Studies of bright steep-spectrum radio sources

Results of studies of bright radio sources in the constellation Cetus are presented. More than 50% of the sources have radio spectral indices steeper than 0.9. Optical identifications have been determined for 35 sources. A large fraction of the radio sources are identified with weak blue galaxies. Given their spectral indices, it is likely that these objects have redshifts z=0.4–1.0. More than 20% of the steep-spectrum sources do not have optical identifications and appear to be weak galaxies with z>2.     

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.     

Objects from a cross-identification of the IRAS and low-frequency Texas radio catalogs

A cross-identification of objects in the low-frequency (365 MHz) Texas radio catalog and in IRAS catalogs at four infrared wavelengths has yielded a list of 715 objects for further studies. Objects with steep spectra for which the difference in the centers of gravity of the radio and infrared sources was less than 3″ were selected from this list. Seventeen of the objects have been observed at six wavelengths using the RATAN-600 radio telescope. Spectra of nine objects from the initial list for which there were candidate optical counterparts were obtained using the 2.1-m telescope of the INAOE. The results of these observations are discussed. The presence of steep spectral indices for the radio sources is confirmed. The possible optical counterparts include interacting galaxies, an infrared galaxy, two emission-line galaxies, and a candidate BL Lac object. Optical images of the optical counterparts are presented together with radio and optical spectra.     

A study of radio sources using interplanetary scintillations at 111 MHz. Core-dominated sources

A complete sample of core-dominated radio sources has been studied using the interplanetary-scintillation method. In total, 72 sources were observed, with scintillations detected in 28 of them. The remaining sources have upper limits on their flux densities. Integrated flux densities are estimated for 24 sources. Cut-offs have been observed in the spectra of many sources. The thermal-electron densities have been estimated, assuming that these cut-offs are due to free-free absorption of the synchrotron radio emission.     

Compilation of a complete sample of giant radio sources from a survey at 102.5 MHz

A search for giant radio sources has been carried out using the PC102 catalog, which was compiled from a survey of the northern sky at 102.5 MHz. 117 extended sources were detected in an area with right ascensions 0^h?4^h and declinations from ?17? to +82?. Half of these sources have linear sizes in the plane of the sky of more than 500 kpc. A catalog of giant radio sources that is complete for radio sources with redshifts less than 0.2 has been compiled.     

The nature of active radio galaxies in the cluster A569

We investigate the nature of bright radio sources with known radio spectra in the direction of the nearby cluster of galaxies A569 (z=0.0193). The optical identifications of the sources show that 45% of these radio sources are associated with compact galaxies. A substantial fraction of these galaxies have active nuclei, with the radio emission concentrated toward the galactic center. Some of the cluster galaxies have radio halos, with appreciably weaker radio powers and spectral indices α=0.95±0.2. We compute the magnetic fields in the nuclei and halos of the galaxies for the adopted distance to A569. As expected, the magnetic fields in the galactic halos make a smooth transition to the intergalactic field, while the magnetic fields in the central regions of the galaxies rise sharply toward the nucleus.     

Spectral characteristics of radio sources near the North Celestial Pole

We have used the RATAN-600 radio telescope to study the spectral characteristics of a uniform sample of 504 radio sources from the NVSS catalog near the North Celestial Pole at six frequencies from 1.1 to 21.7 GHz, with the aim of selecting sources possessing inverted spectra near 22 GHz, to be included in the program of the Radio Astron future space VLBI mission. We found 17 radio sources with the desired spectral characteristics. Data from spectral studies over a wide wavelength range testify that the spectral behavior of our sample differs from that for a complete sample of sources with the same initial parameters but selected at 20 GHz. We find a 6% deficit of inverted-spectrum sources, which can be explained as an effect of the spectral characteristics of “sub-threshold” sources that were not included in the initial sample at 1.4 GHz.     

Transparency change of the ionosphere for cosmic radio waves caused by acoustic pulse of ultra low frequency range

The simulation of the passage from the lithosphere through the atmosphere to the ionosphere of acoustic waves produced by seismic eruption or explosion shows that there is an acoustic coupling among these layers. This in turn is the cause of change in the transparency of the ionosphere for cosmic radio waves. Underground displacements produce Very Low (VLF) and Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) acoustic waves. In their passage through the lithosphere, the VLF wave is subject to nonlinearity that leads to frequency down-conversion, namely, increasing the ELF acoustic component at the Earth's surface. In turn, the nonlinear propagation of ELF acoustic wave in the atmosphere and the ionosphere leads to the emergence of ultra low frequency (ULF) acoustic waves in the ionosphere. An ultra low frequency acoustic wave (ULF) brings influence into the density of F-layer of the ionosphere and causes the transparency change of the ionosphere for cosmic radio waves.     

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.     

Intense night-time equatorial radio scintillations by sporadicE layers

Almost saturated scintillations of radio beacons from geostationary satellites received at an equatorial station during night-time have been shown to occur even during complete absence of spreadF on the vertical incidence ionograms at the same location. These scintillation events were observed when the ionograms showed blanketing type of sporadicE layers simultaneously at different heights. It is suggested that strong equatorial radio wave scintillations during night-time are caused by multiple scattering between different levels of large plasma density gradients in theF or sometimes in theE regions of the ionosphere.     

A method for determining redshifts from radio data

The possibility of estimating the redshifts of radio sources based on radio continuum observations is demonstrated. Since the pressure exerted on the intergalactic medium by radio lobes is associated only with their total energy, while the pressure exerted on the radio lobes by the intergalactic medium depends on the redshift, the redshift can be estimated. The proposed method does not require the use of standard candles or standard sizes for any features. Consequently, it is free of the influence of cosmological evolution of the radio sources. Our insufficient knowledge of the density and temperature of the intergalactic medium prevents us from applying the method to obtain direct estimates of the distances to extragalactic radio sources. Therefore, a method designed to enable indirect estimation of the source distances has also been developed.     

Study of compact radio sources using interplanetary scintillations at 111 MHz. The Pearson-Readhead sample

A complete sample of radio sources has been studied using the interplanetary scintillation method. In total, 32 sources were observed, with scintillations detected in 12 of them. The remaining sources have upper limits for the flux densities of their compact components. Integrated flux densities are estimated for 18 sources.     

Principles for selecting a list of reference radio sources for a celestial coordinate system

Time series of the coordinates of radio sources defining the celestial coordinate frame are analyzed. Methods for selecting such sources so as to enhance the stability of the frame are considered. Some of these sources, including so-called “defining” sources, demonstrate significant proper motions. Since the stability of the celestial coordinate frame is determined by an absence of global rotation relative to the defining sources (no net rotation), variation in their coordinates will lead to a rotation of the axes of the celestial coordinate frame. The parameters of this rotation are calculated for two physical models for the motions of extragalactic radio sources. The motions displayed by the first group of sources are linear and uniform. Since the apparent speeds of radio sources are often close to, and sometimes exceed, the speed of light, it is supposed that such radio sources have relativistic jets or plasma clouds that move with speeds roughly equal to the speed of light. The observed uniform, linear motion can then be explained by precession of the jet. The second group of sources display non-linear motions, interpreted as a manifestation of the acceleration of matter by the jet. It is assumed that a cloud of particles that moves into the path of the jet is accelerated to relativistic speeds by the jet. A list of sources that should form a very stable coordinate system for several decades into the future is composed based on these two models.     

Detection of sources of periodic radio emission with the Large Phased Array of the Lebedev Physical Institute

A method for searching for new periodic radio sources is described. The method is based on the spectral analysis of data from daily monitoring of the sky on the Large Phased Antenna (LPA) of the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory at 111 MHz in a 2.5-MHz band. The 96-beam directivity pattern of the LPA is used. The signal is received in six 0.42-MHz frequency channels with a sampling rate of 0.1 s. The duration of the processed survey is four months. The particulars of detecting periodic sources with the LPA are considered. In total, 16 such radio sources have been detected, for which equatorial and Galactic coordinates, periods, and dispersion measures are given.     

Intraday variability of three flat-spectrum radio sources

Searches for intraday variability in the flat-spectrum radio sources J0527+0331, J0721+0406, and J1728+0427 have been carried out at 3.5 cm using the 32-m radio telescope of the Zelenchuk Observatory of the Kvazar-KVO complex of the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (located near the Zelenchuk Village, Karachaevo-Cherkesskaya Republic). Intraday variabiility with characteristic time scales from one to five hours was detected in all three sources.     

Physical conditions in steep-spectrum radio sources

Interplanetary scintillation observations of the radio sources 4C 31.04, 3C 67, 4C 34.07, 4C 34.09, OE 131, 3C 93.1, OF 247, 3C 147, 3C 173, OI 407, 4C 68.08, 3C186, 3C 190, 3C 191, 3C 213.1, 3C 216, 3C 237, 3C 241, 4C 14.41, 3C 258, and 3C 266 have been carried out at 102 MHz. Scintillations were detected for nearly all the sources. The integrated flux densities and flux densities of the scintillating components are estimated. Nine of the 21 sources have a low-frequency turnover in their spectra; three of the sources have high-frequency turnovers. The physical parameters are estimated for sources with turnovers in the spectra of their compact components. In most of the quasars, the relativistic-plasma energy exceeds the magnetic-field energy, while the opposite is true of most of the radio galaxies. Empirical relations between the size of the compact radio source and its magnetic field and relativistic-electron density are derived.     

Phenomenological model for the evolution of radio galaxies such as Cygnus A

A phenomenological model for the evolution of classical radio galaxies such as Cygnus A is presented. An activity cycle of the host galaxy in the radio begins with the birth of radio jets, which correspond to shocks on scales ～1 pc (the radio galaxy B0108+388). In the following stage of the evolution, the radio emission comes predominantly from formations on scales of 10–100 pc, whose physical parameters are close to those of the hot spots of Cygnus A (this corresponds to GHz-peaked spectrum radio sources). Further, the hot spots create radio lobes on scales of 10³–10⁴ pc (compact steep-spectrum radio sources). The fully formed radio galaxies have radio jets, hot spots, and giant radio lobes; the direction of the jets can vary in a discrete steps with time, creating new hot spots and inflating the radio lobes (as in Cygnus A). In the final stage of the evolutionary cycle, first the radio jets disappear, then the hot spots, and finally the radio lobes (similar to the giant radio galaxies DA 240 and 3C 236). A large fraction of radio galaxies with repeating activity cycles is observed. The close connection between Cygnus A-type radio galaxies and optical quasars is noted, as well as similarity in the cosmological evolution of powerful radio galaxies and optical quasars.     

Radio spectra of objects in the RATAN-600 RZF catalog and a population analysis of faint radio sources

Results of centimeter-wavelength RATAN-600 observations of several hundred NVSS objects with a wide range of flux densities are presented. Changes in spectral-index distributions from strong-to faint-object populations are estimated. In the transition from strong to faint radio sources, the number of steep-and ultrasteep-spectrum objects decreases and the minimum between steep-and flat-spectrum objects, which was first discovered in the 1970s, becomes less distinct. A less certain increase in the fraction of inverted-spectrum objects is also found. Comparison with theoretical models of radio-source evolution suggests that the decrease in the number of steep-and ultrasteep-spectrum objects can be naturally explained by a sharp decrease in the fraction of classical FRII radio galaxies. The decrease in the sharpness of the minimum may be due to the growing contribution from the population with spectral indices 0.7–0.5, which is usually identified with starbust galaxies. The small increase in the fraction of inverted-spectrum radio sources can be attributed to the growing number of objects with active nuclei. Our spectrum-based conclusions are confirmed by the morphology of the FIRST Catalog images. The number of radio sources associated with supermassive black holes in the Early Universe is estimated using data from the SDSS Catalog.     

Compact radio sources and interstellar scattering near the galactic center

Using literature data on approximately 400 compact radio sources detected with the Very Large Array and located in the direction of the Galactic center within 2° of the compact source Sgr A*, 69 sources whose angular sizes are determined by scattering on electron density inhomogeneities were distinguished. Fifty-five of these are extragalactic, two are supercompact HII regions, ten are sources of maser emission, and two are variable Galactic sources. The excess of the apparent angular sizes of maser sources within 2° of the Galactic center above the mean size of objects of this class in other parts of the Galaxy found in many studies cannot be explained purely by the effect of scattering of their radio emission on interstellar plasma inhomogeneities. The angular sizes of these objects are increased due to scattering only within Galactic longitudes of about 0.4° and Galactic latitudes less than 0.1°. The turbulent medium responsible for scattering of radio emission of compact sources in the immediate vicinity of the Galactic center is strongly concentrated toward the compact source Sgr A* at the Galactic center. No extragalactic sources are observed within 0.4° in longitude and 0.2° in latitude of the Galactic center, because of their low brightness due to the superstrong scattering in this region. Data on scatter broadening can be used to study the distribution of turbulent plasma near the Galactic center.     

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.