arXiv subjects

R. D. Baldi

Publications and source records attributed to R. D. Baldi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

LeMMINGs. II. The e-MERLIN legacy survey of nearby galaxies. The deepest radio view of the Palomar sample on parsec scale

We present the second data release of high-resolution ($\leq0.2$ arcsec) 1.5-GHz radio images of 177 nearby galaxies from the Palomar sample, observed with the e-MERLIN array, as part of the LeMMINGs (Legacy e-MERLIN Multi-band Imaging of Nearby Galaxy Sample) survey. Together with the 103 targets of the first LeMMINGs data release, this represents a complete sample of 280 local active (LINER and Seyfert) and inactive galaxies HII galaxies and Absorption Line Galaxies, ALG). This large program is the deepest radio survey of the local Universe, $\gtrsim$10$^{17.6}$ W Hz$^{-1}$, regardless of the host and nuclear type: we detect radio emission $\gtrsim$0.25 mJy beam$^{-1}$ for 125/280 galaxies (44.6 per cent) with sizes of typically $\lesssim$100 pc. Of those 125, 106 targets show a core which coincides within 1.2 arcsec with the optical nucleus. Although we observed mostly cores, around one third of the detected galaxies features jetted morphologies. The detected radio core luminosities of the sample range between $\sim$10$^{34}$ and 10$^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$. LINERs and Seyferts are the most luminous sources, whereas HII galaxies are the least. LINERs show FRI-like core-brightened radio structures, while Seyferts reveal the highest fraction of symmetric morphologies. The majority of HII galaxies have single radio core or complex extended structures, which probably conceal a nuclear starburst and/or a weak active nucleus (seven of them show clear jets). ALGs, which are typically found in evolved ellipticals, although the least numerous, exhibit on average the most luminous radio structures, similar to LINERs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

A population of galaxy-scale jets discovered using LOFAR

The effects of feedback from high luminosity radio-loud AGN have been extensively discussed in the literature, but feedback from low-luminosity radio-loud AGN is less well understood. The advent of high sensitivity, high angular resolution, large field of view telescopes such as LOFAR is now allowing wide-area studies of such faint sources for the first time. Using the first data release of the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) we report on our discovery of a population of 195 radio galaxies with 150 MHz luminosities between $3\times10^{22}$ and $1.5\times10^{25}\text{ W Hz}^{-1}$ and total radio emission no larger than 80 kpc. These objects, which we term galaxy-scale jets (GSJ), are small enough to be directly influencing the evolution of the host on galaxy scales. We report upon the typical host properties of our sample, finding that 9 per cent are hosted by spirals with the remainder being hosted by elliptical galaxies. Two of the spiral-hosted GSJ are highly unusual with low radio luminosities and FRII-like morphology. The host properties of our GSJ show that they are ordinary AGN observed at a stage in their life shortly after the radio emission has expanded beyond the central regions of the host. Based on our estimates, we find that about half of our GSJ have internal radio lobe energy within an order of magnitude of the ISM energy so that, even ignoring any possible shocks, GSJ are energetically capable of affecting the evolution of the host. The current sample of GSJ will grow in size with future releases of LoTSS and can also form the basis for further studies of feedback from low-luminosity radio sources.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The MURALES survey. III. Completing the MUSE observations of 37 3C low-z radio galaxies

We present the final observations of a complete sample of 37 radio galaxies from the Third Cambridge Catalog (3C) with redshift <0.3 and declination <20 degrees obtained with the VLT/MUSE optical integral field spectrograph. These data were obtained as part of the MURALES survey (a MUse RAdio Loud Emission line Snapshot survey) with the main goal of exploring the AGN feedback process in the most powerful radio sources. We present the data analysis and, for each source, the resulting emission line images and the 2D gas velocity field. Thanks to such an unprecedented depth these observations reveal emission line regions (ELRs) extending several tens of kiloparsec in most objects. The gas velocity shows ordered rotation in 25 galaxies, but in several sources it is highly complex. We find that the 3C sources show a connection between radio morphology and emission line properties. In the ten FRI sources the line emission region is generally compact, only a few kpc in size, and only in one case it exceeds the size of the host. Conversely, all but two of the FRII galaxies show large-scale structures of ionized gas. The median extent is 16 kpc with the maximum reaching a size of ~80 kpc. There are no apparent differences in extent or strength between the ELR properties of the FRII sources of high and low gas excitation. We confirm that the previous optical identification of 3C258 is incorrect: this radio source is likely associated with a QSO at z~ 1.54.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Dragon's Lair: on the large-scale environment of BL Lac objects

The most elusive and extreme sub-class of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), known as BL Lac objects, shows features that can only be explained as the result of relativistic effects occurring in jets pointing at a small angle with respect to the line of sight. A long standing issue is the identification of the BL Lac parent population, having jets oriented at larger angles. According to the "unification scenario" of AGNs, radio galaxies with low luminosity and edge-darkened radio morphology are the most promising candidates to be the parent population of BL Lacs. Here we compare the large-scale environment, an orientation independent property, of well-defined samples of BL Lacs with samples of radio-galaxies all lying in the local Universe. Our study reveals that BL Lacs and radio galaxies live in significantly different environments, challenging predictions of the unification scenario. We propose a solution to this problem proving that large-scale environments of BL Lacs is statistically consistent with that of compact radio-sources, known as FR0s, sharing similar properties. This implies that highly relativistic jets are ubiquitous and are the natural outcome of the accretion of gas into the deep gravitational potential well produced by supermassive black holes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The LOFAR view of FR0 radio galaxies

We explore the low-frequency radio properties of the sources in the Fanaroff-Riley class 0 catalog (FR0CAT) as seen by the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) observations at 150 MHz. This sample includes 104 compact radio active galactic nuclei (AGN) associated with nearby (z<0.05) massive early-type galaxies. Sixty-six FR0CAT sources are in the sky regions observed by LOFAR and all of them are detected, usually showing point-like structures with sizes smaller than 3-6 kpc. However, 12 FR0s present resolved emission of low surface brightness which contributes between 5% and 40% of the total radio power at 150 MHz, usually with a jetted morphology extending between 15 and 50 kpc. No extended emission is detected around the other FR0s, with a typical luminosity limit of 5 x 10$^{22}$ W/Hz over an area of 100 kpc x 100 kpc. The spectral slopes of FR0s between 150 MHz and 1.4 GHz span a broad range (-0.7 < $α$ < 0.8) with a median value of $\overlineα\sim 0.1$; 20% of them have a steep spectrum ($α$ > 0.5), an indication of the presence of substantial extended emission confined within the spatial resolution limit. The fraction of FR0s showing evidence for the presence of jets, by including both spectral and morphological information, is at least ~40%. This study confirms that FR0s and FRIs can be interpreted as two extremes of a continuous population of jetted sources, with the FR0s representing the low end in size and radio power.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Hard - X-rays selected Active Galactic Nuclei. I. A radio view at high-frequencies

A thorough study of radio emission in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is of fundamental importance to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the emission and the interplay between accretion and ejection processes. High frequency radio observations can target the nuclear contribution of smaller emitting regions and are less affected by absorption. We present JVLA 22 and 45 GHz observations of 16 nearby (0.003$\le$z$\le$0.3) hard - X-rays selected AGN at the (sub)-kpc scale with tens uJy beam$^{-1}$ sensitivity. We detected 15/16 sources, with flux densities ranging from hundreds uJy beam$^{-1}$ to tens Jy (specific luminosities from $\sim$10$^{20}$ to $\sim$10$^{25}\,W\,Hz^{-1}$ at 22 GHz). All detected sources host a compact core, with 8 being core-dominated at either frequencies, the others exhibiting also extended structures. Spectral indices range from steep to flat/inverted. We interpret this evidence as either due to a core+jet system (6/15), a core accompanied by surrounding star formation (1/15), to a jet oriented close to the line of sight (3/15), to emission from a corona or the base of a jet (1/15), although there might be degeneracies between different processes. Four sources require more data to shed light on their nature. We conclude that, at these frequencies, extended, optically-thin components are present together with the flat-spectrum core. The ${L_R}/{L_X}\sim10^{-5}$ relation is roughly followed, indicating a possible contribution to radio emission from a hot corona. A weakly significant correlation between radio core (22 and 45 GHz) and X-rays luminosities is discussed in the light of an accretion-ejection framework.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The curious activity in the nucleus of NGC 4151: jet interaction causing variability?

A key characteristic of many active galactic nuclei (AGN) is their variability, but its origin is poorly understood, especially in the radio domain. Williams et al. (2017) reported a ~50 per cent increase in peak flux density of the AGN in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 at 1.5 GHz with the e-MERLIN array. We present new high resolution e-MERLIN observations at 5 GHz and compare these to archival MERLIN observations to investigate the reported variability. Our new observations allow us to probe the nuclear region at a factor three times higher-resolution than the previous e-MERLIN study. We separate the core component, C4, into three separate components: C4W, C4E and X. The AGN is thought to reside in component C4W, but this component has remained constant between epochs within uncertainties. However, we find that the Eastern-most component, C4E, has increased in peak flux density from 19.35$\pm$1.10 to 37.09$\pm$1.86 mJy/beam, representing a 8.2 sigma increase on the MERLIN observations. We attribute this peak flux density increase to continued interaction between the jet and the emission line region (ELR), observed for the first time in a low-luminosity AGN such as NGC 4151. We identify discrete resolved components at 5 GHz along the jet axis, which we interpret as areas of jet-ELR interaction.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Deciphering the Large-Scale Environment of Radio Galaxies in the Local Universe II. A Statistical Analysis of Environmental Properties

In our previous analysis we investigated the large-scale environment of two samples of radio galaxies (RGs) in the local Universe (i.e. with redshifts z<0.15), classified as FR I and FR II on the basis of their radio morphology. The analysis was carried out using i) extremely homogeneous catalogs and ii) a new method, known as cosmological overdensity, to investigate their large-scale environments. We concluded that, independently by the shape of their radio extended structure, RGs inhabit galaxy-rich large-scale environments with similar characteristics and richness. In the present work, we first highlight additional advantages of our procedure, that does not suffer cosmological biases and/or artifacts, and then we carry out an additional statistical test to strengthen our previous results. We also investigate properties of RG environments using those of the cosmological neighbors. We find that large-scale environments of both FRIs and FRIIs are remarkably similar and independent on the properties of central RG. Finally, we highlight the importance of comparing radio sources in the same redshift bins to obtain a complete overview of their large-scale environments.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Local AGN Survey (LASr): I. Galaxy sample, infrared colour selection and predictions for AGN within 100 Mpc

In order to answer some of the major open questions in the fields of supermassive black hole (SMBH) and galaxy evolution, a complete census of SMBH growth, i.e., active galactic nuclei (AGN), is required. Thanks to deep all-sky surveys, such as those by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) missions, this task is now becoming feasible in the nearby Universe. Here, we present a new survey, the Local AGN Survey (LASr), with the goal of identifying AGN unbiased against obscuration and determining the intrinsic Compton-thick (CT) fraction. First, we construct the most complete all-sky sample of galaxies within 100 Mpc from astronomical databases (90% completeness for log M_star/M_sun ~9.4), four times deeper than the current local galaxy reference, the Two Micron All-Sky Survey Redshift Survey (2MRS), which turns out to miss 20% of known luminous AGN. These 49k galaxies serve as parent sample for LASr, called LASr-GPS. It contains 4.3k already known AGN, >=82% of these are estimated to have L(12um) < 10^42.3 erg/s, i.e., are low-luminosity AGN. As a first method for identifying Seyfert-like AGN, we use WISE-based infrared colours, finding 221 galaxies at L(12um) >= 10^42.3 erg/s to host an AGN at 90% reliability, This includes 61 new AGN candidates and implies and optical type 2 fraction of 50 to 71%. We quantify the efficiency of this technique and estimate the total number of AGN with L_int(2-10 keV) >= 10^42 erg/s in the volume to be 362^+145_-116 (8.6^+3.5_-2.8 10^-5 Mpc^-3). X-ray brightness estimates indicate the CT fraction to be 40-55% to explain the Swift non-detections of the infrared selected objects. One third of the AGN within 100 Mpc remain to be identified and we discuss the prospects for the eROSITA all-sky survey.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

WATCAT: a tale of wide-angle tailed radio galaxies

We present a catalog of 47 wide-angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs), the WATCAT; these galaxies were selected by combining observations from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS), the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters (FIRST), and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and mainly built including a radio morphological classification. We included in the catalog only radio sources showing two-sided jets with two clear "warmspots" (i.e., jet knots as bright as 20% of the nucleus) lying on the opposite side of the radio core, and having classical extended emission resembling a plume beyond them. The catalog is limited to redshifts z $\leq$ 0.15, and lists only sources with radio emission extended beyond 30 kpc from the host galaxy. We found that host galaxies of WATCAT sources are all luminous (-20.5 $\gtrsim$ Mr $\gtrsim$ -23.7), red early-type galaxies with black hole masses in the range $10^8\lesssim $ M$_{\rm BH} \lesssim 10^9$ M$_\odot$. The spectroscopic classification indicates that they are all low-excitation galaxies (LEGs). Comparing WAT multifrequency properties with those of FRI and FRII radio galaxies at the same redshifts, we conclude that WATs show multifrequency properties remarkably similar to FRI radio galaxies, having radio power of typical FRIIs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Deciphering the large-scale environment of radio galaxies in the local Universe: where do they born, grow and die?

The role played by the large-scale environment on the nuclear activity of radio galaxies (RGs), is still not completely understood. Accretion mode, jet power and galaxy evolution are connected with their large-scale environment from tens to hundreds of kpc. Here we present a detailed, statistical, analysis of the large-scale environment for two samples of RGs up to redshifts $z_\mathrm{src}$=0.15. The main advantages of our study, with respect to those already present in the literature, are due to the extremely homogeneous selection criteria of catalogs adopted to perform our investigation. This is also coupled with the use of several clustering algorithms. We performed a direct search of galaxy-rich environments around RGs using them as beacon. To perform this study we also developed a new method that does not appear to suffer by a strong $z_\mathrm{src}$ dependence as other algorithms. We conclude that, despite their radio morphological (FR\,I $vs$ FR\,II) and/or their optical (HERG $vs$ LERG) classification, RGs in the local Universe tend to live in galaxy-rich large-scale environments having similar characteristics and richness. We highlight that the fraction of FR\,Is-LERG, inhabiting galaxy rich environments, appears larger than that of FR\,IIs-LERG. We also found that 5 out of 7 FR\,II-HERGs, with $z_\mathrm{src}\leq$0.11, lie in groups/clusters of galaxies. However, we recognize that, despite the high level of completeness of our catalogs, when restricting to the local Universe, the low number of HERGs ($\sim$10\% of the total FR\,IIs investigated) prevent us to make a strong statistical conclusion about this source class.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Faint $γ$-ray sources at low-redshift: the radio galaxy IC 1531

We present a multi-wavelength study of IC 1531 (z=0.02564), an extragalactic radio source associated with the $γ$-ray object 3FGL J0009.9-3206 and classified as a blazar of uncertain type in the Third Fermi Large Area Telescope AGN Catalog (3LAC). A core-jet structure, visible in radio and X-rays, is enclosed within a $\sim$220 kpc wide radio structure. The morphology and spectral characteristics of the kiloparsec jet in radio and X-rays are typical of Fanaroff-Riley type I galaxies. The analysis of the radio data and optical spectrum and different diagnostic methods based on the optical, infrared and $γ$-ray luminosities also support a classification as a low-power radio galaxy seen at moderate angles ($θ=$10$^\circ$-20$^\circ$). In the framework of leptonic models, the high-energy peak of the non-thermal nuclear spectral energy distribution can be explained in terms of synchrotron-self-Compton emission from a jet seen at $θ\sim$15$^\circ$. Similarly to other misaligned AGNs detected by Fermi, the required bulk motion is lower ($Γ_{\rm bulk}=$4) than the values inferred in BL Lac objects, confirming that, because of the de-boosting of emission from the highly-relativistic blazar region, these nearby systems are valuable targets to probe the existence of multiple sites of production of the most energetic emission in the jets.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

The MURALES survey. I. A dual AGN in the radio galaxy 3C459?

We observed the FRII radio galaxy 3C459 (z=0.22) with the MUSE spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) as part of the MURALES project (a MUse RAdio Loud Emission line Snapshot survey). We detected diffuse nuclear emission and a filamentary ionized gas structure forming a one-sided, triangular-shaped region extending out to $\sim$80 kpc. The central emission line region is dominated by two compact knots of similar flux: the first (N1) cospatial with the radio core and the (N2) second located 1.2" (5.3 kpc) to the SE. The two regions differ dramatically from the point of view of velocity (with an offset of ~400 km/s), line widths, and line ratios. This suggests that we are observing a dual AGN system formed by a radio loud AGN and type 2 QSO companion, which is the result of the recent merger that also produced its disturbed host morphology. The alternative possibility that N2 is just a bright emission line knot resulting from, for example, a jet-cloud interaction, is disfavored because of 1) the presence of a high ionization bicone whose apex is located at N2; 2) the observed narrow line widths; 3) its line luminosity (~10^42 erg s-1) typical of luminous QSOs; and 4) its location, which is offset from the jet path. The putative secondary AGN must be highly obscured, since we do not detect any emission in the Chandra and infrared Hubble Space Telescope images.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Jets, Arcs and Shocks: NGC 5195 at radio wavelengths

We studied the nearby, interacting galaxy NGC 5195 (M51b) in the radio, optical and X-ray bands. We mapped the extended, low-surface-brightness features of its radio-continuum emission; determined the energy content of its complex structure of shock-ionized gas; constrained the current activity level of its supermassive nuclear black hole. In particular, we combined data from the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (~1-pc scale), from our new e-MERLIN observations (~10-pc scale), and from the Very Large Array (~100-1000-pc scale), to obtain a global picture of energy injection in this galaxy. We put an upper limit to the luminosity of the (undetected) flat-spectrum radio core. We find steep-spectrum, extended emission within 10 pc of the nuclear position, consistent with optically-thin synchrotron emission from nuclear star formation or from an outflow powered by an active galactic nucleus (AGN). A linear spur of radio emission juts out of the nuclear source towards the kpc-scale arcs (detected in radio, Halpha and X-ray bands). From the size, shock velocity, and Balmer line luminosity of the kpc-scale bubble, we estimate that it was inflated by a long-term-average mechanical power ~3-6 x 10^{41} erg/s over the last 3-6 Myr. This is an order of magnitude more power than can be provided by the current level of star formation, and by the current accretion power of the supermassive black hole. We argue that a jet-inflated bubble scenario associated with previous episodes of AGN activity is the most likely explanation for the kpc-scale structures.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

LeMMINGs. I. The eMERLIN legacy survey of nearby galaxies. 1.5-GHz parsec-scale radio structures and cores

We present the first data release of high-resolution ($\leq0.2$ arcsec) 1.5-GHz radio images of 103 nearby galaxies from the Palomar sample, observed with the eMERLIN array, as part of the LeMMINGs survey. This sample includes galaxies which are active (LINER and Seyfert) and quiescent (HII galaxies and Absorption line galaxies, ALG), which are reclassified based upon revised emission-line diagrams. We detect radio emission $\gtrsim$ 0.2 mJy for 47/103 galaxies (22/34 for LINERS, 4/4 for Seyferts, 16/51 for HII galaxies and 5/14 for ALGs) with radio sizes typically of $\lesssim$100 pc. We identify the radio core position within the radio structures for 41 sources. Half of the sample shows jetted morphologies. The remaining half shows single radio cores or complex morphologies. LINERs show radio structures more core-brightened than Seyferts. Radio luminosities of the sample range from 10$^{32}$ to 10$^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$: LINERs and HII galaxies show the highest and the lowest radio powers respectively, while ALGs and Seyferts have intermediate luminosities. We find that radio core luminosities correlate with black hole (BH) mass down to $\sim$10$^{7}$ M$_{\odot}$, but a break emerges at lower masses. Using [O III] line luminosity as a proxy for the accretion luminosity, active nuclei and jetted HII galaxies follow an optical fundamental plane of BH activity, suggesting a common disc-jet relationship. In conclusion, LINER nuclei are the scaled-down version of FR I radio galaxies; Seyferts show less collimated jets; HII galaxies may host weak active BHs and/or nuclear star-forming cores; and recurrent BH activity may account for ALG properties.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

FR0CAT: a FIRST catalog of FR0 radio galaxies

With the aim of exploring the properties of the class of FR0 radio galaxies, we selected a sample of 108 compact radio sources, called FR0CAT, by combining observations from the NVSS, FIRST, and SDSS surveys. The catalog includes sources with z$\leq 0.05$, with a radio size $\lesssim$ 5 kpc, and with an optical spectrum characteristic of low-excitation galaxies. Their 1.4-GHz radio luminosities range $10^{38} \lesssim νL_{1.4} \lesssim 10^{40}$ erg/s. The FR0CAT hosts are mostly (86%) luminous ($-21 \gtrsim M_r \gtrsim -23$) red early-type galaxies with black hole masses $10^8 \lesssim M_{\rm BH} \lesssim 10^9 M_\odot$: similar to the hosts of FRI radio galaxies, but they are on average a factor $\sim$1.6 less massive. The number density of FR0CAT sources is $\sim$5 times higher than that of FRIs, and thus they represent the dominant population of radio sources in the local Universe. Different scenarios are considered to account for the smaller sizes and larger abundance of FR0s with respect to FRIs. An age-size scenario that considers FR0s as young radio galaxies that will all eventually evolve into extended radio sources cannot be reconciled with the large space density of FR0s. However, the radio activity recurrence, with the duration of the active phase covering a wide range of values and with short active periods strongly favored with respect to longer ones, might account for their large density number. Alternatively, the jet properties of FR0s might be intrinsically different from those of the FRIs, the former class having lower bulk Lorentz factors, possibly due to lower black hole spins. Our study indicates that FR0s and FRI/IIs can be interpreted as two extremes of a continuous population of radio sources that is characterized by a broad distribution of sizes and luminosities of their extended radio emission, but shares a single class of host galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Radio jets in NGC 4151: where eMERLIN meets HST

We present high-sensitivity eMERLIN radio images of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 at 1.5 GHz. We compare the new eMERLIN images to those from archival MERLIN observations in 1993 to determine the change in jet morphology in the 22 years between observations. We report an increase by almost a factor of 2 in the peak flux density of the central core component, C4, thought to host the black hole, but a probable decrease in some other components, possibly due to adiabatic expansion. The core flux increase indicates an AGN which is currently active and feeding the jet. We detect no significant motion in 22 years between C4 and the component C3, which is unresolved in the eMERLIN image. We present a spectral index image made within the 512 MHz band of the 1.5 GHz observations. The spectrum of the core, C4, is flatter than that of other components further out in the jet. We use HST emission line images (H$α$, [O III] and [O II]) to study the connection between the jet and the emission line region. Based on the changing emission line ratios away from the core and comparison with the eMERLIN radio jet, we conclude that photoionisation from the central AGN is responsible for the observed emission line properties further than 4" (360 pc) from the core, C4. Within this region, several evidences (radio-line co-spatiality, low [O III]/H$α$ and estimated fast shocks) suggest additional ionisation from the jet.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

FRII{\sl{CAT}}: A FIRST catalog of FR~II radio galaxies

We built a catalog of 122 FR~II radio galaxies, called FRII{\sl{CAT}}, selected from a published sample obtained by combining observations from the NVSS, FIRST, and SDSS surveys. The catalog includes sources with redshift $\leq 0.15$, an edge-brightened radio morphology, and those with at least one of the emission peaks located at radius $r$ larger than 30 kpc from the center of the host. The radio luminosity at 1.4 GHz of the \FRII\ sources covers the range $L_{1.4} \sim 10^{39.5} - 10^{42.5}$ $\ergs$. The \FRII\ catalog has 90\% of low and 10\% of high excitation galaxies (LEGs and HEGs), respectively. The properties of these two classes are significantly different. The FRII{\sl{CAT}} LEGs are mostly luminous ($-20 \gtrsim M_r \gtrsim -24$), red early-type galaxies with black hole masses in the range $10^8 \lesssim M_{\rm BH} \lesssim 10^9 M_\odot$; they are essentially indistinguishable from the FR~Is belonging to the FRI{\sl{CAT}}. The HEG FR~IIs are associated with optically bluer and mid-IR redder hosts than the LEG FR~IIs and to galaxies and black holes that are smaller, on average, by a factor $\sim$2. FR~IIs have a factor $\sim$ 3 higher average radio luminosity than FR~Is. Nonetheless, most ($\sim 90$ \%) of the selected FR~IIs have a radio power that is lower, by as much as a factor of $\sim$100, than the transition value between FR~Is and FR~IIs found in the 3C sample. The correspondence between the morphological classification of FR~I and FR~II and the separation in radio power disappears when including sources selected at low radio flux thresholds, which is in line with previous results. In conclusion, a radio source produced by a low power jet can be edge brightened or edge darkened, and the outcome is not related to differences in the optical properties of the host galaxy.

astro-ph.HE↗