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At least 19 records

The Gamma-Ray Emitting Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS 2004-447 II. The Radio View

Context. gamma-ray-detected radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (gamma-NLS1) galaxies constitute a small but interesting sample of the gamma-ray-loud AGN. The radio-loudest gamma-NLS1 known, PKS2004447, is located in the southern hemisphere and is monitored in the radio regime by the multiwavelength monitoring programme TANAMI. Aims. We aim for the first detailed study of the radio morphology and long-term radio spectral evolution of PKS2004447, which are essential for understanding the diversity of the radio properties of gamma-NLS1s. Methods. The TANAMI VLBI monitoring program uses the Australian Long Baseline Array (LBA) and telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa to monitor the jets of radio-loud active galaxies in the southern hemisphere. Lower resolution radio flux density measurements at multiple radio frequencies over four years of observations were obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Results. The TANAMI VLBI image at 8.4GHz shows an extended one-sided jet with a dominant compact VLBI core. Its brightness temperature is consistent with equipartition, but it is an order of magnitude below other gamma-NLS1s with the sample value varying over two orders of magnitude. We find a compact morphology with a projected large-scale size 11 kpc and a persistent steep radio spectrum with moderate flux-density variability. Conclusions. PKS2004447 appears to be a unique member of the gamma-NLS1 sample. It exhibits blazar-like features, such as a flat featureless X-ray spectrum and a core-dominated, one-sided parsec-scale jet with indications for relativistic beaming. However, the data also reveal properties atypical for blazars, such as a radio spectrum and large-scale size consistent with compact-steep-spectrum (CSS) objects, which are usually associated with young radio sources. These characteristics are unique among all gamma-NLS1s and extremely rare among gamma-ray-loud AGN.

galaxies: active / galaxies: individual: PKS 2004-↗

Black Hole Demographics in and Nuclear Properties of Nearby Low Luminosity Radio Galaxies; Connections to Radio Activity?

We combine the results of an HST STIS and WFPC study of a complete sample of 21 nearby UGC low luminosity radio galaxies with the results of a radio VLA and VLBA study of the same sample. We examine the relationship between the stellar and gaseous properties of the galaxies on tens to hundreds of parsec scale with the properties of the radio jets on the same scale. From the VLA and VLBA data we constrain the physics of the outflowing radio plasma from the tens of parsecs to hundreds of kiloparsec scales. From the WFPC2 H alpha and dust images and the STIS kinematics of the near nuclear gas we obtain constraints on the orientation of near nuclear disks of gas and measures of the nuclear stellar, continuum point source, and line emission fluxes. Under the statistically supported assumption that the radio jet issues perpendicular to the disk, we use the orientation of the optical (large scale accretion?) disks to constrain the three-dimensional orientation of the radio ejection. From HST/STIS spectroscopy of the near-nuclear emission line gas we obtain measures/limits on the black hole masses. We examine correlations between the VLBA and VLA-scale radio emission, the nuclear line emission, and the nuclear optical and radio continuum emission. Though our sample is relatively small, it is uniquely well defined, spans a narrow range in redshift and we have a consistent set of high resolution data with which to carefully examine these relationships. We use the combined radio and optical data to: 1) Constrain the orientation, physics, and bulk outflow speed of the radio plasma; 2) Put limits on the mass accretion rate and study the relationship between black hole mass, radio luminosity, and near nuclear gaseous content; 3) Provide insight into the relationship between BL Lac objects and low luminosity radio galaxies.

Baum, S. A.↗

X-ray and radio core emission in radio quasars

In order to investigate the physical relationship between X-ray and radio core emission in radio-selected quasars, 35 radio quasars have been observed with the VLA at 6 and 20 cm. The sample was chosen from a list of radio quasars with known X-ray luminosity but poorly known radio properties. Including data gathered from the literature, radio core detections or upper limits at 6 cm have been obtained for 127 radio quasars which have published Einstein X-ray data. A statistical association is sought between radio core luminosity and X-ray luminosity, and it is found that there is a strong correlation. The slope of the relation of L(x) to L(Gamma)-alpha is alpha = 0.71 + or - 0.07 for unresolved quasars with flat radio spectra. The slope decreases as quasars with extended radio regions are considered. This is traced to the presence of radio emission which is unrelated to the X-ray emission, in the presently unresolved cores of quasars.

Kembhavi, A.↗

Space Telecommunications Radio System STRS Cognitive Radio

Radios today are evolving from awareness toward cognition. A software defined radio (SDR) provides the most capability for integrating autonomic decision making ability and allows the incremental evolution toward a cognitive radio. This cognitive radio technology will impact NASA space communications in areas such as spectrum utilization, interoperability, network operations, and radio resource management over a wide range of operating conditions. NASAs cognitive radio will build upon the infrastructure being developed by Space Telecommunication Radio System (STRS) SDR technology. This paper explores the feasibility of inserting cognitive capabilities in the NASA STRS architecture and the interfaces between the cognitive engine and the STRS radio. The STRS architecture defines methods that can inform the cognitive engine about the radio environment so that the cognitive engine can learn autonomously from experience, and take appropriate actions to adapt the radio operating characteristics and optimize performance.

Briones, Janette C.↗

Young but fading radio sources: searching for remnants among compact steep-spectrum radio sources

The incidence of young but fading radio sources provides important information on the life cycle of radio emission in radio-loud active galactic nuclei. Despite its importance for constraining the models of radio source evolution, there are no systematic studies of remnants in complete samples of young radio sources. We report results of the study of 18 compact steep-spectrum (CSS) radio sources, selected from the statistically complete B3-VLA (Very Large Array) CSS sample, characterized by a steep optically thin spectrum (α ≥ 1.0) and no core detection in earlier studies. Our deep multifrequency VLA, pc-scale Very Long Baseline Array, and enhanced Multi Element Remotely Linked Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN) observations allowed us to locate the core component in 10 objects. In three CSS sources, there is no clear evidence of present-time active regions, suggesting that they are likely in a remnant phase. Among sources with core detection, we find three objects that have no clear active regions (hotspots) at the edges of the radio structure, suggesting that the radio emission may have just restarted. Our results support a power-law distribution of the source ages, although the poor statistics prevents us from setting solid constraints on the percentage of remnants and restarted sources in subpopulations of radio sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Programmable Logic Device (PLD) Design Description for the Integrated Power, Avionics, and Software (iPAS) Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Radio

The Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) provides a common, consistent framework for software defined radios (SDRs) to abstract the application software from the radio platform hardware. The STRS standard aims to reduce the cost and risk of using complex, configurable and reprogrammable radio systems across NASA missions. To promote the use of the STRS architecture for future NASA advanced exploration missions, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) developed an STRS compliant SDR on a radio platform used by the Advance Exploration System program at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in their Integrated Power, Avionics, and Software (iPAS) laboratory. At the conclusion of the development, the software and hardware description language (HDL) code was delivered to JSC for their use in their iPAS test bed to get hands-on experience with the STRS standard, and for development of their own STRS Waveforms on the now STRS compliant platform.The iPAS STRS Radio was implemented on the Reconfigurable, Intelligently-Adaptive Communication System (RIACS) platform, currently being used for radio development at JSC. The platform consists of a Xilinx ML605 Virtex-6 FPGA board, an Analog Devices FMCOMMS1-EBZ RF transceiver board, and an Embedded PC (Axiomtek eBox 620-110-FL) running the Ubuntu 12.4 operating system. Figure 1 shows the RIACS platform hardware. The result of this development is a very low cost STRS compliant platform that can be used for waveform developments for multiple applications.The purpose of this document is to describe the design of the HDL code for the FPGA portion of the iPAS STRS Radio particularly the design of the FPGA wrapper and the test waveform.

VHDL↗

Radio-bright versus radio-dark gamma-ray bursts – more evidence for distinct progenitors

ABSTRACT We analyse two distinct samples of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), with and without radio afterglow emission. We use an updated sample of 211 GRBs and find, in agreement with previous results (although with a sample that is almost twice as large), that the intrinsic gamma-ray duration (Tint) and isotropic equivalent energy (Eiso) distributions between these two populations appear to be significantly different. This implies that the radio-bright GRBs are more energetic and last longer than radio-dark GRBs. The two samples’ redshift distributions (z) are not statistically different. We analyse several correlations between variables (Eiso, Tint, jet opening angle, and z), accounting for selection effects and redshift evolution using the Efron–Petrosian method. We find a statistically significant anticorrelation between the jet opening angle and redshift, as well as between Tint and redshift, for both radio-bright and radio-dark GRBs. Finally, in agreement with previous work, we find that very high energy (0.1–100 GeV) extended emission is present only in the radio-bright GRB sample. Our work supports the possibility that the radio-bright and radio-dark GRBs originate from different progenitors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A novel Bayesian approach for decomposing the radio emission of quasars: I. Modelling the radio excess in red quasars

ABSTRACT Studies show that both radio jets from the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the star formation (SF) activity in quasar host galaxies contribute to the quasar radio emission; yet their relative contributions across the population remain unclear. Here, we present an improved parametric model that allows us to statistically separate the SF and AGN components in observed quasar radio flux density distributions, and investigate how their relative contributions evolve with AGN bolometric luminosity ($L_\mathrm{bol}$) and redshift (z) using a fully Bayesian method. Based on the newest data from LOw-Frequency ARray Two-metre Sky Survey data release 2, our model gives robust fitting results out to $z\sim 4$, showing a quasar host galaxy SF rate (SFR) evolution that increases with bolometric luminosity and with redshift out to $z\sim 4$. This differs from the global cosmic SFR density, perhaps due to the importance of galaxy mergers. The prevalence of radio AGN emissions increases with quasar luminosity, but has little dependence on redshift. Furthermore, our new methodology and large sample size allow us to subdivide our data set to investigate the role of other parameters. Specifically, in this paper, we explore quasar colour and demonstrate that the radio excess in red quasars is due to an enhancement in AGN-related emission, since the host galaxy SF contribution to the total radio emission is independent of quasar colour. We also find evidence that this radio enhancement occurs mostly in quasars with weak or intermediate radio power.

Yue, B. -H (ORCID:0009000989352929)↗

VLBI observations of a complete sample of radio galaxies. 4: The radio galaxies NGC 2484, 3C 109, and 3C 382

We present here new Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) observations of one Fanaroff and Riley (F-R) I radio galaxy (NGC 2484) and two broad-line F-R II radio galaxies (3C 109 and 3C 382). For 3C 109 new Very Large Array (VLA) maps are also shown. These sources belong to a complete sample of radio galaxies under study for a better knowledge of their structures at parsec resolution. The parsec structure of these three objects is very similar: asymmetric emission, which we interpret as the core plus a one-side jet. The parsec-scale jet is always on the same side of the main kiloparsec-scale jet. The limit on the jet to counterjet brightness ratio, the ratio of the core radio power to the total radio power and the synchrotron-self Compton model allow us to derive some constraints on the jet velocity and orientation with respect to the line of sight. From these data and from those published on two other sources of our sample, we suggest that parsec-scale jets are relativistic in both F-R I and F-R II radio galaxies and that parsec scale properties in F-R I and F-R II radio galaxies are very similar despite the large difference between these two classes of radio galaxies on the kiloparsec scale.

Giovannini, G.↗

The Radio luminosity Function of Radio-Loud Quasars from the 7C Redshift Survey

We present a complete sample of 24 radio-loud quasars (RLQs) from the new 7C Redshift Survey. Every quasar with a low-frequency (151 MHz) radio flux-density S(sub 151) > 0.5 Jy in two regions of the sky covering 0.013 sr is included; 23 of these have sufficient extended flux to meet the selection criteria, 18 of these have steep radio spectra (hereafter denoted as SSQs). The key advantage of this sample over most samples of RLQs is the lack of an optical magnitude limit. By combining the 7C and 3CRR samples, we have investigated the properties of RLQs as a function of redshift z and radio luminosity L(sub 151). We derive the radio luminosity function (RLF) of RLQs and find that the data are well fitted by a single power-law with slope alpha(sub 1) = 1.9 +/- 0.1 (for H(sub 0) = 50 km/s.Mpc, OMEGA(sub M) = 1, OMEGA(sub DELTA) = 0). We find that there must be a break in the RLQ RLF at log(sub 10)(L(sub 151)/W Hz.sr) approximately < or = 27, in order for the models to be consistent with the 7C and 6C source counts. The z-dependence of the RLF follows a one-tailed gaussian which peaks at z = 1.7 +/- 0.2. We find no evidence for a decline in the co-moving space density of RLQs at higher redshifts. A positive correlation between the radio and optical luminosities of SSQs is observed, confirming a result of Serjeant. We are able to rule out this correlation being due to selection effects or biases in our combined sample. The radio-optical correlation and best-fit model RLF enable us to estimate the distribution of optical magnitudes of quasars in samples selected at low radio frequencies, We con- clude that for samples with S(sub 151) approximately < or = 1 Jy one must use optical data significantly deeper than the POSS-I limit (R approximately equal 20), in order to avoid severe incompleteness.

Willott, Chris J.↗

Portable Wireless LAN Device and Two-way Radio Threat Assessment for Aircraft Navigation Radios

Measurement processes, data and analysis are provided to address the concern for Wireless Local Area Network devices and two-way radios to cause electromagnetic interference to aircraft navigation radio systems. A radiated emission measurement process is developed and spurious radiated emissions from various devices are characterized using reverberation chambers. Spurious radiated emissions in aircraft radio frequency bands from several wireless network devices are compared with baseline emissions from standard computer laptops and personal digital assistants. In addition, spurious radiated emission data in aircraft radio frequency bands from seven pairs of two-way radios are provided, A description of the measurement process, device modes of operation and the measurement results are reported. Aircraft interference path loss measurements were conducted on four Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 aircraft for several aircraft radio systems. The measurement approach is described and the path loss results are compared with existing data from reference documents, standards, and NASA partnerships. In-band on-channel interference thresholds are compiled from an existing reference document. Using these data, a risk assessment is provided for interference from wireless network devices and two-way radios to aircraft systems, including Localizer, Glideslope, Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range, Microwave Landing System and Global Positioning System. The report compares the interference risks associated with emissions from wireless network devices and two-way radios against standard laptops and personal digital assistants. Existing receiver interference threshold references are identified as to require more data for better interference risk assessments.

Nguyen, Truong X.↗

Planck Early Results. XV. Spectral Energy Distributions and Radio Continuum Spectra of Northern Extragalactic Radio Sources

Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and radio continuum spectra are presented for a northern sample of 104 extragalactic radio sources. based on the Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue (ERCSC) and simultaneous multi frequency data. The nine Planck frequencies, from 30 to 857 GHz, are complemented by a set of simultaneous observations ranging from radio to gamma-rays. This is the first extensive frequency coverage in the radio and millimetre domains for an essentially complete sample of extragalactic radio sources, and it shows how the individual shocks, each in their own phase of development, shape the radio spectra as they move in the relativistic jet. The SEDs presented in this paper were fitted with second and third degree polynomials to estimate the frequencies of the synchrotron and inverse Compton (IC) peaks, and the spectral indices of low and high frequency radio data, including the Planck ERCSC data, were calculated. SED modelling methods are discussed, with an emphasis on proper. physical modelling of the synchrotron bump using multiple components. Planck ERCSC data also suggest that the original accelerated electron energy spectrum could be much harder than commonly thought, with power-law index around 1.5 instead of the canonical 2.5. The implications of this are discussed for the acceleration mechanisms effective in blazar shock. Furthermore in many cases the Planck data indicate that gamma-ray emission must originate in the same shocks that produce the radio emission.

Aatrokoski, J.↗

Disentangling the AGN and Star formation Contributions to the Radio–X-Ray Emission of Radio-loud Quasars at 1 < Z < 2

We constrain the emission mechanisms responsible for the prodigious electromagnetic output generated by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and their host galaxies with a novel state-of-the-art AGN radio-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution model fitting code (ARXSED). ARXSED combines multiple components to fit the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of AGNs and their host galaxies. Emission components include radio structures such as lobes and jets, infrared emission from the AGN torus, visible-to-X-ray emission from the accretion disk, and radio-to-ultraviolet emission from the host galaxy. Applying ARXSED to the radio SEDs of 20 3CRR quasars at 1 < z < 2 verifies the need for more than a simple power law when compact radio structures are present. The nonthermal emission contributes 91%–57% of the observed-frame 1.25 mm to 850 μm flux, and this component must be accounted for when using these wavelengths to estimate star formation properties. We predict the presence of strong radio-linked X-ray emission in more than half the sample sources. ARXSED estimates median (and the associated first and third quartile ranges) BH mass of ${2.9}_{1.7}^{6.0}\times {10}^{9}\,{M}_{\odot }$ , logarithm of Eddington ratio of $-{1.0}_{-1.2}^{-0.6}$ , and spin of ${0.98}_{0.94}^{0.99}$ for our sample. The inferred AGN torus and accretion disk parameters agree with those estimated from spectroscopic analyses of similar samples in the literature. We present the median intrinsic SED of the luminous radio-loud quasars at 1 < z ≲ 2; this SED represents a significant improvement in the way each component is modeled.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Hardware Interface Description for the Integrated Power, Avionics, and Software (iPAS) Space Telecommunications Radio Ssystem (STRS) Radio

The Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) provides a common, consistent framework for software defined radios (SDRs) to abstract the application software from the radio platform hardware. The STRS standard aims to reduce the cost and risk of using complex, configurable and reprogrammable radio systems across NASA missions. To promote the use of the STRS architecture for future NASA advanced exploration missions, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) developed an STRS-compliant SDR on a radio platform used by the Advance Exploration System program at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in their Integrated Power, Avionics, and Software (iPAS) laboratory. The iPAS STRS Radio was implemented on the Reconfigurable, Intelligently-Adaptive Communication System (RIACS) platform, currently being used for radio development at JSC. The platform consists of a Xilinx ML605 Virtex-6 FPGA board, an Analog Devices FMCOMMS1-EBZ RF transceiver board, and an Embedded PC (Axiomtek eBox 620-110-FL) running the Ubuntu 12.4 operating system. Figure 1 shows the RIACS platform hardware. The result of this development is a very low cost STRS compliant platform that can be used for waveform developments for multiple applications.The purpose of this document is to describe how to develop a new waveform using the RIACS platform and the Very High Speed Integrated Circuits (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) FPGA wrapper code and the STRS implementation on the Axiomtek processor.

Flight Computer↗

Waveform Developer's Guide for the Integrated Power, Avionics, and Software (iPAS) Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Radio

The Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) provides a common, consistent framework for software defined radios (SDRs) to abstract the application software from the radio platform hardware. The STRS standard aims to reduce the cost and risk of using complex, configurable and reprogrammable radio systems across NASA missions. To promote the use of the STRS architecture for future NASA advanced exploration missions, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) developed an STRS-compliant SDR on a radio platform used by the Advance Exploration System program at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in their Integrated Power, Avionics, and Software (iPAS) laboratory. The iPAS STRS Radio was implemented on the Reconfigurable, Intelligently-Adaptive Communication System (RIACS) platform, currently being used for radio development at JSC. The platform consists of a Xilinx(Trademark) ML605 Virtex(Trademark)-6 FPGA board, an Analog Devices FMCOMMS1-EBZ RF transceiver board, and an Embedded PC (Axiomtek(Trademark) eBox 620-110-FL) running the Ubuntu 12.4 operating system. The result of this development is a very low cost STRS compliant platform that can be used for waveform developments for multiple applications. The purpose of this document is to describe how to develop a new waveform using the RIACS platform and the Very High Speed Integrated Circuits (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) FPGA wrapper code and the STRS implementation on the Axiomtek processor.

Software Defined Radio↗

Long-term calibration and validation of stability of the Auger Engineering Radio Array using the diffuse Galactic radio emission

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) measures radio emission from high-energy extensive air showers. Consisting of 153 autonomous radio-detector stations spread over 17 km^2, it detects radio waves in the frequency range of 30 to 80 MHz. Accurate characterization of the detector response is crucial for proper interpretation of the collected data. Previously, this was achieved through laboratory measurements of the analog chain and simulations and measurements of the antenna's directional response. In this paper, we perform an absolute calibration using the continuously monitored sidereal modulation of the diffuse Galactic radio emission. Calibration is done by comparing the average frequency spectra recorded by the stations with predictions from seven different models of the full radio sky, accounting for the system response, which includes the antenna, filters, and amplifiers. The analysis of the calibration constants over a period of seven years shows no relevant and no significant ageing effect in the AERA antennas. This result confirms the long-term stability of the detector stations and demonstrates the possibility for a radio detector to effectively monitor ageing effects of other detectors operating over extended periods.

Antennas↗

What is the difference between radio-loud and radio-quiet quasi-stellar objects?

Measures of the nuclear and host galaxy luminosities and colors and a morphological discussion of the host galaxies are presented for a sample of low-redshift, high-luminosity, radio-quiet QSOs whose redshift and luminosity distribution matches that of a radio-loud sample previously discussed. Radio-quiet QSOs are found to reside in galaxies which are smaller, fainter, and redder than the host galaxies of radio-loud QSOs. These properties are generally consistent with the suggestion that radio-quiet QSOs are located in spiral-type galaxies and radio-loud QSOs are located in more elliptical-type galaxies. Significantly less evidence is found for tidal interactions among the radio-quiet objects, although they appear to reside in somewhat richer environments in terms of nearby companions.

Hutchings, J. B.↗

Comparison of VLBI radio-core and X-ray flux densities of extragalactic radio sources

The relation between compact radio core and X-ray emission in extragalactic radio sources, suggested by Worral et al. (1987) and Kembhavi et al. (1986), is investigated by comparing the X-ray flux densities observed in 56 extragalactic radio sources with the Einstein Observatory with the compact radio-core flux densities derived from published VLBI maps for these radio sources. It was found that the radio to X-ray spectral index distribution had a small dispersion, whereas the log-log plot of the flux densities showed no correlation. This implies that the basic level of X-ray emission is determined by the radio-core emission, but that the exact value depends on other parameters.

Bloom, Steven D.↗