Extragalactic MeV gamma-ray emission from cocoons of young radio galaxies

Abstract

Strong $\gamma$-ray emission from cocoons of young radio galaxies is newly predicted. Considering the process of adiabatic injection of the shock dissipation energy and mass of the relativistic jet in active nuclei (AGNs) into the cocoon, while assuming thermalizing electron plasma interactions, we find that the thermal electron temperature of the cocoon is typically predicted in $\sim$MeV, which is determined only by the bulk Lorentz factor of the relativistic jet. Together with the time-dependent dynamics of the cocoon expansion, we find that young cocoons can yield thermal bremsstrahlung emissions at energies $\sim$ MeV.