269 research outputs found
The history and evolution of young and distant radio sources
We study two classes of object to gain a better understanding of the evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN): Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRSs) and Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) / Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) sources. IFRSs are a recently discovered rare class of object, which were found to be strong in the radio but undetectable in extremely sensitive infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope, even in stacked images with Ļ 3. Therefore, IFRSs may significantly increase the number of known high-redshift galaxies. However, their non-detections in the optical and infrared prevented confirmation of their nature. Previous studies of IFRSs focused on very sensitive observations of a few small regions of the sky, and the largest sample consisted of 55 IFRSs. However, we follow the strategy of combining radio data with IR and optical data for a large region of the sky. Using these data, we discover a population of >1300 brighter IFRSs which are, for the first time, reliably detected in the infrared and optical. We present the first spectroscopic redshifts of IFRSs and show that the brightest IFRSs are at z > 2. Furthermore, we rule out that IFRSs are Star Forming Galaxies, hotspots, lobes or misidentifications. We find the first X-ray counterparts of IFRSs, and increase the number of known polarised IFRSs five-fold. We present an analysis of their radio spectra and show that IFRSs consist of GPS, CSS and ultra-steep-spectrum sources. We follow up >50 of these using VLBI observations, and confirm the AGN status of IFRSs. We conclude that IFRSs represent a new population of high-redshift radio galaxies, which, for the faintest IFRSs, may have redshifts as high as z = 7 and consist of a few hundred thousand objects across the Ī¼Jy sky. GPS and CSS sources are compact radio sources with a convex radio spectrum. They are widely thought to represent young and evolving radio galaxies that have recently launched their jets. However, good evidence exists in individual cases that GPS and CSS sources are one of the following: 1) frustrated by interactions with dense gas and dust in their environment; 2) prematurely dying radio sources; 3) recurrent radio galaxies. Their convex spectrum is generally thought to be caused by Synchrotron Self Absorption (SSA), an internal process in which the same population of electrons is responsible for the synchrotron emission and self-absorption. However, recent studies have shown that the convex spectrum may be caused by Free-Free Absorption (FFA), an external process in which an inhomogeneous screen absorbs the synchrotron emission. The majority of GPS and CSS samples consist of Jy-level and therefore, high-luminosity sources. VLBI images show that GPS and CSS sources typically have double-lobed, edge-brightened morphologies on mas scales, appearing as scaled down versions of Fanaroff-Riley Class II (FR II) galaxies. Recently, two low-luminosity GPS sources were found to have jet-brightened morphologies, which appeared as scaled down versions of Fanaroff-Riley Class I (FR I) galaxies. From this, it was proposed that there exists a morphology-luminosity break analogous to the FR I/II break and that low-luminosity GPS and CSS sources are the compact counterparts of FR I galaxies. However, this hypothesis remains unconfirmed, since very few samples of low-luminosity GPS and CSS sources exist. We have observed the faintest population of GPS and CSS sources to date, consisting ā 150 sources, many of which are low-luminosity. We use high-resolution radio observations to determine their linear size, resolve their jets and observe their small-scale morphology. We combine these data with a large number of radio observations at other frequencies to model their radio spectra using SSA and FFA models. In particular, we use very low frequency observations that have only recently become available to constrain their spectral peaks. We follow up eight of the most compact sources with VLBI and detect six of them. We find that our GPS and CSS sources are well modelled by an inhomogeneous FFA model (hereafter āFFAā). Furthermore, we find a number of very compact GPS and CSS sources that are inconsistent with SSA theory. We show that a single inhomogeneous SSA model fits poorly to the majority of radio spectra, predicting far too steep a slope below the peak. We resolve all of the sources with VLBI and derive their kinematic ages based on the jet sizes. Even when assuming more complex SSA models, we derive magnetic field strengths several orders of magnitude too high for one source. A few sources are well modelled by an FFA model in which the inhomogeneous absorption is dominated by clouds of high density, consistent with the frustration hypothesis. However, the majority of sources are well modelled by FFA models with low-density clouds. These models suggest that an inhomogeneous and clumpy medium surrounds the sources, implying they may undergo recurrent activity. Furthermore, the spectral model of one CSS source suggests it is a prematurely dying radio galaxy whose jets have been switched off for ā½600 years. However, we find no evidence of restarted radio galaxies within our high resolution observations. The kinematic and spectral ages we derive are consistent with the hypothesis that GPS and CSS sources are young and evolving. We find tentative evidence that at mJy-levels, the fraction of CSS sources is smaller than the fraction estimated for Jy-level sources. This may be accounted for as a selection effect or if a smaller fraction of mJy-level GPS sources evolve into CSS sources as compared to the Jy-level GPS sources. We find a few GPS sources with low luminosities, which we will follow up with VLBI to test whether they are the compact counterparts of FR I galaxies. We conclude that, despite being historically favoured, single inhomogeneous SSA is not the dominant form of absorption amongst a large fraction of GPS and CSS sources. We find that FFA provides a good model for the majority of the spectra with observable turnovers, suggesting an inhomogeneous and clumpy ambient medium. Furthermore, we conclude that the majority of our GPS and CSS sources are young and evolving and may undergo recurrent activity over small time scales. We conclude that a very small fraction of GPS and CSS sources consists of frustrated, dying or restarted radio galaxies
Radio Planetary Nebulae in the Small Magellanic Cloud
We present ten new radio continuum (RC) detections at catalogued planetary
nebula (PN) positions in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC): SMPS6, LIN 41, LIN
142, SMP S13, SMP S14, SMP S16, J18, SMP S18, SMP S19 and SMP S22.
Additionally, six SMC radio PNe previously detected, LIN 45, SMP S11, SMPS17,
LIN321, LIN339 and SMPS24 are also investigated (re-observed) here making up a
population of 16 radio detections of catalogued PNe in the SMC. These 16 radio
detections represent ~15 % of the total catalogued PN population in the SMC. We
show that six of these objects have characteristics that suggest that they are
PN mimics: LIN 41, LIN 45, SMP S11, LIN 142, LIN 321 and LIN 339. We also
present our results for the surface brightness - PN radius relation
({\Sigma}-D) of the SMC radio PN population. These are consistent with previous
SMC and LMC PN measurements of the ({\Sigma}-D) relation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Infrared-Faint Radio Sources: A New Population of High-redshift Radio Galaxies
We present a sample of 1317 Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRSs) that, for
the first time, are reliably detected in the infrared, generated by
cross-correlating the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) all-sky survey
with major radio surveys. Our IFRSs are brighter in both radio and infrared
than the first generation IFRSs that were undetected in the infrared by the
Spitzer Space Telescope. We present the first spectroscopic redshifts of IFRSs,
and find that all but one of the IFRSs with spectroscopy has z > 2. We also
report the first X-ray counterparts of IFRSs, and present an analysis of radio
spectra and polarization, and show that they include Gigahertz-Peaked Spectrum,
Compact Steep Spectrum, and Ultra-Steep Spectrum sources. These results,
together with their WISE infrared colours and radio morphologies, imply that
our sample of IFRSs represents a population of radio-loud Active Galactic
Nuclei at z > 2. We conclude that our sample consists of lower-redshift
counterparts of the extreme first generation IFRSs, suggesting that the fainter
IFRSs are at even higher redshift.Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures. Submitted to MNRA
HI intensity mapping with the MIGHTEE survey: power spectrum estimates
Intensity mapping (IM) with neutral hydrogen is a promising avenue to probe
the large scale structure of the Universe. With MeerKAT single-dish
measurements, we are constrained to scales degree, and this will allow us
to set important constraints on the Baryon acoustic oscillations and redshift
space distortions. However, with MeerKAT's interferometric observation, we can
also probe relevant cosmological scales. In this paper, we establish that we
can make a statistical detection of HI with one of MeerKAT's existing large
survey projects (MIGHTEE) on semi-linear scales, which will provide a useful
complementarity to the single-dish IM. We present a purpose-built simulation
pipeline that emulates the MIGHTEE observations and forecast the constraints
that can be achieved on the HI power spectrum at for
using the foreground avoidance method. We present the power
spectrum estimates with the current simulation on the COSMOS field that
includes contributions from HI, noise and point source models from the data
itself. The results from our \textit{visibility} based pipeline are in good
agreement to the already available MIGHTEE data. This paper demonstrates that
MeerKAT can achieve very high sensitivity to detect HI with the full MIGHTEE
survey on semi-linear scales (signal-to-noise ratio at
) which are instrumental in probing cosmological quantities such
as the spectral index of fluctuation, constraints on warm dark matter, the
quasi-linear redshift space distortions and the measurement of the HI content
of the Universe up to .Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to MNRAS, comments welcom
MIGHTEE polarization early science fields: the deep polarized sky
The MeerKAT International GigaHertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) is one of the MeerKAT large survey projects, designed to pathfind SKA key science. MIGHTEE is undertaking deep radio imaging of four well-observed fields (COSMOS, XMM-LSS, ELAISāS1, and CDFS) totaling 20 square degrees to Ī¼Jy sensitivities. Broad-band imaging observations between 880 and1690 MHz yield total intensity continuum, spectro-polarimetry, and atomic hydrogen spectral imaging. Early science data from MIGHTEE are being released from initial observations of COSMOS and XMMāLSS. This paper describes the spectro-polarimetric observations, the polarization data processing of the MIGHTEE early science fields, and presents polarization data images and catalogues. The catalogues include radio spectral index, redshift information, and Faraday rotation measure synthesis results for 13ā267 total intensity radio sources down to a polarized intensity detection limit of ā¼20āĪ¼Jyābmā1. Polarized signals were detected from 324 sources. For the polarized detections, we include a catalogue of Faraday Depth from both Faraday Synthesis and Q, U fitting, as well as total intensity and polarization spectral indices. The distribution of redshift of the total radio sources and detected polarized sources are the same, with median redshifts of 0.86 and 0.82, respectively. Depolarization of the emission at longer-wavelengths is seen to increase with decreasing total-intensity spectral index, implying that depolarization is intrinsic to the radio sources. No evidence is seen for a redshift dependence of the variance of Faraday depth
WALLABY Early Science - I. The NGC 7162 Galaxy Group
We present Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind Survey (WALLABY) early
science results from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP)
observations of the NGC 7162 galaxy group. We use archival HIPASS and Australia
Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations of this group to validate the new
ASKAP data and the data reduction pipeline ASKAPsoft. We detect six galaxies in
the neutral hydrogen (HI) 21-cm line, expanding the NGC 7162 group membership
from four to seven galaxies. Two of the new detections are also the first HI
detections of the dwarf galaxies, AM 2159-434 and GALEXASC J220338.65-431128.7,
for which we have measured velocities of and km s,
respectively. We confirm that there is extended HI emission around NGC 7162
possibly due to past interactions in the group as indicated by the
offset between the kinematic and morphological major axes for NGC 7162A, and
its HI richness. Taking advantage of the increased resolution (factor of
) of the ASKAP data over archival ATCA observations, we fit a tilted
ring model and use envelope tracing to determine the galaxies' rotation curves.
Using these we estimate the dynamical masses and find, as expected, high dark
matter fractions of for all group members. The
ASKAP data are publicly available.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Radio-Continuum Study of the Nearby Sculptor Group Galaxies. Part 2: NGC 55 at {\lambda}=20, 13, 6 and 3 cm
A series of new radio-continuum ({\lambda}=20, 13, 6 and 3 cm) mosaic images
focused on the NGC55 galactic system were produced using archived observational
data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array. These new images are both very
sensitive (down to rms=33 {\mu}Jy) and feature high angular resolution (down to
<4"). Using these newly created images, 66 previously unidentified discrete
sources are identified. Of these sources, 46 were classified as background
sources, 11 as HII regions and 6 as supernova remnant candidates. This
relatively low number of SNR candidates detected coupled with the low number of
large HII regions is consistent with the estimated low star formation rate of
the galaxy at 0.06 solar masses per year. Our spectral index map shows that the
core of galaxy appears to have a shallow spectral index between {\alpha} = -0.2
and -0.4. This indicates that the core of the galaxy is a region of high
thermal radiation output.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Discovery of a Radio Relic in the Massive Merging Cluster SPT-CL 2023-5535 from the ASKAP-EMU PILOT SURVEY
The ASKAP-EMU survey is a deep wide-field radio continuum survey designed to
cover the entire southern sky and a significant fraction of the northern sky up
to . Here, we report a discovery of a radio relic in the merging
cluster SPT-CL 2023-5535 at z=0.23 from the ASKAP-EMU pilot 300 sq. deg survey
(800-1088 MHz). The deep high-resolution data reveal a Mpc-scale radio
halo elongated in the east-west direction, coincident with the intracluster
gas. The radio relic is located at the western edge of this radio halo
stretched Mpc in the north-south orientation. The integrated spectral
index of the radio relic within the narrow bandwidth is . Our weak-lensing
analysis shows that the system is massive () and composed of at least three subclusters. We suggest a scenario,
wherein the radio features arise from the collision between the eastern and
middle subclusters. Our discovery illustrates the effectiveness of the
ASKAP-EMU survey in detecting diffuse emissions in galaxy clusters and when
completed, the survey will greatly increase the number of merging cluster
detections with diffuse radio emissions.Comment: Accepted to Ap
The extraordinary linear polarisation structure of the southern Centaurus A lobe revealed by ASKAP
We present observations of linear polarisation in the southern radio lobe of
Centaurus A, conducted during commissioning of the Australian Square Kilometre
Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. We used 16 antennas to observe a 30 square
degree region in a single 12 hour pointing over a 240 MHz band centred on 913
MHz. Our observations achieve an angular resolution of arcseconds
(480 parsecs), a maximum recoverable angular scale of 30 arcminutes, and a
full-band sensitivity of 85 \muupJy beam. The resulting maps of
polarisation and Faraday rotation are amongst the most detailed ever made for
radio lobes, with of order 10 resolution elements covering the source. We
describe several as-yet unreported observational features of the lobe,
including its detailed peak Faraday depth structure, and intricate networks of
depolarised filaments. These results demonstrate the exciting capabilities of
ASKAP for widefield radio polarimetry.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in "The Power of Faraday Tomography"
special issue of Galaxie
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