arXiv subjects

D. Dallacasa

Publications and source records attributed to D. Dallacasa.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

HI Absorption in High-Frequency Peaker Galaxies

WSRT observations have been used to investigate the presence of neutral hydrogen in extremely young radio galaxies. These objects were selected from a sample of High-Frequency Peakers (HFPs). We detect 2 of the 6 observed galaxies confirming previous detection of HI in these objects. In the case of OQ 208 - for which discrepant results were available - we confirm the presence of a broad (~ 1800 km/s), blue-shifted and shallow HI absorption. No significant changes in the HI profile have been found between the two epochs of the observations. The intriguing result is that the derived HI column densities and upper limits obtained for the most compact sources, do not follow the inverse correlation between the column density and the linear size found for CSS/GPS sources. This can be explained - assuming the gas is already in a torus/disk structure - by a combination of the orientation and the extreme compactness of the sources. In this scenario, our line of sight to the source would intersect the torus in its inner region with low optical depth due to high spin and kinetic temperatures. There is no evidence, with the exception of OQ 208, of unsettled, high column density gas still enshrouding the young radio sources. This can be due to the low filling factor of such a medium.

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arXiv2006

VLBA images of High Frequency Peakers

We propose a morphological classification based on the parsec scale structure of fifty-one High Frequency Peakers (HFPs) from the ``bright'' HFP sample. VLBA images at two adjacent frequencies (chosen among 8.4, 15.3, 22.2 and 43.2 GHz) have been used to investigate the morphological properties of the HFPs in the optically thin part of their spectrum. We confirm that there is quite a clear distinction between the pc-scale radio structure of galaxies and quasars: the 78% of the galaxies show a ``Double/Triple'' morphology, typical of Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs), while the 87% of the quasars are characterised by Core-Jet or unresolved structure. This suggests that most HFP candidates identified with quasars are likely blazar objects in which a flaring self-absorbed component at the jet base was outshining the remainder of the source at the time of the selection based on the spectral shape. Among the sources classified as CSOs or candidates it is possible to find extremely young radio sources with ages of about 100 years or even less.

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arXiv2005

The cluster relic source in A521

We present high sensitivity radio observations of the merging cluster A521, at a mean redsfhit z=0.247. The observations were carried out with the GMRT at 610 MHz and cover a region of $\sim$1 square degree, with a sensitivity limit of $1σ$ = 35 $μ$Jy b$^{-1}$. The most relevant result of these observations is the presence of a radio relic at the cluster periphery, at the edge of a region where group infalling into the main cluster is taking place. Thanks to the wealth of information available in the literature in the optical and X-ray bands, a multi--band study of the relic and its surroundings was performed. Our analysis is suggestive of a connection between this source and the complex ongoing merger in the A521 region. The relic might be ``revived' fossil radio plasma through adiabatic compression of the magnetic field or shock re--acceleration due to the merger events. We also briefly discussed the possibility that this source is the result of induced ram pressure stripping of radio lobes associated with the nearby cluster radio galaxy J0454--1016a. Allowing for the large uncertainties due to the small statistics, the number of radio emitting early--type galaxies found in A521 is consistent with the expectations from the standard radio luminosity function for local (z$\le$0.09) cluster ellipticals.

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arXiv2005

Extended emission around GPS radio sources

Extended radio emission detected around a sample of GHz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) radio sources is discussed. Evidence for extended emission which is related to the GPS source is found in 6 objects out of 33. Three objects are associated with quasars with core-jet pc-scale morphology, and three are identified with galaxies with symmetric (CSO) radio morphology. We conclude that the core-jet GPS quasars are likely to be beamed objects with a continuous supply of energy from the core to the kpc scale. It is also possible that low surface brightness extended radio emission is present in other GPS quasars but the emission is below our detection limit due to the high redshifts of the objects. On the other hand, the CSO/galaxies with extended large scale emission may be rejuvenated sources where the extended emission is the relic of previous activity. In general, the presence of large scale emission associated with GPS galaxies is uncommon, suggesting that in the context of the recurrent activity model, the time scale between subsequent bursts is in general longer than the radiative lifetime of the radio emission from the earlier activity.

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arXiv2005

Spectral properties and origin of the radio halo in A3562

We present a new detailed multiband study of the merging cluster A3562, in the core of the Shapley Concentration Supercluster. We analyzed new, low frequency radio data performed at 240 MHz, 332 MHz and 610 MHz with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). The new GMRT data allowed us to carry out a detailed study of the radio halo at the centre of A3562, as well as of the head--tail radio galaxy J1333--3141 embedded in it, and of the extended emission around the peripheral cluster galaxy J1332--3146a. Thanks to the present observations we could derive the integrated spectrum of the radio halo with five data points in the frequency range 240 MHz -- 1.4 GHz. Our data show a clear steepening of the total spectrum in this frequency range. Furthermore, by comparing the GMRT 332 MHz image with a previously published VLA 1.4 GHz image, we produced an image of the halo spectral index distribution. The image shows a very complex structure, with an average value of $α^{1.4GHz}_{332MHz} \sim 1.5$ and a number of knots steepening up to $\sim 2$. We performed a combined morphological and statistical analysis using the radio images and the quantities derived from XMM--Newton and {\it Chandra} observations. We discuss our results in the light of particle re--acceleration processes in galaxy clusters. In particular, we outline an overall picture, consistent with the available radio and X-ray data, in which the cluster merger kinematics, the injection of turbulence and B--amplification induced by the merger between A 3562 and SC 1329--313 are jointly taken into account.

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arXiv2005

A Supernova Factory in Mrk 273?

We report on 1.6 and 5.0 GHz observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Mrk 273, using the European VLBI Network (EVN) and the Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN). We also make use of published 1.4 GHz VLBA observations of Mrk 273 by Carilli & Taylor (2000). Our 5 GHz images have a maximum resolution of 5-10 mas, which corresponds to linear resolutions of 3.5-7 pc at the distance of Mrk 273, and are the most sensitive high-resolution radio observations yet made of this ULIRG. Component N1, often pinpointed as a possible AGN, displays a steep spectral index ($α= 1.2 \pm 0.1; S_ν\propto ν^{-α}$); hence it is very difficult to reconcile with N1 being an AGN, and rather suggests that the compact nonthermal radio emission is produced by an extremely high luminous individual radio supernova (RSN), or a combination of unresolved emission from nested supernova remnants (SNR), luminous RSNe, or both. Component N2 is partly resolved out into several compact radio sources --none of which clearly dominates-- and a region of extended emission about 30 pc in size. The integrated spectral index of this region is flat ($α= 0.15 \pm 0.1$), which can be interpreted as due to a superposition of several unresolved components, e.g., RSNe or SNRs, whose radio emission peaks at different frequencies and is partially free-free absorbed. The overall extended radio emission from component N is typical of nonthermal, optically thin radio emission ($α= 0.8 \pm 0.1$), and its 1.4 GHz luminosity ($L_{1.4 \rm GHz} = (2.2 \pm 0.1)\times 10^{23} $ WHz$^{-1}$) is consistent with being produced by relativistic electrons diffused away from supernova remnants in an outburst.

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arXiv2005

Multi-frequency VLBA observations of compact sources from the Peacock & Wall catalogue

VLBA observations are presented for 6 compact radio sources selected from the Peacock & Wall catalogue. From the new morphological and spectral information 2 objects that in the Peacock and Wall catalogue are flat spectrum (alpha < 0.5) sources, appear to be double sided objects with linear sizes of the order of one kpc. Three are core-jet sources and the last one is still an ``enigmatic'' object. These data complete the sample of small double compact sources in the Peacock & Wall catalogue and the complete list is given.

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arXiv2005

EVN observations of eleven GHz-Peaked-Spectrum radio sources at 2.3/8.4GHz

We present results of EVN observations of eleven GHz-Peaked-Spectrum (GPS) radio sources at 2.3/8.4 GHz. These sources are from the classical ''bright'' GPS source samples with peak flux densities $>$ 0.2 Jy and spectral indices $α< -0.2$ ($S \propto ν^{-α}$) in the optically thick regime of their convex spectra. Most of the target sources did not have VLBI images at the time this project started. The aim of the work is to find Compact Symmetric Object (CSO) candidates from the ''bright'' GPS samples. These CSOs play a key role in understanding the very early stage of the evolution of individual radio galaxies. The reason for investigating GPS source samples is that CSO candidates are more frequently found among this class of radio sources. In fact both classes, GPS and CSO, represent a small fraction of the flux limited and flat-spectrum samples like PR+CJ1 (PR: Pearson-Readhead survey, CJ1: the first Caltech--Jodrell Bank survey) and CJF (the Caltech--Jodrell Bank flat spectrum source survey) with a single digit percentage progressively decreasing with decreasing flux density limit. Our results, with at least 3, but possibly more CSO sources detected among a sample of 11, underline the effectiveness of our approach. The three confirmed CSO sources (1133+432, 1824+271, and 2121$-$014) are characterized by a symmetric pair of resolved components, each with steep spectral indices. Five further sources (0144+209, 0554$-$026, 0904+039, 0914+114 and 2322$-$040) can be considered likely CSO candidates. The remaining three sources (0159+839, 0602+780 and 0802+212) are either of core-jet type or dominated by a single component at both frequencies.

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arXiv2004

VLBI polarimetric observations of 3C147

We present multi-frequency VLBI observations of the Compact Steep-spectrum Quasar 3C147 (0538+498) made with the VLBA at the four frequencies in the available 5 GHz band and at 8.4 GHz (still under analysis), from which we derived millarcsecond-resolution images of the total intensity, polarization, and rotation measure distributions. The source shows a core-jet structure, with a compact feature and a jet, extending about 200 mas to the South-West. We detect polarized emission in two bright features in the inner jet; the rotation measure of this features (aprox -1630 rad m(-2), aprox -540 rad m(-2)).

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arXiv2004

A detailed study of the nuclear region of Mrk 273

We present 5 GHz EVN+MERLIN observations of the nuclear region of the ultra luminous infrared galaxy Mrk 273. These observations confirms the detection, on the mas scale, of two resolved component labelled as N and SE in the literature. We use published VLBA observations at 1.4 GHz, at the same resolution, to derive spectral index information of component N and SE and discuss these findings in relation with different hypothesis (compact starburst or AGN) for the origin of the radio emission.

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arXiv2004

Polarization in CSS/GPS radio sources

The polarisation properties of the intrinsically small (< 20 kpc) radio sources are briefly discussed. At centimetric and decimetric wavelengths, substantial polarised emission is often detected in quasars and, at a lower level, in radio sources identified with galaxies with projected linear sizes in excess of a few kpc. The projected linear size at which some polarised emission is detected decreases with observing frequency. High Rotation Measures are commonly found in these sources, implying high electron/ion densities and/or strong interstellar magnetic fields. For the objects found unpolarized at resolutions of the order of a few pc, either the source magnetic field is highly disordered or the scale of ambient magnetic field cells is not resolved.

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arXiv2004

High Frequency Peakers: young radio sources or flaring blazars?

We present new, simultaneous, multifrequency observations of 45 out of the 55 candidate High Frequency Peakers (HFP) selected by Dallacasa et al. (2000), carried out 3 to 4 years after a first set of observations. Our sub-sample consists of 10 galaxies, 28 stellar objects (``quasars'') and 7 unidentified sources. Both sets of observations are sensitive enough to allow the detection of variability at the 10% level or lower. While galaxies do not show significant variability, most quasars do. Seven of them no longer show the convex spectrum which is the defining property of Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS)/HFP sources and are interpreted as blazars caught by Dallacasa et al. (2000) during a flare, when a highly self-absorbed component dominated the emission. In general, the variability properties (amplitude, timescales, correlation between peak luminosity and peak frequency of the flaring component) of the quasar sub-sample resemble those of blazars. We thus conclude that most HFP candidates identified with quasars may well be flaring blazars.

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arXiv2004

Magnetic Fields and Faraday Rotation in Clusters of Galaxies

We present a numerical approach to investigate the relationship between magnetic fields and Faraday rotation effects in clusters of galaxies. We can infer the structure and strength of intra-cluster magnetic fields by comparing our simulations with the observed polarization properties of extended cluster radio sources such as radio galaxies and halos. We find the observations require a magnetic field which fluctuates over a wide range of spatial scales (at least one order of magnitude). If several polarized radio sources are located at different projected positions in a galaxy cluster, as is the case for A119, detailed Faraday rotation images allow us to constrain both the magnetic field strength and the slope of the power spectrum. Our results show that the standard analytic expressions applied in the literature overestimate the cluster magnetic field strengths by a factor of about 2. We investigate the possible effects of our models on beam depolarization of radio sources whose radiation traverses the magnetized intracluster medium. Finally, we point out that radio halos may provide important information about the spatial power spectrum of the magnetic field fluctuations on large scales. In particular, different values of the index of the power spectrum produce very different total intensity and polarization brightness distributions.

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arXiv2004

Radio activity in major mergings

Cluster mergings are expected to have an influence on the radio emission of the galaxy population. We present the results of a deep radio survey in the A3558 complex in the central region of the Shapley Concentration, in order to further explore our hypothesis of a dependence of the radio luminosity function on the age of the merging.

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arXiv2004

Radio galaxies in cooling core clusters. Restarted activity in the nucleus of 3C317?

We present the results of VLBA observations of the radio galaxy 3C317, associated with the cD galaxy UGC 09799 at the centre of the cooling core cluster of galaxies A2052. These observations were carried out at 1.7 GHz, 4.9 GHz and 8.3 GHz, in polarimetric mode, and allowed us to image the parsec scale region of the source. Our analysis suggests that the nucleus of 3C317 hosts a very young radio source. The estimated radiative age for the radio structure within the inner 10 pc is $\sim$ 170 yr. Given the existence of extended radio emission on the arcsecond scale, we suggest that 3C317 is a restarted radio galaxy. The implications of this result in the light of the interaction between radio plasma and thermal hot gas in clusters of galaxies are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2004

Radio halos in merging clusters of galaxies

We present the preliminary results of 235 MHz, 327 MHz and 610 MHz observations of the galaxy cluster A3562 in the core of the Shapley Concentration. The purpose of these observations, carried out with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT, Pune, India) was to study the radio halo located at the centre of A3562 and determine the shape of its radio spectrum at low frequencies, in order to understand the origin of this source. In the framework of the re--acceleration model, the preliminary analysis of the halo spectrum suggests that we are observing a young source (few $10^8$ yrs) at the beginning of the re--acceleration phase.

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arXiv2003

AGN and starburst radio activity in the A3558 cluster complex

In this paper we present Very Large Array (VLA) 1.4 GHz (21 cm) observations of the region between the centres of A3558 and A3562, in the majorcluster merger complex of the Shapley Concentration. Our final catalogue includes a total of 174 radio sources above the flux density limit of 0.25 mJy b$^{-1}$. By cross-correlation with optical and spectroscopic catalogues we found 33 optical counterparts belonging to the Shapley Concentration. We investigated the effects of cluster merger on the radio emission properties of the galaxy population by means of the radio source counts and the radio luminosity functions (RLF). We found that the radio source counts are consistent with the field source counts.The RLF of elliptical and S0 galaxies in the region surveyed here, is consistent with the ``universal'' RLF for early--type galaxies.This result suggests that the deficit in radio galaxies found in ourprevious works over the whole A3558 chain, is entirely due to the cluster A3558. A population of faint radio galaxies (logP$_{1.4 GHz}$(W Hz$^{-1}$) \ltsim 22) is also found.Half of these objects are also blue, suggesting that starburst is the main mechanism driving the radio emission. Finally, we detected 14 spiral radio galaxies, whose ratio between radio and optical emission is similar to those found in galaxies located in rich and dynamically evolved clusters. Our results are briefly discussed in the light of the age and stage of the merger in the A3558 cluster complex.

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arXiv2003

High Frequency Peakers: Baby Radio Sources?

We present the results of second epoch simultaneous multifrequency observations of 45 sources out of the 55 in the sample of High Frequency Peakers (HFP) by Dallacasa et al. (2000). Seven of the stellar sources (i.e. 16% of the total number of sources and 26% of the stellar fraction) no longer show a convex spectrum and are thus likely to be flat spectrum quasars in an outburst phase during the first epoch of observations. The rest frame peak frequency distribution of HFP quasars extends up to ~45 GHz while that of HFP galaxies is confined to $\le 17$ GHz. Imaging at 1.465 GHz and 1.665 GHz has revealed extended emission for 31% of sources, a substantially larger fraction than found for GPS sources (~10%). In the case of HFP quasars, but not of HFP galaxies, extended emission is associated with strong variability, consistent with a core-jet structure.

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