Discovery of an optical synchrotron jet in 3C 15

We report the discovery of a new optical synchrotron jet in the radio galaxy 3C 15. This brings to nine the number of known optical synchrotron jets in nearby radio galaxies. The jet is well resolved in both length and width and extends to a projected metric distance of similar to 5 kpc from the galaxy nucleus. The host galaxy shows complex inner structure, including a dust lane and what appears to be two, or possibly three, emission filaments or arms. On average the optical jet is bluer than the host galaxy by about 0.4 mag. Unlike other galaxies hosting optical jets, the core of the galaxy does not possess a bright, unresolved nucleus, suggesting that the active galactic nucleus is presently inactive or buried in dust. The radio-optical spectral index, alpha(ro) similar to 1, is the softest yet observed for radio galaxies with optical jets. The observed disturbances in the nuclear regions are indicative of a recent merger or infall possibly resulting in the ejection of material along the jet.