The dynamics and energetics of FR-II radio galaxies

Determining the shape of the energy spectrum for an electron population can often give key insights into the underlying physics of a radio source. In principle, a region emitting via synchrotron radiation will preferentially cool higher energy electrons leading to a steeper, more strongly curved spectrum in older regions of plasma. Models of this so-called spectral aging have become a commonly used tool when describing the processes involved in emission from the lobes of FR-II radio galaxies; however, the lack of high resolution, broad-bandwidth observations has historically meant the details of these spectra have remained largely unexplored on small spatial scales. The broad-bandwidth capabilities of telescopes such as the JVLA, LOFAR, e-MERLIN and ultimately the SKA, will mean that the spectrum of any given source can be determined within the bandwidth of any given observation, producing a detailed spectral shape. This type of detailed spectral analysis is therefore set to become standard practice when dealing with any new broadband radio observations.In this talk, we provide details of the Broadband Radio Astronomy ToolS (BRATS) software package that uses innovative techniques to analyze this new generation of radio data. Through the application of BRATS to LOFAR and JVLA observations, we present results from our latest investigations into the dynamics and energetics of nearby FR-II radio galaxies and their spectral structure on small spatial scales. We go on to discuss how these new findings impact upon our current understanding of the underlying physics of FR-II radio galaxies and, ultimately, their impact of galaxy evolution as a whole.