Radio-loud Sources Research Articles

The radio properties of z>3.5 quasars: Are most high-redshift radio-loud active galactic nuclei obscured?

We explore the radio properties of powerful (rest-frame luminosity $ at 500 MHz) high-redshift ($z 3.5$) quasars. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of radio-loud sources at the epoch when they reach the highest space density. We selected 29 radio-loud quasars at low radio frequencies (76 MHz). Their radio spectra, covering the range from 76 MHz to 5 GHz, are generally well reproduced by a single power law. We created samples that were matched in radio luminosity at lower redshift (from $z to $z to investigate any spectral evolution. We find that the fraction of flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) strongly increases with redshift (from $ 8<!PCT!>$ at z=1.2 to $ 45<!PCT!>$ at z$>$3.5). This effect is also observed in quasars with lower luminosities (down to $ The increase in the fraction of FSRQs with redshift corresponds to a decrease in the steep- spectrum radio quasars. This result can be explained when we assume that the beaming factor and the slope of the luminosity function do not change with redshift and if high-redshift radio-loud sources can be recognized as quasars only when they are seen at a small viewing angle ($ but most of them, about 90<!PCT!> are obscured in the UV and optical bands. We also found a trend for the size of radio sources to decrease with increasing redshift. Because projection effects are insufficient to cause this trend, we suggest that the large amount of gas causing the nuclear obscuration also hampers the growth of the more distant sources.

Exploring the radio loudness of SDSS quasars with spectral stacking

ABSTRACT We use new 144 MHz observations over 5634 deg2 from the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) to compile the largest sample of uniformly selected, spectroscopically confirmed quasars from the 14th data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-DR14). Using the classical definition of radio loudness, R = log (L1.4GHz/Li), we identify 3697 radio-loud (RL) and 111 132 radio-quiet (RQ) sources at 0.6 < z < 3.4. To study their properties, we develop a new rest-frame spectral stacking algorithm, designed with forthcoming massively multiplexed spectroscopic surveys in mind, and use it to create high signal-to-noise composite spectra of each class, matched in redshift and absolute i-band magnitude. We show that RL quasars have redder continuum and enhanced [O ii] emission than their RQ counterparts. These results persist when additionally matching in black hole mass, suggesting that this parameter is not the defining factor in making a quasi-stellar object (QSO) RL. We find that these features are not gradually varying as a function of radio loudness, but are maintained even when probing deeper into the RQ population, indicating that a clear-cut division in radio loudness is not apparent. Upon examining the star formation rates (SFRs) inferred from the [O ii] emission line, with the contribution from active galactic nucleus removed using the [Ne v] line, we find that RL quasars have a significant excess of star formation relative to RQ quasars out to z = 1.9 at least. Given our findings, we suggest that RL sources either preferably reside in gas-rich systems with rapidly spinning black holes, or represent an earlier obscured phase of QSO evolution.

Optical and near-UV spectroscopic properties of low-redshift jetted quasars in the main sequence context

ABSTRACT This paper presents new optical and near-UV spectra of 11 extremely powerful jetted quasars, with radio to optical flux density ratio >103, which concomitantly cover the low-ionization emission of Mg iiλ2800 and hβ as well as the Fe ii blends in the redshift range 0.35 ≲ z ≲ 1. We aim to quantify broad emission line differences between radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars by using the 4D eigenvector 1 parameter space and its main sequence (MS) and to check the effect of powerful radio ejection on the low-ionization broad emission lines. The hβ and Mg iiλ2800 emission lines were measured by using non-linear multicomponent fittings as well as by analysing their full profile. We found that broad emission lines show large redward asymmetry both in hβ and Mg iiλ2800. The location of our RL sources in a UV plane looks similar to the optical one, with weak Fe iiUV emission and broad Mg iiλ2800. We supplement the 11 sources with large samples from previous work to gain some general inferences. We found that, compared to RQ, our extreme RL quasars show larger median hβ full width at half maximum (FWHM), weaker Fe ii emission, larger MBH, lower Lbol/LEdd, and a restricted bf space occupation in the optical and UV MS planes. The differences are more elusive when the comparison is carried out by restricting the RQ population to the region of the MS occupied by RL sources, albeit an unbiased comparison matching MBH and Lbol/LEdd suggests that the most powerful RL quasars show the highest redward asymmetries in hβ.

Very long baseline interferometry imaging of H2O maser emission in the nearby radio galaxy NGC 4261

Abstract We report dual-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations at 22 and 43 GHz toward the nucleus of a nearby radio galaxy NGC 4261. In particular, we present a VLBI image of the 22 GHz H2O maser line and its location in the circumnuclear region of NGC 4261. H2O maser emission is marginally detected above the three times the image rms level at channels within a velocity range of approximately 2250–2450 km s−1, slightly red-shifted with respect to the systemic velocity. H2O maser emission is located approximately 1 milliarcsecond east of the brightest continuum component at 22 GHz, where the continuum spectrum is optically thick, that is, at the free–free absorbed receding jet by ionized gas. A positional coincidence between H2O maser emission and an ionized gas disk implies that the H2O maser emission arises from the near side of the disk, amplifying continuum emission from the background receding jet. If the disk axis is oriented 64° relative to the line of sight, the H2O maser emission is expected to be at a mean radius of 0.3 pc in the disk. The broad line width of the H2O maser emission can be attributed to complex kinematics in the immediate vicinity of the supermassive black hole (SMBH), including ongoing gas infall on to the SMBH, turbulence, and outflow. This is analogous to the multi-phase circumnuclear torus model in the nearest radio-loud H2O megamaser source NGC 1052. An alternative explanation for H2O maser association is the shock region between the jet and ambient molecular clouds. However, this explanation fails to describe the explicit association of H2O maser emission only with the free–free absorbed receding jet.

Metal Content in Relativistically Jetted and Radio-Quiet Quasars in the Main Sequence Context

The optical and UV properties of radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL, relativistically “jetted”) active galactic nuclei (AGN) are known to differ markedly; however, it is still unclear what is due to a sample selection and what is associated with intrinsic differences in the inner workings of their emitting regions. Chemical composition is an important parameter related to the trends of the quasar main sequence. Recent works suggest that in addition to physical properties such as density, column density, and ionization level, strong Feii emitters require very high metal content. Little is known, however, about the chemical composition of jetted radio-loud sources. In this short note, we present a pilot analysis of the chemical composition of low-z radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. Optical and UV spectra from ground and space were combined to allow for precise measurements of metallicity-sensitive diagnostic ratios. The comparison between radio-quiet and radio-loud was carried out for sources in the same domain of the Eigenvector 1/main sequence parameter space. Arrays of dedicated photo-ionization simulations with the input of appropriate spectral energy distributions indicate that metallicity is sub-solar for RL AGN, and slightly sub-solar or around solar for RQ AGN. The metal content of the broad line-emitting region likely reflects a similar enrichment story for both classes of AGN not involving recent circum-nuclear or nuclear starbursts.

Evidence for an abundant old population of Galactic ultra-long period magnetars and implications for fast radio bursts

ABSTRACT Two recent discoveries, namely PSR J0901−4046 and GLEAM-X J162759.5−523504.3 (hereafter GLEAM-X J1627), have corroborated an extant population of radio-loud periodic sources with long periods (76 and 1091 s, respectively) whose emission can hardly be explained by rotation losses. We argue that GLEAM-X J1627 is a highly magnetized object consistent with a magnetar (an ultra-long period magnetar, ULPM), and demonstrate it is unlikely to be either a magnetically or a rotationally powered white dwarf. By studying these sources together with previously detected objects, we find there are at least a handful of promising candidates for Galactic ULPMs. The detections of these objects imply a substantial number, N ≳ 13 000 and N ≳ 500 for PSR J0901−4046 like and GLEAM-X J1627 like objects, respectively, within our Galaxy. These source densities, as well as cooling age limits from non-detection of thermal X-rays, Galactic offsets, timing stability and dipole spin-down limits, all imply the ULPM candidates are substantially older than confirmed Galactic magnetars and that their formation channel is a common one. Their existence implies widespread survival of magnetar-like fields for several Myr, distinct from the inferred behaviour in confirmed Galactic magnetars. ULPMs may also constitute a second class of FRB progenitors which could naturally exhibit very long periodic activity windows. Finally, we show that existing radio campaigns are biased against detecting objects like these and discuss strategies for future radio and X-ray surveys to identify more such objects. We estimate that ${\cal O}(100)$ more such objects should be detected with SKA-MID and DSA-2000.

Water masers associated with AGN in radio galaxies

AbstractWe present dual-frequency VLBI observations of a nearby radio galaxy NGC 4261 at 22 and 43 GHz using the East Asia VLBI Network. In particular, the first sub-pc scale image of the 22 GHz water megamaser line in the circumnuclear region of NGC 4261 is shown. Our results suggest that the megamaser emission in NGC 4261 can be associated with the inner radius of the obscuring disk, as it is proposed for the nearest radio-loud megamaser source NGC 1052. An alternative hypothesis on the megamaser association is the shock region of the interaction between the jet and ambient molecular clouds.

Kiloparsec-scale Radio Structure in z ∼ 0.25 Radio-quiet QSOs

We present analysis of a homogeneous, optically selected, volume-limited (0.2 < z < 0.3) sample of 128 radio-quiet quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) recently observed at 6 GHz with the Very Large Array (VLA) in A configuration (∼0.″33 resolution). We compare these new results to earlier (2010–2011) 6 GHz observations with the VLA in C configuration (∼3.″5). While all of these radio-quiet QSOs (RQQs) were unresolved on a 3.″5 scale (∼14 kpc at z = 0.25), we resolve notable complex subgalactic structures in about half of the RQQs at 0.″33 resolution (∼1.3 kpc at z = 0.25). By comparison of flux density measurements between the two sets of observations, we demonstrate that significant sub-galactic-scale radio structure is present in at least 70% of the RQQ population and that the central component accounts for an average of ≈65% of the total detected radio power. One RQQ, J0935+4819, shows striking symmetric, double-lobed morphology and appears to be the first identified example of a radio-quiet QSO with FR II type morphology on ∼arcsec scale (projected size of ≳6 kpc). In addition to revealing RQQ subgalactic morphology, we employ counterparts from legacy (FIRST at 1.4 GHz) and recent (VLA Sky Survey at 3 GHz) VLA surveys to investigate radio spectral indices and potential variability over decades-long timescales for a subset of the RQQs and for the cores of radio-intermediate and radio-loud sources in the parent sample of 178 QSOs. These results support the growing notion that the RQQ population is not a monolithic phenomenon but instead consists of a mixture of mainly starburst-powered and jet-powered galaxies.

Radio-loud Quasars above Redshift 4: Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Imaging of an Extended Sample

High-redshift radio sources provide plentiful opportunities for studying the formation and evolution of early galaxies and supermassive black holes. However, the number of known radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) above redshift 4 is rather limited. At high redshifts, it appears that blazars, with relativistically beamed jets pointing toward the observer, are in the majority compared to the radio-loud sources with jets misaligned with respect to the line of sight. To find more of these misaligned AGN, milliarcsecond-scale imaging studies carried out with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) are needed, as they allow us to distinguish between compact-core–jet radio sources and those with more extended emission. Previous high-resolution VLBI studies revealed that some of the radio sources among blazar candidates in fact show unbeamed radio emission on milliarcsecond scales. The most accurate optical coordinates determined with the Gaia astrometric space mission are also useful in the classification process. Here, we report on dual-frequency imaging observations of 13 high-redshift (4 < z < 4.5) quasars at 1.7 and 5 GHz with the European VLBI Network. This sample increases the number of z > 4 radio sources for which VLBI observations are available by about a quarter. Using structural and physical properties, such as radio morphology, spectral index, variability, brightness temperature, as well as optical coordinates, we identified six blazars and six misaligned radio AGNs, with the remaining one tentatively identified as blazar.

The Fundamental Planes of black hole activity for radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars

ABSTRACT We examine the Fundamental Plane of black hole activity for correlations with redshift and radio loudness in both radio-loud and radio-quiet quasar populations. Sources are compiled from archival data of both radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars over redshifts 0.1 &amp;lt; z &amp;lt; 5.0 to produce a sample of 353 sources with known X-ray, radio, and black hole mass measurements. A Fundamental Plane of accretion activity is fit to a sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, and we find a dichotomy between radio-loud and radio-quiet sources. The set of best-fitting equations that best describe the two samples are log LR = (1.12 ± 0.06)log LX − (0.20 ± 0.07)log M − (5.64 ± 2.99) for our radio-loud sample and log LR = (0.48 ± 0.06)log LX + (0.50 ± 0.08)log M + (15.26 ± 2.66) for our radio-quiet sample. Our results suggest that the average radio-quiet quasar emission is consistent with advection-dominated accretion, while a combination of jet and disc emission dominates in radio-loud quasars. We additionally examine redshift trends amongst the radio-loud and radio-quiet samples, and we observe a redshift dependence for the Fundamental Plane of radio-loud quasars. Lastly, we utilize the Fundamental Plane as a black hole mass estimation method and determine it useful in studying systems where standard spectral modelling techniques are not viable.

The X-Ray Coronae in NuSTAR Bright Active Galactic Nuclei

We present a systematic and uniform analysis of NuSTAR data of a sample of 60 SWIFT BAT-selected AGNs with 10–78 keV signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) > 50, 10 of which are radio loud. We measure their high-energy cutoff E cut or coronal temperature T e using three different spectral models to fit their NuSTAR spectra and show that a threshold in NuSTAR spectral S/N is essential for such measurements. High-energy spectral breaks are detected in the majority of the sample, and for the rest, strong constraints on E cut or T e are obtained. Strikingly, we find extraordinarily large E cut lower limits (>400 keV, up to >800 keV) in 10 radio-quiet sources, whereas we find none in the radio-loud sample. Consequently and surprisingly, we find a significantly larger mean E cut/T e of radio-quiet sources compared with radio-loud ones. The reliability of these measurements is carefully inspected and verified with simulations. We find a strong positive correlation between E cut and photon index Γ, which cannot be attributed to the parameter degeneracy. The strong dependence of E cut on Γ, which could fully account for the discrepancy of the E cut distribution between radio-loud and radio-quiet sources, indicates that the X-ray coronae in AGNs with steeper hard X-ray spectra have on average higher temperature and thus smaller opacity. However, no prominent correlation is found between E cut and λ edd. In the l–Θ diagram, we find a considerable fraction of sources lie beyond the boundaries of forbidden regions due to runaway pair production, posing (stronger) challenges to various (flat) coronal geometries.

Event Horizon Telescope observations of the jet launching and collimation in Centaurus A

Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of active galactic nuclei at millimetre wavelengths have the power to reveal the launching and initial collimation region of extragalactic radio jets, down to 10–100 gravitational radii (rg ≡ GM/c2) scales in nearby sources1. Centaurus A is the closest radio-loud source to Earth2. It bridges the gap in mass and accretion rate between the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in Messier 87 and our Galactic Centre. A large southern declination of −43° has, however, prevented VLBI imaging of Centaurus A below a wavelength of 1 cm thus far. Here we show the millimetre VLBI image of the source, which we obtained with the Event Horizon Telescope at 228 GHz. Compared with previous observations3, we image the jet of Centaurus A at a tenfold higher frequency and sixteen times sharper resolution and thereby probe sub-lightday structures. We reveal a highly collimated, asymmetrically edge-brightened jet as well as the fainter counterjet. We find that the source structure of Centaurus A resembles the jet in Messier 87 on ~500 rg scales remarkably well. Furthermore, we identify the location of Centaurus A’s SMBH with respect to its resolved jet core at a wavelength of 1.3 mm and conclude that the source’s event horizon shadow4 should be visible at terahertz frequencies. This location further supports the universal scale invariance of black holes over a wide range of masses5,6.

The detectability of strong 21 centimetre forest absorbers from the diffuse intergalactic medium in late reionisation models

Abstract A late end to reionisation at redshift z ≃ 5.3 is consistent with observed spatial variations in the Lyα forest transmission and the deficit of Lyα emitting galaxies around extended Lyα absorption troughs at z = 5.5. In this model, large islands of neutral hydrogen should persist in the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM) until z ≃ 6. We use a novel, hybrid approach that combines high resolution cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with radiative transfer to predict the incidence of strong $21\rm \, cm$ forest absorbers with optical depths τ21 &amp;gt; 10−2 from the diffuse IGM in these late reionisation models. We include the effect of redshift space distortions on the simulated $21\rm \, cm$ forest spectra, and treat the highly uncertain heating of the pre-reionisation IGM by soft X-rays as a free parameter. For a model with only modest IGM pre-heating, such that average gas kinetic temperatures in the diffuse IGM remain below $T_{\rm K}\simeq 10^{2} \rm \, K$, we find that strong $21\rm \, cm$ forest absorption lines should persist until z = 6. For a sample of ∼10 sufficiently radio loud background sources, a null-detection of $21\rm \, cm$ forest absorbers at z ≃ 6 with SKA1-low or possibly LOFAR should provide an informative lower limit on the still largely unconstrained soft X-ray background at high redshift and the temperature of the pre-reionisation IGM.

Modelling radio luminosity functions of radio-loud AGN by the cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes

Aims. We develop a formalism to model the luminosity functions (LFs) of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) at GHz frequencies by the cosmological evolution of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) hosted in their nuclei. The mass function and Eddington ratio distributions of SMBHs computed in a previous work published by one of the authors have been taken as the starting point for this analysis. Methods. Our approach is based on physical and phenomenological relations that allow us to statistically calculate the radio luminosity of AGN cores, corrected for beaming effects, by linking it with the SMBH at their centre, through the fundamental plane of black hole activity. Moreover, radio luminosity from extended jets and lobes is also computed through a power-law relationship that reflects the expected correlation between the inner radio core and the extended jets and lobes. By following a classification scheme well established in the field, radio-loud AGN are further divided into two classes, characterized by different accretion modes onto the central BH. If the Eddington ratio, λ, is ≤0.01 they are called low-kinetic (LK) mode AGN; if λ ≥ 0.01, they are called high-kinetic (HK) mode AGN, this critical value roughly corresponding to the transition between radiatively inefficient and efficient accretion flows. The few free parameters used in the present model are determined by fitting two different types of observational data sets: local (or low-redshift) LFs of radio-loud AGN at 1.4 GHz and differential number counts of extragalactic radio sources at 1.4 and 5 GHz. Results. Our present model fits well almost all published data on LFs of LK mode AGN and of the total AGN population up to redshifts z ≤ 1.5 and also in the full range of luminosities currently probed by data. On the other hand, it tends to underestimate some recent measures of the LF of HK mode AGN at low redshifts, but only at low radio luminosities. All in all, the good performance of our model in this redshift range is remarkable, considering that all the free parameters used but the fraction of HK mode AGN are redshift independent. The present model is also able to provide a very good fit to almost all data on number counts of radio-loud sources at 1.4 and 5 GHz.

Functional Principal Component Analysis of Radio–Optical Reference Frame Tie

Abstract The Gaia optical reference frame is intrinsically undefined with respect to global orientation and spin, so it needs to be anchored in the radio-based International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) to provide a referenced and quasi-inertial celestial coordinate system. The link between the two fundamental frames is realized through two samples of distant extragalactic sources, mostly active galactic nuclei and quasars, but only the smaller sample of radio-loud ICRF sources with optical counterparts is available to determine the mutual orientation. The robustness of this link can be mathematically formulated in the framework of functional principal component analysis using a set of vector spherical harmonics to represent the differences in celestial positions of the common objects. The weakest eigenvectors are computed, which describe the greatest deficiency of the link. The deficient or poorly determined terms are specific vector fields on the sphere that carry the largest errors of absolute astrometry using Gaia in reference to the ICRF. This analysis provides guidelines for the future development of the ICRF maximizing the accuracy of the link over the entire celestial sphere. A measure of the robustness of a least-squares solution, which can be applied to any linear model fitting problem, is introduced to help discriminate between reference frame tie models of different degrees.

The Discovery of a Highly Accreting, Radio-loud Quasar at z = 6.82

Abstract Radio sources at the highest redshifts can provide unique information on the first massive galaxies and black holes, the densest primordial environments, and the epoch of reionization. The number of astronomical objects identified at z &gt; 6 has increased dramatically over the last few years, but previously only three radio-loud (R 2500 = f ν,5 GHz/f ν,2500 Å &gt; 10) sources had been reported at z &gt; 6, with the most distant being a quasar at z = 6.18. Here we present the discovery and characterization of PSO J172.3556+18.7734, a radio-loud quasar at z = 6.823. This source has an Mg ii-based black hole mass of ∼3 × 108 M ⊙ and is one of the fastest accreting quasars, consistent with super-Eddington accretion. The ionized region around the quasar is among the largest measured at these redshifts, implying an active phase longer than the average lifetime of the z ≳ 6 quasar population. From archival data, there is evidence that its 1.4 GHz emission has decreased by a factor of two over the last two decades. The quasar’s radio spectrum between 1.4 and 3.0 GHz is steep (α = −1.31). Assuming the measured radio slope and extrapolating to rest-frame 5 GHz, the quasar has a radio-loudness parameter R 2500 ∼ 90. A second steep radio source (α = −0.83) of comparable brightness to the quasar is only 23.″1 away (∼120 kpc at z = 6.82; projection probability &lt;2%), but shows no optical or near-infrared counterpart. Further follow-up is required to establish whether these two sources are physically associated.

A new panchromatic classification of unclassified Burst Alert Telescope active galactic nuclei

We collect data at all frequencies for the new sources classified as unknown active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the latest Burst Alert Telescope all-sky hard X-ray catalog. Focusing on the 36 sources with measured redshift, we compute their spectral energy distribution (SED) from radio to γ-rays with the aim to classify these objects. We apply emission models that attempt to reproduce the obtained SEDs, including: (i) a standard thin accretion disk together with an obscuring torus and a X-ray corona; (ii) a two temperature thick advection-dominated flow; (iii) an obscured AGN model, accounting for absorption along the line of sight at kiloelectronvolt energies and in the optical band; and (iv) a phenomenological model to describe the jet emission in blazar-like objects. We integrate the models with the SWIRE template libraries to account for the emission of the host galaxy. For every source we found a good agreement between data and our model. Considering that the sources were selected in the hard X-ray band, which is rather unaffected by absorption, we expected and found a large fraction of absorbed radio-quiet AGNs (31 out of 36) and some additional rare radio-loud sources (5 out of 36), since the jet emission in hard X-rays is important for aligned jets owing to the boost produced by the beaming effect. With our work we can confirm the hypothesis that a number of galaxies, whose optical spectra lack AGN emission features, host an obscured active nucleus. The approach we used proved to be efficient in rapidly identifying objects, which commonly used methods were not able to classify.

The Main Sequence View of Quasars Accreting at High Rates: Influence of Star Formation*

Abstract Highly accreting quasars show fairly distinctive properties in their optical, UV, and X spectra, and are easy to recognize because of their specific location in the quasar main sequence: they are the strongest optical FeII emitters. They show a surprisingly high rate of radio detections and, at variance with the classical radio-loud (jetted) sources, the origin of their radio emission is probably “thermal.” The chemical composition of the broad line emitting gas implies high metallicity values, above 10 times solar. A fraction of highly accreting quasars at intermediate and high redshift might therefore be in a particular evolutionary stage that is unobscured albeit still involving a contribution of nuclear and circum-nuclear star formation in their multifrequency properties.

Radio loudness and classification for radio sources

Abstract The extragalactic radio sources are divided into two subclasses (radio-loud and radio-quiet sources) in the literature using radio loudness (R), which is defined as the ratio of radio emission to optical emission, but the boundary R-value separating the two classes is different in various sources. In this work, a sample of 2419 objects from the 13th catalog of quasars and active nuclei is used to build a boundary for the two subclasses. To do so, we compiled the radio and optical data, calculated their radio and optical indexes, made K-correction, obtained the radio loudness, and adopted a Bayesian analysis method to the logarithm of radio loudness for classification. We also investigated the correlations of radio loudness with radio/optical luminosities. Our main conclusions are summarized as follows: (1) The distribution of the logarithm of radio loudness (log R) is bimodal, the sources with log R &amp;lt; 1.26 are classified as radio-quiet sources, and those with log R &amp;gt; 1.26 are classified as radio-loud ones from the Bayesian analysis method. (2) The average radio-optical effective spectral index of radio-quiet sources is 〈αRO〉 = 0.05, while that of radio-loud sources is 〈αRO〉 = 0.55. (3) There are positive correlations between radio luminosity and radio loudness for both radio-loud sources and radio-quiet sources. (4) A dividing line of separating the distribution of the clusters on the diagram of radio loudness against radio luminosity was obtained statistically to set the boundary between radio-loud sources and radio-quiet sources, with an accuracy of $99.73\%$ based on the classification result from the Bayesian analysis method.

Probing the origin of low-frequency radio emission in PG quasars with the uGMRT – I

ABSTRACT We present the results from 685 MHz observations with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) of 22 quasars belonging to the Palomar-Green (PG) quasar sample. Only four sources reveal extended radio structures on ∼10–30 kpc scales, while the rest are largely a combination of a radio core unresolved at the uGMRT resolution of ∼3–5 arcsec, surrounded by diffuse emission on few kpc to ∼10 kpc scales. A few sources reveal signatures of barely resolved jets and lobes in their spectral index images that are created using the 685 MHz uGMRT data and similar resolution GHz-frequency data from the Very Large Array. On the basis of their position on the radio–IR correlation as well as the spectral index images, we find that the radio emission in the two radio-loud (RL) quasars and nearly one-third of the radio-quiet (RQ) quasars is active galactic nucleus (AGN) dominated whereas the remaining sources appear to have significant contributions from stellar-related processes along with the AGN. While the two RL sources exhibit inverted spectral index in their cores, the RQ sources exhibit a range of spectral indices varying from flat to steep (−0.1 $\gtrsim $ αR $\gtrsim $ −1.1) indicating the presence of unresolved jets/lobes or winds. Except for a significant correlation between the 685 MHz radio luminosity and the Eddington ratio, we do not find strong correlations between other 685 MHz radio properties and black hole (BH) properties in the RQ PG sources. This lack of correlations could be explained by the contribution of stellar-related emission, or radio emission from previous AGN activity episodes that may not be related to the current BH activity state.