We present the results of a four-month campaign searching for low-frequency radio transients near the North Celestial Pole with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), as part of the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS). The data were recorded between 2011 December and 2012 April and comprised 2149 11-min snapshots, each covering 175 deg2. We have found one convincing candidate astrophysical transient, with a duration of a few minutes and a flux density at 60 MHz of 15-25 Jy. The transient does not repeat and has no obvious optical or high-energy counterpart, as a result of which its nature is unclear. The detection of this event implies a transient rate at 60 MHz of 3.9-3.7+14.7 × 10-4 d-1 deg-2, and a transient surface density of 1.5 × 10-5 deg-2, at a 7.9-Jy limiting flux density and ~10-min time-scale. The campaign data were also searched for transients at a range of other time-scales, from 0.5 to 297 min, which allowed us to place a range of limits on transient rates at 60MHz as a function of observation duration.

Stewart, A., Fender, R., Broderick, J., Hassall, T., Muñoz-Darias, T., Rowlinson, A., et al. (2016). LOFAR MSSS: Detection of a low-frequency radio transient in 400 h of monitoring of the North Celestial Pole. MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, 456(3), 2321-2342 [10.1093/mnras/stv2797].

LOFAR MSSS: Detection of a low-frequency radio transient in 400 h of monitoring of the North Celestial Pole

Bonafede, A.;Carbone, D.;Wijnands, R.;WISE, ELENA MARI;Anderson, J.;Hoeft, M.;
2016

Abstract

We present the results of a four-month campaign searching for low-frequency radio transients near the North Celestial Pole with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), as part of the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS). The data were recorded between 2011 December and 2012 April and comprised 2149 11-min snapshots, each covering 175 deg2. We have found one convincing candidate astrophysical transient, with a duration of a few minutes and a flux density at 60 MHz of 15-25 Jy. The transient does not repeat and has no obvious optical or high-energy counterpart, as a result of which its nature is unclear. The detection of this event implies a transient rate at 60 MHz of 3.9-3.7+14.7 × 10-4 d-1 deg-2, and a transient surface density of 1.5 × 10-5 deg-2, at a 7.9-Jy limiting flux density and ~10-min time-scale. The campaign data were also searched for transients at a range of other time-scales, from 0.5 to 297 min, which allowed us to place a range of limits on transient rates at 60MHz as a function of observation duration.
2016
Stewart, A., Fender, R., Broderick, J., Hassall, T., Muñoz-Darias, T., Rowlinson, A., et al. (2016). LOFAR MSSS: Detection of a low-frequency radio transient in 400 h of monitoring of the North Celestial Pole. MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, 456(3), 2321-2342 [10.1093/mnras/stv2797].
Stewart, A.J.; Fender, R.P.; Broderick, J.W.; Hassall, T.E.; Muñoz-Darias, T.; Rowlinson, A.; Swinbank, J.D.; Staley, T.D.; Molenaar, G.J.; Scheers, B...espandi
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/663458
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