학술논문
The 1.28 GHz MeerKAT DEEP2 Image
Document Type
Working Paper
Author
Mauch, T.; Cotton, W. D.; Condon, J. J.; Matthews, A. M.; Abbott, T. D.; Adam, R. M.; Aldera, M. A.; Asad, K. M. B.; Bauermeister, E. F.; Bennett, T. G. H.; Bester, H.; Botha, D. H.; Brederode, L. R. S.; Brits, Z. B.; Buchner, S. J.; Burger, J. P.; Camilo, F.; Chalmers, J. M.; Cheetham, T.; de Villiers, D.; de Villiers, M. S.; Dikgale-Mahlakoana, M. A.; Toit, L. J. du; Esterhuyse, S. W. P.; Fadana, G.; Fanaroff, B. L.; Fataar, S.; February, S.; Frank, B. S.; Gamatham, R. R. G.; Geyer, M.; Goedhart, S.; Gounden, S.; Gumede, S. C.; Heywood, I.; Hlakola, M. J.; Horrell, J. M. G.; Hugo, B.; Isaacson, A. R.; Józsa, G. I. G.; Jonas, J. L.; Julie, R. P. M.; Kapp, F. B.; Kasper, V. A.; Kenyon, J. S.; Kotzé, P. P. A.; Kriek, N.; Kriel, H.; Kusel, T. W.; Lehmensiek, R.; Loots, A.; Lord, R. T.; Lunsky, B. M.; Madisa, K.; Magnus, L. G.; Main, J. P. L.; Malan, J. A.; Manley, J. R.; Marais, S. J.; Martens, A.; Merry, B.; Millenaar, R.; Mnyandu, N.; Moeng, I. P. T.; Mokone, O. J.; Monama, T. E.; Mphego, M. C.; New, W. S.; Ngcebetsha, B.; Ngoasheng, K. J.; Ockards, M. T. O.; Oozeer, N.; Otto, A. J.; Patel, A. A.; Peens-Hough, A.; Perkins, S. J.; Ramaila, A. J. T.; Ramudzuli, Z. R.; Renil, R.; Richter, L. L.; Robyntjies, A.; Salie, S.; Schollar, C. T. G.; Schwardt, L. C.; Serylak, M.; Siebrits, R.; Sirothia, S. K.; Smirnov, O. M.; Sofeya, L.; Stone, G.; Taljaard, B.; Tasse, C.; Theron, I. P.; Tiplady, A. J.; Toruvanda, O.; Twum, S. N.; van Balla, T. J.; van der Byl, A.; van der Merwe, C.; Van Tonder, V.; Wallace, B. H.; Welz, M. G.; Williams, L. P.; Xaia, B.
Source
Subject
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Abstract
We present the confusion-limited 1.28 GHz MeerKAT DEEP2 image covering one $\approx 68'$ FWHM primary beam area with $7.6''$ FWHM resolution and $0.55 \pm 0.01$ $\mu$Jy/beam rms noise. Its J2000 center position $\alpha=04^h 13^m 26.4^s$, $\delta=-80^\circ 00' 00''$ was selected to minimize artifacts caused by bright sources. We introduce the new 64-element MeerKAT array and describe commissioning observations to measure the primary beam attenuation pattern, estimate telescope pointing errors, and pinpoint $(u,v)$ coordinate errors caused by offsets in frequency or time. We constructed a 1.4 GHz differential source count by combining a power-law count fit to the DEEP2 confusion $P(D)$ distribution from $0.25$ to $10$ $\mu$Jy with counts of individual DEEP2 sources between $10$ $\mu$Jy and $2.5$ mJy. Most sources fainter than $S \sim 100$ $\mu$Jy are distant star-forming galaxies obeying the FIR/radio correlation, and sources stronger than $0.25$ $\mu$Jy account for $\sim93\%$ of the radio background produced by star-forming galaxies. For the first time, the DEEP2 source count has reached the depth needed to reveal the majority of the star formation history of the universe. A pure luminosity evolution of the 1.4 GHz local luminosity function consistent with the Madau & Dickinson (2014) model for the evolution of star-forming galaxies based on UV and infrared data underpredicts our 1.4 GHz source count in the range $-5 \lesssim \log[S(\mathrm{Jy})] \lesssim -4$.
Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ