ASKAP Data Products for Project AS314 (Revealing magnetised plasma in a galaxy group environment at unprecedented resolution): catalogues

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Most of the baryonic Universe is made up of magnetised plasma residing in the intragroup medium (IGrM) of medium-mass galaxy groups. The IGrM is poorly understood, as observational limitations imposed by the low density and low temperature have restricted conventional probes such as X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is changing this landscape through Faraday Rotation experiments (i.e. RM-grids), revealing large reservoirs of ionised gas beyond what is visible with conventional observations. However, open questions remain regarding the details of the magnetic fields and distribution and extent of the ionised gas, which can only be answered by higher density RM-grids than presently observed. This project proposes to study the elusive IGrM in unprecedented detail through deep ASKAP observations of the nearest and richest galaxy group in the southern sky: The Dorado Group.

With these observations, we will conduct the first-ever study of the IGrM in an individual galaxy group, revealing its structure, turbulent properties and driving mechanisms. This will also be the first-ever examination of the magnetised CGM and its interplay with the IGrM, addressing key questions for understanding galaxy evolution and fueling in the present-day universe, and opening a new window on galactic evolution for the SKA era.