arXiv subjects

F. de Gasperin

Publications and source records attributed to F. de Gasperin.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

The LOFAR long baseline snapshot calibrator survey

Aims. An efficient means of locating calibrator sources for International LOFAR is developed and used to determine the average density of usable calibrator sources on the sky for subarcsecond observations at 140 MHz. Methods. We used the multi-beaming capability of LOFAR to conduct a fast and computationally inexpensive survey with the full International LOFAR array. Sources were pre-selected on the basis of 325 MHz arcminute-scale flux density using existing catalogues. By observing 30 different sources in each of the 12 sets of pointings per hour, we were able to inspect 630 sources in two hours to determine if they possess a sufficiently bright compact component to be usable as LOFAR delay calibrators. Results. Over 40% of the observed sources are detected on multiple baselines between international stations and 86 are classified as satisfactory calibrators. We show that a flat low-frequency spectrum (from 74 to 325 MHz) is the best predictor of compactness at 140 MHz. We extrapolate from our sample to show that the density of calibrators on the sky that are sufficiently bright to calibrate dispersive and non-dispersive delays for the International LOFAR using existing methods is 1.0 per square degree. Conclusions. The observed density of satisfactory delay calibrator sources means that observations with International LOFAR should be possible at virtually any point in the sky, provided that a fast and efficient search using the methodology described here is conducted prior to the observation to identify the best calibrator.

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arXiv2014

LOFAR low-band antenna observations of the 3C295 and Bootes fields: source counts and ultra-steep spectrum sources

We present LOFAR Low Band observations of the Bootes and 3C295 fields. Our images made at 34, 46, and 62 MHz reach noise levels of 12, 8, and 5 mJy beam$^{-1}$, making them the deepest images ever obtained in this frequency range. In total, we detect between 300 and 400 sources in each of these images, covering an area of 17 to 52 deg$^{2}$. From the observations we derive Euclidean-normalized differential source counts. The 62 MHz source counts agree with previous GMRT 153 MHz and VLA 74 MHz differential source counts, scaling with a spectral index of $-0.7$. We find that a spectral index scaling of $-0.5$ is required to match up the LOFAR 34 MHz source counts. This result is also in agreement with source counts from the 38 MHz 8C survey, indicating that the average spectral index of radio sources flattens towards lower frequencies. We also find evidence for spectral flattening using the individual flux measurements of sources between 34 and 1400 MHz and by calculating the spectral index averaged over the source population. To select ultra-steep spectrum ($α< -1.1$) radio sources, that could be associated with massive high redshift radio galaxies, we compute spectral indices between 62 MHz, 153 MHz and 1.4 GHz for sources in the Boötes field. We cross-correlate these radio sources with optical and infrared catalogues and fit the spectral energy distribution to obtain photometric redshifts. We find that most of these ultra-steep spectrum sources are located in the $ 0.7 \lesssim z \lesssim 2.5$ range.

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arXiv2014

A new double radio relic in PSZ1 G096.89+24.17 and a radio relic mass-luminosity relation

Radio relics are diffuse synchrotron sources in galaxy clusters that are believed to trace large-scale shock waves. We have discovered a new double radio relic system in PSZ1 G096.89+24.17 (z=0.3) and have carried out a full-polarization radio observation using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) at 1.4 GHz. The observation revealed the presence of two relics located on the two diametrically opposite sides of the cluster and hints of a central radio halo. The linear sizes of the relics are $\sim 0.9$ and $\sim 1.4$ Mpc. We carried out an analysis of all known double radio relics by using radio, X-ray and Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) data. We find that the radio luminosity of double relics is a steep function of the cluster mass, with $L_R \propto M^{2.83\pm0.39}$. If we include single radio relics, this relation is maintained. This dependence has implications for the origin of magnetic fields at the relic's locations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

The LOFAR Pilot Surveys for Pulsars and Fast Radio Transients

We have conducted two pilot surveys for radio pulsars and fast transients with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) around 140 MHz and here report on the first low-frequency fast-radio burst limit and the discovery of two new pulsars. The first survey, the LOFAR Pilot Pulsar Survey (LPPS), observed a large fraction of the northern sky, ~1.4 x 10^4 sq. deg, with 1-hr dwell times. Each observation covered ~75 sq. deg using 7 independent fields formed by incoherently summing the high-band antenna fields. The second pilot survey, the LOFAR Tied-Array Survey (LOTAS), spanned ~600 sq. deg, with roughly a 5-fold increase in sensitivity compared with LPPS. Using a coherent sum of the 6 LOFAR "Superterp" stations, we formed 19 tied-array beams, together covering 4 sq. deg per pointing. From LPPS we derive a limit on the occurrence, at 142 MHz, of dispersed radio bursts of < 150 /day/sky, for bursts brighter than S > 107 Jy for the narrowest searched burst duration of 0.66 ms. In LPPS, we re-detected 65 previously known pulsars. LOTAS discovered two pulsars, the first with LOFAR or any digital aperture array. LOTAS also re-detected 27 previously known pulsars. These pilot studies show that LOFAR can efficiently carry out all-sky surveys for pulsars and fast transients, and they set the stage for further surveying efforts using LOFAR and the planned low-frequency component of the Square Kilometer Array.

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arXiv2014

Discovery of the supernova remnant G351.0-5.4

Context. While searching the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) for diffuse radio emission, we have serendipitously discovered extended radio emission close to the Galactic plane. The radio morphology suggests the presence of a previously unknown Galactic supernova remnant. An unclassified γ-ray source detected by EGRET (3EG J1744-3934) is present in the same location and may stem from the interaction between high-speed particles escaping the remnant and the surrounding interstellar medium. Aims. Our aim is to confirm the presence of a previously unknown supernova remnant and to determine a possible association with the γ-ray emission 3EG J1744-3934. Methods. We have conducted optical and radio follow-ups of the target using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We then combined these data with archival radio and γ-ray observations. Results. While we detected the extended emission in four different radio bands (325, 1400, 2417, and 4850 MHz), no optical counterpart has been identified. Given its morphology and brightness, it is likely that the radio emission is caused by an old supernova remnant no longer visible in the optical band. Although an unclassified EGRET source is co-located with the supernova remnant, Fermi-LAT data do not show a significant γ-ray excess that is correlated with the radio emission. However, in the radial distribution of the γ-ray events, a spatially extended feature is related with SNR at a confidence level $\sim 1.5$ σ. Conclusions. We classify the newly discovered extended emission in the radio band as the old remnant of a previously unknown Galactic supernova: SNR G351.0-5.4.

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arXiv2014

LOFAR tied-array imaging of Type III solar radio bursts

The Sun is an active source of radio emission which is often associated with energetic phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). At low radio frequencies (<100 MHz), the Sun has not been imaged extensively because of the instrumental limitations of previous radio telescopes. Here, the combined high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution of the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) was used to study solar Type III radio bursts at 30-90 MHz and their association with CMEs. The Sun was imaged with 126 simultaneous tied-array beams within 5 solar radii of the solar centre. This method offers benefits over standard interferometric imaging since each beam produces high temporal (83 ms) and spectral resolution (12.5 kHz) dynamic spectra at an array of spatial locations centred on the Sun. LOFAR's standard interferometric output is currently limited to one image per second. Over a period of 30 minutes, multiple Type III radio bursts were observed, a number of which were found to be located at high altitudes (4 solar radii from the solar center at 30 MHz) and to have non-radial trajectories. These bursts occurred at altitudes in excess of values predicted by 1D radial electron density models. The non-radial high altitude Type III bursts were found to be associated with the expanding flank of a CME. The CME may have compressed neighbouring streamer plasma producing larger electron densities at high altitudes, while the non-radial burst trajectories can be explained by the deflection of radial magnetic fields as the CME expanded in the low corona.

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arXiv2014

Lunar occultation of the diffuse radio sky: LOFAR measurements between 35 and 80 MHz

We present radio observations of the Moon between $35$ and $80$ MHz to demonstrate a novel technique of interferometrically measuring large-scale diffuse emission extending far beyond the primary beam (global signal) for the first time. In particular, we show that (i) the Moon appears as a negative-flux source at frequencies $35<ν<80$ MHz since it is `colder' than the diffuse Galactic background it occults, (ii) using the (negative) flux of the lunar disc, we can reconstruct the spectrum of the diffuse Galactic emission with the lunar thermal emission as a reference, and (iii) that reflected RFI (radio-frequency interference) is concentrated at the center of the lunar disc due to specular nature of reflection, and can be independently measured. Our RFI measurements show that (i) Moon-based Cosmic Dawn experiments must design for an Earth-isolation of better than $80$ dB to achieve an RFI temperature $<1$ mK, (ii) Moon-reflected RFI contributes to a dipole temperature less than $20$ mK for Earth-based Cosmic Dawn experiments, (iii) man-made satellite-reflected RFI temperature exceeds $20$ mK if the aggregate cross section of visible satellites exceeds $80$ m$^2$ at $800$ km height, or $5$ m$^2$ at $400$ km height. Currently, our diffuse background spectrum is limited by sidelobe confusion on short baselines (10-15% level). Further refinement of our technique may yield constraints on the redshifted global $21$-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn ($40>z>12$) and the Epoch of Reionization ($12>z>5$).

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2014

Initial LOFAR observations of Epoch of Reionization windows: II. Diffuse polarized emission in the ELAIS-N1 field

This study aims to characterise the polarized foreground emission in the ELAIS-N1 field and to address its possible implications for the extraction of the cosmological 21-cm signal from the Low-Frequency Array - Epoch of Reionization (LOFAR-EoR) data. We use the high band antennas of LOFAR to image this region and RM-synthesis to unravel structures of polarized emission at high Galactic latitudes. The brightness temperature of the detected Galactic emission is on average 4 K in polarized intensity and covers the range from -10 to +13rad m^-2 in Faraday depth. The total polarized intensity and polarization angle show a wide range of morphological features. We have also used the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) at 350 MHz to image the same region. The LOFAR and WSRT images show a similar complex morphology, at comparable brightness levels, but their spatial correlation is very low. The fractional polarization at 150 MHz, expressed as a percentage of the total intensity, amounts to 1.5%. There is no indication of diffuse emission in total intensity in the interferometric data, in line with results at higher frequencies. The wide frequency range, good angular resolution and good sensitivity make LOFAR an exquisite instrument for studying Galactic polarized emission at a resolution of 1-2 rad m^-2 in Faraday depth. The different polarised patterns observed at 150 MHz and 350 MHz are consistent with different source distributions along the line of sight wring in a variety of Faraday thin regions of emission. The presence of polarised foregrounds is a serious complication for Epoch of Reionization experiments. To avoid the leakage of polarized emission into total intensity, which can depend on frequency, we need to calibrate the instrumental polarization across the field of view to a small fraction of 1%.

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arXiv2014

The shape of the radio wavefront of extensive air showers as measured with LOFAR

Extensive air showers, induced by high energy cosmic rays impinging on the Earth's atmosphere, produce radio emission that is measured with the LOFAR radio telescope. As the emission comes from a finite distance of a few kilometers, the incident wavefront is non-planar. A spherical, conical or hyperbolic shape of the wavefront has been proposed, but measurements of individual air showers have been inconclusive so far. For a selected high-quality sample of 161 measured extensive air showers, we have reconstructed the wavefront by measuring pulse arrival times to sub-nanosecond precision in 200 to 350 individual antennas. For each measured air shower, we have fitted a conical, spherical, and hyperboloid shape to the arrival times. The fit quality and a likelihood analysis show that a hyperboloid is the best parametrization. Using a non-planar wavefront shape gives an improved angular resolution, when reconstructing the shower arrival direction. Furthermore, a dependence of the wavefront shape on the shower geometry can be seen. This suggests that it will be possible to use a wavefront shape analysis to get an additional handle on the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum, which is sensitive to the mass of the primary particle.

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arXiv2014

A distant radio mini-halo in the Phoenix galaxy cluster

We report the discovery of extended radio emission in the Phoenix cluster (SPT-CL J2344-4243, z=0.596) with the GMRT at 610 MHz. The diffuse emission extends over a region of at least 400-500 kpc and surrounds the central radio source of the Brightest Cluster Galaxy, but does not appear to be directly associated with it. We classify the diffuse emission as a radio mini-halo, making it the currently most distant mini-halo known. Radio mini-halos have been explained by synchrotron emitting particles re-accelerated via turbulence, possibly induced by gas sloshing generated from a minor merger event. Chandra observations show a non-concentric X-ray surface brightness distribution, which is consistent with this sloshing interpretation. The mini-halo has a flux density of $17\pm5$ mJy, resulting in a 1.4 GHz radio power of ($10.4\pm3.5) \times 10^{24}$ W Hz$^{-1}$. The combined cluster emission, which includes the central compact radio source, is also detected in a shallow GMRT 156 MHz observation and together with the 610 MHz data we compute a spectral index of $-0.84\pm0.12$ for the overall cluster radio emission. Given that mini-halos typically have steeper radio spectra than cluster radio galaxies, this spectral index should be taken as an upper limit for the mini-halo.

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arXiv2014

The diffuse radio emission around NGC 5580 and NGC 5588

The galaxy pair NGC 5580 and NGC 5588 are part of a loose group of galaxies. They are surrounded by steep-spectrum, extended radio emission which was previously suggested to be a down-scaled example of Mpc-size radio haloes present in galaxies clusters. We present a multi-frequency study of the radio-emission aimed to clarify its nature. The source has been observed with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope at 235, 325 and 610 MHz and the images obtained were combined with archival data to cover the frequency range 150-1400 MHz. The new observations revealed the presence of a second, fainter lobe on the South-East of NGC 5580. The spectral index study of the source shows a flattening of the spectrum (which implies a younger particle population) close to the two galaxies. We argue that the extended radio emission is the remnant of a past activity cycle of the active galactic nucleus present in NGC 5580 and therefore a notable example of a dying radio galaxy located outside a dense environments.

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arXiv2014

The discovery of a radio halo in PLCK G147.3-16.6 at z=0.65

Recent X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) observations have dramatically increased the number of known distant galaxy clusters. In some merging, low-redshift (z<0.4) clusters, centrally-located, diffuse, extended radio emission (called radio halos) has been found. Using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), we report the detection of diffuse radio emission in the binary-merging cluster PLCK G147.3-16.6 located at z = 0.65. We classify the emission as a giant radio halo due to the large physical extent of about 0.9 Mpc and low-surface brightness. We measure an integrated flux density of $7.3\pm1.1$ mJy at 610 MHz for the radio halo, resulting in a 1.4 GHz radio power of $5.1 \times 10^{24}$ W/Hz. The radio halo power is consistent with that expected from the known correlation between X-ray luminosity or the cluster integrated SZ signal and radio power. Our observations also suggest that more of these distant radio halos could be discovered with the GMRT.

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arXiv2014

Discovery of Carbon Radio Recombination Lines in absorption towards Cygnus~A

We present the first detection of carbon radio recombination line absorption along the line of sight to Cygnus A. The observations were carried out with the LOw Frequency ARray in the 33 to 57 MHz range. These low frequency radio observations provide us with a new line of sight to study the diffuse, neutral gas in our Galaxy. To our knowledge this is the first time that foreground Milky Way recombination line absorption has been observed against a bright extragalactic background source. By stacking 48 carbon $α$ lines in the observed frequency range we detect carbon absorption with a signal-to-noise ratio of about 5. The average carbon absorption has a peak optical depth of 2$\times$10$^{-4}$, a line width of 10 km s$^{-1}$ and a velocity of +4 km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the local standard of rest. The associated gas is found to have an electron temperature $T_{e}\sim$ 110 K and density $n_{e}\sim$ 0.06 cm$^{-3}$. These properties imply that the observed carbon $α$ absorption likely arises in the cold neutral medium of the Orion arm of the Milky Way. Hydrogen and helium lines were not detected to a 3$σ$ peak optical depth limit of 1.5$\times$10$^{-4}$ for a 4 km s$^{-1}$ channel width. Radio recombination lines associated with Cygnus A itself were also searched for, but are not detected. We set a 3$σ$ upper limit of 1.5$\times$10$^{-4}$ for the peak optical depth of these lines for a 4 km s$^{-1}$ channel width.

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arXiv2013

LLAGN and jet-scaling probed with the EVN

Accreting black holes on all mass scales (from stellar to supermassive) appear to follow a nonlinear relation between X-ray luminosity, radio luminosity and BH mass, indicating that similar physical processes drive the central engines in X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, in recent years an increasing number of BH systems have been identified that do not fit into this scheme. These outliers may be the key to understand how BH systems are powered by accretion. Here we present results from EVN observations of a sample of low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN) with known mass that have unusually high radio powers when compared with their X-ray luminosity.

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arXiv2013

Detecting cosmic rays with the LOFAR radio telescope

The low frequency array (LOFAR), is the first radio telescope designed with the capability to measure radio emission from cosmic-ray induced air showers in parallel with interferometric observations. In the first $\sim 2\,\mathrm{years}$ of observing, 405 cosmic-ray events in the energy range of $10^{16} - 10^{18}\,\mathrm{eV}$ have been detected in the band from $30 - 80\,\mathrm{MHz}$. Each of these air showers is registered with up to $\sim1000$ independent antennas resulting in measurements of the radio emission with unprecedented detail. This article describes the dataset, as well as the analysis pipeline, and serves as a reference for future papers based on these data. All steps necessary to achieve a full reconstruction of the electric field at every antenna position are explained, including removal of radio frequency interference, correcting for the antenna response and identification of the pulsed signal.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Studying Galactic interstellar turbulence through fluctuations in synchrotron emission: First LOFAR Galactic foreground detection

The characteristic outer scale of turbulence and the ratio of the random to ordered components of the magnetic field are key parameters to characterise magnetic turbulence in the interstellar gas, which affects the propagation of cosmic rays within the Galaxy. We provide new constraints to those two parameters. We use the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) to image the diffuse continuum emission in the Fan region at (l,b) (137.0,+7.0) at 80"x70" resolution in the range [146,174] MHz. We detect multi-scale fluctuations in the Galactic synchrotron emission and compute their power spectrum. Applying theoretical estimates and derivations from the literature for the first time, we derive the outer scale of turbulence and the ratio of random to ordered magnetic field from the characteristics of these fluctuations . We obtain the deepest image of the Fan region to date and find diffuse continuum emission within the primary beam. The power spectrum of the foreground synchrotron fluctuations displays a power law behaviour for scales between 100 and 8 arcmin with a slope of (-1.84+/-0.19). We find an upper limit of about 20 pc for the outer scale of the magnetic interstellar turbulence toward the Fan region. We also find a variation of the ratio of random to ordered field as a function of Galactic coordinates, supporting different turbulent regimes. We use power spectra fluctuations from LOFAR as well as earlier GMRT and WSRT observations to constrain the outer scale of turbulence of the Galactic synchrotron foreground, finding a range of plausible values of 10-20 pc. Then, we use this information to deduce lower limits of the ratio of ordered to random magnetic field strength. These are found to be 0.3, 0.3, and 0.5 for the LOFAR, WSRT and GMRT fields considered respectively. Both these constraints are in agreement with previous estimates.

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arXiv2013

The brightness and spatial distributions of terrestrial radio sources

Faint undetected sources of radio-frequency interference (RFI) might become visible in long radio observations when they are consistently present over time. Thereby, they might obstruct the detection of the weak astronomical signals of interest. This issue is especially important for Epoch of Reionisation (EoR) projects that try to detect the faint redshifted HI signals from the time of the earliest structures in the Universe. We explore the RFI situation at 30-163 MHz by studying brightness histograms of visibility data observed with LOFAR, similar to radio-source-count analyses that are used in cosmology. An empirical RFI distribution model is derived that allows the simulation of RFI in radio observations. The brightness histograms show an RFI distribution that follows a power-law distribution with an estimated exponent around -1.5. With several assumptions, this can be explained with a uniform distribution of terrestrial radio sources whose radiation follows existing propagation models. Extrapolation of the power law implies that the current LOFAR EoR observations should be severely RFI limited if the strength of RFI sources remains strong after time integration. This is in contrast with actual observations, which almost reach the thermal noise and are thought not to be limited by RFI. Therefore, we conclude that it is unlikely that there are undetected RFI sources that will become visible in long observations. Consequently, there is no indication that RFI will prevent an EoR detection with LOFAR.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

LOFAR: The LOw-Frequency ARray

LOFAR, the LOw-Frequency ARray, is a new-generation radio interferometer constructed in the north of the Netherlands and across europe. Utilizing a novel phased-array design, LOFAR covers the largely unexplored low-frequency range from 10-240 MHz and provides a number of unique observing capabilities. Spreading out from a core located near the village of Exloo in the northeast of the Netherlands, a total of 40 LOFAR stations are nearing completion. A further five stations have been deployed throughout Germany, and one station has been built in each of France, Sweden, and the UK. Digital beam-forming techniques make the LOFAR system agile and allow for rapid repointing of the telescope as well as the potential for multiple simultaneous observations. With its dense core array and long interferometric baselines, LOFAR achieves unparalleled sensitivity and angular resolution in the low-frequency radio regime. The LOFAR facilities are jointly operated by the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) foundation, as an observatory open to the global astronomical community. LOFAR is one of the first radio observatories to feature automated processing pipelines to deliver fully calibrated science products to its user community. LOFAR's new capabilities, techniques and modus operandi make it an important pathfinder for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). We give an overview of the LOFAR instrument, its major hardware and software components, and the core science objectives that have driven its design. In addition, we present a selection of new results from the commissioning phase of this new radio observatory.

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