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We present the SARAO MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey (SMGPS), a 1.3 GHz continuum survey of almost half of the Galactic Plane (251\deg $\le l \le$ 358\deg and 2\deg $\le l \le$ 61\deg at $|b| \le 1.5\deg $). SMGPS is the largest, most sensitive and highest angular resolution 1 GHz survey of the Plane yet carried out, with an angular resolution of 8" and a broadband RMS sensitivity of $\sim$10--20 $\mu$ Jy/beam. Here we describe the first publicly available data release from SMGPS which comprises data cubes of frequency-resolved images over 908--1656 MHz, power law fits to the images, and broadband zeroth moment integrated intensity images. A thorough assessment of the data quality and guidance for future usage of the data products are given. Finally, we discuss the tremendous potential of SMGPS by showcasing highlights of the Galactic and extragalactic science that it permits. These highlights include the discovery of a new population of non-thermal radio filaments; identification of new candidate supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae and planetary nebulae; improved radio/mid-IR classification of rare Luminous Blue Variables and discovery of associated extended radio nebulae; new radio stars identified by Bayesian cross-matching techniques; the realisation that many of the largest radio-quiet WISE HII region candidates are not true HII regions; and a large sample of previously undiscovered background HI galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. The data release is live and links can be found in the Data Availability Statement in the paper

The Andromeda galaxy (M31) is our closest neighbouring spiral galaxy, making it an ideal target for studying the physics of the interstellar medium in a galaxy very similar to our own. Using new observations of M31 at 4.76GHz by the C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS), and all available radio data at $1^\circ$ resolution, we produce the integrated spectrum and put new constraints on the synchrotron spectral index and anomalous microwave emission (AME) from M31. We use aperture photometry and spectral modelling to fit for the integrated spectrum of M31, and subtract a comprehensive model of nearby background radio sources. The AME in M31 is detected at $3\sigma$ significance with a peak near 30GHz and flux density $0.27\pm0.09$Jy. The synchrotron spectral index of M31 is flatter than our own Galaxy at $\alpha = -0.66 \pm 0.03$ with no strong evidence of spectral curvature. The emissivity of AME, averaged over the total emission from M31 is lower than typical AME sources in our Galaxy, implying that AME is not uniformly distributed throughout M31 and instead is likely confined to sub-regions -- this will need to be confirmed using future higher resolution observations around 20--30GHz., Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures. Accepted by MNRAS

The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS) has observed the Galaxy at 4.76GHz with an angular resolution of $0.73^\circ$ full-width half-maximum, and detected Galactic synchrotron emission with high signal-to-noise ratio over the entire northern sky ($\delta > -15^{\circ}$). We present the results of a spatial correlation analysis of Galactic foregrounds at mid-to-high ($b > 10^\circ$) Galactic latitudes using a preliminary version of the C-BASS intensity map. We jointly fit for synchrotron, dust, and free-free components between $20$ and $1000$GHz and look for differences in the Galactic synchrotron spectrum, and the emissivity of anomalous microwave emission (AME) when using either the C-BASS map or the 408MHz all-sky map to trace synchrotron emission. We find marginal evidence for a steepening ($\left<\Delta\beta\right> = -0.06\pm0.02$) of the Galactic synchrotron spectrum at high frequencies resulting in a mean spectral index of $\left<\beta\right> = -3.10\pm0.02$ over $4.76-22.8$GHz. Further, we find that the synchrotron emission can be well modelled by a single power-law up to a few tens of GHz. Due to this, we find that the AME emissivity is not sensitive to changing the synchrotron tracer from the 408MHz map to the 4.76GHz map. We interpret this as strong evidence for the origin of AME being spinning dust emission., Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, published with MNRAS

The inner $\sim$200 pc region of the Galaxy contains a 4 million M$_{\odot}$ supermassive black hole (SMBH), significant quantities of molecular gas, and star formation and cosmic ray energy densities that are roughly two orders of magnitude higher than the corresponding levels in the Galactic disk. At a distance of only 8.2 kpc, the region presents astronomers with a unique opportunity to study a diverse range of energetic astrophysical phenomena, from stellar objects in extreme environments, to the SMBH and star-formation driven feedback processes that are known to influence the evolution of galaxies as a whole. We present a new survey of the Galactic center conducted with the South African MeerKAT radio telescope. Radio imaging offers a view that is unaffected by the large quantities of dust that obscure the region at other wavelengths, and a scene of striking complexity is revealed. We produce total intensity and spectral index mosaics of the region from 20 pointings (144 hours on-target in total), covering 6.5 square degrees with an angular resolution of 4$"$,at a central frequency of 1.28 GHz. Many new features are revealed for the first time due to a combination of MeerKAT's high sensitivity, exceptional $u,v$-plane coverage, and geographical vantage point. We highlight some initial survey results, including new supernova remnant candidates, many new non-thermal filament complexes, and enhanced views of the Radio Arc Bubble, Sgr A and Sgr B regions. This project is a SARAO public legacy survey, and the image products are made available with this article., Comment: 29 pages, 15 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in the The Astrophysical Journal. Replacement arXiv version with higher quality figures

MeerKAT's large number of antennas, spanning 8 km with a densely packed 1 km core, create a powerful instrument for wide-area surveys, with high sensitivity over a wide range of angular scales. The MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS) is a programme of long-track MeerKAT L-band (900-1670 MHz) observations of 115 galaxy clusters, observed for $\sim$6-10 hours each in full polarisation. The first legacy product data release (DR1), made available with this paper, includes the MeerKAT visibilities, basic image cubes at $\sim$8" resolution, and enhanced spectral and polarisation image cubes at $\sim$8" and 15" resolutions. Typical sensitivities for the full-resolution MGCLS image products are $\sim$3-5 {\mu}Jy/beam. The basic cubes are full-field and span 4 deg^2. The enhanced products consist of the inner 1.44 deg^2 field of view, corrected for the primary beam. The survey is fully sensitive to structures up to $\sim$10' scales and the wide bandwidth allows spectral and Faraday rotation mapping. HI mapping at 209 kHz resolution can be done at $0

Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) is a significant component of Galactic diffuse emission in the frequency range $10$-$60\,$GHz and a new window into the properties of sub-nanometre-sized grains in the interstellar medium. We investigate the morphology of AME in the $\approx10^{\circ}$ diameter $\lambda$ Orionis ring by combining intensity data from the QUIJOTE experiment at $11$, $13$, $17$ and $19\,$GHz and the C-Band All Sky Survey (C-BASS) at $4.76\,$GHz, together with 19 ancillary datasets between $1.42$ and $3000\,$GHz. Maps of physical parameters at $1^{\circ}$ resolution are produced through Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) fits of spectral energy distributions (SEDs), approximating the AME component with a log-normal distribution. AME is detected in excess of $20\,\sigma$ at degree-scales around the entirety of the ring along photodissociation regions (PDRs), with three primary bright regions containing dark clouds. A radial decrease is observed in the AME peak frequency from $\approx35\,$GHz near the free-free region to $\approx21\,$GHz in the outer regions of the ring, which is the first detection of AME spectral variations across a single region. A strong correlation between AME peak frequency, emission measure and dust temperature is an indication for the dependence of the AME peak frequency on the local radiation field. The AME amplitude normalised by the optical depth is also strongly correlated with the radiation field, giving an overall picture consistent with spinning dust where the local radiation field plays a key role., Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS

We present the confusion-limited 1.28 GHz MeerKAT DEEP2 image covering one $\approx 68'$ FWHM primary beam area with $7.6''$ FWHM resolution and $0.55 \pm 0.01$ $\mu$Jy/beam rms noise. Its J2000 center position $\alpha=04^h 13^m 26.4^s$, $\delta=-80^\circ 00' 00''$ was selected to minimize artifacts caused by bright sources. We introduce the new 64-element MeerKAT array and describe commissioning observations to measure the primary beam attenuation pattern, estimate telescope pointing errors, and pinpoint $(u,v)$ coordinate errors caused by offsets in frequency or time. We constructed a 1.4 GHz differential source count by combining a power-law count fit to the DEEP2 confusion $P(D)$ distribution from $0.25$ to $10$ $\mu$Jy with counts of individual DEEP2 sources between $10$ $\mu$Jy and $2.5$ mJy. Most sources fainter than $S \sim 100$ $\mu$Jy are distant star-forming galaxies obeying the FIR/radio correlation, and sources stronger than $0.25$ $\mu$Jy account for $\sim93\%$ of the radio background produced by star-forming galaxies. For the first time, the DEEP2 source count has reached the depth needed to reveal the majority of the star formation history of the universe. A pure luminosity evolution of the 1.4 GHz local luminosity function consistent with the Madau & Dickinson (2014) model for the evolution of star-forming galaxies based on UV and infrared data underpredicts our 1.4 GHz source count in the range $-5 \lesssim \log[S(\mathrm{Jy})] \lesssim -4$., Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

We present a point-source detection algorithm that employs the second order Spherical Mexican Hat wavelet filter (SMHW2), and use it on C-BASS northern intensity data to produce a catalogue of point-sources. This catalogue allows us to cross-check the C-BASS flux-density scale against existing source surveys, and provides the basis for a source mask which will be used in subsequent C-BASS and cosmic microwave background (CMB) analyses. The SMHW2 allows us to filter the entire sky at once, avoiding complications from edge effects arising when filtering small sky patches. The algorithm is validated against a set of Monte Carlo simulations, consisting of diffuse emission, instrumental noise, and various point-source populations. The simulated source populations are successfully recovered. The SMHW2 detection algorithm is used to produce a $4.76\,\mathrm{GHz}$ northern sky source catalogue in total intensity, containing 1784 sources and covering declinations $\delta\geq-10^{\circ}$. The C-BASS catalogue is matched with the Green Bank 6\,cm (GB6) and Parkes-MIT-NRAO (PMN) catalogues over their areas of common sky coverage. From this we estimate the $90$ per cent completeness level to be approximately $610\,\mathrm{mJy}$, with a corresponding reliability of $98$ per cent, when masking the brightest $30$ per cent of the diffuse emission in the C-BASS northern sky map. We find the C-BASS and GB6 flux-density scales to be consistent with one another to within approximately $4$ per cent., Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures

The Galactic Centre contains a supermassive black hole with a mass of 4 million suns within an environment that differs markedly from that of the Galactic disk. While the black hole is essentially quiescent in the broader context of active galactic nuclei, X-ray observations have provided evidence for energetic outbursts from its surroundings. Also, while the levels of star formation in the Galactic Centre have been approximately constant over the last few hundred Myr, there is evidence of elevated short-duration bursts, strongly influenced by interaction of the black hole with the enhanced gas density present within the ring-like Central Molecular Zone at Galactic longitude |l| < 0.7 degrees and latitude |b| < 0.2 degrees. The inner 200 pc region is characterized by large amounts of warm molecular gas, a high cosmic ray ionization rate, unusual gas chemistry, enhanced synchrotron emission, and a multitude of radio-emitting magnetised filaments, the origin of which has not been established. Here we report radio imaging that reveals bipolar bubbles spanning 1 degree x 3 degrees (140 parsecs x 430 parsecs), extending above and below the Galactic plane and apparently associated with the Galactic Centre. The structure is edge-brightened and bounded, with symmetry implying creation by an energetic event in the Galactic Centre. We estimate the age of the bubbles to be a few million years, with a total energy of 7 x 10^52 ergs. We postulate that the progenitor event was a major contributor to the increased cosmic-ray density in the Galactic Centre, and is in turn the principal source of the relativistic particles required to power the synchrotron emission of the radio filaments within and in the vicinity of the bubble cavities., Comment: 25 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, authors' version of a Letter published in Nature on 11 September 2019

The cosmic microwave background $B$-mode signal is potentially weaker than the diffuse Galactic foregrounds over most of the sky at any frequency. A common method of separating the CMB from these foregrounds is via pixel-based parametric-model fitting. There are not currently enough all-sky maps to fit anything more than the most simple models of the sky. By simulating the emission in seven representative pixels, we demonstrate that the inclusion of a 5 GHz data point allows for more complex models of low-frequency foregrounds to be fitted than at present. It is shown that the inclusion of the CBASS data will significantly reduce the uncertainties in a number of key parameters in the modelling of both the galactic foregrounds and the CMB. The extra data allow estimates of the synchrotron spectral index to be constrained much more strongly than is presently possible, with corresponding improvements in the accuracy of the recovery of the CMB amplitude. However, we show that to place good limits on models of the synchrotron spectral curvature will require additional low-frequency data.

The C-Band All-Sky Survey C-BASS is a high-sensitivity all-sky radio survey at an angular resolution of 45 arcmin and a frequency of 4.7 GHz. We present a total intensity 4.7 GHz map of the North Celestial Pole (NCP) region of sky, above declination +80 deg, which is limited by source confusion at a level of ~0.6 mK rms. We apply the template-fitting (cross-correlation) technique to WMAP and Planck data, using the C-BASS map as the synchrotron template, to investigate the contribution of diffuse foreground emission at frequencies ~20-40 GHz. We quantify the anomalous microwave emission (AME) that is correlated with far-infrared dust emission. The AME amplitude does not change significantly (<10%) when using the higher frequency C-BASS 4.7 GHz template instead of the traditional Haslam 408 MHz map as a tracer of synchrotron radiation. We measure template coefficients of $9.93\pm0.35$ and $9.52\pm0.34$ K per unit $\tau_{353}$ when using the Haslam and C-BASS synchrotron templates, respectively. The AME contributes $55\pm2\,\mu$K rms at 22.8 GHz and accounts for ~60% of the total foreground emission. Our results suggest that a harder (flatter spectrum) component of synchrotron emission is not dominant at frequencies >5 GHz; the best-fitting synchrotron temperature spectral index is $\beta=-2.91\pm0.04$ from 4.7 to 22.8 GHz and $\beta=-2.85\pm0.14$ from 22.8 to 44.1 GHz. Free-free emission is weak, contributing ~$7\,\mu$K rms (~7%) at 22.8 GHz. The best explanation for the AME is still electric dipole emission from small spinning dust grains., Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, version matches version accepted by MNRAS

New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation., Comment: Published in ApJ (2018 April 5); 13 pages, 4 figures

The construction of the KAT-7 array in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape in South Africa was intended primarily as an engineering prototype for technologies and techniques applicable to the MeerKAT telescope. This paper looks at the main engineering and scien- tific highlights from this effort, and discusses their applicability to both MeerKAT and other next-generation radio telescopes. In particular we found that the composite dish surface works well, but it becomes complicated to fabricate for a dish lacking circular symmetry; the Stir- ling cycle cryogenic system with ion pump to achieve vacuum works but demands much higher maintenance than an equivalent Gifford-McMahon cycle system; the ROACH (Recon- figurable Open Architecture Computing Hardware)-based correlator with SPEAD (Stream- ing Protocol for Exchanging Astronomical Data) protocol data transfer works very well and KATCP (Karoo Array Telescope Control Protocol) control protocol has proven very flexible and convenient. KAT-7 has also been used for scientific observations where it has a niche in mapping low surface-brightness continuum sources, some extended HI halos and OH masers in star-forming regions. It can also be used to monitor continuum source variability, observe pulsars, and make VLBI observations

We present an analysis of the diffuse emission at 5 GHz in the first quadrant of the Galactic plane using two months of preliminary intensity data taken with the C-Band All Sky Survey (C-BASS) northern instrument at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, California. Combining C-BASS maps with ancillary data to make temperature-temperature plots we find synchrotron spectral indices of $\beta = -2.65 \pm 0.05$ between 0.408 GHz and 5 GHz and $ \beta = -2.72 \pm 0.09$ between 1.420 GHz and 5 GHz for $-10^{\circ} < |b| < -4^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ} < l < 40^{\circ}$. Through the subtraction of a radio recombination line (RRL) free-free template we determine the synchrotron spectral index in the Galactic plane ($ |b| < 4^{\circ}$) to be $\beta = -2.56 \pm 0.07$ between 0.408 GHz and 5 GHz, with a contribution of $53 \pm 8$ per cent from free-free emission at 5\,GHz. These results are consistent with previous low frequency measurements in the Galactic plane. By including C-BASS data in spectral fits we demonstrate the presence of anomalous microwave emission (AME) associated with the HII complexes W43, W44 and W47 near 30 GHz, at 4.4 sigma, 3.1 sigma and 2.5 sigma respectively. The CORNISH VLA 5 GHz source catalogue rules out the possibility that the excess emission detected around 30\;GHz may be due to ultra-compact HII regions. Diffuse AME was also identified at a 4 sigma level within $30^{\circ} < l < 40^{\circ}$, $-2^{\circ} < b < 2^{\circ}$ between 5 GHz and 22.8 GHz., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRAS, referee's corrections made, awaiting for final approval for publication

Anomalous microwave emission at 20-40 GHz has been detected across our Galactic sky. It is highly correlated with thermal dust emission and hence it is thought to be due to spinning dust grains. Alternatively, this emission could be due to synchrotron radiation with a flattening (hard) spectral index. We cross-correlate synchrotron, free-free and thermal dust templates with the WMAP 7-year maps using synchrotron templates at both 408 MHz and 2.3 GHz to assess the amount of flat synchrotron emission that is present, and the impact that this has on the correlations with the other components. We find that there is only a small amount of flattening visible in the synchrotron spectral indices by 2.3 GHz, of around \Delta \beta ~ 0.05, and that the significant level of dust-correlated emission in the lowest WMAP bands is largely unaffected by the choice of synchrotron template, particularly at high latitudes (it decreases by only ~7 per cent when using 2.3 GHz rather than 408 MHz). This agrees with expectation if the bulk of the anomalous emission is generated by spinning dust grains., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables. Published in MNRAS

[Abridged] Observations of molecular gas at all redshifts are critical for measuring the cosmic evolution in molecular gas density and understanding the star-formation history of the Universe. The 12CO molecule (J=1-0 transition = 115.27 GHz) is the best proxy for extragalactic H2, which is the gas reservoir from which star formation occurs, and has been detected out to z~6. Typically, redshifted high-J lines are observed at mm-wavelengths, the most commonly targeted systems exhibiting high SFRs (e.g. submm galaxies), and far-IR-bright QSOs. While the most luminous objects are the most readily observed, detections of more typical galaxies with modest SFRs are essential for completing the picture. ALMA will be revolutionary in terms of increasing the detection rate and pushing the sensitivity limit down to include such galaxies, however the limited FoV when observing at such high frequencies makes it difficult to use ALMA for studies of the large-scale structure traced out by molecular gas in galaxies. This article introduces a strategy for a systematic search for molecular gas during the EoR (z~7 and above), capitalizing on the fact that the J=1-0 transition of 12CO enters the upper bands of cm-wave instruments at high-z. The FoV advantage gained by observing at such frequencies, coupled with modern broadband correlators allows significant cosmological volumes to be probed on reasonable timescales. In this article we present an overview of our future observing programme which has been awarded 6,500 hours as one of the Large Survey Projects for MeerKAT, the forthcoming South African SKA pathfinder instrument. Its large FoV and correlator bandwidth, and high-sensitivity provide unprecedented survey speed for such work. An existing astrophysical simulation is coupled with instrumental considerations to demonstrate the feasibility of such observations and predict detection rates., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "Astronomy with megastructures: Joint science with the E-ELT and SKA", 10-14 May 2010, Crete, Greece (Eds: Isobel Hook, Dimitra Rigopoulou, Steve Rawlings and Aris Karastergiou)

The SKA at mid and low frequencies will be constructed in two distinct phases, the first being a subset of the second. This document defines the main scientific goals and baseline technical concept for the SKA Phase 1 (SKA_1). The major science goals for SKA_1 will be to study the history and role of neutral Hydrogen in the Universe from the dark ages to the present-day, and to employ pulsars as probes of fundamental physics. The baseline technical concept of SKA_1 will include a sparse aperture array operating at frequencies up to 450 MHz, and an array of dishes, initially operating at frequencies up to 3 GHz but capable of 10 GHz in terms of antenna surface accuracy. An associated Advanced Instrumentation Program (AIP) allows further development of new technologies currently under investigation. Construction will take place in 2016-2019 at a total capital cost of 350M\texteuro, including an element for contingency. The cost estimates of the SKA_1 telescope are now the subject of a more detailed and thorough costing exercise led by the SKA Project Development Office (SPDO). The 350 M\texteuro total for SKA_1 is a cost-constrained cap; an additional contingency is to reduce the overall scope of the project. The design of the SKA_1 is expected to evolve as the major cost estimates are refined, in particular the infrastructure costs at the two sites. The SKA_1 facility will represent a major step forward in terms of sensitivity, survey speed, image fidelity, temporal resolution and field-of-view. It will open up new areas of discovery space and demonstrate the science and technology underpinning the SKA Phase 2 (SKA_2)., Comment: 8 pages, 6 Figures. Talk presented at 'A New Golden Age for Radio Astronomy', International SKA Forum 2010, 10-14 June 2010, Hof van Saksen, NL. A higher resolution version of this paper is available at http://www.astron.nl/~mag/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=ska_phase_1_paper

We present the specifications of the MeerKAT Karoo Array Telescope, the South African Square Kilometre Array Precursor. Some of the key science for MeerKAT is described in this document. We invite the community to submit proposals for Large Key Projects.

Maser emission from the SiO molecule has been widely observed in the near-circumstellar envelopes of late-type, evolved stars. VLBI images can resolve individual SiO maser spots, providing information about the kinematics and magnetic field in the extended atmospheres of these stars. This poster presents full polarization images of several SiO maser lines towards the supergiant star VY CMa. VY CMa is a particularly strong SiO maser source and allows observations of a wide range of maser transitions. We discuss implications of these observations for VY CMa morphology, polarization, and pumping models., Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure: based on a poster paper at IAU Symposium 242: Astrophysical masers and their environments, held at Alice Springs (Australia), from March 12-16, 2007

We build template maps for the polarized Galactic--synchrotron emission on large angular scales (FWHM =~7$^\circ$), in the 20-90 GHz microwave range, by using WMAP data. The method, presented in a recent work, requires a synchrotron total intensity survey and the {\it polarization horizon} to model the polarized intensity and a starlight polarization map to model polarization angles. The basic template is obtained directly at 23 GHz with about 94% sky--coverage by using the synchrotron map released by the WMAP team. Extrapolations to 32, 60 and 90 GHz are performed by computing a synchrotron spectral index map, which strongly reduces previous uncertainties in passing from low (1.4 GHz) to microwave frequencies. Differing from low frequency data, none of our templates presents relevant structures out of the Galactic Plane. Our map at 90 GHz suggests that the synchrotron emission at high Galactic latitudes is low enough to allow a robust detection of the $E$--mode component of the cosmological signal on large--scale, even in models with low--reionization ($\tau = 0.05$). Detection of the weaker $B$--mode on the largest scales ($\ell < 10$) might be jeopardized unless the value $\tau = 0.17$ found by WMAP is confirmed, and $T/S > 0.1$. For lower levels of the gravitational--wave background the $B$--mode seems to be accessible only at the $\ell \sim 100$ peak and in selected low--synchrotron emission areas., Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, accepted for pubblications by MNRAS. For a version with full resolution color figures see http://sp0rt.bo.iasf.cnr.it:8080/Docs/Public/papers.php

We have analysed the angular power spectra of the Parkes radio continuum and polarisation survey of the Southern galactic plane at 2.4 GHz. We have found that in the multipole range l=40-250 the angular power spectrum of the polarised intensity is well described by a power-law spectrum with fitted spectral index alpha_L = 2.37 +- 0.21. In the same multipole range the angular power spectra of the E and B components of the polarised signal are significantly flatter, with fitted spectral indices respectively of alpha_E = 1.57 +- 0.12 and alpha_B = 1.45 +- 0.12. Temperature fluctuations in the E and B components are mostly determined by variations in polarisation angle. We have combined these results with other data from available radio surveys in order to produce a full-sky toy model of Galactic synchrotron intensity and linear polarisation at high frequencies (> 10 GHz). This can be used to study the feasibility of measuring the Cosmic Microwave Background polarisation with forthcoming experiments and satellite missions., Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. Paper with higher quality images available at ftp://astro.esa.int/pub/synchrotron/paper.ps.gz

We have analysed the Rhodes/HartRAO survey at 2326 MHz and derived the global angular power spectrum of Galactic continuum emission. In order to measure the angular power spectrum of the diffuse component, point sources were removed from the map by median filtering. A least-square fit to the angular power spectrum of the entire survey with a power law spectrum C_l proportional to l^{-alpha}, gives alpha = 2.43 +/- 0.01 for l = 2-100. The angular power spectrum of radio emission appears to steepen at high Galactic latitudes and for observed regions with |b| > 20 deg, the fitted spectral index is alpha = 2.92 +/- 0.07. We have extrapolated this result to 30 GHz (the lowest frequency channel of Planck) and estimate that no significant contribution to the sky temperature fluctuation is likely to come from synchrotron at degree-angular scales, Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysics