The LOFAR HBA Virgo Cluster Survey

We image a 132deg^2^ region of the cluster, reaching an order of magnitude greater sensitivity than existing wide-field radio surveys of this field at three times higher spatial resolution compared to other low-frequency observations. We developed a tailored data processing strategy to subtract the bright central radio galaxy M 87 from the data. This allowed us to correct for the systematic effects due to ionospheric variation as a function of time and direction.

In the final mosaic with a resolution of 9"x5", we reach a median noise level of 140uJy/beam inside the virial radius and 280uJy/beam for the full area. We detect 112 Virgo member galaxies and 114 background galaxies. In at least 18 cases, the radio morphology of the cluster member galaxies shows clear signs of ram-pressure stripping.

This includes three previously unreported candidates. In addition, we reveal for the first time 150kpc long tails from a previous epoch of AGN activity for NGC 4472 (M 49).While no cluster-scale diffuse radio sources are discovered, we find the presence of an extended radio signature of the W'-group. This feature is coincident with an X-ray filament detected with SRG/eROSITA in the outskirts of the cluster.

We speculate that this emission is synchrotron radiation which could be related to shocks or turbulence from accretion processes. The data published in this paper serve as a valuable resource for future studies. In the follow-up work of the ViCTORIA project, we will rely on them for an analysis of environmental effects on the radio-properties of star-forming galaxies in Virgo.