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Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) play an integral role in galaxy formation and evolution by influencing galaxies and their environments through radio jet feedback. Historically, interpreting observations of radio galaxies and quantifying radio jet feedback has been challenging due to degeneracies between their physical parameters. In particular, it is well established that different combinations of jet kinetic power and environment density can yield indistinguishable radio continuum properties, including apparent size and Stokes I luminosity. We present an approach to breaking this degeneracy by probing the line-of-sight environment with Faraday rotation. We study this effect in simulations of three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic AGN jets in idealized environments with turbulent magnetic fields. We generate synthetic Stokes I emission and Faraday rotation measure (RM) maps, which enable us to distinguish between our simulated sources. We find enhanced RMs near the jet head and lobe edges. We show that increasing the environment density and the average cluster magnetic field strength broadens the distribution of Faraday rotation measure values. We study the depolarization properties of our sources, finding that the hotspot regions depolarize at lower frequencies than the lobes. We quantify the effect of depolarization on the RM distribution, finding that the frequency at which the source is too depolarized to measure the RM distribution accurately is a probe of environmental properties. This technique offers a range of new opportunities for upcoming surveys, including probing radio galaxy environments and determining more accurate estimates of the AGN feedback budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of a unique object in the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS) using the machine learning anomaly detection framework astronomaly. This strange, ring-like source is 30′ from the MGCLS field centred on Abell 209, and is not readily explained by simple physical models. With an assumed host galaxy at redshift 0.55, the luminosity (1025 W Hz−1) is comparable to powerful radio galaxies. The source consists of a ring of emission 175 kpc across, quadrilateral enhanced brightness regions bearing resemblance to radio jets, two 'ears' separated by 368 kpc, and a diffuse envelope. All of the structures appear spectrally steep, ranging from −1.0 to −1.5. The ring has high polarization (25 per cent) except on the bright patches (<10 per cent). We compare this source to the Odd Radio Circles recently discovered in ASKAP data and discuss several possible physical models, including a termination shock from starburst activity, an end-on radio galaxy, and a supermassive black hole merger event. No simple model can easily explain the observed structure of the source. This work, as well as other recent discoveries, demonstrates the power of unsupervised machine learning in mining large data sets for scientifically interesting sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of highly collimated radio jets spanning a total of 355 kpc around the nearby elliptical galaxy NGC 2663, and the possible first detection of recollimation on kiloparsec scales. The small distance to the galaxy (∼28.5 Mpc) allows us to resolve portions of the jets to examine their structure. We combine multiwavelength data: radio observations by the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), and X-ray data from Chandra, Swift , and SRG/eROSITA. We present intensity, rotation measure, polarization, spectral index, and X-ray environment maps. Regions of the southern jet show simultaneous narrowing and brightening, which can be interpreted as a signature of the recollimation of the jet by external, environmental pressure, though it is also consistent with intermittent active galactic nuclei or complex internal jet structure. X-ray data suggest that the environment is extremely poor; if the jet is indeed recollimating, the large recollimation scale (40 kpc) is consistent with a slow jet in a low-density environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we explore the potential of multidomain multibranch convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for identifying comparatively rare giant radio galaxies from large volumes of survey data, such as those expected for new generation radio telescopes like the SKA and its precursors. The approach presented here allows models to learn jointly from multiple survey inputs, in this case NVSS and FIRST, as well as incorporating numerical redshift information. We find that the inclusion of multiresolution survey data results in correction of 39 per cent of the misclassifications seen from equivalent single domain networks for the classification problem considered in this work. We also show that the inclusion of redshift information can moderately improve the classification of giant radio galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the identification of five previously unknown giant radio galaxies (GRGs) using Data Release 1 of the Radio Galaxy Zoo citizen science project and a selection method appropriate to the training and validation of deep learning algorithms for new radio surveys. We associate one of these new GRGs with the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the galaxy cluster GMBCG J251.67741+36.45295 and use literature data to identify a further 13 previously known GRGs as BCG candidates, increasing the number of known BCG GRGs by |$\gt 60$|  per cent. By examining local galaxy number densities for the number of all known BCG GRGs, we suggest that the existence of this growing number implies that GRGs are able to reside in the centres of rich (∼1014 M⊙) galaxy clusters and challenges the hypothesis that GRGs grow to such sizes only in locally underdense environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the role of environment on radio galaxy properties by constructing a sample of large (≳100 kpc), nearby (⁠|$z$| < 0.3) radio sources identified as part of the Radio Galaxy Zoo citizen science project. Our sample consists of 16 Fanaroff-Riley Type II (FR-II) sources, 6 FR-I sources, and 1 source with a hybrid morphology. FR-I sources appear to be hosted by more massive galaxies, consistent with previous studies. In the FR-II sample, we compare the degree of asymmetry in radio lobe properties to asymmetry in the radio source environment, quantified through optical galaxy clustering. We find that the length of radio lobes in FR-II sources is anticorrelated with both galaxy clustering and lobe luminosity. These results are in quantitative agreement with predictions from radio source dynamical models and suggest that galaxy clustering provides a useful proxy for the ambient gas density distribution encountered by the radio lobes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the mutual alignment of radio sources within two surveys, Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimetres (FIRST) and TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS). This is done by producing two position angle catalogues containing the preferential directions of respectively 30 059 and 11 674 extended sources distributed over more than 7000 and 17 000 deg2. The identification of the sources in the FIRST sample was performed in advance by volunteers of the RadioGalaxy Zoo (RGZ) project,while for the TGSS sample it is the result of an automated process presented here. After taking into account systematic effects, marginal evidence of a local alignment on scales smaller than 2.5 deg is found in the FIRST sample. The probability of this happening by chance is found to be less than 2 per cent. Further study suggests that on scales up to 1.5 deg the alignment is maximal. For one third of the sources, the RGZ volunteers identified an optical counterpart. Assuming a flat ⋀ cold dark matter cosmology with Ωm = 0.31,Ω⋀ = 0.69, we convert the maximum angular scale on which alignment is seen into a physical scale in the range [19, 38] Mpc h -1 70 . This result supports recent evidence reported by Taylor and Jagannathan of radio jet alignment in the 1.4 deg2 ELAIS N1 field observed with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. The TGSS sample is found to be too sparsely populated to manifest a similar signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the processes triggering star formation and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in a sample of 25 low-redshift (z < 0.13) gas-rich galaxy mergers observed at milliarcsecond resolution with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) as part of the mJy Imaging VLBA Exploration at 20 cm (mJIVE-20) survey. The high (>107 K) brightness temperature required for an mJIVE-20 detection allows us to unambiguously identify the radio AGN in our sample. We find three such objects. Our VLBI AGN identifications are classified as Seyferts or lowionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs) in narrow line optical diagnostic plots; mid-infrared colours of our targets and the comparison of Ha star formation rates with integrated radio luminosity are also consistent with the VLBI identifications. We reconstruct star formation histories in our galaxies using optical and UV photometry, and find that these radio AGN are not triggered promptly in the merger process, consistent with previous findings for non-VLBI samples of radio AGN. This delay can significantly limit the efficiency of feedback by radio AGN triggered in galaxy mergers. We find that radio AGN hosts have lower star formation rates than non-AGN radio-selected galaxies at the same starburst age. Conventional and VLBI radio imaging shows these AGN to be compact on arcsecond scales. Our modelling suggests that the actual sizes of AGN-inflated radio lobes may be much larger than this, but these are too faint to be detected in existing observations. Deep radio imaging is required to map out the true extent of the AGN, and to determine whether the low star formation rates in radio AGN hosts are a result of the special conditions required for radio jet triggering, or the effect of AGN feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have discovered a previously unreported poor cluster of galaxies (RGZ-CL J0823.2+0333) through an unusual giant wide-angle tail radio galaxy found in the Radio Galaxy Zoo project. We obtained a spectroscopic redshift of z = 0.0897 for the E0-type host galaxy, 2MASX J08231289+0333016, leading toMr =-22.6 and a 1.4 GHz radio luminosity density of L1.4 = 5.5 × 1024 WHz-1. These radio and optical luminosities are typical for wide-angle tailed radio galaxies near the borderline between Fanaroff-Riley classes I and II. The projected largest angular size of ?8 arcmin corresponds to 800 kpc and the full length of the source along the curved jets/trails is 1.1 Mpc in projection. X-ray data from the XMM-Newton archive yield an upper limit on the X-ray luminosity of the thermal emission surrounding RGZ J082312.9+033301 at 1.2-2.6 × 1043 erg s-1 for assumed intracluster medium temperatures of 1.0-5.0 keV. Our analysis of the environment surrounding RGZ J082312.9+033301 indicates that RGZ J082312.9+033301 lies within a poor cluster. The observed radio morphology suggests that (a) the host galaxy is moving at a significant velocity with respect to an ambient medium like that of at least a poor cluster, and that (b) the source may have had two ignition events of the active galactic nucleus with 107 yr in between. This reinforces the idea that an association between RGZ J082312.9+033301 and the newly discovered poor cluster exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetic power of radio jets is a quantity of fundamental importance to studies of the AGN feedback process and radio galaxy physics. A widely used proxy for jet power is the extended radio luminosity. A number of empirical methods have been used to calibrate a scaling relationship between jet power (Q) and radio luminosity (L) of the formlog(Q) = βL log (L) + C. The regression slope has typically been found to be βLL ~ 0.7-0.8. Here we show that the previously reported scaling relations are strongly affected by the confounding variable, distance. We find that in a sample of FRI X-ray cavity systems, after accounting for the mutual distance dependence, the jet power and radio luminosity are only weakly correlated, with slope βL &#8776 0.3: significantly flatter than previously reported. We also find that in previously used samples of high-power sources, no evidence for an intrinsic correlation is present when the effect of distance is accounted for. Using a simple model we show that βL is expected to be significantly lower in samples of FRI radio galaxies than it is for FRIIs, due to the differing dynamics for these two classes of radio source. For FRI X-ray cavity systems the model predicts βL(FRI) ≳ 0.5 in contrast to FRII radio galaxies, for which βL(FRII) ≳ 0.8. We discuss the implications of our finding for studies of radio mode feedback, and radio galaxy physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial structure of sources making up the celestial reference frame (CRF) at radio frequencies is a systematic error source in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) measurements. Using simulations, we investigate the effects of source structure on the CRF, determined by the actual observational programme of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry. This is done using the source structure simulator of the Vienna VLBI Software. Applying various mock two-component source models, systematic displacements of 10-80 μas in median source position offsets are found. These offsets are predominantly aligned with the direction of the jet. The simulations further show that slight changes in the source model can significantly change the estimated positions. We finally present a new parametrization of source positions in the analysis, namely along the jet direction and perpendicular to it, allowing us to significantly mitigate the effects of source structure on an estimated CRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from the first 12 months of operation of Radio Galaxy Zoo, which upon completion will enable visual inspection of over 170 000 radio sources to determine the host galaxy of the radio emission and the radio morphology. Radio Galaxy Zoo uses 1.4 GHz radio images from both the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters (FIRST) and the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) in combination with mid-infrared images at 3.4 µm from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and at 3.6 µm from the Spitzer Space Telescope. We present the early analysis of the WISE mid-infrared colours of the host galaxies. For images in which there is >75 per cent consensus among the Radio Galaxy Zoo cross-identifications, the project participants are as effective as the science experts at identifying the host galaxies. The majority of the identified host galaxies reside in the midinfrared colour space dominated by elliptical galaxies, quasi-stellar objects and luminous infrared radio galaxies. We also find a distinct population of Radio Galaxy Zoo host galaxies residing in a redder mid-infrared colour space consisting of star-forming galaxies and/or dustenhanced non-star-forming galaxies consistent with a scenario of merger-driven active galactic nuclei (AGN) formation. The completion of the full Radio Galaxy Zoo project will measure the relative populations of these hosts as a function of radio morphology and power while providing an avenue for the identification of rare and extreme radio structures. Currently, we are investigating candidates for radio galaxies with extreme morphologies, such as giant radio galaxies, late-type host galaxies with extended radio emission and hybrid morphology radio sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of a new 21-cm HI absorption system using commissioning data from the Boolardy Engineering Test Array of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). Using the 711.5-1015.5 MHz band of ASKAP we were able to conduct a blind search for the 21-cm line in a continuous redshift range between z = 0.4 and 1.0, which has, until now, remained largely unexplored. The absorption line is detected at z = 0.44 towards the GHz-peaked spectrum radio source PKS B1740-517 and demonstrates ASKAP's excellent capability for performing a future wide-field survey for HI absorption at these redshifts. Optical spectroscopy and imaging using the Gemini-South telescope indicates that the HI gas is intrinsic to the host galaxy of the radio source. The narrow [OIII] emission lines show clear double-peaked structure, indicating either large-scale outflow or rotation of the ionized gas. Archival data from the XMM-Newton satellite exhibit an absorbed X-ray spectrum that is consistent with a high column density obscuring medium around the active galactic nucleus. The HI absorption profile is complex, with four distinct components ranging in width from 5 to 300 km s-1 and fractional depths from 0.2 to 20 per cent. In addition to systemic HI gas, in a circumnuclear disc or ring structure aligned with the radio jet, we find evidence for a possible broad outflow of neutral gas moving at a radial velocity of v ~ 300 km s-1. We infer that the expanding young radio source (tage 2500 yr) is cocooned within a dense medium and may be driving circumnuclear neutral gas in an outflow of ~1 M⊙ yr-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the relationship between source radio luminosity and kinetic power in active galactic nucleusjets. We show that neglecting various loss processes can introduce a systematic bias in the jet powers inferred from radio luminosities for a sample of radio galaxies. This bias can be corrected for by considering source size as well as radio luminosity; effectively the source size acts as a proxy for source age. Based on a sample of Fanaroff–Riley Type II radio sources with jet powers derived from the measured hotspot parameters, we empirically determine a new expression for jet power that accounts for the source size,(Qjet/1036 W) = 1.5+1.8−0.8(L151/1027WHz−1)0.8(1 + z)1.0(D/kpc)0.58±0.17, where D is source size and L151 the 151 MHz radio luminosity. By comparing a flux-limited and volume-limited sample, we show that any derived radio-luminosity–jet-power relation depends sensitively on sample properties, in particular the source size distribution and the size–luminosity correlation inherent in the sample. Such bias will affect the accuracy of the kinetic luminosity function derived from lobe radio luminosities and should be treated with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent results based on the analysis of radio galaxies and their hot X-ray emitting atmospheres suggest that non-radiating particles dominate the energy budget in the lobes of FR I radio galaxies, in some cases by a factor of more than 1000, while radiating particles dominate the energy budget in FR II radio galaxy lobes. This implies a significant difference in the radiative efficiency of the two morphological classes. To test this hypothesis, we have measured the kinetic energy flux for a sample of 3C FR II radio sources using a new method based on the observed parameters of the jet terminal hotspots, and compared the resultingQjet-Lradio relation to that obtained for FR I radio galaxies based on X-ray cavity measurements. Contrary to expectations, we find approximate agreement between the Qjet-Lradio relations determined separately for FR I and FR II radio galaxies. This result is ostensibly difficult to reconcile with the emerging scenario in which the lobes of FR I and FR II radio galaxies have vastly different energy budgets. However, a combination of lower density environment, spectral aging and strong shocks driven by powerful FR II radio galaxies may reduce the radiative efficiency of these objects relative to FR Is and counteract, to some extent, the higher radiative efficiency expected to arise due to the lower fraction of energy in non-radiating particles. An unexpected corollary is that extrapolating the Qjet-Lradio relation determined for low power FR I radio galaxies provides a reasonable approximation for high power sources, despite their apparently different lobe compositions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of optical spectroscopically identified active galactic nuclei (AGN) down to a cluster magnitude of M⋆ + 1 in a sample of six self-similar Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy clusters at z ∼ 0.07. These clusters are specifically selected to lack significant substructure at bright limits in their central regions so that we are largely able to eliminate the local action of merging clusters on the frequency of AGN. We demonstrate that the AGN fraction increases significantly from the cluster centre to 1.5Rvirial, but tails off at larger radii. If only comparing the cluster core region to regions at ∼ 2Rvirial, no significant variation would be found. We compute the AGN fraction by mass and show that massive galaxies (log (stellarmass) > 10.7) are host to a systematically higher fraction of AGN than lower mass galaxies at all radii from the cluster centre. We attribute this deficit of AGN in the cluster centre to the changing mix of galaxy types with radius. We use the WHAN diagnostic to separate weak AGN from ‘retired’ galaxies in which the main ionization mechanism comes from old stellar populations. These retired AGN are found at all radii, while the mass effect is much more pronounced: we find that massive galaxies are more likely to be in the retired class. Further, we show that our AGN have no special position inside galaxy clusters – they are neither preferentially located in the infall regions nor situated at local maxima of galaxy density as measured with Σ5. However, we find that the most powerful AGN (with [O iii] equivalent widths <−10 Å) reside at significant velocity offsets in the cluster, and this brings our analysis into agreement with previous work on X-ray-selected AGN. Our results suggest that if interactions with other galaxies are responsible for triggering AGN activity, the time lag between trigger and AGN enhancement must be sufficiently long to obfuscate the encounter site and wipe out the local galaxy density signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present a model of chemical evolution in disc galaxies, which extends our semi-analytical model for galaxy evolution. This semi-analytical framework has already been shown to reproduce the observed star formation histories. We take an open-box approach which tracks the metallicity of two phases, the hot coronal gas and the cold gas making up the disc. Gaseous infall at primordial metallicities is constrained by analytic fits to N-body simulations and the model includes supernova and active galactic nuclei feedback. We address the differences between observed metallicities obtained from H ii data and from damped Lyman α (DLA) absorbers and show that they may be explained by observational selection effects resulting from radial metallicity gradients, without having to resort to a separate population of galaxies. Within the framework describing these selection effects the cold disc gas of our chemical evolution model is shown to reproduce the metallicities of both the H ii regions and the DLA absorbers. DLA metallicities are shown to be largely determined by dwarf galaxies especially at high redshifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop an analytical model to follow the cosmological evolution of magnetic fields in disc galaxies. Our assumption is that fields are amplified from a small seed field via magnetohydrodynamical turbulence. We further assume that this process is fast compared to other relevant time-scales and occurs principally in the cold disc gas. We follow the turbulent energy density using a galaxy formation and evolution model. Three processes are important to the turbulent energy budget as follows: infall of cool gas on to the disc and supernova feedback increase the turbulence, while star formation removes gas and hence turbulent energy from the cold gas. Finally, we assume that field energy is continuously transferred from the incoherent random field into an ordered field by differential galactic rotation. Model predictions are compared with observations of local late-type galaxies. The model reproduces observed magnetic field strengths and luminosities in low- and intermediate-mass galaxies. These quantities are overpredicted in the most massive hosts, suggesting that inclusion of gas ejection by powerful active galactic nuclei is necessary in order to quench gas cooling and reconcile the predicted and observed magnetic field strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the behaviour of a perturbed radio cocoon. Comparisons with observations of sound waves detected in the Perseus and Virgo clusters suggest the separations of observed ripples correspond to the natural oscillation frequency of the cocoon. An energy injection rate consistent with active galactic nucleus power is required to offset the strong acoustic damping of cocoon oscillations, suggesting the sources are in equilibrium with the intracluster medium (ICM), and the oscillations are effectively undamped. Viscous dissipation of sound waves provides ICM heating that can quench cooling flows on time-scales greatly exceeding the oscillation time-scale. Thermal conductivity is likely to be heavily suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a volume- and flux-limited sample of local radio galaxies with optical counterparts to address the question of how long a typical galaxy spends in radio active and quiescent states. The length of the active phase has a strong dependence on the stellar mass of the host galaxy. Radio sources in the most massive hosts are also retriggered more frequently. The time spent in the active phase has the same dependence on stellar mass as does the gas cooling rate, suggesting the onset of the quiescent phase is due to fuel depletion. We find radio and emission-line active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity to be independent, consistent with these corresponding to different accretion states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present observations of the H91α recombination line emission towards a sample of nine H ii regions associated with 6.7-GHz methanol masers, and report arcsecond-scale emission around compact cores. We derive physical parameters for our sources, and find that although simple hydrostatic models of region evolution reproduce the observed region sizes, they significantly underestimate emission measures. We argue that these findings are consistent with young source ages in our sample, and can be explained by existence of density gradients in the ionized gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to make observations of a sample of eight young ultra-compact H iiregions, selected on the basis that they have associated class II methanol maser emission. We have made observations sensitive to both compact and extended structures and find both to be present in most sources. The scale of the extended emission in our sample is in general less than that observed towards samples based onIRASproperties, or large single-dish flux densities. Our observations are consistent with a scenario where extended and compact radio continuum emission co-exists within H iiregions for a significant period of time.We suggest that these observations are consistent with a model where H iievolution takes place within hierarchically structured molecular clouds. This model, which is the subject of an upcoming companion paper by Shabala et al., addresses both the association between compact and extended emission and the ultra-compact H iiregion lifetime problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use frequency-dependent position shifts of flat-spectrum radio cores to estimate the kinetic power of active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets. We find a correlation between the derived jet powers and AGN narrow-line luminosity, consistent with the well-known relation for radio galaxies and steep spectrum quasars. This technique can be applied to intrinsically weak jets even at high redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]