Catalog Of Radio Sources Research Articles

1-arcsecond imaging of the ELAIS-N1 field at 144MHz using the LoTSS survey with the international LOFAR telescope

We present the first wide area ($2.5 deg ^2$) LOFAR high band antenna image at a resolution of $1.2 with a median noise of $ Jy beam $. It was made from an 8-hour International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) observation of the ELAIS-N1 field at frequencies ranging from 120 to 168\,MHz with the most up-to-date ILT imaging methods. This intermediate resolution falls between the highest possible resolution (0.3 achievable by using all ILT baselines and the standard 6-arcsecond resolution in the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey (LoTSS) image products utilising the LOFAR Dutch baselines only. This is the first demonstration of the feasibility of imaging using the ILT at a resolution of sim 1 which provides unique information on source morphology at scales that fall below the surface brightness limits at higher resolutions. The total calibration and imaging computational time is approximately 52,000 core hours, which is nearly five times more than required to produce a $6 resolution image. We also present a radio source catalogue containing 2263 sources detected over the $2.5 deg ^2$ image of the ELAIS-N1 field, with a peak intensity threshold of $5.5 The catalogue has been cross-matched with the LoTSS deep ELAIS-N1 field radio catalogue, and its flux density and positional accuracy have been investigated and corrected accordingly. We find that sim 80<!PCT!> of sources that we expect to be detectable based on their peak brightness in the LoTSS $6 resolution image are detected in this image, which is approximately a factor of two higher than for $0.3 resolution imaging in the Lockman Hole, implying there is a wealth of information on these intermediate scales.

A global view on star formation: The GLOSTAR Galactic plane survey

Context. The GLObal view on STAR formation in the Milky Way (GLOSTAR) survey studies star formation with the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Effelsberg 100 meter radio telescope in the Galactic plane between −2° < ℓ < 60° and |b| < 1°, and the Cygnus X region (76° < ℓ < 83° and −1° < b < 2°), with unprecedented sensitivity in both flux density (1σ ~50 μJy beam−1) and the capability of detecting emission with angular scales in the range from 1.″0 to the largest radio structures in the Galaxy on the order of a few degrees in size. Aims. Here, we provide a complete GLOSTAR-VLA D-configuration radio source catalog for the part of the Galactic disk covered. A catalog for the “pilot region” between 28° < ℓ < 36° has been published in a previous paper and here we present the complementary catalog for the area within 2° < ℓ < 28°, 36° < ℓ < 60° and |b| < 1°. Methods. Observations were taken with the VLA in a 4–8 GHz band to image 100 square degrees of the inner Galactic disk at a reference frequency of 5.8 GHz, using a total of 260 h of telescope time. We determined spectral indices (α; Sν ∝ να) inside the observed band and in the frequency range of 1.4–5.8 GHz by complementing our results with those from The HI/OH/Recombination line survey of the inner Milky Way (THOR), which covers 1–2 GHz. Results. The final images have an angular resolution of 18″ and an average sensitivity of 123 μJy beam−1. The sensitivity is better (~60 μJy beam−1) in areas free of extended emission. The complementary Galactic disk catalog presented in this work consists of 11 211 radio sources. Of these, 1965 are known large-scale structure sources such as star-forming region complexes, well-known supernova remnants (SNRs), SNR candidates, or parts thereof. The remaining 9227 are discrete individual sources. Source parameters–namely flux densities, sizes, spectral indices, and classifications-are reported. We identify 769 H II region candidates, 359 of which have been newly classified as such. The mean value of spectral indices of 225 H II regions is +0.14 ± 0.02, consistent with most of them emitting optically thin thermal radio emission. Combining our results with the previously published catalog of the pilot region, the final GLOSTAR-VLA D-configuration catalog contains 12 981 radio sources.

Is the Radio Source Dipole from NVSS Consistent with the Cosmic Microwave Background and ΛCDM?

The dipole moment in the angular distribution of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is thought to originate from the doppler effect and our motion relative to the CMB frame. Observations of large-scale structure (LSS) should show a related “kinematic dipole” and help test the kinematic origin of the CMB dipole. Intriguingly, many previous LSS dipole studies suggest discrepancies with the expectations from the CMB. Here, we reassess the apparent inconsistency between the CMB measurements and dipole estimates from the NVSS catalog of radio sources. We find that it is important to account for the shot noise and clustering of the NVSS sources, as well as kinematic contributions, in determining the expected dipole signal. We use the clustering redshift method and a cross-matching technique to refine estimates of the clustering term. We then derive a probability distribution for the expected NVSS dipole in a standard ΛCDM cosmological model including all (i.e., kinematic, shot noise, and clustering) dipole components. Our model agrees with most of the previous NVSS dipole measurements in the literature at better than ≲2σ. We conclude that the NVSS dipole is consistent with a kinematic origin for the CMB dipole within ΛCDM.

An updated catalog of IPS radio sources observed by MEXART at 140 MHz for space weather studies

The Mexican Array Radio Telescope (MEXART) is an instrument dedicated to performing interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations at 140 MHz. After the MEXART backend’s digitization, the array’s technical capabilities have improved substantially, and we observe new IPS sources. By analyzing observations recorded from June 2020 to June 2022, we present an updated catalog of radio sources observed with an IPS signature by MEXART. First, we implemented an algorithm to treat the noise presented by some channels in the frequency. Next, we obtained the spectra of the observations to get the frequency of the Fresnel’s knee and determine whether each radio source exhibited IPS. We then estimated the source’s flux at 140 MHz by interpolating flux density data to different frequencies using the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Finally, we present a list of 38 radio sources showing IPS signatures. The source list presents declination, right ascension, and flux at 140 MHz. This updated catalog will allow studies of solar wind properties in the inner heliosphere using MEXART data.

LOFAR HBA observations of the Euclid Deep Field North (EDFN)

We present the first deep (72 h of observations) radio image of the Euclid Deep Field North (EDFN) obtained with the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR) High Band Antenna (HBA) at 144 MHz. The EDFN is the latest addition to the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) Deep Fields, and these observations represent the first data release for this field. The observations produced a 6″ resolution image with a central rms noise of 32 μJy beam−1. A catalogue of ~23 000 radio sources above a signal-to-noise ratio threshold of five is extracted from the inner circular 10 deg2 region. We discuss the data analysis, and we provide a detailed description of how we derived the catalogue of radio sources, the issues related to direction-dependent calibration, and their effects on the final products. Finally, we derive the radio source counts at 144 MHz in the EDFN using catalogues of mock radio sources to derive the completeness correction factors. The source counts in the EDFN are consistent with those obtained from the first data release of the other LoTSS Deep Fields (ELAIS-N1, Lockman Hole and Bootes), despite the different method adopted to construct the final catalogue and to assess its completeness.

The large-scale environment of 3CR radio galaxies at z<0.3

The question of whether and how the properties of radio galaxies (RGs) are connected with the large-scale environment is still an open issue. For this work we measured the large-scale galaxies' density around RGs present in the revised Third Cambridge Catalog of radio sources (3CR) with $0.02 < z < 0.3$. The goal is to determine whether the accretion mode and morphology of RGs are related to the richness of the environment. We considered RGs at $0.05 < z < 0.3$ for a comparison between optical spectroscopic classes, and those within $0.02 < z < 0.1$ to study the differences between the radio morphological types. Photometric data from the Panoramic Survey Telescope Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) survey were used to search for "red sequences" within an area of 500 kpc of radius around each RG. We find that 1) RGs span over a large range of local galaxies' density, from isolated sources to those in rich environments, 2) the richness distributions of the various classes are not statistically different, and 3) the radio luminosity is not connected with the source environment. Our results suggest that the RG properties are independent of the local galaxies density, which is in agreement with some previous analyses, but contrasting with other studies. We discuss the possible origin of this discrepancy. An analysis of a larger sample is needed to put out results on a stronger statistical basis.

Powerful Radio Sources in the Southern Sky. III. First Results of the Optical Spectroscopic Campaign

We recently built the G4Jy-3CRE catalog of extragalactic radio sources. This catalog lists 264 powerful radio sources selected with similar criteria to those of the revised Third Cambridge Catalog, but visible from the Southern Hemisphere. A literature search revealed that 119 sources in the G4Jy-3CRE catalog (i.e., 45%) lack a firm spectroscopic redshift measurement. Here, we present a campaign aimed at acquiring optical spectra of G4Jy-3CRE sources and measuring their redshifts. We used single-slit observations obtained with the Víctor Blanco Telescope, the New Technology Telescope, the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope, and the 2.1 m telescope of the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional at San Pedro Mártir, Mexico. In addition, we analyzed Very Large Telescope/MUSE archival observations. From these observations, we report the spectra and redshifts of 93 sources, 42 of which are the first optical spectra and redshift determinations for the respective sources. With our new data, approximately 71% of the sources in the G4Jy-3CRE catalog now have firm spectroscopic redshift measurements. This data set will be the basis of our future analysis of the optical properties of the G4Jy-3CRE catalog.

Influence of sources with a spectral peak in the detection of Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionization

ABSTRACT Foreground removal is one of the biggest challenges in the detection of the Cosmic Dawn (CD) and Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Various foreground subtraction techniques have been developed based on the spectral smoothness of foregrounds. However, the sources with a spectral peak (SP) at megahertz may break down the spectral smoothness at low frequencies (<1000 MHz). In this paper, we cross-match the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) extragalactic source catalogue with three other radio source catalogues, covering the frequency range 72 MHz–1.4 GHz, to search for sources with spectral turnover. 4423 sources from the GLEAM catalogue are identified as SP sources, representing ≈3.2 per cent of the GLEAM radio source population. We utilize the properties of SP source candidates obtained from real observations to establish simulations and test the impact of SP sources on the extraction of CD/EoR signals. We statistically compare the differences introduced by SP sources in the residuals after removing the foregrounds with three methods, which are polynomial fitting, principal component analysis, and fast independent component analysis. Our results indicate that the presence of SP sources in the foregrounds has a negligible influence on extracting the CD/EoR signal. After foreground subtraction, the contribution from SP sources to the total power in the two-dimensional power spectrum within the EoR window is approximately 3–4 orders of magnitude lower than the CD/EoR signal.

The Revised Third Cambridge Catalogue at 60: To Jet or Not to Jet …

The Revised Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources (in the northern sky), or 3CR, published sixty years ago by Bennett (1962) [...]

Exploration of faint X-ray and radio sources in the massive globular cluster M14: a UV-bright counterpart to Nova Ophiuchus 1938

ABSTRACT Using a 12 ks archival Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS-S observation on the massive globular cluster (GC) M14, we detect a total of 7 faint X-ray sources within its half-light radius at a $0.5{\small --}7\, \mathrm{keV}$ depth of $2.5\times 10^{31}\, \mathrm{erg s^{-1}}$. We cross-match the X-ray source positions with a catalogue of the Very Large Array radio point sources and a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV/optical/near-IR photometry catalogue, revealing radio counterparts to 2 and HST counterparts to 6 of the X-ray sources. In addition, we also identify a radio source with the recently discovered millisecond pulsar PSR 1737−0314A. The brightest X-ray source, CX1, appears to be consistent with the nominal position of the classic nova Ophiuchi 1938 (Oph 1938), and both Oph 1938 and CX1 are consistent with a UV-bright variable HST counterpart, which we argue to be the source of the nova eruption in 1938. This makes Oph 1938 the second classic nova recovered in a Galactic GC since Nova T Scorpii in M80. CX2 is consistent with the steep-spectrum radio source VLA8, which unambiguously matches a faint blue source; the steepness of VLA8 is suggestive of a pulsar nature, possibly a transitional millisecond pulsar with a late K dwarf companion, though an active galactic nucleus (AGN) cannot be ruled out. The other counterparts to the X-ray sources are all suggestive of chromospherically active binaries or background AGNs, so their nature requires further membership information.

The Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey V: Cataloguing the sky at 1 367.5 MHz and the second data release of RACS-mid

Abstract The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) has surveyed the sky at multiple frequencies as part of the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS). The first two RACS observing epochs, at 887.5 (RACS-low) and 1 367.5 (RACS-mid) MHz, have been released (McConnell, et al. 2020, PASA, 37, e048; Duchesne, et al. 2023, PASA, 40, e034). A catalogue of radio sources from RACS-low has also been released, covering the sky south of declination $+30^{\circ}$ (Hale, et al., 2021, PASA, 38, e058). With this paper, we describe and release the first set of catalogues from RACS-mid, covering the sky below declination $+49^{\circ}$ . The catalogues are created in a similar manner to the RACS-low catalogue, and we discuss this process and highlight additional changes. The general purpose primary catalogue covering 36 200 deg $^2$ features a variable angular resolution to maximise sensitivity and sky coverage across the catalogued area, with a median angular resolution of $11.2^{\prime\prime} \times 9.3^{\prime\prime}$ . The primary catalogue comprises 3 105 668 radio sources, including those in the Galactic Plane (2 861 923 excluding Galactic latitudes of $|b|<5^{\circ}$ ), and we estimate the catalogue to be 95% complete for sources above 2 mJy. With the primary catalogue, we also provide two auxiliary catalogues. The first is a fixed-resolution, 25-arcsec catalogue approximately matching the sky coverage of the RACS-low catalogue. This 25-arcsec catalogue is constructed identically to the primary catalogue, except images are convolved to a less-sensitive 25-arcsec angular resolution. The second auxiliary catalogue is designed for time-domain science and is the concatenation of source lists from the original RACS-mid images with no additional convolution, mosaicking, or de-duplication of source entries to avoid losing time-variable signals. All three RACS-mid catalogues, and all RACS data products, are available through the CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Archive (https://research.csiro.au/casda/).

MIGHTEE: Multi-wavelength counterparts in the COSMOS field

ABSTRACT In this paper, we combine the Early Science radio continuum data from the MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) Survey, with optical and near-infrared data and release the cross-matched catalogues. The radio data used in this work covers 0.86 deg2 of the COSMOS field, reaches a thermal noise of 1.7 μJy beam−1 and contains 6102 radio components. We visually inspect and cross-match the radio sample with optical and near-infrared data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) and UltraVISTA surveys. This allows the properties of active galactic nuclei and star-forming populations of galaxies to be probed out to z ≈ 5. Additionally, we use the likelihood ratio method to automatically cross-match the radio and optical catalogues and compare this to the visually cross-matched catalogue. We find that 94 per cent of our radio source catalogue can be matched with this method, with a reliability of 95 per cent. We proceed to show that visual classification will still remain an essential process for the cross-matching of complex and extended radio sources. In the near future, the MIGHTEE survey will be expanded in area to cover a total of ∼20 deg2; thus the combination of automated and visual identification will be critical. We compare the redshift distribution of SFG and AGN to the SKADS and T-RECS simulations and find more AGN than predicted at z ∼ 1.

The Multiwavelength Environment of Second Bologna Catalog Sources

We present the first results of the Chandra Cool Targets (CCT) survey of the Second Bologna Catalog (B2CAT) of powerful radio sources, aimed at investigating the extended X-ray emission surrounding these sources. For the first 33 sources observed in the B2CAT CCT survey, we performed both imaging and spectral X-ray analysis, producing multiband Chandra images, and compared these images with radio observations. To evaluate the presence of extended emission in the X-rays, we extracted surface flux profiles comparing them with simulated ACIS point-spread functions. We detected X-ray nuclear emission for 28 sources. In addition, we detected eight regions of increased X-ray flux originating from radio hot spots or jet knots, and a region of decreased flux, possibly associated with an X-ray cavity. We performed X-ray spectral analysis for 15 nuclei and found intrinsic absorption significantly larger than the Galactic values in four of them. We detected significant extended X-ray emission in five sources, and fitted their spectra with thermal models with gas temperatures ∼2 keV. In the case of B2.1 0742+31, the surrounding hot gas is compatible with the intracluster medium of low-luminosity clusters of galaxies, while the X-ray diffuse emission surrounding the highly disturbed wide-angle-tailed radio galaxy B2.3 2254+35 features a luminosity similar to those of relatively bright galaxy groups, although its temperature is similar to those of low-luminosity galaxy clusters. These results highlight the power of low-frequency radio selection, combined with short Chandra snapshot observations, for investigating the properties of X-ray emission from radio sources.

Powerful Radio Sources in the Southern Sky. II. A Swift X-Ray Perspective

We recently constructed the G4Jy-3CRE, a catalog of extragalactic radio sources based on the GLEAM 4-Jy (G4Jy) sample, with the aim of increasing the number of powerful radio galaxies and quasars with similar selection criteria to those of the revised release of the Third Cambridge Catalog (3CR). The G4Jy-3CRE consists of a total of 264 radio sources mainly visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we present an initial X-ray analysis of 89 G4Jy-3CRE radio sources with archival X-ray observations from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We reduced a total of 624 Swift observations, for about 0.9 Ms of integrated exposure time. We found X-ray counterparts for 59 radio sources belonging to the G4Jy-3CRE, nine of them showing extended X-ray emission. The remaining 30 sources do not show any X-ray emission associated with their radio cores. Our analysis demonstrates that X-ray snapshot observations, even if lacking uniform exposure times, as those carried out with Swift, allow us to (i) verify and/or refine the host galaxy identification; (ii) discover the extended X-ray emission around radio galaxies of the intracluster medium when harbored in galaxy clusters, as the case of G4Jy 1518 and G4Jy 1664; and (iii) detect X-ray radiation arising from their radio lobes, as for G4Jy 1863.

Three New Spiral Galaxies with Active Nuclei Producing Double Radio Lobes

Double radio lobes are generally believed to be produced by active nuclei of elliptical galaxies. However, several double-lobed radio sources have been solidly found to be associated with spiral galaxies. By cross-matching ∼9 × 105 spiral galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR8 data with the full 1.4 GHz radio source catalogs of NRAO VLA Sky Survey and Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters, we identify three new spiral galaxies: J0326−0623, J1110+0321 and J1134+3046 that produce double radio lobes, and five double-lobed spirals previously known. By combining the newly discovered and all the other known cases in literature, we confirm the relation that more massive spiral galaxies could produce more powerful radio lobes. We find that most of these spiral galaxies are located in a galaxy group or a poor cluster, in which the environment is denser than in the field, and about half of them are the central brightest galaxies in their parent system. We therefore suggest that the environment is one of the key factors for a spiral to produce double radio lobes.

The JCMT SCUBA-2 Survey of the James Webb Space Telescope North Ecliptic Pole Time-Domain Field

The James Webb Space Telescope Time-Domain Field (JWST-TDF) is an ∼14′ diameter field near the North Ecliptic Pole that will be targeted by one of the JWST Guaranteed Time Observations programs. Here, we describe our James Clerk Maxwell Telescope SCUBA-2 850 μm imaging of the JWST-TDF and present the submillimeter source catalog and properties. We also present a catalog of radio sources from Karl J. Jansky Very Large Array 3 GHz observations of the field. These observations were obtained to aid JWST's study of dust-obscured galaxies that contribute significantly to cosmic star formation at high redshifts. Our deep 850 μm map covers the JWST-TDF at a noise level of σ 850µm = 1.0 mJy beam−1, detecting 83/31 sources in the main/supplementary signal-to-noise ratio (S/N > 4 / S/N = 3.5–4) sample, respectively. The 3 GHz observations cover a 24′ diameter field with a 1σ noise of 1 μJy beam−1 at a 0.″7 FWHM. We identified eighty-five 3 GHz counterparts to sixty-six 850 μm sources and then matched these with multiwavelength data from the optical to the mid-infrared wave bands. We performed spectral energy distribution fitting for 61 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) matched with optical/near-infrared data, and found that SMGs at S/N > 4 have a median value of z phot = 2.22 ± 0.12, star formation rates of 300 ± 40 M ⊙ yr−1 (Chabrier initial mass function), and typical cold dust masses of 5.9 ± 0.7 × 108 M ⊙, in line with bright SMGs from other surveys. The large cold dust masses indicate correspondingly large cool gas masses, which we suggest are a key factor necessary to drive the high star formation rates seen in this population.

Estimation of large-scale deformations in VLBI radio source catalogs with mitigation of impact of outliers: A comparison between different L1- and L2-norm-based methods

Aims. In this study, we compare several methods of modeling large-scale systematic differences between catalogs of positions of extragalactic radio sources provided by very long baseline interferometry with an emphasis on mitigating the impact of outliers. Methods. The coordinate difference between catalogs was parameterized by first and second order coefficients of vector spherical harmonics. We solved for these coefficients by using the least-squares method (L2-norm) and, alternatively, by L1-norm minimization. The problem of outliers was addressed either by rejecting them on the basis of their difference to the mean or by using the cell median (CM) method, consisting of reducing the difference field to median values in cells of equal area. The methods were applied to simulated catalogs exhibiting systematics of within 100 microarcseconds - for which we knew the expected results - and to real catalogs. Results. In simulations, the L1 minimization appears practically insensitive to outliers and is within a few microarcseconds of the expected results. Least-squared fitting preceded by L1-norm-based outlier detection performed similarly. The CM method gets close to the true parameter values, within one microarcsecond. When applied to real catalogs, all methods provide close results within a few microarcseconds. Conclusions. The study shows that all tested methods are consistent with each other within a few microarcseconds. Hybrid L2/L1 and iterative L2 methods proved to be very effective in eliminating outliers and showed the best accuracy of the estimated parameters of the mutual orientation of celestial reference frames.

CO in the ALMA Radio-source Catalogue (ARC): The molecular gas content of radio galaxies as a function of redshift

To evaluate the role of radio activity in galaxy evolution, we designed a large archival CO survey of radio galaxies (RGs) to determine their molecular gas masses at different epochs. We used a sample of 120 RGs representative of the NVSS 1.4 GHz survey, when flux limited at 0.4 Jy. Of those, 66 galaxies belonged to the ALMA Radio-source Catalogue (ARC) of calibrators and had spectral window tunings around CO (1–0), (2–1), (3–2), or (4–3). We reduced their ALMA data, determined their H2 mass contents, and combined the results with similar results for the remaining 54 galaxies from the literature. We found that, while at all epochs the majority of RGs have undetectable reservoirs, there is a rapid increase in the H2 mass content of the CO-detected RGs with z. At 1 < z < 2.5, one-fourth of the RGs have at least as much molecular gas as simulations would indicate for a typical halo mass of that epoch. These galaxies plausibly have “normal” or even starbursty hosts. Overall, reservoirs of 107 ≲ MH2 ≲ 1010 M⊙ are seen at z < 0.3, and 1010 ≲ MH2 ≲ 1012 M⊙ at z> 1. Taking into account the completeness correction of the sample, we created the corresponding H2 mass functions at 0.005 < z < 0.3 and 1 < z < 2.5. The local mass function reveals that the number density of low-z RGs with detectable molecular gas reservoirs is only a little lower (a factor of ∼4) than that of pure (or little star-forming) type 1 and 2 AGN in simulations. At 1 < z < 2.5, there is a significant decrease in the number density of high-z RGs due to the rarity of bright radio galaxies. An estimate for the missing faint RGs would, nonetheless, bring populations close again. Finally, we find that the volume density of molecular gas locked up in the brightest 1/5000–1/7000 RGs is similar in the examined z bins. This result likely indicates that the inflow rate on one hand and the star-formation depletion rate plus the jet-driven expulsion rate on the other hand counteract each other in the most luminous RGs of each epoch.

The population of Galactic Centre filaments – III. Candidate radio and stellar sources

ABSTRACT Recent MeerKAT radio continuum observations of the Galactic Centre at 20 cm show a large population of non-thermal radio filaments (NRFs) in the inner few hundred pc of the Galaxy. We have selected a sample of 57 radio sources, mainly compact objects, in the MeerKAT mosaic image that appear to be associated with NRFs. The selected sources are about four times the number of radio point sources associated with filaments than would be expected by random chance. Furthermore, an apparent correlation between bright IR stars and NRFs is inferred from their similar latitude distributions, suggesting that they both co-exist within the same region. To examine if compact radio sources are related to compact IR sources, we have used archival 2MASS, and Spitzer data to make spectral energy distribution of individual stellar sources coincident or close to radio sources. We provide a catalogue of radio and IR sources for future detailed observations to investigate a potential three-way physical association between NRFs, compact radio and IR stellar sources. This association is suggested by models in which NRFs are cometary tails produced by the interaction of a large-scale nuclear outflow with stellar wind bubbles in the Galactic Centre.

The Population of Compact Radio Sources in M17

We present a catalog of radio sources of the M17 region based on deep X-band radio observations centered at 10 GHz obtained with the Jansky Very Large Array in the A configuration. We detect a total of 194 radio sources, 12 of them extended and 182 compact. We find that a significant fraction (at least 40% in our catalog) have suspected gyrosynchrotron emission associated with stellar coronal emission. By comparing the radio luminosities of our sources with their X-ray counterparts, when available, we find that they are underluminous in X-rays with respect to the Güdel–Benz relation, but a correlation with a similar slope is obtained provided that only sources with evident nonthermal nature are selected from the sample compiled for the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) and M17. The comparison of M17 with the ONC and NGC 6334D-F leads to a similar luminosity function for the three regions, at least for the more luminous sources. However, the radio sources in M17 are three times more numerous compared to the other regions at a given luminosity and their spatial distribution differs from that of Orion. Moreover, an arc-shaped structure of 40″ in extent is observed in our map, identified previously as an ionizing front, with the cometary hypercompact source UC1 at its focus. Archival 1 mm ALMA data reveals compact emission coincident with the radio wavelength peak, possibly associated with a protostellar disk of the massive star exciting UC1.