The large scale clustering of radio sources

The observed two-point angular correlation function, w(theta), of mJy radio sources exhibits the puzzling feature of a power-law behaviour up to very large (almost 10 degrees) angular scales which cannot be accounted for in the standard hierarchical clustering scenario for any realistic redshift distribution of such sources. After having discarded the possibility that the signal can be explained by a high density local source population, we find no alternatives to assuming that - at variance with all the other extragalactic populations studied so far, and in particular with optically selected quasars - radio sources responsible for the large-scale clustering signal were increasingly less clustered with increasing look-back time, up to at least z=1. The data are accurately accounted for in terms of a bias function which decreases with increasing redshift, mirroring the evolution with cosmic time of the characteristic halo mass, M_{star}, entering the non linear regime. In the framework of the `concordance cosmology', the effective halo mass controlling the bias parameter is found to decrease from about 10^{15} M_{sun}/h at z=0 to the value appropriate for optically selected quasars, 10^{13} M_{sun}/h, at z=1.5. This suggests that, in the redshift range probed by the data, the clustering evolution of radio sources is ruled by the growth of large-scale structure, and that they are associated with the densest environments virializing at any cosmic epoch. The data provide only loose constraints on radio source clustering at z>1 so we cannot rule out the possibility that at these redshifts the clustering evolution of radio sources enters a different regime, perhaps similar to that found for optically selected quasars. The dependence of w(theta) on cosmological parameters is also discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication on MNRA

Average fractional polarization of extragalactic sources at Planck frequencies

Recent detailed simulations have shown that an insufficiently accurate characterization of the contamination of unresolved polarized extragalactic sources can seriously bias measurements of the primordial cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum if the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r\sim 0.001,$ as predicted by models currently of special interest (e.g., Starobinsky's $R^2$ and Higgs inflation). This has motivated a reanalysis of the median polarization fraction of extragalactic sources (radio-loud AGNs and dusty galaxies) using data from the \textit{Planck} polarization maps. Our approach, exploiting the intensity distribution analysis, mitigates or overcomes the most delicate aspects of earlier analyses based on stacking techniques. By means of simulations, we have shown that the residual noise bias on the median polarization fraction, $\Pi_{\rm median}$, of extragalactic sources is generally \simlt 0.1\%. For radio sources, we have found $\Pi_{\rm median} \simeq 2.83\%$, with no significant dependence on either frequency or flux density, in good agreement with the earlier estimate and with high-sensitivity measurements in the frequency range 5--40\,GHz. No polarization signal is detected in the case of dusty galaxies, implying 90\% confidence upper limits of \Pi_{\rm dusty}\simlt 2.2\% at 353\,GHz and of \simlt 3.9\% at 217\,GHz. The contamination of CMB polarization maps by unresolved point sources is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 7 tables; revised version. In press on Astronomy and Astrophysic

A dark matter interpretation for the ARCADE excess?

The ARCADE 2 Collaboration has recently measured an isotropic radio emission which is significantly brighter than the expected contributions from known extra-galactic sources. The simplest explanation of such excess involves a "new" population of unresolved sources which become the most numerous at very low (observationally unreached) brightness. We investigate this scenario in terms of synchrotron radiation induced by WIMP annihilations or decays in extragalactic halos. Intriguingly, for light-mass WIMPs with thermal annihilation cross-section, and fairly conservative clustering assumptions, the level of expected radio emission matches the ARCADE observations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. v2: one benchmark model added, comments and references expanded, to appear in PR

Angular Correlations of the X-Ray Background and Clustering of Extragalactic X-Ray Sources

The information content of the autocorrelation function (ACF) of intensity fluctuations of the X-ray background (XRB) is analyzed. The tight upper limits set by ROSAT deep survey data on the ACF at arcmin scales imply strong constraints on clustering properties of X-ray sources at cosmological distances and on their contribution to the soft XRB. If quasars have a clustering radius r_0=12-20 Mpc (H_0=50), and their two point correlation function, is constant in comoving coordinates as indicated by optical data, they cannot make up more 40-50% of the soft XRB (the maximum contribution may reach 80% in the case of stable clustering, epsilon=0). Active Star-forming (ASF) galaxies clustered like normal galaxies, with r_0=10-12 Mpc can yield up to 20% or up to 40% of the soft XRB for epsilon=-1.2 or epsilon=0, respectively. The ACF on degree scales essentially reflects the clustering properties of local sources and is proportional to their volume emissivity. The upper limits on scales of a few degrees imply that hard X-ray selected AGNs have r_0<25 Mpc if epsilon=0 or r_0<20 Mpc if epsilon=-1.2. No significant constraints are set on clustering of ASF galaxies, due to their low local volume emissivity. The possible signal on scales >6 deg, if real, may be due to AGNs with r_0=20 Mpc; the contribution from clusters of galaxies with r_0~50 Mpc is a factor 2 lower.Comment: ApJ, in press (20 July 1993); 28 pages, TeX, ASTRPD-93-2-0

A reassessment of the evidence of the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect through the WMAP-NVSS correlation

We reassess the estimate of the cross-correlation of the spatial distribution of the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) radio sources with that of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). This re-analysis is motivated by the fact that most previous studies adopted a redshift distribution of NVSS sources inconsistent with recent data. We find that the constraints on the bias-weighted redshift distribution, b(z)xN(z), of NVSS sources, set by the observed angular correlation function, w(theta), strongly mitigate the effect of the choice of N(z). If such constraints are met, even highly discrepant redshift distributions yield NVSS-WMAP cross-correlation functions consistent with each other within statistical errors. The models favoured by recent data imply a bias factor, b(z), decreasing with increasing z, rather than constant, as assumed by most previous analyses. As a consequence, the function b(z)xN(z) has more weight at z<1, i.e. in the redshift range yielding the maximum contribution to the ISW in a standard LambdaCDM cosmology. On the whole, the NVSS turns out to be better suited for ISW studies than generally believed, even in the absence of an observational determination of the redshift distribution. The NVSS-WMAP cross-correlation function is found to be fully consistent with the prediction of the standard LambdaCDM cosmology.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, submitted to MNRA

Polarization Properties of Extragalactic Radio Sources and Their Contribution to Microwave Polarization Fluctuations

We investigate the statistical properties of the polarized emission of extragalactic radio sources and estimate their contribution to the power spectrum of polarization fluctuations in the microwave region. The basic ingredients of our analysis are the NVSS polarization data, the multifrequency study of polarization properties of the B3-VLA sample (Mack et al. 2002) which has allowed us to quantify Faraday depolarization effects, and the 15 GHz survey by Taylor et al. (2001), which has provided strong constraints on the high-frequency spectral indices of sources. The polarization degree of both steep- and flat-spectrum at 1.4 GHz is found to be anti-correlated with the flux density. The median polarization degree at 1.4 GHz of both steep- and flat-spectrum sources brighter than $S(1.4 \hbox{GHz})=80$mJy is $\simeq 2.2$. The data by Mack et al. (2002) indicate a substantial mean Faraday depolarization at 1.4 GHz for steep spectrum sources, while the depolarization is undetermined for most flat/inverted-spectrum sources. Exploiting this complex of information we have estimated the power spectrum of polarization fluctuations due to extragalactic radio sources at microwave frequencies. We confirm that extragalactic sources are expected to be the main contaminant of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization maps on small angular scales. At frequencies $< 30$GHz the amplitude of their power spectrum is expected to be comparable to that of the $E$-mode of the CMB. At higher frequencies, however, the CMB dominates.Comment: 10 pages, A&A in pres

Non-blind catalogue of extragalactic point sources from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) first 3--year survey data

We have used the MHW2 filter to obtain estimates of the flux densities at the WMAP frequencies of a complete sample of 2491 sources, mostly brighter than 500 mJy at 5 GHz, distributed over the whole sky excluding a strip around the Galactic equator (b < 5 degrees). After having detected 933 sources above the 3 sigma level in the MHW2 filtered maps - our New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS_3sigma) Catalogue - we are left with 381 sources above 5 sigma in at least one WMAP channel, 369 of which constitute our NEWPS_5sigma catalogue. It is remarkable to note that 98 (i.e. 26%) sources detected above 5 sigma are `new', they are not present in the WMAP catalogue. Source fluxes have been corrected for the Eddington bias. Our flux density estimates before such correction are generally in good agreement with the WMAP ones at 23 GHz. At higher frequencies WMAP fluxes tend to be slightly higher than ours, probably because WMAP estimates neglect the deviations of the point spread function from a Gaussian shape. On the whole, above the estimated completeness limit of 1.1 Jy at 23 GHz we detected 43 sources missed by the blind method adopted by the WMAP team. On the other hand, our low-frequency selection threshold left out 25 WMAP sources, only 12 of which, however, are 5 sigma detections and only 3 have fluxes S at 23 GHz > 1.1 Jy. Thus, our approach proved to be competitive with, and complementary to the WMAP one.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Statistical properties of extragalactic sources in the New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS) catalogue

We present results on spectral index distributions, number counts, redshift distribution and other general statistical properties of extragalactic point sources in the NEWPS5 sample L\'opez-Caniego et al. (2007). The flux calibrations at all the WMAP channels have been reassessed both by comparison with ground based observations and through estimates of the effective beam areas. The two methods yield consistent statistical correction factors. A search of the NED has yielded optical identifications for 89% of sources in the complete sub-sample of 252 sources with S/N>5 and S>1.1 Jy at 23 GHz; 5 sources turned out to be Galactic and were removed. The NED also yielded redshifts for 92% of the extragalactic sources at |b|>10deg. Their distribution was compared with model predictions; the agreement is generally good but a possible discrepancy is noted. Using the 5 GHz fluxes from the GB6 or PMN surveys, we find that 76% of the 191 extragalactic sources with S_23GHz>1.3,Jy can be classified as flat-spectrum sources between 5 and 23 GHz. A spectral steepening is observed at higher frequencies: only 59% of our sources are still flat-spectrum sources between 23 and 61 GHz and the average spectral indexes steepen from = 0.01\pm 0.03 to = 0.37\pm 0.03. We think, however, that the difference may be due to a selection effect. The source number counts have a close to Euclidean slope and are in good agreement with the predictions of the cosmological evolution model by De Zotti et al. (2005). The observed spectral index distributions were exploited to get model-independent extrapolations of counts to higher frequencies. The risks of such operations are discussed and reasons of discrepancies with other recent estimates are clarified.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

A Physical Model for Co-evolution of QSOs and of their Spheroidal Hosts

At variance with most semi-analytic models, in the Anti-hierarchical Baryon Collapse scenario (Granato et al. 2001, 2004) the main driver of the galaxy formation and evolution is not the merging sequence but are baryon processes. This approach emphasizes, still in the framework of the hierarchical clustering paradigm for dark matter halos, feedback processes from supernova explosions and from active nuclei, that tie together star formation in spheroidal galaxies and the growth of black holes at their centers. We review some recent results showing the remarkably successful predictive power of this scenario, which allows us to account for the evolution with cosmic time of a broad variety of properties of galaxies and active nuclei, which proved to be very challenging for competing models.Comment: Invited talk at the Specola Vaticana Workshop on "AGN and Galaxy Evolution", Castel Gandolfo, 3-6 October 2005, 10 pages, 2 figure