Speaker
Description
The ViCTORIA (Virgo Cluster multi-Telescope Observations in Radio of Interacting galaxies and AGN) project is a unique multi-frequency radio survey of the Virgo cluster, combining LOFAR-LBA, LOFAR-HBA, and MeerKAT data to achieve unprecedented depth, resolution, and spectral coverage. The Virgo cluster, the closest rich cluster in the Universe, is a key target for understanding galaxy evolution, AGN feedback, and the role of the environment in shaping galaxy properties.
While two components of the ViCTORIA survey are conducted with LOFAR in the LBA (42–66 MHz) and HBA (120–168 MHz) bands, this talk will focus on the high-frequency MeerKAT L-band (856–1712 MHz) observations. This dataset offers a full-polarisation, wide-band coverage over 112 $\mathrm{deg}^2$, with a total number of pointings of 320. With a sensitivity of 7$\mu \mathrm{Jy beam}^{-1}$ at the nominal resolution of 7.6\text{$^{\prime\prime}$}, and complemented by a dedicated peeling strategy to mitigate the dynamic range limitations introduced by Virgo A (M87), the MeerKAT Virgo Cluster Survey enables high-fidelity imaging of diffuse and compact radio sources, including hundreds of cluster galaxies and low-surface-brightness features such as ram-pressure stripped tails and intra-cluster filaments.
This contribution will present the initial scientific results from the MeerKAT Virgo Cluster survey, which aims to derive polarised images, including RM synthesis of cluster galaxies and AGN, spectral index mapping between HBA and MeerKAT frequencies, and perspectives for combining all three frequency regimes to probe spectral curvature. By bridging the LOFAR and MeerKAT regimes, ViCTORIA enables resolved studies of magnetic fields, galaxy evolution processes, and environmental interactions spanning the frequency range from 42 to 1712 MHz and covering out to $r_{200}$, showcasing a synergistic approach with high legacy value for the LOFAR community.
