1. Nature of Faint Radio Sources in GOODS-North and GOODS-South Fields. I. Spectral Index and Radio–FIR Correlation.
- Author
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Hansung B. Gim, Min S. Yun, Frazer N. Owen, Emmanuel Momjian, Neal A. Miller, Mauro Giavalisco, Grant Wilson, James D. Lowenthal, Itziar Aretxaga, David H. Hughes, Glenn E. Morrison, and Ryohei Kawabe
- Subjects
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RADIO galaxies , *RADIOS , *STAR formation - Abstract
We present the first results from the deep and wide 5 GHz radio observations of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)-North (σ = 3.5 μJy beam−1, synthesized beam size θ = 1.″47 × 1.″42, and 52 sources over 109 arcmin2) and GOODS-South (σ = 3.0 μJy beam−1, θ = 0.″98 × 0.″45, and 88 sources over 190 arcmin2) fields using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We derive radio spectral indices α between 1.4 and 5 GHz using the beam-matched images and show that the overall spectral index distribution is broad even when the measured noise and flux bias are considered. We also find a clustering of faint radio sources around α = 0.8, but only within S5 GHz < 150 μJy. We demonstrate that the correct radio spectral index is important for deriving accurate rest-frame radio power and analyzing the radio–FIR correlation, and adopting a single value of α = 0.8 leads to a significant scatter and a strong bias in the analysis of the radio–FIR correlation, resulting from the broad and asymmetric spectral index distribution. When characterized by specific star formation rates, the starburst population (58%) dominates the 5 GHz radio source population, and the quiescent galaxy population (30%) follows a distinct trend in spectral index distribution and the radio–FIR correlation. Lastly, we offer suggestions on sensitivity and angular resolution for future ultra-deep surveys designed to trace the cosmic history of star formation and AGN activity using radio continuum as a probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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