Study of Evolution of Radio Galaxies at 151.6 MHz Using the Mauritius Radio Telescope (MRT)

Abstract

The MRT survey will be by far one of the most extensive survey at low frequencies. This survey will provide a moderately deep radio catalog reaching a source density of about 2 × 10⁴ sr⁻¹ over the southern sky with an angular resolution of 4′ × 4′ and a limiting flux density of 70 miy (lσ) at 151 MHz. Images of 24 h in right ascension with a resolution of 15′ × 15′ and 4 h with a resolution of 4′ × 4′ have already been made; nearly 20 extended radio galaxies have been detected so far. The MRT images of extended components of extragalactic radio sources would form a data base for a study of the formation and evolution of extended components in radio galaxies. Multi frequency continuum spectral studies of the extended sources would be expected to yield information of the flow patterns within the radio sources. Higher resolution studies with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) may be expected to image any jets, knots and hotspot structures that are conduits for the flow of energy from the AGN and into the lobes that form the final reservoir of the synchrotron plasma.