Vol. 558
In section 4. Extragalactic astronomy

High-resolution observations of SDSS J080800.99+483807.7 in the optical and radio domains. A possible example of jet-triggered star formation

Radio jets are thought to drag gas out of galaxies and quench star formation in their hosts. In some circumstances (e.g., when they impinge directly on the interstellar medium (ISM)), they can trigger star formation. Evidence for the latter is rare. This work studies the galaxy SDSS J080800.99+483807.7, which was serendipitously discovered in MERLIN 18 cm observations to be a double-lobed radio galaxy. From optical spectroscopy on the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), and radio interferometry obtained with MERLIN at 18 cm, the authors show that the galaxy is an elliptical at a redshift z = 0.28, that the radio size is 26.3 kpc, and that the galaxy is actively forming stars. The mass of the central black hole is 10^6.9 Mo. The authors argue that the star formation could be the result of the back-flow along the jet and the ISM of the host.