can be represented by a two component model consisting of a flat-spectrum core and steep spectrum sheath, as recently found in other FRI sources. In addition, there is a strong difference in the high-frequency spectra of the northern and southern plumes. I discuss the implications of these observations for the source’s jet dynamics and particle acceleration, and discuss models of the class of WATs as a whole.