- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/644/A159
- Title:
- The third realization of the ICRF, ICRF3
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/644/A159
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- A new realization of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) is presented based on the work achieved by a working group of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) mandated for this purpose. This new realization follows the initial realization of theICRF completed in 1997 and its successor, ICRF2, adopted as a replacement in 2009. The new frame, referred to as ICRF3, is based on nearly 40 years of data acquired by very long baseline interferometry at the standard geodetic and astrometric radio frequencies (8.4 and 2.3GHz), supplemented with data collected at higher radio frequencies (24GHz and dual-frequency 32 and 8.4GHz) over the past 15 years. State-of-the-art astronomical and geophysical modeling has been used to analyze these data and derive source positions. The modeling integrates, for the first time, the effect of the galactocentric acceleration of the solar system (directly estimated from the data) which, if not considered, induces significant deformation of the frame due to the data span. The new frame includes positions at 8.4GHz for 4536 extragalactic sources. Of these, 303 sources, uniformly distributed on the sky, are identified as "defining sources" and as such serve to define the axes of the frame. Positions at 8.4GHz are supplemented with positions at 24GHz for 824 sources and at 32GHz for 678 sources. In all, ICRF3 comprises 4588 sources, with three-frequency positions available for 600 of these. Source positions have been determined independently at each of the frequencies in order to preserve the underlying astrophysical content behind such positions. They are reported for epoch 2015.0 and must be propagated for observations at other epochs for the most accurate needs, accounting for the acceleration toward the Galactic center, which results in a dipolar proper motion field of amplitude 0.0058 milliarcsecond/yr (mas/yr). The frame is aligned onto the International Celestial Reference System to within the accuracy of ICRF2 and shows a median positional uncertainty of about 0.1mas in right ascension and 0.2 mas in declination, with a noise floor of 0.03mas in the individual source coordinates. A subset of 500 sources is found to have extremely accurate positions, in the range of 0.03 to 0.06mas, at the traditional 8.4GHz frequency. Comparing ICRF3 with the recently released Gaia Celestial Reference Frame 2 in the optical domain, there is no evidence for deformations larger than 0.03 mas between the two frames, in agreement with the ICRF3 noise level. Significant positional offsets between the three ICRF3 frequencies are detected for about 5% of the sources.Moreover, a notable fraction (22%) of the sources shows optical and radio positions that are significantly offset. There are indications that these positional offsets may be the manifestation of extended source structures. This third realization of the ICRF was adopted by the IAU at its 30th General Assembly in August 2018 and replaced the previous realization, ICRF2, on January 1, 2019.
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- ID:
- ivo://jvo/isas/darts/halca/halca_vsop_survey_program_data
- Title:
- The VSOP (the VLBI Space Observatory Programme) 5 GHz AGN (Active Galactic Nuclei) Survey Program Analysis Data
- Short Name:
- HALCA_AGN
- Date:
- 19 Oct 2021 06:40:34
- Publisher:
- JVO
- Description:
- A significant fraction of the mission time of VSOP was to be dedicated to the VSOP Survey Programme of bright compact Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at 5 GHz, which was lead by ISAS. The VSOP Survey Sources are an unbiased dataset of 294 targets, of which 82% were successfully observed.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/810/14
- Title:
- Third catalog of LAT-detected AGNs (3LAC)
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/810/14
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The third catalog of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected by the Fermi-LAT (3LAC) is presented. It is based on the third Fermi-LAT catalog (3FGL) of sources detected between 100MeV and 300GeV with a Test Statistic greater than 25, between 2008 August 4 and 2012 July 31. The 3LAC includes 1591 AGNs located at high Galactic latitudes (|b|>10{deg}), a 71% increase over the second catalog based on 2 years of data. There are 28 duplicate associations, thus 1563 of the 2192 high-latitude gamma-ray sources of the 3FGL catalog are AGNs. Most of them (98%) are blazars. About half of the newly detected blazars are of unknown type, i.e., they lack spectroscopic information of sufficient quality to determine the strength of their emission lines. Based on their gamma-ray spectral properties, these sources are evenly split between flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lacs. The most abundant detected BL Lacs are of the high-synchrotron-peaked (HSP) type. About 50% of the BL Lacs have no measured redshifts. A few new rare outliers (HSP-FSRQs and high-luminosity HSP BL Lacs) are reported. The general properties of the 3LAC sample confirm previous findings from earlier catalogs. The fraction of 3LAC blazars in the total population of blazars listed in BZCAT remains non-negligible even at the faint ends of the BZCAT-blazar radio, optical, and X-ray flux distributions, which hints that even the faintest known blazars could eventually shine in gamma-rays at LAT-detection levels. The energy-flux distributions of the different blazar populations are in good agreement with extrapolation from earlier catalogs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/242/4
- Title:
- Two new catalogs of blazar candidates
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/242/4
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present two catalogs of radio-loud candidate blazars whose Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mid-infrared colors are selected to be consistent with the colors of confirmed {gamma}-ray-emitting blazars. The first catalog is the improved and expanded release of the WISE Blazar-like Radio-Loud Sources (WIBRaLS) catalog presented by D'Abrusco et al. It includes sources detected in all four WISE filters, spatially cross-matched with radio sources in one of three radio surveys and radio-loud based on their q_22_ spectral parameter. WIBRaLS2 includes 9541 sources classified as BL Lacs, flat-spectrum radio quasars, or mixed candidates based on their WISE colors. The second catalog, called KDEBLLACS, based on a new selection technique, contains 5579 candidate BL Lacs extracted from the population of WISE sources detected in the first three WISE passbands ([3.4], [4.6], and [12]) only, whose mid-infrared colors are similar to those of confirmed, {gamma}-ray BL Lacs. Members of KDBLLACS are also required to have a radio counterpart and be radio-loud based on the parameter q_12_, defined similarly to the q_22_ used for the WIBRaLS2. We describe the properties of these catalogs and compare them with the largest samples of confirmed and candidate blazars in the literature. We cross-match the two new catalogs with the most recent catalogs of {gamma}-ray sources detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Since spectroscopic observations of candidate blazars from the first WIBRaLS catalog within the uncertainty regions of {gamma}-ray unassociated sources confirmed that ~90% of these candidates are blazars, we anticipate that these new catalogs will again play an important role in the identification of the {gamma}-ray sky.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/136/2373
- Title:
- Type 2 quasars from SDSS
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/136/2373
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Type 2 quasars are luminous active galactic nuclei whose central regions are obscured by large amounts of gas and dust. In this paper, we present a catalog of type 2 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, selected based on their optical emission lines. The catalog contains 887 objects with redshifts z<0.83; this is 6 times larger than the previous version and is by far the largest sample of type 2 quasars in the literature.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/622/A92
- Title:
- Ultracompact extragalactic radio sources at 86GHz
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/622/A92
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations at 86 GHz (wavelength, {lambda}=3mm) reach a resolution of about 50{mu}as, probing the collimation and acceleration regions of relativistic outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGN). The physical conditions in these regions can be studied by performing 86GHz VLBI surveys of representative samples of compact extragalactic radio sources. To extend the statistical studies of compact extragalactic jets, a large global 86GHz VLBI survey of 162 compact radio sources was conducted in 2010-2011 using the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA). The survey observations were made in a snapshot mode, with up to five scans per target spread over a range of hour angles in order to optimize the visibility coverage. The survey data attained a typical baseline sensitivity of 0.1Jy and a typical image sensitivity of 5mJy/beam, providing successful detections and images for all of the survey targets. For 138 objects, the survey provides the first ever VLBI images made at 86GHz. Gaussian model fitting of the visibility data was applied to represent the structure of the observed sources and to estimate the flux densities and sizes of distinct emitting regions (components) in their jets. These estimates were used for calculating the brightness temperature (Tb) at the jet base (core) and in one or more moving regions (jet components) downstream from the core. These model-fit-based estimates of Tb were compared to the estimates of brightness temperature limits made directly from the visibility data, demonstrating a good agreement between the two methods. The apparent brightness temperature estimates for the jet cores in our sample range from 2.5x10^9^K to 1.3x10^12^K, with the mean value of 1.8x10^11^K. The apparent brightness temperature estimates for the inner jet components in our sample range from 7.0x10^7^K to 4.0x10^11^K. A simple population model with a single intrinsic value of brightness temperature, T0, is applied to reproduce the observed distribution. It yields T0=(3.77^+0.10^_0.14_)10^11^K for the jet cores, implying that the inverse Compton losses dominate the emission. In the nearest jet components, T0=(1.42^+0.16^_0.19_)10^11^K is found, which is slightly higher than the equipartition limit of 5x10^10^K expected for these jet regions. For objects with sufficient structural detail detected, the adiabatic energy losses are shown to dominate the observed changes of brightness temperature along the jet.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/207/4
- Title:
- Unidentified {gamma}-ray sources. III. Radio
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/207/4
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- About one-third of the {gamma}-ray sources listed in the second Fermi Large Area Telescope catalog (2FGL) have no firmly established counterpart at lower energies and so are classified as unidentified {gamma}-ray sources (UGSs). Here, we propose a new approach to find candidate counterparts for the UGSs based on the 325 MHz radio survey performed with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope in the northern hemisphere. First, we investigate the low-frequency radio properties of blazars, the largest known population of {gamma}-ray sources; then we search for sources with similar radio properties combining the information derived from the Westerbork Northern Sky Survey (WENSS, Rengelink et al. 1997, Cat. J/A+AS/124/259; superseded by Cat. VIII/62) with those of the NRAO Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS, Condon et al. 1998, Cat. VIII/65). We present a list of candidate counterparts for 32 UGSs with at least one counterpart in the WENSS. We also performed an extensive research in the literature to look for infrared and optical counterparts of the {gamma}-ray blazar candidates selected using the low-frequency radio observations to confirm their nature. On the basis of our multifrequency research, we identify 23 new {gamma}-ray blazar candidates out of the 32 UGSs investigated. Comparison with previous results on the UGSs is also presented. Finally, we speculate on the advantages of using low-frequency radio observations to associate UGSs and to search for {gamma}-ray pulsar candidates.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/585/647
- Title:
- Velocity dispersion in AGN
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/585/647
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- It has been proposed that the width of the narrow [O III] {lambda}5007 emission line can be used as a surrogate for the stellar velocity dispersion in active galaxies. This proposition is tested using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Early Data Release (EDR) spectra of 107 low-redshift radio-quiet QSOs and Seyfert 1 galaxies by investigating the correlation between black hole mass, as determined from H{beta} FWHM and optical luminosity, and [O III] FWHM. The correlation is real, but the scatter is large. Without additional information or selection criteria, the [O III] width can predict the black hole mass to a factor of 5.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/802/69
- Title:
- VLA, ALMA and SMA monitoring of Sgr A*
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/802/69
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report new observations with the Very Large Array, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, and Submillimeter Array at frequencies from 1.0 to 355GHz of the Galactic Center black hole, Sagittarius A*. These observations were conducted between 2012 October and 2014 November. While we see variability over the whole spectrum with an amplitude as large as a factor of 2 at millimeter wavelengths, we find no evidence for a change in the mean flux density or spectrum of Sgr A* that can be attributed to interaction with the G2 source. The absence of a bow shock at low frequencies is consistent with a cross-sectional area for G2 that is less than 2x10^29^cm2. This result fits with several model predictions including a magnetically arrested cloud, a pressure-confined stellar wind, and a stellar photosphere of a binary merger. There is no evidence for enhanced accretion onto the black hole driving greater jet and/or accretion flow emission. Finally, we measure the millimeter wavelength spectral index of Sgr A* to be flat; combined with previous measurements, this suggests that there is no spectral break between 230 and 690GHz. The emission region is thus likely in a transition between optically thick and thin at these frequencies and requires a mix of lepton distributions with varying temperatures consistent with stratification.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/732/45
- Title:
- VLA fluxes for AT20G radio galaxies
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/732/45
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present flux densities and polarization percentages of 159 radio galaxies based on nearly simultaneous Very Large Array observations at four frequencies, 4.86, 8.46, 22.46, and 43.34GHz. This sample is selected from the high-frequency Australia Telescope 20GHz (AT20G) survey and consists of all sources with flux density S_20GHz_>40mJy in an equatorial field of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) survey. For a subset of 25 of these sources, we used the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to obtain 90GHz data. We find that, as expected, this sample consists of flatter spectrum and more compact or point-like sources than low-frequency-selected samples. In the K band, variability is typically <~20%, although there are exceptions. The higher frequency data are well suited to the detection of extreme gigahertz peak spectrum sources. The inclusion of the 43GHz data causes the relative fraction of inverted spectrum sources to go down and of peaked spectrum sources to go up when compared with the AT20G survey results. The trend largely continues with the inclusion of the 90GHz data, although ~10% of the sources with GBT data show a spectral upturn from 43GHz to 90GHz. The measured polarization fractions are typically <5%, although in some cases they are measured to be up to ~20%. For sources with detected polarized flux in all four bands, about 40% of the sample, the polarization fractions typically increase with frequency. This trend is stronger for steeper spectrum sources as well as for the lower flux density sources.