The end of the "Empty Field" epoch in optical identifications

TL;DR

This paper proposes that accounting for radio refraction in the Galaxy can significantly improve the identification of radio sources with optical counterparts, reducing the number of 'empty fields' in optical identifications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to incorporate radio refraction effects into the identification process, enhancing accuracy over traditional coordinate coincidence criteria.

Findings

Radio refraction significantly shifts radio source coordinates.

Accounting for refraction increases successful optical identifications.

Reduces the number of 'empty field' cases in radio-optical matching.

Abstract

In order to obtain more comprehensive information about an celestial object, the radio image must be identified with the optical one. Many years the identification process is carried out with the coordinate coincidence criteria, which leads to abundant misidentifications and "empty field" in optics for the radio sources. For this reason significant part of radio sources do not have identifications in optic. In present paper we consider the radio refraction in the Galaxy, which significantly changes the coordinates of radio sources if compared with the optical one. By taking into account the radio refraction, the major number of the radio sources can be successfully identified with the optical objects.