The MWA GLEAM 4Jy Sample; a new large, bright radio source sample at 151 MHz

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new large, bright radio source sample at 151 MHz from the GLEAM survey, enabling better understanding of radio source evolution and complementing smaller surveys.

Contribution

It presents a new complete sample of over 2000 bright extragalactic radio sources at 151 MHz, larger than previous samples, and provides initial validation of the GLEAM catalogue.

Findings

Sample contains over 2000 sources brighter than 4 Jy.

First user check of the GLEAM catalogue before public release.

Sample will help constrain radio source evolution across redshift and power ranges.

Abstract

This paper outlines how the new GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA Survey (GLEAM, Wayth et al. 2015), observed by the Murchison Widefield Array covering the frequency range 72 - 231 MHz, allows identification of a new large, complete, sample of more than 2000 bright extragalactic radio sources selected at 151 MHz. With a flux density limit of 4 Jy this sample is significantly larger than the canonical fully-complete sample, 3CRR (Laing, Riley & Longair 1983). In analysing this small bright subset of the GLEAM survey we are also providing a first user check of the GLEAM catalogue ahead of its public release (Hurley-Walker et al. in prep). Whilst significant work remains to fully characterise our new bright source sample, in time it will provide important constraints to evolutionary behaviour, across a wide redshift and intrinsic radio power range, as well as being highly complementary to results from targeted, small area surveys.