Sub-mJy radio emission from high-redshift active galactic nuclei in the footprint of the VLA Sky Survey

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using empty-field ‘Quick Look’ images from the first two epochs of the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) observations, centred on the positions of ∼3700 individually radio-non-detected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ≥ 4, we performed image stacking analysis to examine the sub-mJy emission at 3 GHz. We found characteristic monochromatic radio powers of Pchar = (2–13) × 1024 W Hz−1, indicating that AGN-related radio emission is widespread in the sample. The signal-to-noise ratios of the redshift-binned median stacked maps are between 4–6, and we expect that with the inclusion of the yet to be completed third-epoch VLASS observations, the detection limit defined as signal-to-noise ratio SNR ≥ 6 could be reached, and the redshift dependence can be determined. To obtain information on the general spectral properties of the faint radio emission in high-redshift AGNs, we confined the sample to ∼3000 objects covered by both the VLASS and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters (FIRST) survey. We found that the flux densities from the median stacked maps show a characteristic spectral index of α* = −0.30 ± 0.15, which is in agreement with the median spectral index of the radio-detected z ≥ 4 AGNs from our high-redshift AGN catalogue. The three-band mid-infrared colour–colour diagram based on Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer observations provides further support regarding the AGN contribution to the radio emission in the sub-mJy sample.