A radio and optical study of Molonglo radio sources

We present multi-wavelength radio observations with the Very Large Array, and narrow- and broad-band optical observations with the 2.5-m telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory, of a well-defined sample of high-luminosity Fanaroff–Riley class II radio galaxies and quasars, selected from the Molonglo Reference Catalogue 1-Jy sample. These observations were carried out as part of a programme to investigate the effects of orientation and environment on some of the observed properties of these sources. We examine the dependence of the Liu–Pooley relationship, which shows that radio lobes with flatter radio spectra are less depolarized, on size, identification and redshift, and show that it is significantly stronger for smaller sources, with the strength of the relationship being similar for both radio galaxies and quasars. In addition to Doppler effects, there appear to be intrinsic differences between the lobes on opposite sides. We discuss the asymmetry in brightness and location of the hotspots, and present estimates of the ages and velocities from matched-resolution observations in the L and C bands. Narrow- and broad-band optical images of some of these sources were made to study their environments and correlate with the symmetry parameters. An extended emission-line region is seen in a quasar, and in four of the objects possible companion galaxies are seen close to the radio axis.     

Radio properties of the Shapley Concentration – III. Merging clusters in the A3558 complex

We present the results of a 22-cm radio survey carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) covering the A3558 complex, a chain formed by the merging ACO clusters A3556–A3558–A3562 and the two groups SC 1327−312 and SC 1323−313, located in the central region of the Shapley Concentration. The purpose of our survey is to study the effects of cluster mergers on the statistical properties of radio galaxies and to investigate the connection between mergers and the presence of radio haloes and relic sources.
We found that the radio source counts in the A3558 complex are consistent with the background source counts. The much higher optical density compared with the background is not reflected as a higher density of radio sources. Furthermore, we found that no correlation exists between the local density and the radio source power, and that steep-spectrum radio galaxies are not segregated in denser optical regions.
The radio luminosity function for elliptical and S0 galaxies is significantly lower than for cluster early-type galaxies and for those not selected to be in clusters at radio powers log  P _1.4≳22.5, implying that the probability of a galaxy becoming a radio source above this power limit is lower in the Shapley Concentration compared with any other environment. Possible explanations will be presented.
The detection of a head–tail source in the centre of A3562, coupled with careful inspection of the 20-cm NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) and of 36-cm MOST observations, allowed us to spot two extended sources in the region between A3562 and SC 1329−313, i.e. a candidate radio halo at the centre of A3562 and low brightness extended emission around a 14.96-mag Shapley galaxy. The relation between these two extended galaxies and the ongoing group merger in this region of the Shapley Concentration are discussed.     

Distant FR I radio galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field: implications for the cosmological evolution of radio-loud AGN

Deep and high-resolution radio observations of the Hubble Deep Field and flanking fields have shown the presence of two distant edge-darkened FR I radio galaxies, allowing for the first time an estimate of their high-redshift space density. If it is assumed that the space density of FR I radio galaxies at     is similar to that found in the local Universe, then the chance of finding two FR I radio galaxies at these high radio powers in such a small area of sky is < 1 per cent. This suggests that these objects were significantly more abundant at     than at present, effectively ruling out the possibility that FR I radio sources undergo no cosmological evolution. We suggest that FR I and FR II radio galaxies should not be treated as intrinsically distinct classes of objects, but that the cosmological evolution is simply a function of radio power with FR I and FR II radio galaxies of similar radio powers undergoing similar cosmological evolutions. Since low-power radio galaxies have mainly FR I morphologies and high-power radio galaxies have mainly FR II morphologies, this results in a generally stronger cosmological evolution for the FR IIs than the FR Is. We believe that additional support from the V / V _max test for evolving and non-evolving population of FR IIs and FR Is respectively is irrelevant, since this test is sensitive over very different redshift ranges for the two classes.     

Relativistic beaming effects in the spectra of cores and hotspots in radio galaxies and quasars

We present the results of multiwavelength observations of cores and hotspots, at L , C , X and U bands with the Very Large Array, of a matched sample of radio galaxies and quasars selected from the Molonglo Reference Catalogue . We use these observations to determine the spectra of cores and hotspots, and test the unified scheme for radio galaxies and quasars. Radio cores have been detected at all wavelengths in all of the quasars in our sample, whereas only ∼50 per cent of the galaxies have cores detected in at least one of the wavelengths . The degree of core prominence in this sample is consistent with the unified scheme for radio galaxies and quasars. A comparison of the distributions of the two-point spectral index of the cores in our sample of lobe-dominated quasars, with the distributions in a matched sample of core-dominated quasars, shows that the distributions for these two classes are significantly different, and this is consistent with the expectations of the unified scheme. The difference in the spectral indices of the two hotspots on opposite sides is also significantly larger for quasars than for radio galaxies, as is expected in the unified scheme. We also investigate the relationship between the spectral index of the hotspots and the redshift or luminosity for our sample of sources.     

Jets in the Fanaroff–Riley class I radio galaxies PKS B1234−723, MRC 1452−517 and PKS B2148−555

We present radio observations made with the Australia Telescope Compact Array to study the jets and lobes of three Fanaroff–Riley class I (FR I) radio galaxies: PKS B1234−723, 1452−517 and B2148−555. The total intensity and polarization radio images of the FR I jets are used to determine jet brightness and width variations, magnetic field structure and fractional polarization. The equipartition pressure is determined as a function of distance from the galaxies to probe the intergalactic medium.     

Compact steep-spectrum sources from the S4 sample

We present the results of 5-GHz observations with the VLA A-array of a sample of candidate compact steep‐spectrum (CSS) sources selected from the S4 survey. We also estimate the symmetry parameters of high-luminosity CSS sources selected from different samples of radio sources, and compare these with the larger sources of similar luminosity to understand their evolution and the consistency of the CSS sources with the unified scheme for radio galaxies and quasars. The majority of CSS sources are likely to be young sources advancing outwards through a dense asymmetric environment. The radio properties of CSS sources are found to be consistent with the unified scheme, in which the axes of the quasars are observed close to the line of sight, while radio galaxies are observed close to the plane of the sky.     

FR II radio galaxies with z < 0.3 — I. Properties of jets, cores and hotspots

In previous papers we have discussed high-resolution observations of a large sample of powerful radio galaxies with z  < 0.3. Jets are detected in up to 80 per cent of the sample, and radio cores in nearly all the objects; in addition, we are able to resolve the hotspots in most sources. In this paper we present measurements of the radio properties of these components.   The prominences of the jets detected do not appear to be a function of radio luminosity, providing the clearest evidence yet that the reported low detection rate of jets in radio galaxies has been an artefact of low-sensitivity observations. We find a positive correlation between the total source length and core prominence in the narrow-line radio galaxies. We have found evidence for a relationship between hotspot size and total source size, but few other significant relationships between hotspot properties and those of the jets or lobes. We compare our measurements with those of Bridle et al., based on observations of a sample of quasars, and argue that the results are consistent with a modification of the unified model in which the broad-line radio galaxies are the low-luminosity counterparts of quasars, although the situation is complicated by contamination with low-excitation radio galaxies which appear to have radio properties different from the high-excitation objects. We discuss the classes of empirical model that can be fitted to the data set.     

Cygnus A

Cygnus A was the first hyper-active galaxy discovered, and it remains by far the closest of the ultra-luminous radio galaxies. As such, Cygnus A has played a fundamental role in the study of virtually all aspects of extreme activity in galaxies. We present a review of jet theory for powering the double-lobed radio emitting structures in powerful radio galaxies, followed by a review of observations of Cygnus A in the radio, optical, and X-ray relevant to testing various aspects of jet theory. Issues addressed include: jet structure from pc- to kpc-scales, jet stability, confinement, composition, and velocity, the double shock structure for the jet terminus and the origin of multiple radio hotspots, the nature of the filamentary structure in the radio lobes, and the hydrodynamic evolution of the radio lobes within a dense cluster atmosphere, including an analysis of pressure balance between the various gaseous components. Also discussed are relativistic particle acceleration and loss mechanisms in Cygnus A, as well as magnetic field strengths and geometries both within the radio source, and in the intracluster medium. We subsequently review the classification, cluster membership, and the emission components of the Cygnus A galaxy. The origin of the activity is discussed. Concentrating on the nuclear regions of the galaxy, we review the evidence for an obscured QSO, also given the constraints on the orientation of the radio source axis with respect to the sky plane. We present an overview of models of central engines in AGN and observations of Cygnus A which may be relevant to testing such models. We conclude with a brief section concerning the question of whether Cygnus A is representative of powerful high redshift radio galaxies. Received October 10, 1995     

The disc-dominated host galaxy of FR-I radio source B2 0722+30

We present new observational results that conclude that the nearby radio galaxy B2 0722+30 is one of the very few known disc galaxies in the low-redshift Universe that host a classical double-lobed radio source. In this paper, we use H  i observations, deep optical imaging, stellar population synthesis modelling and emission-line diagnostics to study the host galaxy, classify the active galactic nucleus (AGN) and investigate environmental properties under which a radio-loud AGN can occur in this system. Typical for spiral galaxies, B2 0722+30 has a regularly rotating gaseous disc throughout which star formation occurs. Dust heating by the ongoing star formation is likely responsible for the high infrared luminosity of the system. The optical emission-line properties of the central region identify a Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Region (LINER)-type nucleus with a relatively low [O  iii ] luminosity, in particular when compared with the total power of the Fanaroff & Riley type-I radio source that is present in this system. This classifies B2 0722+30 as a classical radio galaxy rather than a typical Seyfert galaxy. The environment of B2 0722+30 is extremely H  i -rich, with several nearby interacting galaxies. We argue that a gas-rich interaction involving B2 0722+30 is a likely cause for the triggering of the radio AGN and/or the fact that the radio source managed to escape the optical boundaries of the host galaxy.     

MERLIN radio observations of CfA Seyferts

We present new 1.6-GHz (18-cm) MERLIN maps of 15 Seyfert galaxies, with angular resolutions typically 0.1 to 0.3 arcsec. These and previous observations are used to investigate the properties of 19 of the 24 CfA Seyfert galaxies brighter than 2 mJy at 8.4 GHz. This is the first time a significant fraction of the CfA sample has been mapped at this frequency with subarcsecond resolution, and our observations provide the highest resolution radio maps available for several sources. We use our observations to measure the two-point spectral indices of compact radio components, and we investigate the correlation between infrared and radio emission shown by Seyfert galaxies.
Our results can be summarized as follows. Resolved structures as small as 20 pc are found in three previously unresolved radio sources, and only four sources show single, unresolved radio components. The mean 1.6 to 8.4 GHz spectral index of 31 radio components is         , and approximately 25 per cent of the components have a spectral index flatter than     . The spectral index distributions of type 1 and type 2 Seyferts are statistically indistinguishable. The cores of multiple-component sources tend to have flatter radio spectra than secondary components. The low-resolution infrared ( IRAS ) emission from Seyfert galaxies is usually dominated by kiloparsec-scale, extranuclear emission regions.     

The nature of faint submillimetre-selected galaxies

We present the source catalogue for the SCUBA Lens Survey. We summarize the results of extensive multiwavelength observations of the 15 submillimetre-selected galaxies in the catalogue, from X-rays to radio. We discuss the main observational characteristics of faint submillimetre galaxies as a population, and consider their interpretation within the framework of our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.     

Stormy weather and cluster radio galaxies

New adaptive mesh refinement N-body+hydrodynamics numerical simulations are used to illustrate the complex and changing cluster environments in which many radio galaxies live and evolve. Groups and clusters of galaxies form at the intersections of filaments where they continue to accrete gas and dark matter to the present day. The accretion process produces shocks, turbulence, and transonic bulk flows forming a kind of stormy weather within the intracluster medium (ICM). Radio sources embedded within the stormy ICM form distorted, complex morphologies as observed in recent VLA cluster surveys. We show that the bending of wide-angle tailed radio sources can be understood as the result of recent cluster–subcluster mergers. We use new MHD simulations to illustrate how cluster radio halos can be formed by the shocks and turbulence produced during cluster mergers. Finally, we discuss new observations of distant Abell clusters that reveal a class of weak radio sources, probably starbursts, likely produced during the formation of the clusters as they accrete material from the supercluster environment.     

ROSAT X-ray observations of 3CRR radio sources

Over half the 3CRR sample of radio galaxies and quasars has been observed in X-rays with ROSAT pointed observations, and we present results from these observations, discussing many of the sources in detail. The improved spatial resolution of ROSAT over earlier missions allows a better separation of the nuclear and extended components of the X-ray emission. We investigate the relationship between nuclear X-ray and core radio luminosity, and show that our results support a model in which every radio galaxy and quasar has a beamed nuclear soft X-ray component directly related to the radio core. We report evidence for rich cluster environments around several powerful quasars. These X-ray environments are comparable to those of high-redshift radio galaxies.     

Magnetic fields in the 3C 129 cluster

We present multifrequency VLA observations of the two radio galaxies 3C 129 and 3C 129.1 embedded in a luminous X-ray cluster. These radio observations reveal a substantial difference in the Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) toward 3C 129.1 at the cluster centre and 3C 129 at the cluster periphery. After deriving the density profile from available X-ray data, we find that the RM structure of both radio galaxies can be fitted by a tangled cluster magnetic field with strength 6 μG extending at least 3 core radii (450 kpc) from the cluster centre. The magnetic field makes up a small contribution to the total pressure (5 per cent) in the central regions of the cluster. The radio morphology of 3C 129.1 appears disturbed on the southern side, perhaps by the higher pressure environment. In contrast with earlier claims for the presence of a moderately strong cooling flow in the 3C 129 cluster, our analysis of the X-ray data places a limit on the mass deposition rate from any such flow of < 1.2 M_⊙ yr⁻¹.     

The relationship between star formation rate and radio synchrotron luminosity at 0 < z < 2

We probe the relationship between star formation rate (SFR) and radio synchrotron luminosity in galaxies at  0 < z < 2  within the northern Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic survey (SWIRE) fields, in order to investigate some of the assumptions that go into calculating the star formation history of the Universe from deep radio observations. We present new 610-MHz Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations of the European Large-Area ISO Survey-North 2 (ELAIS-N2) field, and using this data, along with previous GMRT surveys carried out in the ELAIS-N1 (North 1) and Lockman Hole regions, we construct a sample of galaxies which have redshift and SFR information available from the SWIRE survey. We test whether the local relationship between SFR and radio luminosity is applicable to   z = 2  galaxies, and look for evolution in this relationship with both redshift and SFR in order to examine whether the physical processes which lead to synchrotron radiation have remained the same since the peak of star formation in the Universe. We find that the local calibration between radio luminosity and star formation can be successfully applied to radio-selected high-redshift, high-SFR galaxies, although we identify a small number of sources where this may not be the case; these sources show evidence for inaccurate estimations of their SFR, but there may also be some contribution from physical effects such as the recent onset of starburst activity, or suppression of the radio luminosity within these galaxies.     

Deep GMRT 150 MHz Observations of the DEEP2 Fields: Searching for High Red-Shift Radio Galaxies Revisited

High red-shift radio galaxies are best searched at low radio frequencies, due to its steep radio spectra. Here we present preliminary results from our programme to search for high red-shift radio galaxies to ∼10 to 100 times fainter than the known population till date. We have extracted ultra-steep spectrum (USS) samples from deep 150 MHz Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations from one of the three well-studied DEEP2 fields to this effect. From correlating these radio sources with respect to the high-frequency catalogues such as VLA, FIRST and NVSS at 1.4 GHz, we find ∼100 steep spectrum (spectral index, α > 1) radio sources, which are good candidates for high red-shift radio galaxies.     

Starbursts and the triggering of the activity in nearby powerful radio galaxies

We present high-quality long-slit spectra for three nearby powerful radio galaxies – 3C 293, 3C 305 and PKS 1345+12. These were taken with the aim of characterizing the young stellar populations (YSP), and thereby investigating the evolution of the host galaxies, as well as the events that triggered the activity. Isochrone spectral synthesis modelling of the wide wavelength coverage spectra of nuclear and off-nuclear continuum-emitting regions have been used to estimate the ages, masses and luminosities of the YSP component, taking full account of reddening effects and potential contamination by activity-related components. We find that the YSP make a substantial contribution to the continuum flux in the off-nuclear regions on a radial scale of 1–20 kpc in all three objects. Moreover, in two objects we find evidence for reddened post-starburst stellar populations in the near-nuclear regions of the host galaxies. The YSP are relatively old (0.1–2 Gyr), massive  (10⁹ < M _YSP < 2 × 10¹⁰ M_⊙)  and make up a large proportion (∼1–50 per cent) of the total stellar mass in the regions of the galaxies sampled by the observations. Overall, these results are consistent with the idea that the nuclear activity of active galactic nuclei in some radio galaxies is triggered by major gas-rich mergers. Therefore, these radio galaxies form part of the subset of early-type galaxies that is evolving most rapidly in the local Universe. Intriguingly, the results also suggest that the radio jets are triggered relatively late in the merger sequence, and that there is an evolutionary link between radio galaxies and luminous/ultraluminous infrared galaxies.     

High-Redshift Radio Galaxies from Deep Fields

Most of the radio galaxies with z > 3 have been found using the red-shift spectral index correlation. We have started a programme with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) to exploit this correlation at flux density levels about 100 times deeper than the known high-redshift radio galaxies, with an aim to detect candidate high-redshift radio galaxies. Here we present results from the deep 150 MHz observations of LBDS-Lynx field, which has been imaged at 327, 610 and 1412 MHz with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) and at 1400 and 4860 MHz with the Very Large Array (VLA). We find about 150 radio sources with spectra steeper than 1. About two-thirds of these are not detected in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), hence are strong candidate high-redshift radio galaxies, which need to be further explored with deep infra-red imaging and spectroscopy to estimate the red-shift.     

Radio, optical and X-ray nuclei in nearby 3CRR radio galaxies

HST observations have shown that low-redshift 3CR radio galaxies often exhibit a point-like optical component positionally coincident with the GHz-frequency radio core. In this paper we discuss the correlation between the luminosities of the radio, optical and X-ray cores in these objects, and argue that all three components have a common origin at the base of the relativistic jets. In unified models, FR I radio galaxies should appear as dimmed, redshifted versions of BL Lac objects. We show that such models are consistent with the spectral energy distributions of the radio galaxies only if the nuclear X-ray emission in radio galaxies is inverse Compton in origin.     

An atlas of predicted exotic gravitational lenses

We present an investigation of the relationships between the radio properties of a giant radio galaxy MRC B0319−454 and the surrounding galaxy distribution with the aim of examining the influence of intergalactic gas and gravity associated with the large-scale structure on the evolution in the radio morphology. Our new radio continuum observations of the radio source, with high surface brightness sensitivity, images the asymmetries in the megaparsec-scale radio structure in total intensity and polarization. We compare these with the three-dimensional galaxy distribution derived from galaxy redshift surveys. Galaxy density gradients are observed along and perpendicular to the radio axis: the large-scale structure is consistent with a model wherein the galaxies trace the ambient intergalactic gas and the evolution of the radio structures are ram-pressure limited by this associated gas. Additionally, we have modelled the off-axis evolution of the south-west radio lobe as deflection of a buoyant jet backflow by a transverse gravitational field: the model is plausible if entrainment is small. The case study presented here is a demonstration that giant radio galaxies may be useful probes of the warm-hot intergalactic medium believed to be associated with moderately over dense galaxy distributions.