On the redshift cut-off for steep-spectrum radio sources

Jarvis, Matt J., Rawlings, Steve, Willott, Chris J., Blundell, Katherine M., Eales, Stephen Anthony ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7394-426X and Lacy, Mark 2001. On the redshift cut-off for steep-spectrum radio sources. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 327 (3) , pp. 907-917. 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04778.x

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Abstract

We use three samples (3CRR, 6CE and 6C*) selected at low radio frequency to constrain the cosmic evolution in the radio luminosity function (RLF) for the ‘most luminous’ steep-spectrum radio sources. Though intrinsically rare, such sources give the largest possible baseline in redshift for the complete flux-density-limited samples currently available. Using parametric models to describe the RLF, incorporating distributions in radio spectral shape and linear size, as well as the usual luminosity and redshift, we find that the data are consistent with a constant comoving space density between Graphic and Graphic. We find that this model is favoured over a model with similar evolutionary behaviour to that of optically selected quasars (i.e., a roughly Gaussian distribution in redshift) with probability ratios of Graphic and Graphic for spatially flat cosmologies with Graphic and Graphic respectively. Within the uncertainties, this evolutionary behaviour may be reconciled with the shallow decline preferred for the comoving space density of flat-spectrum sources by Dunlop & Peacock and Jarvis & Rawlings, in line with the expectations of unified schemes.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy
Uncontrolled Keywords:	galaxies; luminosity function; mass function; radio continuum
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	0035-8711
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2022 11:08
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/47089

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