Radio spectra of giant radio galaxies from RATAN-600 data

Measurements of the flux densities of the extended components of seven giant radio galaxies obtained using the RATAN-600 radio telescope at wavelengths of 6.25 and 13 cm are presented. The spectra of components of these radio galaxies are constructed using these new RATAN-600 data together with data from the WENSS, NVSS, and GB6 surveys. The spectral indices in the studied frequency range are calculated, and the need for detailed estimates of the integrated contribution of such objects to the background emission is demonstrated.     

A RATAN-600 Zenith-Field sky survey. Catalog of radio sources

A catalog of radio sources detected in a deep RATAN-600 survey is presented. The catalog was obtained in the region 0^h ≤ RA_2000.0 ≤ 24^h, Dec_2000.0 = 41°30′42″ ± 2′, at the declination of the bright radio source 3C 84. There were nine sessions of multi-wavelength observations at wavelengths λ = 1–55 cm, and more than 300 daily scans were accumulated at each wavelength. This is the first stage in the reduction of an extensive database accumulated by the Cosmological Gene Project. The RATAN-600 Zenith Field (RZF) catalog was obtained at the central wavelength of 7.6 cm, and contains 437 radio sources, virtually all of which have been identified with NVSS objects. Most of the flux densities for the catalog sources are above the 5σ level. Noise from faint (mainly new) background sources at a level of about 0.8 mJy has been detected. The minimum flux density of the catalog, 2.5 mJy, is comparable to the flux-density linit of the NVSS catalog. The catalog is more than 80% complete for sources with flux densities >3 mJy.     

Radio and optical spectra of objects from two complete samples of radio sources

We present optical identifications and radio spectra for ten radio sources from two flux-density-complete samples. Radio variability characteristics are presented for four objects. The observations were obtained on the RATAN-600 radio telescope at 0.97–21.7 GHz and the 2.1 m telescope of the Haro Observatory in Cananea, Mexico at 4200–9000 Å. Among the ten objects studied, three are quasars, four are BL Lac objects, two are radio galaxies, and one is a Sy 1 galaxy. Two of the sources identified with BL Lac objects, 0509+0541 and 0527+0331, show rapid variability on time scales of 7–50 days.     

Radio and optical spectra of objects from three complete samples of radio sources

We present classifications, optical identifications, and radio spectra for 19 radio sources from three complete samples, with declinations 4°–6° (B1950, S _{3.9 GHz} > 200 mJy), 10°–12°30′ (J2000, S _{4.85 GHz} > 200 mJy), and 74°–75° (J2000, S _{4.85 GHz} > 100 mJy). We also present corresponding information for the radio source J0527+0331. The right ascensions are 0–24^h and the Galactic latitudes |b| > 15° for all the samples. Our observations were obtained with the 6 m telescope from the Special Astrophysical Observatory in the range 4000–9000 Å or 4000–7500 Å and the RATAN-600 radio telescope at frequencies in the range 0.97–21.7 GHz. We obtained flux densities for the radio sources and optical spectra for their optical counterparts. Nine objects were classified as quasars with redshifts from z = 1.029 to 3.212; nine objects are emission-line galaxies with redshifts from 0.172 to 0.546, and one is a galaxy with burstlike star formation at z = 0.156, and one is a BL Lac object with z = 0.509. The spectra of five radio sources were decomposed into extended and compact components. The radio source J0527+0331, identified with a BL Lac object, displays significant variations of time scales from several days to several years. Data on flux variations are presented for 11 radio sources, as well as their spectra at several epochs.     

Physical conditions in faint gigahertz-peaked spectrum radio sources

Weak, compact radio sources (～100 mJy peak flux, L～1–10 pc) with their spectral peaks at about a gigahertz are studied, based on the complete sample of 46 radio sources of Snellen, drawn from high-sensitivity surveys, including the low-frequency Westerbork catalog. The physical parameters have been estimated for 14 sources: the magnetic field (H _⊥), the number density of relativistic particles (n _e), the energy of the magnetic field $(E_{H_ \bot } )$ , and the energy of relativistic particles (E _e). Ten sources have $E_{H_ \bot } \ll E_e $ , three have approximate equipartition of the energies $(E_{H_ \bot } \sim E_e )$ , and only one has $E_{H_ \bot } \gg E_e $ . The mean magnetic fields in quasars (10^?3 G) and galaxies (10^?2 G) have been estimated. The magnetic field appears to be related to the sizes of compact features as $H \sim 1/\sqrt L $ .     

Spectral characteristics of faint radio sources of the KHOLOD survey

Radio sources detected at 3.94 GHz in RATAN-600 observations made in 1980–1981 (the KHOLOD Survey) have been identified with objects from the NVSS catalog down to 5 mJy at 1.4 GHz, and their spectral indices have been estimated. Of the 1311 NVSS objects in the KHOLOD survey region, 836 are present in both catalogs. The average flux density of the common objects is 40 mJy, and the median flux density is 14 mJy. The average spectral indices of these objects for four flux-density intervals were calculated. The average spectral index grows with flux density. The fraction of objects with inverted spectra is 2–4%, and the average flux density of these sources is about 10 mJy. Optical identifications of the NVS S objects in the KHOLOD survey region have been carried out to R=20.5^m using the Palomar plates. About 20% of the radio sources are identified with optical objects in all the radio flux-density intervals.     

Optical identifications and spectra of radio sources

We present classifications, optical identifications, and radio spectra for eight radio sources from three flux-density-complete samples in the following declination ranges: 4°–6° (B1950), S _3.9 > 200 mJy; 10°–12°30′ (J2000), S _4.85 > 200 mJy; 74°?75° (J2000), S _4.85 > 100 mJy. For all these samples, the right ascensions are 0^h–24^h and the Galactic latitudes, |b| > 15°. Our optical observations at 4000–7500 ° were made with the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory; we also observed at 0.97–21.7 GHz with the RATAN-600 radio telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory. We classify four of the objects as quasars and four as galaxies. Five of the radio sources have power-law spectra at 0.97–21.7 GHz, while two objects have flat spectra. The quasar J2358+0430 virtually did not vary during 23 years.     

Radio and optical spectral studies of radio sources

Optical identifications and an analysis of the radio spectra of eight radio sources from a flux-density-complete sample at declinations 4°–6° (B 1950) are presented. The observations were carried out at 4000–9000 Å on the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory and at 0.97–21.7 GHz on the RATAN-600 telescope. Five of the eight sources are quasars and three are emission-line radio galaxies.     

Search for spatial and spectral fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background radiation using the RATAN-600 radio telescope

We report the results of a search for spatial and spectral fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background in the region of the North celestial pole carried out at 6.2 cm using the RATAN-600 radio telescope in 1999–2000. The spatial spectrum is flat and has no features exceeding ΔT/T =10^?3 in a ～1 MHz frequency band for spatial periods from 0.5′ to 16′. If this estimate is adopted as an upper limit for emission associated with the first rotational transition of primordial LiH at z=90.7, we obtain an upper limit for the LiH abundance of about 3×10^?14 for protocluster masses of about 10¹³ M _⊙.     

Radio identification and continuum spectra of decameter-wavelength sources

The paper describes a method for the radio identification of decameter-wavelength sources based on their continuum spectra and analysis of their coordinates in relatively large error boxes surrounding a specified position on the sky. The distribution of continuum spectra and identifications in other wavelength ranges are analyzed for the resulting radio catalog. Using identifications with the FIRST and NVSS surveys, the statistics of the spectral index-size and spectral index-flux density distributions for steep-spectrum sources have been studied, and a catalog of ultrasteep-spectrum (α相似文献   

The second version of the OCARS catalog of optical characteristics of astrometric radio sources

A new version of the Optical Characteristics of Astrometric Radio Sources (OCARS) catalog is presented. The catalog includes a list of radio sources observed in astrometric and geodetic VLBI programs since 1979, their redshifts, photometric data in 13 bands in the visible and near infrared, and a table indicating identifications btween the OCARS objects and objects in other catalogs. The main sources of information for the OCARS catalog are the NED and SIMBAD databases, as well as a variety of publications. Targeted observing programs designed to supplement the optical data for the astrometric radio sources have also been organized. The catalog currently contains 9956 sources, of which 5449 have redshifts and 7473 have photometric data. The catalog is updated, on average, once every several weeks, and is continuously augmented with new sources and new optical data.     

RATAN-600 surveys and the cosmological gene of the universe

Historical aspects of sky surveys carried out on the RATAN-600 radio telescope and studies of radio sources and background radiation detected in these surveys are considered.     

Analysis of instantaneous spectra of a complete sample of flat-spectrum radio sources

The results of observations of a complete sample of radio sources with spectral indices α>?0.5 (S∝v ^α) are presented. The sample was selected from the Zelenchuk Survey at 3.9 GHz and contains all sources with declinations 4°–6°, Galactic latitudes |b|>10°, and 3.9-GHz fluxes >200 mJy. Spectra at 0.97–21.7 GHz were obtained for all 69 sample sources. The spectra were classified, and a correlation between variability amplitude and spectrum shape was found. The spectra were separated into extended and compact components. The distribution of spectral indices α for the extended components coincides with the distribution for sources with power-law spectra. The correlation between the luminosity and frequency of the peak flux density is confirmed. This correlation is due to the fact that the distribution of source linear dimensions does not depend on luminosity.     

The KHOLOD experiment: A search for a new population of radio sources

Published data from long-term observations of a strip of sky at declination ?? ?? 5° carried out at 7.6 cm on the RATAN-600 radio telescope are used to estimate some statistical properties of radio sources. Limits on the sensitivity of the survey due to noise imposed by background sources, which dominates the radiometer sensitivity, are refined. The vast majority of noise due to background sources is associated with known radio sources (for example, from the NVSS with a detection threshold of 2.3 mJy) with normal steep spectra (?? = 0.7?C0.8, S ?? ?? ^??? ), which have also been detected in new deep surveys at decimeter wavelengths. When all such objects are removed from the observational data, this leaves another noise component that is observed to be roughly identical in independent groups of observations. We suggest this represents a new population of radio sources that are not present in known catalogs at the 0.6 mJy level at 7.6 cm. The studied redshift dependence of the number of steep-spectrum objects shows that the sensitivity of our survey is sufficient to detect powerful FRII radio sources at any redshift, right to the epoch of formation of the first galaxies. The inferred new population is most likely associated with low-luminosity objects at redshifts z < 1. In spite of the appearance of new means of carrying out direct studies of distant galaxies, searches for objects with very high redshifts among steep and ultra-steep spectrum radio sources remains an effective method for studying the early Universe.     

Instantaneous spectra for a complete sample of radio sources in the declination range 74°–75°

We present the results of observations of a complete sample of radio sources with the RATAN-600 radio telescope at 0.97, 2.3, 3.9, 7.7, 11.1, and 21.7 GHz. The sample was extracted from the GB6 catalog at 4.85 GHz, and contains all the sources at declinations 74°–75° (J2000) with flux densities S _4.85 > 100 mJy. We have obtained optical identifications for 67% of the radio sources with flat spectra and 30% of those with steep spectra.     

Monitoring compact extragalactic radio sources at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz using the 32-m radio telescope of the Svetloe Radio Astronomy Observatory

We present the results of monitoring of the integrated fluxes of variable extragalactic sources at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz at the Svetloe Radio Astronomy Observatory (Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences) from 1999 up to the present. More than 1000 observations of 36 sources have been carried out over this monitoring interval. We describe some of the most interesting flares detected in a number of sources, including the well-known objects 0851+202, 3C 345, and BL Lac. Even observations of variability at two frequencies can be very useful for planning astrophysical and astrometric observations. We briefly discuss the possibility of enhancing the effectiveness of the monitoring by expanding the range of frequencies to 22 GHz and adding polarization observations.     

Radio Sources in the Central Section of the RZF Catalog. Search for Objects with Ultra-Steep Spectra

Results of reducing and selecting data from the Ratan Zenith Field (RZF) are presented. A deep survey in the region 0^h ≤ R.A. ≤ 24^h, 40.5° ≤ DEC ≤ 42.5° carried out on the RATAN-600 radio telescope was used. Within +2′ of the center of the survey region, 448 objects were detected, 69 of them with ultra-steep spectra (USS). The SDSS digital optical survey (DR12), NVSS radio maps, and the FIRST catalogs have been used to cross-identify 208 radio sources from the RZF catalog, obtained as part of the “Genetic Code of the Universe” project. The characteristics of these objects are studied, and the distribution of the SDSS galaxies in a two-color diagram is obtained. Photometric redshifts and radio luminosities at 3940 and 1400 MHz are determined for 27 objects with spectral indices α < −1.1 (S ∝ ν^α) for which magnitudes in various filters are presented in the SDSS. In the sample of USS objects, 12 galaxies have redshifts z < 0.5, are detected at wavelength λ = 7.6 cm, and have relatively high radio luminosities (type FR II or intermediate type FR I–FR II). Only one radio galaxy proved to be a rare nearby galaxy with relatively low radio luminosity L_{1400 MHz} = 1.51 × 10²⁴ W/Hz (type FR I). Two objects are candidate GHz-Peaked Spectrum objects.

     

Study of compact radio sources using interplanetary scintillations at 111 MHz. Compact symmetric objects

We have carried out interplanetary-scintillation observations of a sample of compact symmetric objects. Scintillations were recorded in 3 of 34 observed sources; upper estimates of the compact flux density were obtained for the remaining sources. The contribution of halos to the integrated flux densities at low frequencies is considered.     

Monitoring of the Blazar J0238+1636 with the RATAN-600 and RT-32 in 2014−2019

The presented observation results of the blazar J0238+1636 were obtained in: 2014–2019 with the RATAN-600 radio telescope from the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at 2.3, 4.8, 8.2, 11.2, and 21.7 GHz; and 2015–2017 with the 32-m Zelenchuk and Badary radio telescopes of the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences at 4.84 and 8.57 GHz. Two flares were detected on the long-term light curve. The time scale for variability on the rising branch of the first flare is τvar = 0.5 year, and the upper limit for the linear and angular sizes of the emitting region at 21.7 GHz are 0.3 pc and 0.05 mas, respectively. The brightness temperature is Tb ≥ 2.6 × 1013 K, and the Doppler factor is δ ≥ 3. In three sets of the source’s daily observations, which lasted up to three months each, no significant variability on the day-to-day scale was found after subtracting the long-term variability. In the RT-32 data, the intraday variability (IDV) was found at a frequency of 4.84 GHz in three out of 15 sessions and at 8.57 GHz in two out of 13 sessions. The characteristic times for variability are 4−5 hours.     

Deep RATAN-600 surveys at the declination of SS 433 carried out in 1987–2000 at 7.6 and 2.7 cm

We discuss the results of deep surveys of a ±10′ strip of the sky, centered on the declination of SS 433, carried out on the Northern sector of the RATAN-600 telescope at 2.7 and 7.6 cm in 1987–2000. The survey objects are cross-identified with sources in the NVSS catalog and the corresponding two-frequency spectral indices determined. We find a decrease in the mean spectral index in the transition from objects with flux densities S ₂₁ ≥ 30 mJy to those with 15 < S ₂₁ < 30 mJy. The constructed log N — logS relation at 2.7 cm has a slope of 3/2 at flux densities ≥300 mJy and flattens at weaker flux densities. The 1.4 GHz (NVSS), 3.94 GHz (RATAN-600), and 11.11 GHz (RATAN-600) data are used to estimate the number of objects per square degree at a wavelength of 1 cm.