Synoptic Wide-field EVN--e-MERLIN Public Survey (SWEEPS) -- I. First steps towards commensal surveys with VLBI
C\'elestin Herb\'e-George, J. P. Mckean, Raffaella Morganti, Jack, F. Radcliffe

TL;DR
The SWEEPS project demonstrates a new commensal VLBI survey mode that can detect faint radio sources over large sky areas, enabling extensive statistical studies of active galactic nuclei and star formation.
Contribution
This paper introduces a novel commensal observing mode for VLBI that increases survey efficiency and source detection capabilities over large sky areas.
Findings
Detected a 5.6 mJy core-jet object at 1.7 GHz using the new method.
First successful detection in the SWEEPS pilot program.
Shows potential for expanding VLBI source samples significantly.
Abstract
The high angular resolution and sensitivity of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) offer a unique tool to identify and study active galactic nuclei and star-formation activity over cosmic time. However, despite recent technical advances, such as multiple phase centre correlation, VLBI surveys have thus far been limited to either a few well-studied deep-fields or wide-areas to a relatively shallow depth. To enter the era of extensive statistical studies at high angular resolution, a significantly larger area of the sky must be observed to much better sensitivity with VLBI. The Synoptic Wide-field EVN--e-MERLIN Public Survey (SWEEPS) is a proposed commensal observing mode for the EVN and e-MERLIN, where single-target principle investigator-led observations are re-correlated at the position of known radio sources within 12 arcmin of the pointing centre. Here, we demonstrate a…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstronomy and Astrophysical Research · Geophysics and Gravity Measurements · Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation
