Constraining Omega_0 With The Angular-Size Redshift Relation Of Double-Lobed Quasars In The FIRST Survey
In previous attempts to measure Omega_0 from the angular size-redshift (theta-z) relation of double-lobed radio sources, the observed data have been consistent with a static Euclidean universe, rather than with Friedmann models, and past authors have disagreed as to what effects are responsible. These results may be due to a variety of selection effects, different sample definitions, and inconsistencies in the analysis undermining the results. Using the VLA FIRST survey, we investigate the theta-z relation for a new sample of 103 double-lobed quasars, carefully addressing the various potential problems which, we believe, have compromised past work. Before focusing on cosmological constraints, we investigate the possible impact of correlations among the intrinsic properties of these sources over the entire assumed range of allowed cosmological parameter values. For all cases, we find only mild apparent size evolution which is found to arise mainly from a power-size correlation coupled with a power-redshift correlation; intrinsic size evolution is consistent with zero. We also find that in all cases, an evolution-free subsample can be defined, whose theta-z relation should arise mainly from cosmological effects. Contrary to past work, we find that the observed theta-z relation for our sample is more consistent with standard Friedmann models than with a static Euclidean universe. In particular, we find that a flat, matter-dominated universe, a flat universe with a cosmological constant, and an open universe all provide comparably good fits to the data, with the latter two models both yielding Omega_0 \approx 0.35 with 1-sigma ranges including values between \sim 0.25 and 1.0; the evolution-free subsamples yield values of Omega_0 near unity, though with even greater error ranges.