WE PROPOSE FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS OF THREE GALAXY CLUSTERS CONTAINING ULTRA-STEEP SPECTRUM (USS) RADIO RELIC SOURCES THAT HAVE EXISTING LOW-FREQUENCY GMRT OBSERVATIONS. COMPARING THE MORPHOLOGY AND THERMAL STRUCTURE OF THE ICM TO THE DIFFUSE RADIO EMISSION WILL ALLOW CONSTRAINTS TO BE PLACED ON THE NATURE OF THESE RELATIVELY POORLY STUDIED SOURCES. FOR EXAMPLE A CORRELATION BETWEEN MERGER SHOCKS AND RADIO EMISSION IMPLIES DIRECT SHOCK ACCELERATION AS WITH CLASSICAL RADIO RELICS WHEREAS A LACK OF CORRELATION IN A DISTURBED SYSTEM SUGGESTS ACCELERATION OF AN EXISTING PARTICLE POPULATION BY ADIABATIC COMPRESSION.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC

Investigators