arXiv subjects

J. S. Farnes

Publications and source records attributed to J. S. Farnes.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Faraday Rotation from Magnesium II Absorbers towards Polarized Background Radio Sources

Strong singly-ionized magnesium (MgII) absorption lines in quasar spectra typically serve as a proxy for intervening galaxies along the line of sight. Previous studies have found a correlation between the number of these MgII absorbers and the Faraday rotation measure (RM) at $\approx5$ GHz. We cross-match a sample of 35,752 optically-identified non-intrinsic MgII absorption systems with 25,649 polarized background radio sources for which we have measurements of both the spectral index and RM at 1.4 GHz. We use the spectral index to split the resulting sample of 599 sources into flat-spectrum and steep-spectrum subsamples. We find that our flat-spectrum sample shows significant ($\sim3.5σ$) evidence for a correlation between MgII absorption and RM at 1.4 GHz, while our steep-spectrum sample shows no such correlation. We argue that such an effect cannot be explained by either luminosity or other observational effects, by evolution in another confounding variable, by wavelength-dependent polarization structure in an active galactic nucleus, by the Galactic foreground, by cosmological expansion, or by partial coverage models. We conclude that our data are most consistent with intervenors directly contributing to the Faraday rotation along the line of sight, and that the intervening systems must therefore have coherent magnetic fields of substantial strength ($\bar{B}=1.8\pm0.4$ $μ$G). Nevertheless, the weak nature of the correlation will require future high-resolution and broadband radio observations in order to place it on a much firmer statistical footing.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Constraining Direction-Dependent Instrumental Polarisation: A New Technique for Polarisation Angle Calibration

Direction-dependent instrumental polarisation introduces wide-field polarimetric aberrations and limits the dynamic range of low-frequency interferometric images. We therefore provide a detailed two-dimensional analysis of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) primary beam in full-Stokes at 325 MHz and 610 MHz. We find that the directional dependence is essentially independent of the feed and is dominated by the curvature of the dishes reflecting mesh. The developed beam models are used to reduce wide-field instrumental polarisation in 610 MHz observations by subtracting the expected response from the $uv$-data itself. Furthermore, a new technique for polarisation angle calibration is presented that allows for calibration using an unpolarised source and therefore can be implemented at arbitrarily low observational frequencies. This technique has the advantage that it calibrates the polarisation angle independently of ionospheric Faraday rotation and source variability. It also removes the need for known polarised sources on the sky - which are scarce at low frequencies. We use the technique to retrieve the Rotation Measure of pulsar B1937+21 at 325 MHz, finding it to be consistent with previous independent measurements. An extended version of this method may be useful for verifying the calibration of other interferometers intended for polarimetric surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Spectropolarimetry with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at 610 MHz: a case study of two Southern Compact Group fields

We present 610 MHz spectropolarimetric images from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We discuss the properties of the GMRT's full-polarisation mode in detail and provide a technical characterisation of the instrument's polarisation performance. We show that the telescope can be used for wide-field spectropolarimetry. The application of Rotation Measure Synthesis results in a sensitivity at the level of tens of micro-Jy in Faraday space. As a demonstration of the instrument's capabilities, we present observations of two Southern Compact Groups - the Grus Quartet and USCG S063. The observations are compared with other radio and infra-red data to constrain the group members' spectral index, polarisation fraction, and Faraday depth. Radio continuum emission is detected from all four galaxies in the Grus Quartet and one galaxy in USCG S063. Linear polarisation is detected from a circumnuclear starburst ring in NGC 7552, the active nucleus of NGC 7582, and three extended radio galaxies in the background of the Grus Quartet field. These background sources allow for the classification of an FR-I and an X-shaped radio galaxy. No evidence is found for interaction with the intragroup medium in either galaxy group.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Probing Magnetic Fields using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope

We present the first spectropolarimetric radio observations that apply Rotation Measure (RM) Synthesis to interferometric data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 610 MHz. Spectropolarimetry requires measurement of a large number of instrumental systematics so that their effects can be calibrated - a technical problem that is currently being faced by the upcoming SKA pathfinders. Our fully-calibrated data allow for the peak Faraday depth and polarisation fraction to be measured for sub-mJy compact sources in the field of M51 at 610 MHz. The diffuse extended emission in the interacting galaxy pair is shown to be depolarised below the sensitivity limit. A survey of linear polarisation with the GMRT is now feasible and could be used to place constraints on the prevailing depolarisation mechanisms at low frequencies - improving polarised source count estimates and constraining the RM-grid observable with next generation facilities such as the SKA.

astro-ph.IM↗