RGC: a radio AGN classifier based on deep learning. I. A semi-supervised model for the VLA images of bent radio AGNs

TL;DR

This paper introduces RGC, a semi-supervised deep learning classifier for bent radio AGNs using VLA images, achieving high accuracy and F1-scores, and providing datasets and tools for future research.

Contribution

It presents a novel semi-supervised model combining BYOL and E2CNN for classifying bent radio AGNs, along with labeled datasets and preprocessing methods.

Findings

Achieved 88.88% accuracy on labeled data

F1-score of 0.90 for WATs and 0.85 for NATs

Provides datasets and code for community use

Abstract

Wide-angle tail (WAT) and narrow-angle tail (NAT) radio active galactic nuclei (RAGNs) are key tracers of dense environments in galaxy groups and clusters, yet no machine-learning classifier of bent RAGNs has been trained using both unlabeled data and purely visually inspected labels. We release the RGC Python package, which includes two newly preprocessed labeled datasets of 639 WATs and NATs derived from a publicly available catalog of visually inspected sources, along with a semi-supervised RGC model that leverages 20,000 unlabeled RAGNs. The two labeled datasets in RGC were preprocessed using PyBDSF which retains spurious sources, and Photutils which removes them. The RGC model integrates the self-supervised framework BYOL (Bootstrap YOur Latent) with the supervised E2CNN (E2-equivariant Convolutional Neural Network) to form a semi-supervised binary classifier. The RGC model, when trained and evaluated on a dataset devoid of spurious sources, reaches peak performance, attaining an accuracy of 88.88% along with F1-scores of 0.90 for WATs and 0.85 for NATs. The model's attention patterns amid class imbalance suggest that this work can serve as a stepping stone toward developing physics-informed foundation models capable of identifying a broad range of AGN physical properties.