arXiv subjects

S. P. O'Sullivan

Publications and source records attributed to S. P. O'Sullivan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Investigating the magnetic field in the inter-cluster filament between Abell 3667 and Abell 3651 with POSSUM

[Abridged abstract] The objective of this study is to measure the magnetic field within the prominent inter-cluster filament recently detected in X-rays by the extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA). This filament spans over 13 Mpc projected on the sky, connecting the galaxy clusters Abell 3667 and Abell 3651. We employed the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM) Rotation Measure (RM) grid to isolate the RM dispersion and median value of background polarised sources induced by the filament's magnetised plasma, and to infer the strength of this magnetic field. The filament region is sampled by 54 background polarised sources. After subtracting the foreground Galactic RM, we detected a marginal residual RM dispersion in the filament region of $6.9\pm3.6$ rad/m$^{2}$, together with a coherent residual RM signal with median $6.3\pm1.3$ rad/m$^{2}$. Assuming simplified single-scale magnetic-field models and adopting informed priors on the thermal electron density distribution derived from the X-ray analysis, we constrained the magnetic field strength to the range 0.1-3.5 $μ$G within 95$\%$ confidence, with preferred values around 0.2-0.3 $μ$G depending on the assumed magnetic-field coherence scale. However, we also found that the Galactic foreground RM in this region is highly structured on angular scales comparable to the extent of the filament itself, representing a major source of uncertainty for the RM analysis. Our results provide the first magnetic field constraints based on Faraday rotation measurements in an individual X-ray-detected inter-cluster filament, with field strengths consistent with theoretical expectations for gas in bridges and cluster outskirts. Our analysis also highlights the critical importance of accurately modelling Galactic RM foregrounds for future studies of extra-galactic magnetism with POSSUM and the SKA.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Multiband ALMA polarimetry of the jet base and kiloparsec-scale jet of 3C 273: A multicomponent Faraday structure in the nucleus

Polarization observations at millimeter wavelengths can be used to study magnetized plasma in jets launched by supermassive black holes. We used multiband Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) data to study the polarization structure of both the nucleus and the kiloparsec-scale jet of the archetypal quasar 3C 273. We modeled the wavelength-dependent polarization of the nucleus using multiband observations (2, 1.3, and 0.85 mm) and applied QU-fitting to constrain Faraday rotation models with one or more polarized components. We also produced total intensity and polarization maps of the kiloparsec-scale jet to study the evolution of the magnetic field structure along and across the jet. The data of the nucleus were best fit by two Faraday components: a high rotation measure (RM) component with RM = +(2.6 +/- 0.1) x 10^5 rad/m^2 and comparable RM dispersion, and a second component with RM = +(1.5 +/- 0.2) x 10^4 rad/m^2 and lower dispersion. The high RM is comparable to previous ALMA observations at 1.3 mm, although we found clear evidence of variability when compared to previous single-band ALMA studies, highlighting the importance of broad wavelength coverage. On kiloparsec scales, the millimeter polarization structure closely resembled that observed at centimeter wavelengths, revealing a complex magnetic field configuration around the jet head and brightest hotspot region. Our results indicate a multicomponent, time-variable Faraday screen in the nuclear region of 3C 273 that is likely associated with a dense, magnetized environment close to the jet base. Future spatially resolved millimeter polarimetry with the Event Horizon Telescope will be crucial to disentangling these components and directly localizing the high-RM emission region.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Helical radio jets as probes of magnetised cluster environments: Periodic Faraday Rotation Revealed in the Corkscrew Galaxy by POSSUM

Jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN) that exhibit regular plane-of-sky oscillations may provide a probe of magnetised plasma within the jets and their local intracluster medium (ICM). If such morphologies trace three-dimensional helices, path length differences between near and far sides of the flow might imprint quasi-periodic signatures in Faraday rotation. We present ASKAP Band 2 (1296-1440 MHz) polarimetric observations of a helical-tailed radio galaxy (the "Corkscrew Galaxy") from early science data from the POlarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM), and test whether its quasi-periodic morphology produces signatures in Faraday rotation. We detect significant RM oscillations with a spatial period of (342 +/- 101) arcsec, consistent within the Rayleigh resolution limit with the jet's lateral deviations ((290 +/- 72) arcsec). Cross-correlation analysis reveals systematic variation along the jet: the eastern section shows alignment between jet deviation and RM, consistent with a jet-associated or sheath-like Faraday screen, while the western section exhibits a phase shift, indicating a transition in the dominant Faraday-rotating medium and possible contribution from the local ICM. These results demonstrate that quasi-periodic RM signatures can disentangle the dominant Faraday-rotating medium in AGN jets, and show that in some embedded radio galaxies the dominant RM contribution arises near the source rather than the cluster foreground. We also outline reliability criteria required to avoid false positive detections and inadequate sampling. Helical jet structures therefore show strong promise as probes of magnetised cluster environments, a capability that will expand in the SKA era.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Polarisation and Faraday rotation measure imaging at metre wavelengths with sub-arcsecond resolution: a foundational calibration strategy

Low-frequency radio polarimetric observations provide a powerful probe of magnetic fields in astrophysical sources and the intervening medium, as well as magnetospheric emission from compact objects such as pulsars, magnetically active stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary aurorae. With baselines of up to 2000 km, LOFAR offers a unique opportunity to study the low-frequency polarised Universe at sub-arcsecond resolution. However, polarimetric studies with LOFAR have so far been limited to angular resolutions of about 6 arcsec, resulting in stronger beam depolarisation. Here we present a calibration strategy that enables full-resolution polarimetric imaging with the LOFAR pan-European array. Our method applies full-Jones corrections to the international stations using an in-field unpolarised calibrator. In addition, when a sufficiently bright polarised source is present in the field, multi-epoch observations can be aligned in Faraday depth using a visibility-based correction that accounts for polarisation angle and rotation measure offsets. This approach enables deeper combined imaging and deconvolution. We apply this strategy to the LOFAR ELAIS-N1 field, combining four 8 h observations for a total integration time of 32 h. At 0.3 arcsec resolution, we detect two previously known polarised sources identified in lower-resolution studies, resolve additional polarised components, and localise emission regions with sub-arcsecond precision. We also identify a new polarised source and detect circularly polarised emission from the binary M-dwarf system CR Draconis, measuring its proper motion across epochs. These results demonstrate that sub-arcsecond polarimetry at metre wavelengths is now feasible with LOFAR, opening new science opportunities in the LOFAR2.0 era.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Magnetised CGM Gas at z~1 revealed by SPICE-RACS

Magnetic fields are expected to permeate the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies, yet direct constraints at high redshift remain limited by the lack of high-quality Faraday rotation measure (RM) data. Using the RMs from SPICE-RACS DR2 combined with the DESI DR1 quasar catalogue, we compile the largest sample to date of 2483 quasar sightlines with associated RMs, including 612 with intervening Mg II absorbers tracing foreground galaxies and 1871 control sightlines without Mg II absorbers. After subtracting the Galactic RM contribution and restricting the analysis to sightlines with low Milky Way HI column density and H$α$ intensity, we obtain a foreground-cleaned sample of 757 quasars (191 Mg II / 566 control) spanning redshifts $0.13<z<3.45$. In this foreground-cleaned sample, Mg II sightlines exhibit a $4.5σ$ excess in the residual RM dispersion of $4.13 \pm 0.91~\mathrm{rad\,m^{-2}}$ relative to the control sample, at a median absorber redshift of $z\sim1.14$. This implies model-dependent CGM magnetic field strengths of $\sim0.4 - 0.8\, μ$G over projected radii of $20 - 150$ kpc. This indicates that substantial CGM magnetisation was already established by $z\sim1$, enabling new constraints on the growth and amplification of magnetic fields in galaxy halos over cosmic time.

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arXiv2026

Magnetic properties of the Abell 3391-3395 system revealed using wide-field MeerKAT polarimetry

Magnetic fields in cluster outskirts and the intercluster medium are poorly constrained because diffuse synchrotron emission is hard to detect at low surface brightness. Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of polarized background sources can probe foreground large-scale structure. The nearby interacting Abell 3391-3395 system hosts a well-established X-ray bridge, making it an excellent target for studying magnetization in the intercluster environment. We characterize the magnetized environment of Abell 3391/95 and its surroundings by constructing a dense RM grid from wide-field polarimetry. We observed Abell 3391/95 with MeerKAT in full polarization using a three-pointing mosaic. The data were calibrated with direction-independent and direction-dependent techniques and imaged using visibility-plane mosaicing for a large field of view at high sensitivity. Using Faraday synthesis, we formed Faraday cubes and measured RMs for polarized background sources. We defined on- and off-target regions using contours from a wavelet-filtered eROSITA image. We identified 434 polarized sources within the field, with a polarized source density ranging from about 30 sources per square degree in the outer regions to about 110 sources per square degree in the central field, and a field-averaged density of 73 sources per square degree. The clusters show a statistically significant enhancement of RM scatter relative to the off-target region. In contrast, the bridge shows comparatively low RM scatter, while an RM structure-function analysis on matched angular scales yields a tentative indication of larger RM differences in the bridge than off-target. Combined with low per-source depolarization, this suggests a bridge magnetic field relatively ordered on ~10 kpc scales, but less ordered on larger scales. The non-detection of diffuse synchrotron emission in the bridge yields improved upper limits on the emissivity.

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arXiv2026

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey: VII. Third Data Release

We present the third data release of the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS-DR3). The survey images cover 88% of the northern sky and were created from 12,950 hrs of data (18.6 PB) accumulated over 10.5 years. The images were produced through direction-independent and direction-dependent calibration pipelines that correct for instrumental effects as well as spatially and temporally varying ionospheric distortions. In our 120-168 MHz continuum mosaic images with an angular resolution of 6 arcsec (9 arcsec below declination 10$^\circ$) we catalogue 13,667,877 sources, formed from 16,943,656 Gaussian components. The scatter in the astrometric precision approximately follows the expected noise-like behaviour but with an additional systematic component of at least 0.24 arcsec that is likely due to calibration imperfections. The random flux density scale error is 6%, while the systematic offset was previously shown to be within 2%. The median sensitivity of our mosaics is 92$μ$Jy beam$^{-1}$. Completeness simulations, accounting for realistic source models, time- and bandwidth-smearing effects, and astrometric errors, indicate that we detect more than 95% of compact sources with integrated flux densities exceeding 9 times the local root mean square (RMS) noise. However, the recovered source counts in a particular integrated flux density bin do not match the injected counts until flux densities exceed 45 times the local RMS noise. The Euclidean-normalised differential source counts derived from the survey constrain the radio source population over five orders of magnitude and are in good agreement with previous deep and wide-area surveys. All data products are publicly available, including catalogues, individual-field Stokes I, Q, U, and V images, mosaicked Stokes I images, and $uv$ data with associated direction-dependent calibration solutions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic Fields in the Shapley Supercluster Core with POSSUM: Challenging Model Predictions

Faraday Rotation Measure (RM) Grids provide a sensitive means to trace magnetized plasma across a wide range of cosmic environments. We study the RM signal from the Shapley Supercluster Core (SSC), in order to constrain the magnetic field properties of the gas. The SSC region consists of two galaxy clusters A3558 and A3562, and two galaxy groups between them, at $z\simeq 0.048$. We combine RM Grid data with thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect data, obtained from the POSSUM pilot survey, and Planck, respectively. To robustly determine the gas density, its magnetic field properties, and their correlation, we study the RM scatter in the SSC region and its behavior as a function of distance to the nearest cluster/group. We compare observational results with semi-analytic Gaussian random field models and more realistic cosmological MHD simulations. With a sky-density of 36 RMs/deg$^{2}$, we detect an excess RM scatter of $30.5\pm 4.6 \, \mathrm{rad/m^2}$ in the SSC region. Comparing with models, we find an average magnetic field strength of 1-3 $μ$G (in the groups and clusters). The RM scatter profile, derived from data ranging from 0.3-1.8 $r_{500}$ for all objects, is systematically flatter than expected compared to models, with $η<0.5$ being favored. Despite this discrepancy, we find that cosmological MHD simulations matched to the SSC structure most closely align with scenarios where the magnetic field is amplified by the turbulent velocity in the intercluster regions on scales $\lesssim 0.8\,r_{500}$. The dense RM grid and precision provided by POSSUM allows us to probe magnetized gas in the SSC clusters and groups on scales within and beyond their $r_{500}$. Flatter-than-expected RM scatter profiles reveal a significant challenge in reconciling observations with even the most realistic predictions from cosmological MHD simulations in the outskirts of interacting clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

The Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM): Science Goals and Survey Description

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) offers powerful new capabilities for studying the polarised and magnetised Universe at radio wavelengths. In this paper, we introduce the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM), a groundbreaking survey with three primary objectives: (1) to create a comprehensive Faraday rotation measure (RM) grid of up to one million compact extragalactic sources across the southern ~50 per cent of the sky (20,630 deg$^2$); (2) to map the intrinsic polarisation and RM properties of a wide range of discrete extragalactic and Galactic objects over the same area; and (3) to contribute interferometric data with excellent surface brightness sensitivity, which can be combined with single-dish data to study the diffuse Galactic interstellar medium. Observations for the full POSSUM survey commenced in May 2023 and are expected to conclude by mid-2028. POSSUM will achieve an RM grid density of around 30-50 RMs per square degree with a median measurement uncertainty of ~1 rad m$^{-2}$. The survey operates primarily over a frequency range of 800-1088 MHz, with an angular resolution of 20'' and a typical RMS sensitivity in Stokes $Q$ or $U$ of 18 $μ$Jy beam$^{-1}$. Additionally, the survey will be supplemented by similar observations covering 1296-1440 MHz over 38 per cent of the sky. POSSUM will enable the discovery and detailed investigation of magnetised phenomena in a wide range of cosmic environments, as well as the interplay between these components. This paper reviews the current science case developed by the POSSUM Collaboration and provides an overview of POSSUM's observations, data processing, outputs, and its complementarity with other radio and multi-wavelength surveys, including future work with the SKA. [Abstract abridged]

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Detection of magnetic fields in superclusters of galaxies

Magnetic fields in large scale structure filaments beyond galaxy clusters remain poorly understood. Superclusters offer a unique setting to study these low density environments, where weak signals make detection challenging. The Faraday rotation measure (RM) of polarized sources along supercluster lines of sight helps constrain magnetic field properties in these regions. This study aims to determine magnetic field intensity in low density environments within superclusters using RM measurements at different frequencies. We analyzed three nearby (z<0.1) superclusters, Corona Borealis, Hercules, and Leo, where polarization observations were available at 1.4 GHz and 144 MHz. Our catalogue includes 4497 polarized background sources with RM values from literature and unpublished 144 MHz data. We constructed 3D density cubes for each supercluster to estimate density at RM measurement locations. By grouping RM values into three density bins (outskirts, filaments, and nodes) we examined RM variance linked to mean density. We found an RM variance excess of 2.5 \pm 0.5 rad^2 m^{-4} between the lowest-density regions outside the supercluster and the low-density filamentary regions within. This suggests an intervening magnetic field in the supercluster filaments. Modeling the RM variance with a single scale, randomly oriented magnetic field, we constrained the line of sight magnetic field to B_{//} = 19^{+50}_{-8} nG after marginalizing over reversal scale and path length. Our findings align with previous studies of large scale structure filaments, suggesting that adiabatic compression alone (B_{||} \sim 2 nG) cannot fully explain the observed field strengths. Other amplification mechanisms likely contribute to the evolution of magnetic fields in superclusters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

LOFAR Deep Fields: Probing the sub-mJy regime of polarized extragalactic sources in ELAIS-N1. II. Analysis

Deep polarization surveys at low radio frequencies are key to cosmic magnetism studies: Larger catalogs of polarized extragalactic sources and increased precision on Faraday rotation measures (RMs) make it possible to probe the magneto-ionic medium along the lines of sight of the sources and to construct denser RM grids. In a first paper, we presented a search for polarized sources in deep observations of the 25 square degree area of the European Large Area ISO Survey North 1 (ELAIS-N1) field with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) in the range 114.9 to 177.4 MHz. In this paper, we investigate the properties of the polarized radio galaxies and use the catalog to produce an RM grid of the field. After identifying the host galaxies and collecting redshift information, we characterized the radio galaxies in terms of their radio morphologies, rest frame radio luminosities, and linear sizes. We calculated residual rotation measures (RRMs) by removing the Galactic RM and studied the variation in the RRMs with redshift and degree of polarization. We produced an RRM grid of the field and compared the positions of the polarized sources with those of galaxy clusters and superclusters. The radio galaxies show a variety of morphologies, including diffuse emission; Fanaroff Riley type II sources make up about half of the sample. Using available multiband catalogs, we found redshifts for the hosts of all polarized sources in the range of 0.06 to 1.9. Polarized emission is detected mainly from large radio galaxies. The RRM values have a median close to zero, and they appear to be independent of redshift and degree of polarization. The sources in the lines of sight of clusters of galaxies and of a supercluster are indistinguishable in their polarization and RRM properties from the population of sources that are not behind these structures.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

On the nature of LOFAR RMs and new constraints on magnetic fields in cosmic filaments and on magnetogenesis scenarios

The measurement of magnetic fields in cosmic web filaments can be used to reveal the magnetogenesis of the Universe. In previous work, we produced first estimates of the field strength and its redshift evolution using the Faraday Rotation Measure (RM) catalogue of extragalactic background sources at low frequency obtained with LOFAR observations. Here we refine our analysis by selecting sources with low Galactic RM, which reduces its residual contamination. We also conduct a comprehensive analysis of the different contributions to the extragalactic RMs along the line of sight, and confirm that they are dominated by the cosmic filaments component, with only 21 percent originating in galaxy clusters and the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies. We find a possible hint of a shock at the virial radius of massive galaxies. We also find that the fractional polarization of background sources might be a valuable CGM tracer. The newly selected RMs have a steeper evolution with redshift than previously found. The field strength in filaments ($B_f$) and its evolution are estimated assuming $B_f$ evolves as a power-law $B_f=B_{f,0}\,(1+z)^α$. Our analysis finds an average strength at $z=0$ of $B_{f,0} =11$--15~nG, with an error of 4 nG, and a slope $α=2.3$--$2.6 \pm 0.5$, which is steeper than what we previously found. The comoving field has a slope of $β=$ [0.3, 0.6$]\pm 0.5$ that is consistent with being invariant with redshift. Primordial magnetogenesis scenarios are favoured by our data, together with a sub-dominant astrophysical-origin RM component increasing with redshift.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Magnetised HI superbubbles in the Small Magellanic Cloud revealed by the POSSUM pilot survey

Neutral hydrogen (HI) bubbles and shells are common in the interstellar medium (ISM). Studying their properties provides insight into the characteristics of the local ISM as well as the galaxy in which the bubbles reside. We report the detection of magnetic fields associated with superbubbles in the nearby irregular galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Using the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM) pilot survey, we obtain a high-density grid ($\approx 25 \,\rm sources\,deg^{-2}$) of Faraday rotation measure (RM) from polarized sources behind the SMC. This provides a sufficiently large number of RM measurements to study the magnetic properties of three of the largest HI shells previously identified in the SMC. The RM profiles as a function of distance from the shell centre show characteristic patterns at angular scales comparable to the shell size. We demonstrate that this can be explained by magneto-hydrodynamic simulation models of bubbles expanding in magnetised environments. From the observations, we estimate the line-of-sight magnetic field strength at the edges of the shells is enhanced by $\sim1\,\rm μG$ with respect to their centres. This is an order of magnitude larger than the field strength in the ambient medium ($\sim 0.1\,\rm μG$) estimated based on the expansion velocity of the shells. This paper highlights the power of densely mapped RM grids in studying the magnetic properties of galactic substructures beyond the Milky Way.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Probing the Magnetised Gas Distribution in Galaxy Groups and the Cosmic Web with POSSUM Faraday Rotation Measures

We present initial results from the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM), analysing 22,817 Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) with median uncertainties of 1.2 rad m^-2 across 1,520 square degrees to study magnetised gas associated with 55 nearby galaxy groups (z less than 0.025) with halo masses between 10^12.5 and 10^14.0 M_sun. We identify two distinct gas phases: the Intragroup Medium (IGrM) within 0-2 splashback radii and the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) extending from 2 to 7 splashback radii. These phases enhance the standard deviation of residual (i.e., Galactic foreground RM-subtracted) RMs by 6.9 +/- 1.8 rad m^-2 and 4.2 +/- 1.2 rad m^-2, respectively. Estimated magnetic field strengths are several microGauss within the IGrM and 0.1-1 microGauss in the WHIM. We estimate the plasma beta in both phases and show that magnetic pressure might be more dynamically important than in the ICM of more massive clusters or sparse cosmic web filaments. Our findings indicate that "missing baryons" in the WHIM likely extend beyond the gravitational radii of group-mass halos to Mpc scales, consistent with large-scale, outflow-driven "magnetised bubbles" seen in cosmological simulations. We demonstrate that RM grids are an effective method for detecting magnetised thermal gas at galaxy group interfaces and within the cosmic web. This approach complements X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect methods, and when combined with Fast Radio Burst Dispersion Measures, data from the full POSSUM survey, comprising approximately a million RMs, will allow direct magnetic field measurements to further our understanding of baryon circulation in these environments and the magnetised universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

LOFAR Deep Fields: Probing the sub-mJy regime of polarized extragalactic sources in ELAIS-N1. I. The catalog

The aim of this study is to probe the sub-mJy polarized source population with LOFAR. We present the method used to stack LOFAR polarization datasets, the resulting catalog of polarized sources, and the derived polarized source counts. The ELAIS-N1 field was selected for a polarimetric study at 114.9-177.4 MHz. A total area of 25 deg2 was imaged at 6"- resolution in the Stokes Q and U parameters. Alignment of polarization angles was done both in frequency and in Faraday space before stacking datasets from 19 eight-hour-long epochs. A search for polarized sources was carried out in the final, stacked dataset, and the properties of the detected sources were examined. The depolarization level of sources known to be polarized at 1.4 GHz was quantified. A one-sigma noise level of 19 μJy/beam was reached in the central part of the field after stacking. Twenty-five polarized sources were detected above 8σ, five of which had not been detected in polarization at any other radio frequencies before. Seven additional polarized components were found by lowering the threshold to 6σat positions corresponding to sources known to be polarized at 1.4 GHz. In two radio galaxies, polarization was detected from both radio lobes, so the final number of associated radio continuum sources is 31. The detected sources are weakly polarized, with a median degree of polarization of 1.75% for the sample of sources detected in polarized emission. The sources previously detected in polarization at 1.4 GHz are significantly depolarized at 150 MHz. The catalog is used to derive the polarized source counts at 150 MHz. This is the deepest and highest-resolution polarization study at 150 MHz to date.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Prototype Faraday rotation measure catalogs from the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM) pilot observations

The Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM) will conduct a sensitive $\sim$1 GHz radio polarization survey covering 20 000 square degrees of the Southern sky with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). In anticipation of the full survey, we analyze pilot observations of low-band (800-1087 MHz), mid-band (1316-1439 MHz), and combined-band observations for an extragalactic field and a Galactic-plane field (low-band only). Using the POSSUM processing pipeline, we produce prototype RM catalogs that are filtered to construct prototype RM grids. We assess typical RM grid densities and RM uncertainties and their dependence on frequency, bandwidth, and Galactic latitude. We present a median filter method for separating foreground diffuse emission from background components, and find that after application of the filter, 99.5% of measured RMs of simulated sources are within 3$σ$ of their true RM, with a typical loss of polarized intensity of 5% $\pm$ 5%. We find RM grid densities of 35.1, 30.6, 37.2, and 13.5 RMs per square degree and median uncertainties on RM measurements of 1.55, 12.82, 1.06, and 1.89 rad m$^{-2}$ for the median-filtered low-band, mid-band, combined-band, and Galactic observations, respectively. We estimate that the full POSSUM survey will produce an RM catalog of $\sim$775 000 RMs with median-filtered low-band observations and $\sim$877 000 RMs with median-filtered combined-band observations. We construct a structure function from the Galactic RM catalog, which shows a break at $0.7^{\circ}$, corresponding to a physical scale of 12-24 pc for the nearest spiral arm.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The radio to GeV picture of PSR B1259-63 during the 2021 periastron passage

PSR B1259-63 is a gamma-ray binary system with a radio pulsar orbiting an O9.5Ve star, LS 2883, with a period of ~3.4 yr. Close to the periastron the system is detected at all wavelengths, from radio to the TeV energies. The emission in this time period is believed to originate from the interaction of LS 2883 and pulsar's outflows. The observations of 4 periastra passages taken in 2010-2021 show strong correlation of the radio and X-ray lightcurves with two peaks just before and after the periastron. The observations of the latest 2021 periastron passage reveal the presence of the 3rd X-ray peak and subsequent disappearance of radio/X-ray flux correlation. In this paper we present the results of our optical, radio and X-ray observational campaigns on PSR B1259-63 performed in 2021 accompanied with the analysis of the publicly available GeV FERMI/LAT data. We compare the properties of different periastron passages, discuss the obtained results and show that they can be explained in terms of the 2-zone emission cone model proposed by us previously.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Metal-THINGS: a panchromatic analysis of the local scaling relationships of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 1569

We investigate several panchromatic scaling relations (SRs) for the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 1569 using IFU data from the Metal-THINGS Survey. Among the spatially resolved properties analyzed, we explore SRs between the stellar mass, SFR, molecular gas, total gas, baryonic mass, gas metallicity, gas fraction, SFE and effective oxygen yields. Such multiwavelength SRs are analyzed at a spatial resolution of 180 pc, by combining our IFU observations with data from the surveys THINGS, CARMA, and archival data from DustPedia. Although we recover several known relations, our slopes are different to previously reported ones. Our star formation main sequence, Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) and molecular KS relations show higher SFRs, lower scatter, and higher correlations, with steeper (1.21), and flatter slopes (0.96, 0.58) respectively. The shape of the SRs including metallicity, stellar mass, and gas fraction are flat, with an average value of 12+log(O/H) $\sim$ 8.12 dex. The baryonic mass vs effective oxygen yields, and the stellar, gas and baryonic mass vs SFE show higher dispersions and lower correlations. Since we use the dust mass as a tracer of gas mass, we derive the Dust-to-Gas Ratio and the CO luminosity-to-molecular gas mass conversion factors, showing differences of 0.16 and 0.95 dex for the total and molecular gas surface density, respectively, in comparison to previously reported values. We use a self regulated feedback model to conclude that stellar feedback plays an important role generating outflows in NGC 1569.

astro-ph.GA↗