scholarly journals Searching for dark matter signals from local dwarf spheroidal galaxies at low radio frequencies in the GLEAM survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
R H W Cook ◽  
N Seymour ◽  
K Spekkens ◽  
N Hurley-Walker ◽  
P J Hancock ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The search for emission from weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter annihilation and decay has become a multipronged area of research not only targeting a diverse selection of astrophysical objects, but also taking advantage of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The decay of WIMP particles into standard model particles has been suggested as a possible channel for synchrotron emission to be detected at low radio frequencies. Here, we present the stacking analysis of a sample of 33 dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies with low-frequency (72–231 MHz) radio images from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. We produce radial surface brightness profiles of images centred upon each dSph galaxy with background radio sources masked. We remove 10 fields from the stacking due to contamination from either poorly subtracted, bright radio sources or strong background gradients across the field. The remaining 23 dSph galaxies are stacked in an attempt to obtain a statistical detection of any WIMP-induced synchrotron emission in these systems. We find that the stacked radial brightness profile does not exhibit a statistically significant detection above the 95 per cent confidence level of ∼1.5 mJy beam−1. This novel technique shows the potential of using low-frequency radio images to constrain fundamental properties of particle dark matter.

2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (2) ◽  
pp. 1605-1611
Author(s):  
Arghyadeep Basu ◽  
Nirupam Roy ◽  
Samir Choudhuri ◽  
Kanan K Datta ◽  
Debajyoti Sarkar

ABSTRACT Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are considered to be one of the favoured dark matter candidates. Searching for any detectable signal due to the annihilation and decay of WIMPs over the entire electromagnetic spectrum has become a matter of interest for the last few decades. WIMP annihilation to Standard Model particles gives rise to a possibility of detection of this signal at low radio frequencies via synchrotron radiation. Dwarf spheroidal (dSphs) galaxies are expected to contain a huge amount of dark matter which makes them promising targets to search for such large scale diffuse radio emission. In this work, we present a stacking analysis of 23 dSph galaxies observed at low frequency (147.5 MHz) as part of the TIFR-GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS). The non-detection of any signal from these stacking exercises put very tight constraints on the dark matter parameters. The best limit comes from the novel method of stacking after scaling the radio images of the individual dSph galaxy fields after scaling them by the respective half-light radius. The constraint on the thermally averaged cross-section is below the thermal relic cross-section value over a range of WIMP mass for reasonable choices of relevant astrophysical parameters. Such analysis, using future deeper observation of individual targets as well as stacking, can potentially reveal more about the WIMP dark matter properties.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S356) ◽  
pp. 375-375
Author(s):  
Sarah White

AbstractLow-frequency radio emission allows powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN) to be selected in a way that is unaffected by dust obscuration and orientation of the jet axis. It also reveals past activity (e.g. radio lobes) that may not be evident at higher frequencies. Currently, there are too few “radio-loud” galaxies for robust studies in terms of redshift-evolution and/or environment. Hence our use of new observations from the Murchison Widefield Array (the SKA-Low precursor), over the southern sky, to construct the GLEAM 4-Jy Sample (1,860 sources at S151MHz > 4 Jy). This sample is dominated by AGN and is 10 times larger than the heavily relied-upon 3CRR sample (173 sources at S178MHz > 10 Jy) of the northern hemisphere. In order to understand how AGN influence their surroundings and the way galaxies evolve, we first need to correctly identify the galaxy hosting the radio emission. This has now been completed for the GLEAM 4-Jy Sample – through repeated visual inspection and extensive checks against the literature – forming a valuable, legacy dataset for investigating relativistic jets and their interplay with the environment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 901 ◽  
pp. 012019
Author(s):  
Chalit Muanglay ◽  
Maneenate Wechakama ◽  
Brandon K. Cantlay

2019 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. A4 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Hale ◽  
W. Williams ◽  
M. J. Jarvis ◽  
M. J. Hardcastle ◽  
L. K. Morabito ◽  
...  

We present observations of the XMM Large-Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) field observed with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) at 120–168 MHz. Centred at a J2000 declination of −4.5°, this is a challenging field to observe with LOFAR because of its low elevation with respect to the array. The low elevation of this field reduces the effective collecting area of the telescope, thereby reducing sensitivity. This low elevation also causes the primary beam to be elongated in the north-south direction, which can introduce side lobes in the synthesised beam in this direction. However the XMM-LSS field is a key field to study because of the wealth of ancillary information, encompassing most of the electromagnetic spectrum. The field was observed for a total of 12 h from three four-hour LOFAR tracks using the Dutch array. The final image presented encompasses ∼27 deg2, which is the region of the observations with a >50% primary beam response. Once combined, the observations reach a central rms of 280μJy beam−1at 144 MHz and have an angular resolution of 7.5 × 8.5″. We present our catalogue of detected sources and investigate how our observations compare to previous radio observations. This includes investigating the flux scale calibration of these observations compared to previous measurements, the implied spectral indices of the sources, the observed source counts and corrections to obtain the true source counts, and finally the clustering of the observed radio sources.


Author(s):  
Natasha Hurley-Walker ◽  
John Morgan ◽  
Randall B. Wayth ◽  
Paul J. Hancock ◽  
Martin E. Bell ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present the results of an approximately 6 100 deg2 104–196 MHz radio sky survey performed with the Murchison Widefield Array during instrument commissioning between 2012 September and 2012 December: the MWACS. The data were taken as meridian drift scans with two different 32-antenna sub-arrays that were available during the commissioning period. The survey covers approximately 20.5 h < RA < 8.5 h, − 58° < Dec < −14°over three frequency bands centred on 119, 150 and 180 MHz, with image resolutions of 6–3 arcmin. The catalogue has 3 arcmin angular resolution and a typical noise level of 40 mJy beam− 1, with reduced sensitivity near the field boundaries and bright sources. We describe the data reduction strategy, based upon mosaicked snapshots, flux density calibration, and source-finding method. We present a catalogue of flux density and spectral index measurements for 14 110 sources, extracted from the mosaic, 1 247 of which are sub-components of complexes of sources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (2) ◽  
pp. 2236-2249
Author(s):  
Ramij Raja ◽  
Majidul Rahaman ◽  
Abhirup Datta ◽  
Reinout J van Weeren ◽  
Huib T Intema ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The presence of non-thermal electrons and large-scale magnetic fields in the intracluster medium is known through the detection of megaparsec (Mpc) scale diffuse radio synchrotron emission. Although a significant amount of progress in finding new diffuse radio sources has happened in the last decade, most of the investigation has been constrained towards massive low-redshift clusters. In this work, we explore clusters with redshift z &gt; 0.3 in search of diffuse radio emission, at 325 MHz with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. This campaign has resulted in the discovery of two new radio haloes (SPT-CL J0013−4906 and SPT-CL J0304−4401) along with two other detections (SPT-CL J2031−4037 and SPT-CL J2248−4431), previously reported (at 325 MHz) in the literature. In addition, we detect a halo candidate in one cluster in our sample, and upper limits for haloes are placed in eight clusters where no diffuse emission is detected. In the P1.4–LX plane, the detected haloes follow the observed correlation, whereas the upper limits lie above the correlation line, indicating the possibility of future detection with sensitive observations.


Author(s):  
K Ross ◽  
J R Callingham ◽  
N Hurley-Walker ◽  
N Seymour ◽  
P Hancock ◽  
...  

Abstract Spectral variability of radio sources encodes information about the conditions of intervening media, source structure, and emission processes. With new low-frequency radio interferometers observing over wide fractional bandwidths, studies of spectral variability for a large population of extragalactic radio sources are now possible. Using two epochs of observations from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey that were taken one year apart, we search for spectral variability across 100–230 MHz for 21,558 sources. We present methodologies for detecting variability in the spectrum between epochs and for classifying the type of variability: either as a change in spectral shape or as a uniform change in flux density across the bandwidth. We identify 323 sources with significant spectral variability over a year-long timescale. Of the 323 variable sources, we classify 51 of these as showing a significant change in spectral shape. Variability is more prevalent in peaked-spectrum sources, analogous to gigahertz-peaked spectrum and compact steep-spectrum sources, compared to typical radio galaxies. We discuss the viability of several potential explanations of the observed spectral variability, such as interstellar scintillation and jet evolution. Our results suggest that the radio sky in the megahertz regime is more dynamic than previously suggested.


Author(s):  
C. J. Riseley ◽  
E. Lenc ◽  
C. L. Van Eck ◽  
G. Heald ◽  
B. M. Gaensler ◽  
...  

AbstractThe low-frequency polarisation properties of radio sources are poorly studied, particularly in statistical samples. However, the new generation of low-frequency telescopes, such as the Murchison Widefield Array (the precursor for the low-frequency component of the Square Kilometre Array) offers an opportunity to probe the physics of radio sources at very low radio frequencies. In this paper, we present a catalogue of linearly polarised sources detected at 216 MHz, using data from the Galactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array survey. Our catalogue covers the Declination range –17° to –37° and 24 h in Right Ascension, at a resolution of around 3 arcminutes. We detect 81 sources (including both a known pulsar and a new pulsar candidate) with linearly polarised flux densities in excess of 18 mJy across a survey area of approximately 6 400 deg2, corresponding to a surface density of 1 source per 79 deg2. The level of Faraday rotation measured for our sources is broadly consistent with those recovered at higher frequencies, with typically more than an order of magnitude improvement in the uncertainty compared to higher-frequency measurements. However, our catalogue is likely incomplete at low Faraday rotation measures, due to our practice of excluding sources in the region where instrumental leakage appears. The majority of sources exhibit significant depolarisation compared to higher frequencies; however, a small sub-sample repolarise at 216 MHz. We also discuss the polarisation properties of four nearby, large-angular-scale radio galaxies, with a particular focus on the giant radio galaxy ESO 422–G028, in order to explain the striking differences in polarised morphology between 216 MHz and 1.4 GHz.


Author(s):  
J. S. Morgan ◽  
J.-P. Macquart ◽  
R. Chhetri ◽  
R. D. Ekers ◽  
S. J. Tingay ◽  
...  

AbstractWe describe the parameters of a low-frequency all-sky survey of compact radio sources using Interplanetary Scintillation, undertaken with the Murchison Widefield Array. While this survey gives important complementary information to low-resolution survey, providing information on the sub-arsecond structure of every source, a survey of this kind has not been attempted in the era of low-frequency imaging arrays such as the Murchison Widefield Array and LOw Frequency Array. Here we set out the capabilities of such a survey, describing the limitations imposed by the heliocentric observing geometry and by the instrument itself. We demonstrate the potential for Interplanetary Scintillation measurements at any point on the celestial sphere and we show that at 160 MHz, reasonable results can be obtained within 30° of the ecliptic (2π str: half the sky). We also suggest some observational strategies and describe the first such survey, the Murchison Widefield Array Phase I Interplanetary Scintillation survey. Finally we analyse the potential of the recently upgraded Murchison Widefield Array and discuss the potential of the Square Kilometre Array-low to use Interplanetary Scintillation to probe sub-mJy flux density levels at sub-arcsecond angular resolution.


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