The relationship between FR0 radio galaxies and GPS sources

TL;DR

This study investigates the potential link between FR0 radio galaxies and GPS sources by analyzing their radio spectra, variability, and spectral properties, suggesting some FR0s may be related to GPS/CSS sources or blazars.

Contribution

The paper provides the first comprehensive spectral analysis of FR0 radio galaxies, identifying potential GPS/CSS candidates and exploring their variability and spectral characteristics.

Findings

14 FR0s are potential CSS/GPS sources.

Most FR0s have broader spectra than canonical GPS sources.

Some FR0s show variability up to 25% over a year.

Abstract

We present the results of our study of the relationship between FR0 radio galaxies and GPS sources. Quasi-simultaneous radio spectra of 34 FR0s were obtained at 2.25-22.3 GHz with the radio telescope RATAN-600 in 2020-2021 during 2-6 epochs. Most FR0s have flat radio spectra, but we found many spectra with a peaked shape. Due to this fact and the compact nature of FR0s, we suggest their possible relationship with CSS/GPS radio sources. We analyzed broadband radio spectra of the 34 FR0s using the RATAN-600 measurements and available literature data. There are 14 FR0 objects which can be CSS/GPS radio source candidates. Most FR0s have broader radio spectra than those of genuine GPS sources, with FWHM > 2 like in blazars. Most spectral indices at the frequencies below and above the peak do not correspond to the values typical of canonical GPS sources. We classified 3 FR0s as low-power GPS sources according to the canonical criteria. The key issue is the variability properties of FR0s. Some FR0s demonstrate a variability level of up to 25 % on a time scale of one year according to the RATAN-600 measurements. The flare phenomena in FR0 objects can imply a relationship between them and blazars.