729 research outputs found
The VLA Low-frequency Sky Survey
The Very Large Array (VLA) Low-frequency Sky Survey (VLSS) has imaged 95% of
the 3*pi sr of sky north of declination = -30 degrees at a frequency of 74 MHz
(4 meter wavelength). The resolution is 80" (FWHM) throughout, and the typical
RMS noise level is ~0.1 Jy/beam. The typical point-source detection limit is
0.7 Jy/beam and so far nearly 70,000 sources have been catalogued. This survey
used the 74 MHz system added to the VLA in 1998. It required new imaging
algorithms to remove the large ionospheric distortions at this very low
frequency throughout the entire ~11.9 degree field of view. This paper
describes the observation and data reduction methods used for the VLSS and
presents the survey images and source catalog. All of the calibrated images and
the source catalog are available online (http://lwa.nrl.navy.mil/VLSS) for use
by the astronomical community.Comment: 53 pages, including 3 tables and 15 figures. Has been accepted for
publication in the Astronomical Journa
The extraordinary radio galaxy MRC B1221-423: probing deeper at radio and optical wavelengths
We present optical spectra and high-resolution multi-wavelength radio
observations of the compact steep-spectrum radio source MRC B1221-423
(z=0.1706). MRC B1221-423 is a very young (~10^5 yr), powerful radio source
which is undergoing a tidal interaction with a companion galaxy. We find strong
evidence of interaction between the AGN and its environment. The radio
morphology is highly distorted, showing a dramatic interaction between the
radio jet and the host galaxy, with the jet being turned almost back on itself.
H I observations show strong absorption against the nucleus at an infall
velocity of ~250 km/s compared to the stellar velocity, as well as a second,
broader component which may represent gas falling into the nucleus. Optical
spectra show that star formation is taking place across the whole system. Broad
optical emission lines in the nucleus show evidence of outflow. Our
observations confirm that MRC B1221-423 is a young radio source in a gas-rich
nuclear environment, and that there was a time delay of a few x 100 Myr between
the onset of star formation and the triggering of the AGN.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, to appear in MNRA
The Coherent Radio Emission from the RS CVn Binary HR 1099
We used the Australia Telescope in March-April 2005 to observe the RS CVn
binary HR 1099 at 1.384 and 2.368 GHz at two epochs, each of 9 h in duration
and 11 days apart. During two episodes of coherent emission, we employed a
recently installed facility to sample the data at 78 ms intervals to measure
the fine temporal and spectral structure of HR 1099. Our main observational
results include: ~100% left hand circularly polarised emission was seen at both
1.384 and 2.368 GHz during both epochs; in the first event the emission feature
drifted across the spectrum; three 22 min integrations made at 78 ms time
resolution showed that the modulation index of the Stokes V parameter increased
monotonically as the integration time was decreased and was still increasing at
our resolution limit; we believe that the highly polarised emission is due to
electron-cyclotron maser emission (ECME) operating in the corona of one of the
binary components. We discuss two kinds of maser sources that may be
responsible for driving the observed events. We suggest that the ECME source
may be an aurora-like phenomenon due to the transfer of plasma from the K2
subgiant to the G5 dwarf in a strong stellar wind.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Publications of the Astronomical
Society of Australi
Scaling Laws for Advection Dominated Flows: Applications to Low Luminosity Galactic Nuclei
We present analytical scaling laws for self-similar advection dominated
flows. The spectra from these systems range from 10 - 10 Hz, and
are determined by considering cooling of electrons through synchrotron,
bremsstrahlung, and Compton processes. We show that the spectra can be quite
accurately reproduced without detailed numerical calculations, and that there
is a strong testable correlation between the radio and X-ray fluxes from these
systems. We describe how different regions of the spectrum scale with the mass
of the accreting black hole, , the accretion rate of the gas, , and
the equilibrium temperature of the electrons, . We show that the universal
radio spectral index of 1/3 observed in most elliptical galaxies (Slee et al.
1994) is a natural consequence of self-absorbed synchrotron radiation from
these flows. We also give expressions for the total luminosity of these flows,
and the critical accretion rate, , above which the advection
solutions cease to exist. We find that for most cases of interest the
equilibrium electron temperature is fairly insensitive to , , and
parameters in the model. We apply these results to low luminosity black holes
in galactic nuclei. We show that the problem posed by Fabian & Canizares (1988)
of whether bright elliptical galaxies host dead quasars is resolved, as pointed
out recently by Fabian & Rees (1995), by considering advection-dominated flows.Comment: 30 pages, 5 postscript files. Accepted to ApJ. Also available
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~rohan/publications.htm
Four Extreme Relic Radio Sources in Clusters of Galaxies
(Abridged) We describe the results of the highest-resolution radio
observations yet made of four relic radio sources in the Abell clusters A13,
A85, A133 and A4038. Our VLA images at 1.4 GHz with 4" resolution show a
remarkable variety of fine structure in the form of spectacular arcs, wisps,
plumes and loops. Their integrated radio flux densities fall very rapidly with
frequency, with power-law slopes between 2.1 and 4.4 near 1.4 GHz The relics
possess linear polarization levels ranging between 2.3 % (A133) and 35 % (A85);
the higher polarization fractions imply a highly ordered magnetic field in the
fine structure and low differential Faraday rotation in the intervening cluster
gas. The optical identification of host galaxies remains problematic. In A85,
A133 and A4038 the travel times for the brightest cluster galaxies are
significantly longer than the modeled ages of the relics and nearby bright
ellipticals provide a better match. Excess X-ray emission in the 0.5 keV-to-2
keV band was found near the relics in A85 and A133. The surface brightness was
too high to be attributed to the inverse-Compton mechanism alone. We found
excellent fits to the broad-band radio spectra using the anisotropic (KGKP)
model of spectral ageing, and we have extended the model to include diffusion
of particles between regions of different field strength (the Murgia-JP, or
MJP, model). The steep radio spectra imply ages for the relics of ~ 10^8 yr, at
the start of which period their radio luminosities would have been ~ 10^25 W/Hz
at 1.4 GHz.Comment: 43 pages, 13 figures, AJ, Sep 2001 (accepted
The 74MHz System on the Very Large Array
The Naval Research Laboratory and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
completed implementation of a low frequency capability on the VLA at 73.8 MHz
in 1998. This frequency band offers unprecedented sensitivity (~25 mJy/beam)
and resolution (~25 arcsec) for low-frequency observations. We review the
hardware, the calibration and imaging strategies, comparing them to those at
higher frequencies, including aspects of interference excision and wide-field
imaging. Ionospheric phase fluctuations pose the major difficulty in
calibrating the array. Over restricted fields of view or at times of extremely
quiescent ionospheric ``weather'', an angle-invariant calibration strategy can
be used. In this approach a single phase correction is devised for each
antenna, typically via self-calibration. Over larger fields of view or at times
of more normal ionospheric ``weather'' when the ionospheric isoplanatic patch
size is smaller than the field of view, we adopt a field-based strategy in
which the phase correction depends upon location within the field of view. This
second calibration strategy was implemented by modeling the ionosphere above
the array using Zernike polynomials. Images of 3C sources of moderate strength
are provided as examples of routine, angle-invariant calibration and imaging.
Flux density measurements indicate that the 74 MHz flux scale at the VLA is
stable to a few percent, and tied to the Baars et al. value of Cygnus A at the
5 percent level. We also present an example of a wide-field image, devoid of
bright objects and containing hundreds of weaker sources, constructed from the
field-based calibration. We close with a summary of lessons the 74 MHz system
offers as a model for new and developing low-frequency telescopes. (Abridged)Comment: 73 pages, 46 jpeg figures, to appear in ApJ
Three-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Buoyant Bubbles in Galaxy Clusters
We report results of 3D MHD simulations of the dynamics of buoyant bubbles in
magnetized galaxy cluster media. The simulations are three dimensional
extensions of two dimensional calculations reported by Jones & De Young (2005).
Initially spherical bubbles and briefly inflated spherical bubbles all with
radii a few times smaller than the intracluster medium (ICM) scale height were
followed as they rose through several ICM scale heights. Such bubbles quickly
evolve into a toroidal form that, in the absence of magnetic influences, is
stable against fragmentation in our simulations. This ring formation results
from (commonly used) initial conditions that cause ICM material below the
bubbles to drive upwards through the bubble, creating a vortex ring; that is,
hydrostatic bubbles develop into "smoke rings", if they are initially not very
much smaller or very much larger than the ICM scale height. Even modest ICM
magnetic fields with beta = P_gas/P_mag ~ 10^3 can influence the dynamics of
the bubbles, provided the fields are not tangled on scales comparable to or
smaller than the size of the bubbles. Quasi-uniform, horizontal fields with
initial beta ~ 10^2 bifurcated our bubbles before they rose more than about a
scale height of the ICM, and substantially weaker fields produced clear
distortions. On the other hand, tangled magnetic fields with similar, modest
strengths are generally less easily amplified by the bubble motions and are
thus less influential in bubble evolution. Inclusion of a comparably strong,
tangled magnetic field inside the initial bubbles had little effect on our
bubble evolution, since those fields were quickly diminished through expansion
of the bubble and reconnection of the initial field.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
PKS 1018-42: A Powerful Kinetically Dominated Quasar
We have identified PKS 1018-42 as a radio galaxy with extraordinarily
powerful jets, over twice as powerful as any 3CR source of equal or lesser
redshift except for one (3C196). It is perhaps the most intrinsically powerful
extragalactic radio source in the, still poorly explored, Southern Hemisphere.
PKS 1018-42 belongs to the class of FR II objects that are kinetically
dominated, the jet kinetic luminosity, (calculated at 151 MHz), is 3.4 times larger than the
total thermal luminosity (IR to X-ray) of the accretion flow, . It is the fourth most kinetically dominated
quasar that we could verify from existing radio data. From a review of the
literature, we find that kinetically dominated sources such as PKS 1018-42 are
rare, and list the 5 most kinetically dominated sources found from our review.
Our results for PKS 1018-42 are based on new observations from the Australia
Telescope Compact Array.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letter
Discovery of Radio Outbursts in the Active Nucleus of M81
The low-luminosity active galactic nucleus of M81 has been monitored at
centimeter wavelengths since early 1993 as a by-product of radio programs to
study the radio emission from Supernova 1993J. The extensive data sets reveal
that the nucleus experienced several radio outbursts during the monitoring
period. At 2 and 3.6 cm, the main outburst occurred roughly in the beginning of
1993 September and lasted for approximately three months; at longer
wavelengths, the maximum flux density decreases, and the onset of the burst is
delayed. These characteristics qualitatively resemble the standard model for
adiabatically expanding radio sources, although certain discrepancies between
the observations and the theoretical predictions suggest that the model is too
simplistic. In addition to the large-amplitude, prolonged variations, we also
detected milder changes in the flux density at 3.6 cm and possibly at 6 cm on
short (less than 1 day) timescales. We discuss a possible association between
the radio activity and an optical flare observed during the period that the
nucleus was monitored at radio wavelengths.Comment: To appear in The Astronomical Journal. Latex, 18 pages including
embedded figures and table
A Giant Outburst at Millimeter Wavelengths in the Orion Nebula
BIMA observations of the Orion nebula discovered a giant flare from a young
star previously undetected at millimeter wavelengths. The star briefly became
the brightest compact object in the nebula at 86 GHz. Its flux density
increased by more than a factor of 5 on a timescale of hours, to a peak of 160
mJy. This is one of the most luminous stellar radio flares ever observed.
Remarkably, the Chandra X-ray observatory was in the midst of a deep
integration of the Orion nebula at the time of the BIMA discovery; the source's
X-ray flux increased by a factor of 10 approximately 2 days before the radio
detection. Follow-up radio observations with the VLA and BIMA showed that the
source decayed on a timescale of days, then flared again several times over the
next 70 days, although never as brightly as during the discovery. Circular
polarization was detected at 15, 22, and 43 GHz, indicating that the emission
mechanism was cyclotron. VLBA observations 9 days after the initial flare yield
a brightness temperature Tb > 5 x 10^7 K at 15 GHz. Infrared spectroscopy
indicates the source is a K5V star with faint Br gamma emission, suggesting
that it is a weak-line T Tauri object. Zeeman splitting measurements in the
infrared spectrum find B ~ 2.6 +/- 1.0 kG. The flare is an extreme example of
magnetic activity associated with a young stellar object. These data suggest
that short observations obtained with ALMA will uncover hundreds of flaring
young stellar objects in the Orion region.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
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