A JVLA, GMRT, and XMM study of Abell 795: Large-scale sloshing and a candidate radio phoenix

Aims. The galaxy cluster Abell 795 (z = 0.1374) is known from previous works for the presence of extended (≈200 kpc) radio emission with a steep spectral index of an unclear origin surrounding the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), and for the sloshing signatures visible in Chandra observations of its cool core. Our purpose is to investigate the nature of the extended radio emission and its possible link with the dynamical state of the intracluster medium (ICM) on large scales (≈1 Mpc). Methods. We used new JVLA 1.5 GHz, as well as archival GMRT 325 MHz and XMM-Newton X-ray observations to study the cluster with a thermal and nonthermal approach. Results. From the XMM surface brightness analysis, we detected an azimuthally asymmetric excess reaching around 650 kpc from the center of Abell 795. The excess appears to follow the sloshing spiral previously detected, but with the existing XMM data it is not possible to confirm its classification as a large-radius cold front in Abell 795. Furthermore, the X-ray data allowed us to detect the hot gas from a previously unknown galaxy group at a projected distance of ≈7.40 (1 Mpc) northwest of Abell 795. Its surface brightness radial profile is well-fitted with a β model of slope β = 0.52 ± 0.17, and the spectral analysis reveals a thermal plasma of temperature kT = 1.08 ± 0.08 keV and metallicity Z = 0.13 ± 0.06 Z. We discuss the possibility that this galaxy group is the perturber that initiated sloshing in Abell 795, and we show that the velocity distribution of member galaxies supports the dynamically unrelaxed nature of Abell 795. The analysis of JVLA 1.5 GHz and GMRT 325 MHz images confirms the presence of extended radio emission with the largest linear size ≈200 kpc, preferentially extended toward southwest and terminating in a sub-component (“SW blob”). We measured the spectral indices between 325 MHz and 1.5 GHz, finding αExt = −2.24 ± 0.13 for the diffuse extended emission, and αSWb = −2.10± 0.13 for the SW blob. These ultra-steep spectral index values, coupled with the complex morphology and cospatiality with the radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) present in the BCG, suggest that this extended emission could be classified as a radio phoenix, possibly arising from adiabatic compression of an ancient AGN radio lobe due to the presence of sloshing motions.