arXiv subjects

Roger Deane

Publications and source records attributed to Roger Deane.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

High-Resolution Radio Observations of Five Optically Selected Type 2 Quasars

Many low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) contain a compact radio core which can be observed with high angular resolution using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). Combining arcsec-scale structural information with milliarcsec-resolution VLBI imaging is a useful way to characterise the objects and to find compact cores on parsec scales. VLBI imaging could also be employed to look for dual AGNs when the sources show kpc-scale double symmetric structure with flat or inverted radio spectra. We observed five such sources at redshifts 0.36 < z < 0.58 taken from an optically selected sample of Type 2 quasars with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.7 and 5 GHz. Out of the five sources, only one (SDSS J1026-0042) shows a confidently detected compact VLBI core at both frequencies. The other four sources are marginally detected at 1.7 GHz only, indicating resolved-out radio structure and steep spectra. Using first-epoch data from the ongoing Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey, we confirm that indeed all four of these sources have steep radio spectra on arcsec scale, contrary to the inverted spectra reported earlier in the literature. However, the VLBI-detected source, SDSS J1026-0042, has a flat integrated spectrum. Radio AGNs that show kpc-scale symmetric structures with truly flat or inverted spectra could still be promising candidates of dual AGNs, to be targeted with VLBI observations in the future.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Studying Black Holes on Horizon Scales with VLBI Ground Arrays

High-resolution imaging of supermassive black holes is now possible, with new applications to testing general relativity and horizon-scale accretion and relativistic jet formation processes. Over the coming decade, the EHT will propose to add new strategically placed VLBI elements operating at 1.3mm and 0.87mm wavelength. In parallel, development of next-generation backend instrumentation, coupled with high throughput correlation architectures, will boost sensitivity, allowing the new stations to be of modest collecting area while still improving imaging fidelity and angular resolution. The goal of these efforts is to move from imaging static horizon scale structure to dynamic reconstructions that capture the processes of accretion and jet launching in near real time.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results and the Role of ALMA

In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration revealed the first image of the candidate super-massive black hole (SMBH) at the centre of the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 (M87). This event-horizon-scale image shows a ring of glowing plasma with a dark patch at the centre, which is interpreted as the shadow of the black hole. This breakthrough result, which represents a powerful confirmation of Einstein's theory of gravity, or general relativity, was made possible by assembling a global network of radio telescopes operating at millimetre wavelengths that for the first time included the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array (ALMA). The addition of ALMA as an anchor station has enabled a giant leap forward by increasing the sensitivity limits of the EHT by an order of magnitude, effectively turning it into an imaging array. The published image demonstrates that it is now possible to directly study the event horizon shadows of SMBHs via electromagnetic radiation, thereby transforming this elusive frontier from a mathematical concept into an astrophysical reality. The expansion of the array over the next few years will include new stations on different continents - and eventually satellites in space. This will provide progressively sharper and higher-fidelity images of SMBH candidates, and potentially even movies of the hot plasma orbiting around SMBHs. These improvements will shed light on the processes of black hole accretion and jet formation on event-horizon scales, thereby enabling more precise tests of general relativity in the truly strong field regime.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

The Synergy between VLBI and Gaia astrometry

With the publication of Gaia DR2, 1.3 billion stars now have public parallax and proper motion measurements. In this contribution, we compare the results for sources that have both optical and radio measurements, focusing on circumstellar masers. For these large, variable and bright AGB stars, the VLBI astrometry results can be more robust. Moreover, there are a number of applications where VLBI astrometry provides unique data for studying stellar populations and Galactic structure. The BeSSel project not only provides parallax and proper motions at much larger distances than Gaia can reach, but it also uniquely samples the spiral arms of the Galaxy. The evolved stars in the BAaDE sample can potentially constrain the dynamics and stellar content of the inner bulge and bar of the Milky Way, not reachable in the optical.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

Towards the first detection of strongly lensed HI emission

We report interferometric observations tuned to the redshifted neutral hydrogen (HI) 21cm emission line in three strongly lensed galaxies at $z \sim 0.4$ with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). One galaxy spectrum (J1106+5228 at z=0.407) shows evidence of a marginal detection with an integrated signal-to-noise ratio of 3.8, which, if confirmed by follow-up observations, would represent the first strongly lensed and most distant individual galaxy detected in HI emission. Two steps are performed to transcribe the lensed integrated flux measurements into HI mass measurements for all three target galaxies. First, we calculate the HI magnification factor $μ$ by applying general relativistic ray-tracing to a physical model of the source-lens system. The HI magnification generally differs from the optical magnification and depends largely on the intrinsic HI mass $M_{\rm HI}$ due to the HI mass-size relation. Second, we employ a Bayesian formalism to convert the integrated flux, amplified by the $M_{\rm HI}$-dependent magnification factor $μ$, into a probability density for $M_{\rm HI}$, accounting for the asymmetric uncertainty due to the declining HI mass function (Eddington bias). In this way, we determine a value of $\log_{\rm 10} (M_{\rm HI}/M_\odot) = 10.2^{+0.3}_{-0.7}$ for J1106+5228, consistent with the estimate of $9.4\pm0.3$ from the optical properties of this galaxy. The HI mass of the other two sources are consistent with zero within a 95 per cent confidence interval however we still provide upper limits for both sources and a $1σ$ lower limit for J1250-0135 using the same formalism.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

MERGHERS: An SZ-selected cluster survey with MeerKAT

The MeerKAT telescope will be one of the most sensitive radio arrays in the pre-SKA era. Here we discuss a low-frequency SZ-selected cluster survey with MeerKAT, the MeerKAT Extended Relics, Giant Halos, and Extragalactic Radio Sources (MERGHERS) survey. The primary goal of this survey is to detect faint signatures of diffuse cluster emission, specifically radio halos and relics. SZ-selected cluster samples offer a homogeneous, mass-limited set of targets out to higher redshift than X-ray samples. MeerKAT is sensitive enough to detect diffuse radio emission at the faint levels expected in low-mass and high-redshift clusters, thereby enabling radio halo and relic formation theories to be tested with a larger statistical sample over a significantly expanded phase space. Complementary multiwavelength follow-up observations will provide a more complete picture of any clusters found to host diffuse emission, thereby enhancing the scientific return of the MERGHERS survey.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Gravitationally Lensed HI with MeerKAT

The SKA era is set to revolutionize our understanding of neutral hydrogen (HI) in individual galaxies out to redshifts of z~0.8; and in the z > 6 intergalactic medium through the detection and imaging of cosmic reionization. Direct HI number density constraints will, nonetheless, remain relatively weak out to cosmic noon (z~2) - the epoch of peak star formation and black hole accretion - and beyond. However, as was demonstrated from the 1990s with molecular line observations, this can be overcome by utilising the natural amplification afforded by strong gravitational lensing, which results in an effective increase in integration time by the square of the total magnification (μ^2) for an unresolved source. Here we outline how a dedicated lensed HI survey will leverage MeerKAT's high sensitivity, frequency coverage, large instantaneous bandwidth, and high dynamic range imaging to enable a lasting legacy of high-redshift HI emission detections well into the SKA era. This survey will not only provide high-impact, rapid-turnaround MeerKAT science commissioning results, but also unveil Milky Way-like systems towards cosmic noon which is not possible with any other SKA precursors/pathfinders. An ambitious lensed HI survey will therefore make a significant impact from MeerKAT commissioning all the way through to the full SKA era, and provide a more complete picture of the HI history of the Universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

MeqSilhouette : A mm-VLBI observation and signal corruption simulator

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) aims to spatially resolve the silhouette (or shadow) of the supermassive black holes in the Galactic Centre (Sgr A$^\star$) and M87. The primary scientific objectives are to test general relativity in the strong-field regime and to probe accretion and jet-launch physics at event-horizon scales. This is made possible by the technique of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at (sub)millimetre wavelengths, which can achieve angular resolutions of order $\sim10~μ$-arcsec. However, this approach suffers from unique observational challenges, including scattering in the troposphere and interstellar medium; rapidly time-variable source structure in both polarized and total intensity; as well as non-negligible antenna pointing errors. In this, the first paper in a series, we present the MeqSilhouette software package which is specifically designed to accurately simulate EHT observations. It includes realistic descriptions of a number of signal corruptions that can limit the ability to measure the key science parameters. This can be used to quantify calibration requirements, test parameter estimation and imaging strategies, and investigate systematic uncertainties that may be present. In doing so, a stronger link can be made between observational capabilities and theoretical predictions, with the goal of maximising scientific output from the upcoming order of magnitude increase in EHT sensitivity.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Multiple supermassive black hole systems: SKA's future leading role

Galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are believed to evolve through a process of hierarchical merging and accretion. Through this paradigm, multiple SMBH systems are expected to be relatively common in the Universe. However, to date there are poor observational constraints on multiple SMBHs systems with separations comparable to a SMBH gravitational sphere of influence (<< 1 kpc). In this chapter, we discuss how deep continuum observations with the SKA will make leading contributions towards understanding how multiple black hole systems impact galaxy evolution. In addition, these observations will provide constraints on and an understanding of stochastic gravitational wave background detections in the pulsar timing array sensitivity band (nanoHz -microHz). We also discuss how targets for pointed gravitational wave experiments (that cannot be resolved by VLBI) could potentially be found using the large-scale radio-jet morphology, which can be modulated by the presence of a close-pair binary SMBH system. The combination of direct imaging at high angular resolution; low-surface brightness radio-jet tracers; and pulsar timing arrays will allow the SKA to trace black hole binary evolution from separations of a galaxy virial radius down to the sub-parsec level. This large dynamic range in binary SMBH separation will ensure that the SKA plays a leading role in this observational frontier.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Very Long Baseline Interferometry with the SKA

Adding VLBI capability to the SKA arrays will greatly broaden the science of the SKA, and is feasible within the current specifications. SKA-VLBI can be initially implemented by providing phased-array outputs for SKA1-MID and SKA1-SUR and using these extremely sensitive stations with other radio telescopes, and in SKA2 by realising a distributed configuration providing baselines up to thousands of km, merging it with existing VLBI networks. The motivation for and the possible realization of SKA-VLBI is described in this paper.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

Future Science Prospects for AMI

The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) is a telescope specifically designed for high sensitivity measurements of low-surface-brightness features at cm-wavelength and has unique, important capabilities. It consists of two interferometer arrays operating over 13.5-18 GHz that image structures on scales of 0.5-10 arcmin with very low systematics. The Small Array (AMI-SA; ten 3.7-m antennas) couples very well to Sunyaev-Zel'dovich features from galaxy clusters and to many Galactic features. The Large Array (AMI-LA; eight 13-m antennas) has a collecting area ten times that of the AMI-SA and longer baselines, crucially allowing the removal of the effects of confusing radio point sources from regions of low surface-brightness, extended emission. Moreover AMI provides fast, deep object surveying and allows monitoring of large numbers of objects. In this White Paper we review the new science - both Galactic and extragalactic - already achieved with AMI and outline the prospects for much more.

astro-ph.IM↗