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Contains fulltext : 290183.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Contains fulltext : 247404.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Contains fulltext : 249740.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

The Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) Long-Baseline Calibrator Survey (LBCS) was conducted between 2014 and 2019 in order to obtain a set of suitable calibrators for the LOFAR array. In this paper, we present the complete survey, building on the preliminary analysis published in 2016 which covered approximately half the survey area. The final catalogue consists of 30 006 observations of 24 713 sources in the northern sky, selected for a combination of high low-frequency radio flux density and flat spectral index using existing surveys (WENSS, NVSS, VLSS, and MSSS). Approximately one calibrator per square degree, suitable for calibration of ≥200 km baselines is identified by the detection of compact flux density, for declinations north of 30° and away from the Galactic plane, with a considerably lower density south of this point due to relative difficulty in selecting flat-spectrum candidate sources in this area of the sky. The catalogue contains indicators of degree of correlated flux on baselines between the Dutch core and each of the international stations, involving a maximum baseline length of nearly 2000 km, for all of the observations. Use of the VLBA calibrator list, together with statistical arguments by comparison with flux densities from lower-resolution catalogues, allow us to establish a rough flux density scale for the LBCS observations, so that LBCS statistics can be used to estimate compact flux densities on scales between 300 mas and 2′, for sources observed in the survey. The survey is used to estimate the phase coherence time of the ionosphere for the LOFAR international baselines, with median phase coherence times of about 2 min varying by a few tens of percent between the shortest and longest baselines. The LBCS can be used to assess the structures of point sources in lower-resolution surveys, with significant reductions in the degree of coherence in these sources on scales between 2′ and 300 mas. The LBCS survey sources show a greater incidence of

Contains fulltext : 282478.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Characterizing spectral variability of radio sources is a technique that offers the ability to determine the astrophysics of the intervening media, source structure, emission, and absorption processes. We present broadband (0.072-10 GHz) spectral variability of 15 peaked-spectrum (PS) sources with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). These 15 PS sources were observed quasi-contemporaneously with ATCA and the MWA four to six times during 2020 with approximately a monthly cadence. Variability was not detected at 1-10 GHz frequencies but 13 of the 15 targets show significant variability with the MWA at megahertz frequencies. We conclude the majority of variability seen at megahertz frequencies is due to refractive interstellar scintillation of a compact component ∼25 mas across. We also identify four PS sources that show a change in their spectral shape at megahertz frequencies. Three of these sources are consistent with a variable optical depth from an inhomogeneous free-free absorbing cloud around the source. One PS source with a variable spectral shape at megahertz frequencies is consistent with an ejection travelling along the jet. We present spectral variability as a method for determining the physical origins of observed variability and for providing further evidence to support absorption models for PS sources where spectral modelling alone is insufficient.

Contains fulltext : 238000.pdf (Author’s version preprint ) (Open Access)

Spectral variability of radio sources encodes information about the conditions of intervening media, source structure, and emission processes. With new low-frequency radio interferometers observing over wide fractional bandwidths, studies of spectral variability for a large population of extragalactic radio sources are now possible. Using two epochs of observations from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey that were taken one year apart, we search for spectral variability across 100-230 MHz for 21 558 sources. We present methodologies for detecting variability in the spectrum between epochs and for classifying the type of variability: either as a change in spectral shape or as a uniform change in flux density across the bandwidth. We identify 323 sources with significant spectral variability over a year-long time-scale. Of the 323 variable sources, we classify 51 of these as showing a significant change in spectral shape. Variability is more prevalent in peaked-spectrum sources, analogous to gigahertz-peaked spectrum and compact steep-spectrum sources, compared to typical radio galaxies. We discuss the viability of several potential explanations of the observed spectral variability, such as interstellar scintillation and jet evolution. Our results suggest that the radio sky in the megahertz regime is more dynamic than previously suggested.

Contains fulltext : 220291.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access)

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is an ongoing sensitive, high-resolution 120-168 MHz survey of the entire northern sky for which observations are now 20% complete. We present our first full-quality public data release. For this data release 424 square degrees, or 2% of the eventual coverage, in the region of the HETDEX Spring Field (right ascension 10h45m00s to 15h30m00s and declination 45°00′00″ to 57°00′00″) were mapped using a fully automated direction-dependent calibration and imaging pipeline that we developed. A total of 325 694 sources are detected with a signal of at least five times the noise, and the source density is a factor of ∼10 higher than the most sensitive existing very wide-area radio-continuum surveys. The median sensitivity is S144 MHz = 71 μJy beam -1 and the point-source completeness is 90% at an integrated flux density of 0.45 mJy. The resolution of the images is 6″ and the positional accuracy is within 0.2″. This data release consists of a catalogue containing location, flux, and shape estimates together with 58 mosaic images that cover the catalogued area. In this paper we provide an overview of the data release with a focus on the processing of the LOFAR data and the characteristics of the resulting images. In two accompanying papers we provide the radio source associations and deblending and, where possible, the optical identifications of the radio sources together with the photometric redshifts and properties of the host galaxies. These data release papers are published together with a further ∼20 articles that highlight the scientific potential of LoTSS.

Contains fulltext : 201503.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access)

Context. New generation low-frequency telescopes are exploring a new parameter space in terms of depth and resolution. The data taken with these interferometers, for example with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR), are often calibrated in a low signal-to-noise ratio regime and the removal of critical systematic effects is challenging. The process requires an understanding of their origin and properties. Aim. In this paper we describe the major systematic effects inherent to next generation low-frequency telescopes, such as LOFAR. With this knowledge, we introduce a data processing pipeline that is able to isolate and correct these systematic effects. The pipeline will be used to calibrate calibrator observations as the first step of a full data reduction process. Methods. We processed two LOFAR observations of the calibrator 3C 196: the first using the Low Band Antenna (LBA) system at 42-66 MHz and the second using the High Band Antenna (HBA) system at 115-189 MHz. Results. We were able to isolate and correct for the effects of clock drift, polarisation misalignment, ionospheric delay, Faraday rotation, ionospheric scintillation, beam shape, and bandpass. The designed calibration strategy produced the deepest image to date at 54 MHz. The image has been used to confirm that the spectral energy distribution of the average radio source population tends to flatten at low frequencies. Conclusions. We prove that LOFAR systematic effects can be described by a relatively small number of parameters. Furthermore, the identification of these parameters is fundamental to reducing the degrees of freedom when the calibration is carried out on fields that are not dominated by a strong calibrator.

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is a sensitive, high-resolution 120-168 MHz survey of the Northern sky. The LoTSS First Data Release (DR1) presents 424 square degrees of radio continuum observations over the HETDEX Spring Field (10h45m00s < right ascension < 15h30m00s and 45∘00′00′ < declination < 57∘00′00′′) with a median sensitivity of 71μJy/beam and a resolution of 6′′. In this paper we present photometric redshifts (photo-z) for 94.4% of optical sources over this region that are detected in the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) 3π steradian survey. Combining the Pan-STARRS optical data with mid-infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, we estimate photo-zs using a novel hybrid photometric redshift methodology optimised to produce the best possible performance for the diverse sample of radio continuum selected sources. For the radio-continuum detected population, we find an overall scatter in the photo-z of 3.9% and an outlier fraction (|zphot−zspec|/(1+zspec)>0.15) of 7.9%. We also find that, at a given redshift, there is no strong trend in photo-z quality as a function of radio luminosity. However there are strong trends as a function of redshift for a given radio luminosity, a result of selection effects in the spectroscopic sample and/or intrinsic evolution within the radio source population. Additionally, for the sample of sources in the LoTSS First Data Release with optical counterparts, we present rest-frame optical and mid-infrared magnitudes based on template fits to the consensus photometric (or spectroscopic when available) redshift.