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At least 19 records

Radio continuum and radio recombination line observations of Sagittarius B1 and G0.6-0.0

Continuum emission and H110-alpha recombination line emission from Sgr B1 and G0.6-0.0 have been observed using the VLA. It is shown that Sgr B1 is a region of great complexity, both spatially and kinematically. The continuum observations show that this region is dominated by many extended features rather than compact sources. On the other hand, Sgr B2 is dominated by several ultracompact H II regions. The two regions may be in different stages of evolution, with Sgr B1 being older, perhaps by as much as 0 exp 6 yrs. The recombination line study shows that Sgr B1 is composed of two distinct kinematic regions, a simple western one and a more complex eastern one. G0.6-0.0 is a region composed of at least four ultracompact H II regions that is situated between Sgr B1 and Sgr B2. There is an arc of ionized gas that lies to the east and to the south of these compact regions. The velocity of G0.6-0.0 is intermediate between those of Sgr B1 and Sgr B2. These facts strengthen the argument that these regions are physically associated.

Mehringer, David M.

Solar radio continuum storms

Radio noise continuum emission observed in metric and decametric wave frequencies is discussed. The radio noise is associated with actively varying sunspot groups accompanied by the S-component of microwave radio emissions. It is shown that the S-component emission in microwave frequencies generally occurs several days before the emission of the noise continuum storms of lower frequencies. It is likely that energetic electrons, 10 to 100 Kev, accelerated in association with the variation of sunspot magnetic fields, are the sources of the radio emissions. A model is considered to explain the relation of burst storms on radio noise. An analysis of the role of energetic electrons on the emissions of both noise continuum and type III burst storms is presented. It is shown that instabilities associated with the electrons and their relation to their own stabilizing effects are important in interpreting both of these storms.

Source record

Planck Early Results. XV. Spectral Energy Distributions and Radio Continuum Spectra of Northern Extragalactic Radio Sources

Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and radio continuum spectra are presented for a northern sample of 104 extragalactic radio sources. based on the Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue (ERCSC) and simultaneous multi frequency data. The nine Planck frequencies, from 30 to 857 GHz, are complemented by a set of simultaneous observations ranging from radio to gamma-rays. This is the first extensive frequency coverage in the radio and millimetre domains for an essentially complete sample of extragalactic radio sources, and it shows how the individual shocks, each in their own phase of development, shape the radio spectra as they move in the relativistic jet. The SEDs presented in this paper were fitted with second and third degree polynomials to estimate the frequencies of the synchrotron and inverse Compton (IC) peaks, and the spectral indices of low and high frequency radio data, including the Planck ERCSC data, were calculated. SED modelling methods are discussed, with an emphasis on proper. physical modelling of the synchrotron bump using multiple components. Planck ERCSC data also suggest that the original accelerated electron energy spectrum could be much harder than commonly thought, with power-law index around 1.5 instead of the canonical 2.5. The implications of this are discussed for the acceleration mechanisms effective in blazar shock. Furthermore in many cases the Planck data indicate that gamma-ray emission must originate in the same shocks that produce the radio emission.

Aatrokoski, J.

Models of Uranium continuum radio emission

Uranium continuum radio emission detected by the Voyager 2 Planetary Radio Astronomy experiment during the January 1986 encounter is considered. The continuum emissions comprised four components (equatorial emissions, anomaly emissions, strong nightside emissions, and weak nightside emissions) associated with different sources. The equatorial emissions appeared most prominently during the days before closest approach and extended from 40 kHz or below to about 120 kHz. The anomaly emissions were seen about 12 hours before closest approach and extended to about 250 kHz. The agreement found between Miranda's phase and strong radio emission at 20.4 kHz, just after closest approach, suggests intense dynamic activity on the Miranda L shell.

Romig, Joseph H.

Radio continuum polarimetric imaging of high redshift radio galaxies

Multifrequency images of total and polarized radio continuum emission from the two high redshift radio galaxies 0902+343 (z = 3.40) and 0647+415 (4C 41.17, z = 3.80) are presented. These images represent the most sensitive polarimetric study of high redshift ratio galaxies to date. The emission from both galaxies is substantially polarized, up to 30% in some regions, and both sources sit behind deep 'Faraday screens,' producing large rotation measures, over 10(exp 3) rad/sq. m in magnitude, and large rotation measure gradients across the sources. Such large rotation measures provide further evidence that high redshift radio galaxies are situated in very dense environments. Drawing the analogy to a class of low redshift powerful radio galaxies with similarly large rotation measures, we suggest that 0902+343 and 0647+415 are situated at the centers of dense, x-ray 'colling flow' clusters, and that the cluster gas is substantially magnetized. The remarkable similarity between the optical and radio morphologies of 0647+415 on scales as small as 0.1 sec is presented. We consider, and reject, both synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation as possible sources of the optical emission. We also consider both scattering of light out of a 'cone' of radiation from an obscured nucleus, and jet-induced star formation, and find that both models encounter difficulties in explaining this remarkably close radio-optical alignment. High resolution spectral index images reveal compact, flat spectrum components in both sources. We suggest that these components are the active nuclei of the galaxies. Lastly, high resolution images of 0902+343 show that the southernmost component forms a 'ring' of 0.2 sec radius. We discuss the possibility that this ring is the result of gravitational lensing, along the lines proposed by Kochanek & Lawrence (1990).

Carilli, C. L.

Radio continuum and far-infrared observations of low surface brightness galaxies

We present Very Large Array (VLA) radio continuum and Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) far-infrared (FIR) observations of 16 low luminosity galaxies of mostly low surface brightness. All galaxies had previously claimed single dish radio continuum detections. However, at the frequencies of our observations (1.49 and 8.48 GHz), we find significant radio emission for two objects only. We show that the other previously claimed detections are due to confusion with physically unrelated background sources. This implies a low radio continuum detection rate for these galaxies. Re-reduced IRAS scans yield significant far-infrared flux densities in at least one IRAS band for 6 of the 16 galaxies. These, together with the FIR and radio continuum upper limits, are consistent with the well established radio/FIR relation, where most of our galaxies populate the low-luminosity end. From the radio continuum and FIR flux densities and their upper limits we estimate the current star formation rates and demonstrate that the galaxies are currently passive in forming stars, in agreement with previous optical investigations. There is an indication that the galaxies were forming stars more intensively averaged over their lifetime than they are presently.

Hoeppe, G.

Radio continuum emission from T Tauri stars and associated structures

The current status of radio continuum observations of low mass, pre-main sequence stars (T Tauri stars) is discussed. The majority of T Tauri radio sources have been detected by the VLA telescope and a guide to both these and earlier observations is presented. Both nonthermal and thermal radio continuum emission has been detected from T Tauri stars. The likely emission processes and specific examples of their occurrence are outlined. The detected radio sources are often associated with the surroundings of the star, such as bipolar flows or diffuse extended optical nebulosity, rather than regions very close to the stellar surface. Only recently have radio continuum observations reached a sensitivity appropriate to the expected level of thermal free-free emission from the winds of ordinary T Tauri stars and it is possible that many more radio sources will now be found associated with these stars.

Brown, A.

Solar radio continuum storms

The paper reviews the current status of research on solar radio continuum emissions from metric to hectometric wave frequencies, emphasizing the role of energetic electrons in the 10-100 keV range in these emissions. It is seen that keV-energy electrons generated in active sunspot groups must be the sources of radio continuum storm emissions for wide frequency bands. These electrons excite plasma oscillations in the medium, which in turn are converted to electromagnetic radiation. The radio noise continuum sources are usually associated with type III burst activity observed above these sources. Although the mechanism for the release of the energetic electrons is not known, it seems they are ejected from storm source regions in association with rapid variation of associated sunspot magnetic fields due to their growth into complex types. To explain some of the observed characteristics, the importance of two-stream instability and the scattering of ambient plasma ions on energetic electron streams is pointed out.

Sakurai, K.

The relationship between the carbon monoxide intensity and the radio continuum emission in spiral galaxies

The relationship between the velocity-integrated CO emission and the nonthermal radio continuum brightness in the disks of normal spiral galaxies is examined on a variety of length scales. On a global scale, the total CO intensity correlates strongly with the total radio continuum flux density for a sample of 31 galaxies. On scales of about 2 kpc or more in the disk of individual galaxies, it is found that the ratio I(CO)/T(20) remains fairly constant over the entire disk as well as from galaxy to galaxy. For the eight spirals in the sample, the disk-averaged values of I(CO)/T(20) range from 0.6-2.4, with the average over all eight galaxies being 1.3 +/- 0.6. It is concluded that what these various length scales actually trace are differences in the primary heating mechanism of the gas in the beam. The observed relationship between CO and nonthermal radio continuum emission can be explained by assuming that molecular gas in galactic disks is heated primarily by cosmic rays. The observed relationship is used to show that the brightness of synchrotron emission is proportional to n(cr) exp 0.4 - 0.9 in galactic disks.

Adler, David S.

ISEE-3 observations of the earth's radio continuum through the bow shock and magnetosheath and in the magnetosphere

On October 1 1983, ISEE-3 crossed the earth's bow shock several times and entered the magnetosphere while continuously recording the nonthermal continuum (NTC) radio emission which is generated inside the magnetosphere. The effects of the solar wind, the bow shock, the magnetosheath, and the magnetopause on the propagation of the NTC are studied. On that day it is found that: (1) the relative values of the NTC low frequency cut-off in the solar wind and in the magnetosheath is due to an unusually high density overshoot in the bow shock, 7 to 11 times the solar wind density; (2) refraction at the interface between the magnetosheath and the solar wind can explain most of the decrease in the source angular size when the observer travels away from the earth; (3) plasma density irregularities in the magnetosheath cause considerable scattering of the NTC, and this effect gives a large apparent size to the NTC source when observed from inside the magnetosheath; and (4) the apparent source is also relatively large inside the magnetosphere, probably due to an approach to ray isotropy caused by oblique reflections from the magnetopause.

Steinberg, J.-L.

A comparison of the radial distribution of molecular gas and non-thermal radio continuum in spiral disks

The present study includes 65 spiral galaxies selected from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) Extragalactic CO Survey for which the major axis distributions of CO emission and 1.49 GHz radio continuum emission are well determined. The radial distribution of the CO emission has been measured with the FCRAO at positions along the major axis that are spaced by one half power beam width (HPBW) (45 seconds). The radial profile of the 1.49 GHz radio continuum emission was constructed by determining the radio emission at the location of the CO measurements from the 1.49 GHz maps of Condon (1987). Large, greater than a factor of ten, radially decreasing gradients in the star formation efficiency are observed for a small percentage, approx. 10 percent, of the spirals in this sample. The majority of spirals, however, are associated with small gradients in the star formation efficiency that do not systematically increase or decrease with radius. That the star formation efficiency does not systematically decrease with radius tends to argue against a global dynamical mechanism, such as a spiral density wave, for being the dominant mechanism triggering disk star formation for the majority of spirals in this sample. The results tend to support the view that the star formation in spiral disks is dominated by a local process that depends more on the molecular cloud properties than the dynamical structure of a galaxy.

Devereux, Nicholas A.

A relationship between the integrated CO intensity and the radio continuum emission in spiral galaxies

In an effort to determine the role played by cosmic ray electrons and interstellar radiation fields on the collapse of molecular clouds, a survey was begun to investigate the relationship between the radio continuum brightness emission and the integrated CO intensity in spiral galaxies. The investigation was done on two scales; a global galaxy to galaxy comparison of integrated disk values, and a ring-averaged study over the disks of individual galaxies. For the large-scale survey, radio continuum flux densities integrated over the full disk at 1.49 GHz were taken from Condon (1987) and the total CO fluxes were taken from Verter (1985). The galaxies with values included in the two catalogs are displayed. It can be seen that a good correlation exists between the integrated CO emission and radio continuum emission.

Adler, D. S.

The integrated radio continuum spectrum of M33 - Evidence for free-free absorption by cool ionized gas

We present measurements of the integrated radio continuum flux density of M33 at frequencies between 22 and 610 MHz and discuss the radio continuum spectrum of M33 between 22 MHz and 10 GHz. This spectrum has a turnover between 500 and 900 MHz, depending on the steepness of the high frequency radio spectrum of M33. Below 500 MHz the spectrum is relatively flat. We discuss possible mechanisms to explain this spectral shape and consider efficient free-free absorption of nonthermal emission by a cool (not greater than 1000 K) ionized gas to be a very likely possibility. The surface filling factor of both the nonthermal and the thermal material appears to be small (of order 0.001), which could be explained by magnetic field/density fluctuations in the M 33 interstellar medium. We briefly speculate on the possible presence of a nuclear radio source with a steep spectrum.

Israel, F. P.

A five-band study of spiral galaxies - X-ray, optical, near- and far-infrared, and radio continuum correlations

A statistical analysis is given of the relationships between global emission properties of spiral galaxies, including the radio continuum, far-infared, near-infrared H-band, optical (B), and X-ray emission. Different properties are observed in early-type and in late-type spiral galaxies, which can be ascribed to the presence of prominent bulges in the former. In late-type spirals, the statistical properties of the emission at different wavelengths are consistent with a common disk/arm origin. The power-law exponents of the correlations are consistent with a steeper IMF in low-luminosity galaxies and with the presence of an obscured starburst component in high-luminosity galaxies. The strongest correlation of the radio continuum luminosity with any other variable is with the far-infrared, suggesting that the radio emission is disjoint from the older low-mass stellar component.

Fabbiano, G.

Mass loss from evolved stars. II - Radio continuum emission and evolution to planetary nebulae

The radio continuum properties of cool evolved stars are investigated from the viewpoint of mass loss mechanisms and evolution through the planetary nebula stage. The VLA was used to search 32 high mass loss rate objects for 6-cm continuum emission, leading to the detection of NGC 7027, CRL 618, R Aqr, IRC + 10216, and Omicron Ceti. The evolution of such objects to the planetary nebula stage was studied by calculating the propagation of an ionization front into the remnant neutral envelope that is produced by continuous mass loss in the red giant stage. It is found that none of the stars has a hot, compact companion, except for the known cases of R Aqr and Mira, and that envelope fractional ionization is in most cases as small as less than about 0.001.

Spergel, D. N.

The outer R Aquarii nebula - Comparison of 6 centimeter radio continuum and Balmer line emission

The 6 cm radio continuum structure of the R Aquarii outer nebula is compared with CCD imagery of H-alpha and H-beta line emission. It is shown that the 6 cm VLA imagery is morphologically similar and quantitatively related spatially to Balmer line imagery. There is negligible interstellar or circumstellar absorption along the line of sight to the outer nebula. The 6 cm structure of the outer nebula is consistent with thermal bremsstrahlung emission by a hot, optically thin gas. Spectra of the outer R Aquarii nebula are suggestive of shock-wave heating. The approximate equality of mass loss and radiative cooling suggests that the system's wind is probably enough to power the outer nebula and may account for its long-term persistence.

Hollis, J. M.

The correlation between far-IR and radio continuum emission from spiral galaxies

A sample of 30 galaxies selected for their intense IRAS flux at 60 and 100 micron using the Arecibo telescope at 21 cm to measure the continuum and HI line luminosities were observed. The centimeter wave continuum correlates very well with the far-infrared flux, with a correlation coefficient as high as that found for other samples, and the same ratio between FIR and radio luminosities. Weaker correlations are seen between the FIR and optical luminosity and between the FIR and radio continuum. There is very little correlation between the FIR and the HI mass deduced from the integral of the 21 cm line. The strength of the radio continuum correlation suggests that there is little contribution to either the radio and FIR from physical processes not affecting both. If they each reflect time integrals of the star formation rate then the time constants must be similar, or the star formation rate must change slowly in these galaxies.

Dickey, John M.