Local Radio Luminosity Function Research Articles

The GLEAM 200-MHz local radio luminosity function for AGN and star-forming galaxies

AbstractThe GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) is a radio continuum survey at 76–227 MHz of the entire southern sky (Declination$<\!{+}30^{\circ}$) with an angular resolution of${\approx}2$arcmin. In this paper, we combine GLEAM data with optical spectroscopy from the 6dF Galaxy Survey to construct a sample of 1 590 local (median$z \approx 0.064$) radio sources with$S_{200\,\mathrm{MHz}} > 55$mJy across an area of${\approx}16\,700\,\mathrm{deg}^{2}$. From the optical spectra, we identify the dominant physical process responsible for the radio emission from each galaxy: 73% are fuelled by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and 27% by star formation. We present the local radio luminosity function for AGN and star-forming (SF) galaxies at 200 MHz and characterise the typical radio spectra of these two populations between 76 MHz and${\sim}1$GHz. For the AGN, the median spectral index between 200 MHz and${\sim}1$GHz,$\alpha_{\mathrm{high}}$, is$-0.600 \pm 0.010$(where$S \propto \nu^{\alpha}$) and the median spectral index within the GLEAM band,$\alpha_{\mathrm{low}}$, is$-0.704 \pm 0.011$. For the SF galaxies, the median value of$\alpha_{\mathrm{high}}$is$-0.650 \pm 0.010$and the median value of$\alpha_{\mathrm{low}}$is$-0.596 \pm 0.015$. Among the AGN population, flat-spectrum sources are more common at lower radio luminosity, suggesting the existence of a significant population of weak radio AGN that remain core-dominated even at low frequencies. However, around 4% of local radio AGN have ultra-steep radio spectra at low frequencies ($\alpha_{\mathrm{low}} < -1.2$). These ultra-steep-spectrum sources span a wide range in radio luminosity, and further work is needed to clarify their nature.

The local radio-galaxy population at 20 GHz

We have made the first detailed study of the high-frequency radio-source population in the local universe, using a sample of 202 radio sources from the Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) survey identified with galaxies from the 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS). The AT20G-6dFGS galaxies have a median redshift of z=0.058 and span a wide range in radio luminosity, allowing us to make the first measurement of the local radio luminosity function at 20 GHz. Our sample includes some classical FR-1 and FR-2 radio galaxies, but most of the AT20G-6dFGS galaxies host compact (FR-0) radio AGN which appear lack extended radio emission even at lower frequencies. Most of these FR-0 sources show no evidence for relativistic beaming, and the FR-0 class appears to be a mixed population which includes young Compact Steep-Spectrum (CSS) and Gigahertz-Peaked Spectrum (GPS) radio galaxies. We see a strong dichotomy in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mid-infrared colours of the host galaxies of FR-1 and FR-2 radio sources, with the FR-1 systems found almost exclusively in WISE `early-type' galaxies and the FR-2 radio sources in WISE `late-type' galaxies. The host galaxies of the flat- and steep-spectrum radio sources have a similar distribution in both K--band luminosity and WISE colours, though galaxies with flat-spectrum sources are more likely to show weak emission lines in their optical spectra. We conclude that these flat-spectrum and steep-spectrum radio sources mainly represent different stages in radio-galaxy evolution, rather than beamed and unbeamed radio-source populations.

THE RADIO AND OPTICAL LUMINOSITY EVOLUTION OF QUASARS. II. THE SDSS SAMPLE

We determine the radio and optical luminosity evolutions and the true distribution of the radio loudness parameter R, defined as the ratio of the radio to optical luminosity, for a set of more than 5000 quasars combining SDSS optical and FIRST radio data. We apply the method of Efron and Petrosian to access the intrinsic distribution parameters, taking into account the truncations and correlations inherent in the data. We find that the population exhibits strong positive evolution with redshift in both wavebands, with somewhat greater radio evolution than optical. With the luminosity evolutions accounted for, we determine the density evolutions and local radio and optical luminosity functions. The intrinsic distribution of the radio loudness parameter R is found to be quite different than the observed one, and is smooth with no evidence of a bi-modality in radio loudness. The results we find are in general agreement with the previous analysis of Singal et al. 2011 which used POSS-I optical and FIRST radio data.

The Australia Telescope Large Area Survey: spectroscopic catalogue and radio luminosity functions

The Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) has surveyed seven square degrees of sky around the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) and the European Large Area ISO Survey - South 1 (ELAIS-S1) fields at 1.4 GHz. ATLAS aims to reach a uniform sensitivity of $10 \mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ rms over the entire region with data release 1 currently reaching $\sim30 \mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ rms. Here we present 466 new spectroscopic redshifts for radio sources in ATLAS as part of our optical follow-up program. Of the 466 radio sources with new spectroscopic redshifts, 142 have star-forming optical spectra, 282 show evidence for AGN in their optical spectra, 10 have stellar spectra and 32 have spectra revealing redshifts, but with insufficient features to classify. We compare our spectroscopic classifications with two mid-infrared diagnostics and find them to be in broad agreement. We also construct the radio luminosity function for star-forming galaxies to z $= 0.5$ and for AGN to z $= 0.8$. The radio luminosity function for star-forming galaxies appears to be in good agreement with previous studies. The radio luminosity function for AGN appears higher than previous studies of the local AGN radio luminosity function. We explore the possibility of evolution, cosmic variance and classification techniques affecting the AGN radio luminosity function. ATLAS is a pathfinder for the forthcoming EMU survey and the data presented in this paper will be used to guide EMU's survey design and early science papers.

On the fundamental dichotomy in the local radio-AGN population: accretion, evolution and host galaxy properties

A sample of 18286 radio-loud AGN is presented, constructed by combining the SDSS DR7 with the NVSS and FIRST radio surveys. Using this sample, the differences between `high-excitation' (or `quasar-mode'; HERG) and `low-excitation' (`radio-mode'; LERG) radio galaxies are investigated. A primary difference is the distinct nature of the Eddington-scaled accretion rate onto their central black holes: HERGs typically have accretion rates between 1 and 10% of Eddington, whereas LERGs predominatly accrete at a rate below 1% Eddington. This is consistent with models where the population dichotomy is caused by a switch between radiatively efficient and inefficient accretion modes at low accretion rates. Local radio luminosity functions are derived separately for the two populations, showing that although LERGs dominate at low luminosity and HERGs above 1e26 W/Hz, examples of both classes are found at all radio luminosities. Using the V/Vmax test it is shown that the populations show differential cosmic evolution at fixed radio luminosity: HERGs evolve strongly at all luminosities, while LERGs show weak or no evolution. This suggests that the luminosity-dependent evolution of the radio luminosity function is driven, at least in part, by the changing relative contributions of these two populations with luminosity. The host galaxies of the sources are also distinct: HERGs are typically of lower stellar mass, with lower black hole masses, bluer colours and weaker 4000-Ang breaks indicating younger stellar populations. These results offer strong support to the picture in which HERGs are fuelled at high rates through radiative accretion disks by cold gas, perhaps from mergers and interactions, while LERGs are fuelled via radiatively inefficient flows at low accretion rates, often by gas associated with the hot X-ray haloes of their host galaxy/cluster, as part of a radio-AGN feedback loop (abridged).

ON THE RADIO AND OPTICAL LUMINOSITY EVOLUTION OF QUASARS

We calculate simultaneously the radio and optical luminosity evolutions of quasars, and the distribution in radio loudness R defined as the ratio of radio and optical luminosities, using a flux limited data set containing 636 quasars with radio and optical fluxes from White et al. We first note that when dealing with multivariate data it is imperative to first determine the true correlations among the variables, not those introduced by the observational selection effects, before obtaining the individual distributions of the variables. We use the methods developed by Efron and Petrosian which are designed to obtain unbiased correlations, distributions, and evolution with redshift from a data set truncated due to observational biases. It is found that the population of quasars exhibits strong positive correlation between the radio and optical luminosities. With this correlation, whether intrinsic or observationally induced accounted for, we find that there is a strong luminosity evolution with redshift in both wavebands, with significantly higher radio than optical evolution. We also construct the local radio and optical luminosity functions and the density evolution. Finally, we consider the distribution of the radio loudness parameter R obtained from careful treatment of the selection effects and luminosity evolutions with that obtained from the raw data without such considerations. We find a significant difference between the two distributions and no clear sign of bi-modality in the true distribution for the range of R values considered. Our results indicate therefore, somewhat surprisingly, that there is no critical switch in the efficiency of the production of disk outflows/jets between very radio quiet and very radio loud quasars, but rather a smooth transition. Also, this efficiency seems higher for the high-redshift and more luminous sources in the considered sample.

Observational constraints on the spin of the most massive black holes from radio observations

We use recent progress in simulating the production of magnetohydrodynamic jets around black holes to derive the cosmic spin history of the most massive black holes. Our work focuses on black holes with masses ≳ 108 M⊙. Under the assumption that the efficiency of jet production is a function of spin ⁠, as given by the simulations, we can approximately reproduce the observed ‘radio loudness’ of quasars and the local radio luminosity function. Using the X-ray luminosity function and the local mass function of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), we can reproduce the individual radio luminosity functions of radio sources showing high- and low-excitation narrow emission lines. We find that the data favour spin distributions that are bimodal, with one component around spin zero and the other close to maximal spin. The ‘typical’ spin is therefore really the expectation value, lying between the two peaks. In the low-excitation galaxies, the two components have similar amplitudes, meaning approximately half of the sources have very high spins, and the other have very low spins. For the high-excitation galaxies, the amplitude of the high-spin peak is typically much smaller than that of the low-spin peak, so that most of the sources have low spins. However, a small population of nearly maximally spinning high accretion rate objects is inferred. A bimodality should be seen in the radio loudness of quasars, although there are a variety of physical and selection effects that may obfuscate this feature. We predict that the low-excitation galaxies are dominated by SMBHs with masses ≳108 M⊙, down to radio luminosity densities ∼1021 W Hz−1 sr−1 at 1.4 GHz. Under reasonable assumptions, our model is also able to predict the radio luminosity function at z= 1, and predicts it to be dominated by radio sources with high-excitation narrow emission lines above luminosity densities ≳ 1026 W Hz−1 sr−1 at 1.4 GHz, and this is in full agreement with the observations. From our parametrization of the spin distributions of the high and low accretion rate SMBHs, we derive an estimate of the spin history of SMBHs, which shows a weak evolution between z= 1 and 0. A larger fraction of low-redshift SMBHs has high spins compared to high-redshift SMBHs. Using the best-fitting jet efficiencies there is marginal evidence for evolution in spin: the mean spin increases slightly from at z= 1 to at z= 0, and the fraction of SMBHs with increases from 0.16 ± 0.03 at z= 1 to 0.24 ± 0.09 at z= 0. Our inferred spin history of SMBHs is in excellent agreement with constraints from the mean radiative efficiency of quasars, as well as the results from recent simulations of growing SMBHs. We discuss the implications in terms of accretion and SMBH mergers. We also discuss other work related to the spin of SMBHs as well as work discussing the spin of galactic black holes and their jet powers.

A 610-MHz survey of the Lockman Hole with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope - I. Observations, data reduction and source catalogue for the central 5 deg2

We present observations of the Lockman Hole taken at 610 MHz with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). Twelve pointings were observed, covering a total area of ∼5 deg2 with a resolution of 6 × 5 arcsec2, position angle +45°. The majority of the pointings have a rms noise of ∼60 μJy beam−1 before correction for the attenuation of the GMRT primary beam. Techniques used for data reduction and production of a mosaicked image of the region are described, and the final mosaic is presented along with a catalogue of 2845 sources detected above 6σ. Radio source counts are calculated at 610 MHz and combined with existing 1.4-GHz source counts, in order to show that pure luminosity evolution of the local radio luminosity functions for active galactic nuclei and starburst galaxies is sufficient to account for the two source counts simultaneously.

Radio sources in the 6dFGS: local luminosity functions at 1.4 GHz for star-forming galaxies and radio-loud AGN

Abstract We have identified 7824 radio sources from the 1.4 GHz NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) with galaxies brighter than K= 12.75 mag in the Second Incremental Data Release of the 6 degree Field Galaxy Survey (6dFGS DR2). The resulting sample of redshifts and optical spectra for radio sources over an effective sky area of 7076 deg2 (about 17 per cent of the celestial sphere) is the largest of its kind ever obtained. NVSS radio sources associated with galaxies in the 6dFGS span a redshift range 0.003 < z < 0.3 and have median . Through visual examination of 6dF spectra we have identified the dominant mechanism for radio emission from each galaxy. 60 per cent are fuelled by star formation and 40 per cent are fuelled by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) powered by a supermassive black hole. We have accurately determined the local radio luminosity function (RLF) at 1.4 GHz for both classes of radio source and have found it to agree well with other recent determinations. From the RLF of star-forming galaxies we derive a local star formation density of 0.022 ± 0.001 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3, in broad agreement with recent determinations at radio and other wavelengths. We have split the RLF of radio-loud AGNs into bins of absolute K-band magnitude (MK) and compared this with the underlying K-band galaxy luminosity function of all 6dFGS galaxies to determine the bivariate radio-K-band luminosity function. We verify that radio-loud AGNs preferentially inhabit the brightest and hence most massive host galaxies and show that the fraction of all galaxies which host a radio-loud AGN scales as fradio-loud∝L2.1K for fradio-loud < 0.3, indicative of a similarly strong scaling with black hole mass and stellar mass.

A radio census of nuclear activity in nearby galaxies

Received XX; accepted XX Abstract. In order to determine the incidence of black hole accretion-driven nuclear activity in nearby galax- ies, as manifested by their radio emission, we have carried out a high-resolution Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) survey of LINERs and composite LINER/Hii galaxies from a complete magnitude-limited sample of bright nearby galaxies (Palomar sample) with unknown arcsecond-scale radio proper- ties. There are fifteen radio detections, of which three are new subarcsecond-scale radio core detections, all being candidate AGN. The detected galaxies supplement the already known low-luminosity AGN - low-luminosity Seyferts, LINERs and composite LINER/Hii galaxies - in the Palomar sample. Combining all radio-detected Seyferts, LINERs and composite LINER/Hii galaxies (LTS sources), we obtain an overall radio detection rate of 54% (22% of all bright nearby galaxies) and we estimate that at least �50% (�20% of all bright nearby galaxies) are true AGN. The radio powers of the LTS galaxies allow the construction of a local radio luminosity function. By comparing the luminosity function with those of selected moderate-redshift AGN, selected from the 2dF/NVSS survey, we find that LTS sources naturally extend the RLF of powerful AGN down to powers of about 10 times that of Sgr A*.

A sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

A sample of 2712 radio-luminous galaxies is defined from the second data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by cross-comparing the main spectroscopic galaxy sample with two radio surveys: the National Radio Astronomy Observatories (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) Sky Survey (NVSS) and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST) survey. The comparison is carried out in a multistage process and makes optimal use of both radio surveys by exploiting the sensitivity of the NVSS to extended and multicomponent radio sources in addition to the high angular resolution of the FIRST images. A radio source sample with 95 per cent completeness and 98.9 per cent reliability is achieved, far better than would be possible for this sample if only one of the surveys was used. The radio source sample is then divided into two classes: radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxies in which the radio emission is dominated by star formation. The division is based on the location of a galaxy in the plane of 4000-A break strength versus radio luminosity per unit stellar mass and provides a sample of 2215 radio-loud AGN and 497 star-forming galaxies brighter than 5 mJy at 1.4 GHz. A full catalogue of positions and radio properties is provided for these sources. The local radio luminosity function is then derived both for radio-loud AGN and for star-forming galaxies and is found to be in agreement with previous studies. By using the radio to far-infrared (FIR) correlation, the radio luminosity function of star-forming galaxies is also compared to the luminosity function derived in the FIR. It is found to agree well at high luminosities but less so at lower luminosities, confirming that the linearity of the radio to FIR correlation breaks down below about 10 22 W Hz -1 at 1.4GHz.

The radio luminosity function of cluster radio halos

A significant fraction of galaxy clusters exhibits cluster wide radio halos. We give a simple prediction of the local and higher redshift radio halo luminosity function (RHLF) on the basis of (i) an observed and a theoretical X-ray cluster luminosity function (XCLF) (ii) the observed radio--X-ray luminosity correlation (RXLC) of galaxy clusters with radio halos (iii) an assumed fraction of 1/3 galaxy clusters to have radio halos as supported by observations. We then find 300-700 radio halos with S_1.4GHz > 1 mJy, and 10^5 - 10^6 radio halos with S_1.4GHz > 1 muJy should be visible on the sky. 14% of the S_1.4GHz > 1 mJy and 56% of the S_1.4GHz > 1 muJy halos are located at z>0.3. Subsequently, we give more realistic predictions taking into account (iv) a refined estimate of the radio halo fraction as a function of redshift and cluster mass, and (v) a decrease in intrinsic radio halo luminosity with redshift due to increased inverse Compton electron energy losses on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). We find that this reduces the radio halo counts from the simple prediction by only 30 % totally, but the high redshift (z>0.3) counts are more strongly reduced by 50-70%. These calculations show that the new generation of sensitive radio telescopes like LOFAR, ATA, EVLA, SKA and the already operating GMRT should be able to detect large numbers of radio halos and will provide unique information for studies of galaxy cluster merger rates and associated non-thermal processes.

Fundamental galaxy parameters for radio-loud active galactic nuclei and the black hole-radio power connection

We have determined the central velocity dispersions and surface brightness profiles for a sample of powerful radio galaxies in the redshift range 0.06 < z < 0.31, which were selected on the basis of their young radio source. The optical hosts follow the fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies, showing that young radio sources reside in normal ellipticals, as do other types of radio galaxies into which these objects are believed to evolve. As young radio sources are relatively straightforward to select and the contributions of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) light to the optical spectra are minimal, these objects can readily be used to study the evolution of the fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies out to z = 1, independent of optical selection effects. The black hole masses, M b h , of the objects in our sample have been determined using the tight empirical relation of M b h with central velocity dispersion, σ e , and for literature samples of classical radio galaxies and optically selected ellipticals. Only the optically selected inactive galaxies are found to exhibit a correlation between M b h and radio luminosity. In contrast, the radio powers of the AGN in the samples do not correlate with M b h at all, with objects at a given black hole mass ranging over seven orders of magnitude in radio power. It is unlikely that beaming of the radio emission is responsible for the range in radio powers. We have been able to tie in the local population of powerful radio sources with its parent population of inactive elliptical galaxies: the local black hole mass function has been determined using the elliptical galaxy luminosity function and the Faber-Jackson and M b h -σ relations. This was combined with the fraction of radio-loud black holes as a function of M b h , as determined from the optically selected galaxy sample, to derive the local volume-density of radio galaxies and the distribution of their black hole masses. These are shown to be consistent with the local radio luminosity function and the distribution of black hole masses as found in the radio-selected samples, and confirms that elliptical galaxies comprise the large majority of the radio-loud population of active galaxies.

The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: the population of nearby radio galaxies at the 1-mJy level

We use redshift determinations and spectral analysis of galaxies in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey to study the properties of local radio sources with $S\ge 1$ mJy. 557 objects drawn from the FIRST survey, corresponding to 2.3 per cent of the total radio sample, are found in the 2dFGRS cataloge within the area $9^h 48^m \simlt {\rm RA}({\rm 2000}) \simlt 14^h 32^m$ and $-2.77^\circ \simlt {\rm dec}({\rm 2000}) \simlt 2.25^\circ$, down to a magnitude limit $b_J= 19.45$. The excellent quality of 2dF spectra allows us to divide these sources into classes, according to their optical spectra. Radio galaxies (i.e. absorption systems, mainly belonging to the class of FR I sources, whose spectra may or may not show emission lines due to AGN activity) make up 63 per cent of the spectroscopic sample; they are characterized by relatively high radio-to-optical ratios, red colours and luminosities $10^{21}\simlt P_{1.4{\rm GHz}} W Hz^${-1}$ sr$^{-1}$ \simlt 10^{24}$. Actively star-forming galaxies instead contribute with 30 per cent to the total sample. These objects -- principally found at low redshifts ($z \simlt 0.1$) -- in general show low radio-to-optical ratios, blue colours and low radio luminosities. We also found 18 Seyfert 2 galaxies and 4 Seyfert 1's. Analysis of the local radio luminosity function shows that radio galaxies are well described by models that assume pure luminosity evolution, at least down to radio powers $P_{1.4{\rm GHz}}\simlt 10^{20.5} W Hz$^{-1}$ sr$^{-1}$ Late-type galaxies, whose relative contribution to the RLF is found to be lower than was predicted by previous work, present a luminosity function which is compatible with the IRAS galaxy LF, and therefore plausibly constitute the radio counterpart of the dusty spirals and starbursts that dominate the counts at 60 $\mu$m.

Radio sources in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey - II. Local radio luminosity functions for AGN and star-forming galaxies at 1.4 GHz

We have cross-matched the 1.4 GHz NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) with the first 210 fields observed in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS), covering an effective area of 325 square degrees (about 20% of the final 2dFGRS area). This yields a set of optical spectra of 912 candidate NVSS counterparts, of which we identify 757 as genuine radio IDs - the largest and most homogeneous set of radio-source spectra ever obtained. The 2dFGRS radio sources span the redshift range z=0.005 to 0.438, and are a mixture of active galaxies (60%) and star-forming galaxies (40%). About 25% of the 2dFGRS radio sources are spatially resolved by NVSS, and the sample includes three giant radio galaxies with projected linear size greater than 1 Mpc. The high quality of the 2dF spectra means we can usually distinguish unambiguously between AGN and star-forming galaxies. We have made a new determination of the local radio luminosity function at 1.4 GHz for both active and star-forming galaxies, and derive a local star-formation density of 0.022+/-0.004 solar masses per year per cubic Mpc. (Ho=50 km/s/Mpc).

Radio Source Evolution Derived from Low Frequency Surveys

We find simple parametric models to describe the space density evolution of radio-loud AGN, treating FRI and FRII radio galaxies separately as the two parent populations in our dual-population unified scheme. In this we use low frequency radio data (v &lt; 500 MHz), where radio samples are unbiased by Doppler beaming. Incorporated into this latest analysis is a new determination of the local radio luminosity function at 1.4 GHz from galaxies common to both the 2dFGRS and NVSS surveys.

Radio properties of FIRST radio sources at 1 mJy

ABSTRA C T This paper presents a detailed analysis of the radio properties for the sample of faint radio sources introduced by Magliocchetti et al. in 2000. The sample comprises mainly intrinsically low-power sources, the majority of which ( * 70 per cent) are FR I radio galaxies. These objects show some degree (at 1s confidence level) of luminosity evolution, which is also needed to reproduce correctly the total number and shape of the counts distribution at 1.4 GHz. Analysis of the de-evolved local radio luminosity function shows a good agreement between data and model predictions for this class of sources. Particular care has been devoted to the issue of ‘lined’ galaxies (i.e. objects presenting in their spectra a continuum typical of early-type galaxies plus emission lines of different nature), which appear as an intermediate class of sources between AGN-dominated and starburst galaxies. Different evolutionary behaviour is seen in the two subpopulations of lined and non-lined low-power radio galaxies, the first class indicating a tendency for the radio luminosity to decrease with look-back time, the second one showing positive evolution. We note that different evolutionary properties also seem to characterize BL Lacs selected in different bands, so that one might envisage an association between lined FR I and the subclass of BL Lacs selected in the X-ray band. Lastly, we find evidence for a negligible contribution of starburst galaxies at these low flux levels.

The radio luminosity function from the low-frequency 3CRR, 6CE and 7CRS complete samples

We measure the radio luminosity function (RLF) of steep-spectrum radio sources using three redshift surveys of flux-limited samples selected at low (151 & 178 MHz) radio frequency, low-frequency source counts and the local RLF. The redshift surveys used are the new 7C Redshift Survey (7CRS) and the brighter 3CRR and 6CE surveys totalling 356 sources with virtually complete redshift information. This yields unprecedented coverage of the radio luminosity versus z plane for steep-spectrum sources, and hence the most accurate measurements of the steep-spectrum RLF yet made. We find that a simple dual-population model for the RLF fits the data well, requiring differential density evolution (with z) for the two populations. The low-luminosity population can be associated with radio galaxies with weak emission lines, and includes sources with both FRI and FRII radio structures; its comoving space density $\rho$ rises by about one dex between z~0 and z~1 but cannot yet be meaningfully constrained at higher redshifts. The high-luminosity population can be associated with FRII radio galaxies and quasars with strong emission lines; its $\rho$ rises by nearly three dex between z~0 and z~2. These results mirror the situation seen in X-ray and optically-selected AGN. The integrated radio luminosity density of the combination of the two populations is controlled by the value of $\rho$ at the low-luminosity end of the RLF of the high-luminosity population, a quantity which has been directly measured at z~1 by the 7CRS. We argue that robust determination of this quantity at higher redshifts requires a new redshift survey based on a large (~1000 source) sample about five times fainter than the 7CRS.

Investigating beaming and orientation effects using a complete sample of radio sources

A homogeneous set of optical and radio data has recently been obtained for a complete, flux-limited sample of southern radio sources. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the log Pcore versus log Ptot correlation and the distribution of the observed parameters Ptot, z and R (the ratio of the core and the extended flux densities). The sample properties can be well reproduced if the beaming of the core is described by a mean Lorentz factor γ ∼ 3, but there is evidence, both from this work and from other arguments, that the low- and high-luminosity sources tend to have somewhat lower and higher values, respectively. While the use of a local radio luminosity function describes the general properties of the sample quite well, there is evidence for some luminosity evolution in the most distant objects (⁠|$0.5\lt z\lt0.7$|⁠).

The complete sample of 1 Jansky BL Lacertae objects. I - Summary properties

This paper describes the first homogeneous, flux-limited sample of radio-selected BL Lac objects, taken from the 1 Jy survey of Kuhr et al. These 34 BL Lac objects comprise the only well-defined sample of BL Lac objects outside the X-ray band. The selection criteria include flat radio spectra, optical counterparts visible on Sky Survey Plates, and optical emission lines weaker than 5 A equivalent width in the rest frame. With two exceptions, all of the BL Lac objects also have high optical polarization, P_opt_ &gt; 3%. Redshifts from weak emission lines, usually narrow [O II] λ3727, [O III] λ5007, or broad Mg II λ2798, are available for ~ 3/4 of the sample. The nearby (z &lt; 0.2) BL Lac objects, at least, sit in elliptical galaxies and may occur in groups or small clusters of galaxies. Gravitational lensing appears to affect one of the high-redshift (z &gt;~ 0.5) BL Lac objects and could be important in others as well. The radio number counts derived from the 1 Jy BL Lac sample are roughly Euclidean over the range between 1 and ~ 5 Jy, and there is evidence for evolution at the 2 σ level. The local radio luminosity function of BL Lac objects is derived and the total number density for P_5 GHz_ &gt;~ 6 x 10^31^ ergs s^-1^ Hz^-1^ is ~ 40 Gpc^-3^.