We have found a class of circular radio objects in the Evolutionary Map of the Universe Pilot Survey, using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope. The objects appear in radio images as circular edge-brightened discs, about one arcmin diameter, that are unlike other objects previously reported in the literature. We explore several possible mechanisms that might cause these objects, but none seems to be a compelling explanation.

A survey of the Milky Way disk and the Magellanic System at the wavelengths of the 21-cm atomic hydrogen (H i) line and three 18-cm lines of the OH molecule will be carried out with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope. The survey will study the distribution of H i emission and absorption with unprecedented angular and velocity resolution, as well as molecular line thermal emission, absorption, and maser lines. The area to be covered includes the Galactic plane (|b| < 10°) at all declinations south of δ = +40°, spanning longitudes 167° through 360°to 79° at b = 0°, plus the entire area of the Magellanic Stream and Clouds, a total of 13 020 deg2. The brightness temperature sensitivity will be very good, typically σT≃ 1 K at resolution 30 arcsec and 1 km s−1. The survey has a wide spectrum of scientific goals, from studies of galaxy evolution to star formation, with particular contributions to understanding stellar wind kinematics, the thermal phases of the interstellar medium, the interaction between gas in the disk and halo, and the dynamical and thermal states of gas at various positions along the Magellanic Stream.

We present a radio and X-ray analysis of the galaxy cluster SPT-CL J2032–5627. Investigation of public data from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) at 943 MHz shows two previously undetected radio relics at either side of the cluster. For both relic sources, we utilise archival Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) data at 5.5 GHz in conjunction with the new ASKAP data to determine that both have steep integrated radio spectra ( $\ensuremath{{\alpha_\mathrm{SE} = -1.52 \pm 0.10}}$ and $\ensuremath{{\alpha_\mathrm{NW,full} = -1.18 \pm 0.10}}$ for the southeast and northwest relic sources, respectively). No shock is seen in XMM-Newton observations; however, the southeast relic is preceded by a cold front in the X-ray–emitting intra-cluster medium. We suggest the lack of a detectable shock may be due to instrumental limitations, comparing the situation to the southeast relic in Abell 3667. We compare the relics to the population of double relic sources and find that they are located below the current power–mass scaling relation. We present an analysis of the low-surface brightness sensitivity of ASKAP and the ATCA, the excellent sensitivity of both allow the ability to find heretofore undetected diffuse sources, suggesting these low-power radio relics will become more prevalent in upcoming large-area radio surveys such as the Evolutionary Map of the Universe.

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) will give us an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the transient sky at radio wavelengths. In this paper we present VAST, an ASKAP survey for Variables and Slow Transients. VAST will exploit the wide-field survey capabilities of ASKAP to enable the discovery and investigation of variable and transient phenomena from the local to the cosmological, including flare stars, intermittent pulsars, X-ray binaries, magnetars, extreme scattering events, interstellar scintillation, radio supernovae, and orphan afterglows of gamma-ray bursts. In addition, it will allow us to probe unexplored regions of parameter space where new classes of transient sources may be detected. In this paper we review the known radio transient and variable populations and the current results from blind radio surveys. We outline a comprehensive program based on a multi-tiered survey strategy to characterise the radio transient sky through detection and monitoring of transient and variable sources on the ASKAP imaging timescales of 5 s and greater. We also present an analysis of the expected source populations that we will be able to detect with VAST.

The remnant phase of a radio galaxy begins when the jets launched from an active galactic nucleus are switched off. To study the fraction of radio galaxies in a remnant phase, we take advantage of a $8.31$ deg$^2$ subregion of the GAMA 23 field which comprises of surveys covering the frequency range 0.1–9 GHz. We present a sample of 104 radio galaxies compiled from observations conducted by the Murchison Widefield Array (216 MHz), the Australia Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (887 MHz), and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (5.5 GHz). We adopt an ‘absent radio core’ criterion to identify 10 radio galaxies showing no evidence for an active nucleus. We classify these as new candidate remnant radio galaxies. Seven of these objects still display compact emitting regions within the lobes at 5.5 GHz; at this frequency the emission is short-lived, implying a recent jet switch off. On the other hand, only three show evidence of aged lobe plasma by the presence of an ultra-steep-spectrum ($\alpha<-1.2$) and a diffuse, low surface brightness radio morphology. The predominant fraction of young remnants is consistent with a rapid fading during the remnant phase. Within our sample of radio galaxies, our observations constrain the remnant fraction to $4\%\lesssim f_{\mathrm{rem}} \lesssim 10\%$; the lower limit comes from the limiting case in which all remnant candidates with hotspots are simply active radio galaxies with faint, undetected radio cores. Finally, we model the synchrotron spectrum arising from a hotspot to show they can persist for 5–10 Myr at 5.5 GHz after the jets switch of—radio emission arising from such hotspots can therefore be expected in an appreciable fraction of genuine remnants.

In this paper, we describe the system design and capabilities of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope at the conclusion of its construction project and commencement of science operations. ASKAP is one of the first radio telescopes to deploy phased array feed (PAF) technology on a large scale, giving it an instantaneous field of view that covers $31\,\textrm{deg}^{2}$ at $800\,\textrm{MHz}$. As a two-dimensional array of 36$\times$12 m antennas, with baselines ranging from 22 m to 6 km, ASKAP also has excellent snapshot imaging capability and 10 arcsec resolution. This, combined with 288 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth and a unique third axis of rotation on each antenna, gives ASKAP the capability to create high dynamic range images of large sky areas very quickly. It is an excellent telescope for surveys between 700 and $1800\,\textrm{MHz}$ and is expected to facilitate great advances in our understanding of galaxy formation, cosmology, and radio transients while opening new parameter space for discovery of the unknown.

We describe the development of a noise-temperature testing capability for phased-array antennas operating in receive mode from 0.7 GHz to 1.8 GHz. Sampled voltages from each array port were recorded digitally as the zenith-pointing array under test was presented with three scenes: (1) a large microwave absorber at ambient temperature, (2) the unobstructed radio sky, and (3) broadband noise transmitted from a reference antenna centred over and pointed at the array under test. The recorded voltages were processed in software to calculate the beam equivalent noise temperature for a maximum signal-to-noise ratio beam steered at the zenith. We introduced the reference-antenna measurement to make noise measurements with reproducible, well-defined beams directed at the zenith and thereby at the centre of the absorber target. We applied a detailed model of cosmic and atmospheric contributions to the radio sky emission that we used as a noise-temperature reference. We also present a comprehensive analysis of measurement uncertainty including random and systematic effects. The key systematic effect was due to uncertainty in the beamformed antenna pattern and how efficiently it illuminates the absorber load. We achieved a combined uncertainty as low as 4 K for a 40 K measurement of beam equivalent noise temperature. The measurement and analysis techniques described in this paper were pursued to support noise-performance verification of prototype phased-array feeds for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope.

We present the first Faraday rotation measure (RM) grid study of an individual low-mass cluster—the Fornax cluster—which is presently undergoing a series of mergers. Exploiting commissioning data for the POlarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM) covering a ${\sim}34$ square degree sky area using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), we achieve an RM grid density of ${\sim}25$ RMs per square degree from a 280-MHz band centred at 887 MHz, which is similar to expectations for forthcoming GHz-frequency ${\sim}3\pi$-steradian sky surveys. These data allow us to probe the extended magnetoionic structure of the cluster and its surroundings in unprecedented detail. We find that the scatter in the Faraday RM of confirmed background sources is increased by $16.8\pm2.4$ rad m−2 within 1$^\circ$ (360 kpc) projected distance to the cluster centre, which is 2–4 times larger than the spatial extent of the presently detectable X-ray-emitting intracluster medium (ICM). The mass of the Faraday-active plasma is larger than that of the X-ray-emitting ICM and exists in a density regime that broadly matches expectations for moderately dense components of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium. We argue that forthcoming RM grids from both targeted and survey observations may be a singular probe of cosmic plasma in this regime. The morphology of the global Faraday depth enhancement is not uniform and isotropic but rather exhibits the classic morphology of an astrophysical bow shock on the southwest side of the main Fornax cluster, and an extended, swept-back wake on the northeastern side. Our favoured explanation for these phenomena is an ongoing merger between the main cluster and a subcluster to the southwest. The shock’s Mach angle and stand-off distance lead to a self-consistent transonic merger speed with Mach 1.06. The region hosting the Faraday depth enhancement also appears to show a decrement in both total and polarised radio emission compared to the broader field. We evaluate cosmic variance and free-free absorption by a pervasive cold dense gas surrounding NGC 1399 as possible causes but find both explanations unsatisfactory, warranting further observations. Generally, our study illustrates the scientific returns that can be expected from all-sky grids of discrete sources generated by forthcoming all-sky radio surveys.

In the lead-up to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, several next-generation radio telescopes and upgrades are already being built around the world. These include APERTIF (The Netherlands), ASKAP (Australia), e-MERLIN (UK), VLA (USA), e-EVN (based in Europe), LOFAR (The Netherlands), MeerKAT (South Africa), and the Murchison Widefield Array. Each of these new instruments has different strengths, and coordination of surveys between them can help maximise the science from each of them. A radio continuum survey is being planned on each of them with the primary science objective of understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, and the cosmological parameters and large-scale structures which drive it. In pursuit of this objective, the different teams are developing a variety of new techniques, and refining existing ones. To achieve these exciting scientific goals, many technical challenges must be addressed by the survey instruments. Given the limited resources of the global radio-astronomical community, it is essential that we pool our skills and knowledge. We do not have sufficient resources to enjoy the luxury of re-inventing wheels. We face significant challenges in calibration, imaging, source extraction and measurement, classification and cross-identification, redshift determination, stacking, and data-intensive research. As these instruments extend the observational parameters, we will face further unexpected challenges in calibration, imaging, and interpretation. If we are to realise the full scientific potential of these expensive instruments, it is essential that we devote enough resources and careful study to understanding the instrumental effects and how they will affect the data. We have established an SKA Radio Continuum Survey working group, whose prime role is to maximise science from these instruments by ensuring we share resources and expertise across the projects. Here we describe these projects, their science goals, and the technical challenges which are being addressed to maximise the science return.

We have observed the G23 field of the Galaxy AndMass Assembly (GAMA) survey using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) in its commissioning phase to validate the performance of the telescope and to characterise the detected galaxy populations. This observation covers ~48 deg2 with synthesised beam of 32.7 arcsec by 17.8 arcsec at 936MHz, and ~39 deg2 with synthesised beam of 15.8 arcsec by 12.0 arcsec at 1320MHz. At both frequencies, the root-mean-square (r.m.s.) noise is ~0.1 mJy/beam. We combine these radio observations with the GAMA galaxy data, which includes spectroscopy of galaxies that are i-band selected with a magnitude limit of 19.2. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) infrared (IR) photometry is used to determine which galaxies host an active galactic nucleus (AGN). In properties including source counts, mass distributions, and IR versus radio luminosity relation, the ASKAP-detected radio sources behave as expected. Radio galaxies have higher stellar mass and luminosity in IR, optical, and UV than other galaxies. We apply optical and IR AGN diagnostics and find that they disagree for ~30% of the galaxies in our sample. We suggest possible causes for the disagreement. Some cases can be explained by optical extinction of the AGN, but for more than half of the cases we do not find a clear explanation. Radio sources aremore likely (~6%) to have an AGN than radio quiet galaxies (~1%), but the majority of AGN are not detected in radio at this sensitivity.

We report on the detection of a giant radio halo in the cluster Abell 3404 as well as confirmation of the radio halo observed in Abell 141 (with linear extents $\sim\!770$ and $\sim\!850$ kpc, respectively). We use the Murchison Widefield Array, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array to characterise the emission and intervening radio sources from $\sim100$ to 1 000 MHz; power law models are fit to the spectral energy distributions with spectral indices $\alpha_{88}^{1\,110} = -1.66 \pm 0.07$ and $\alpha_{88}^{943} = -1.06 \pm 0.09$ for the radio halos in Abell 3404 and Abell 141, respectively. We find strong correlation between radio and X-ray surface brightness for Abell 3404 but little correlation for Abell 141. We note that each cluster has an atypical morphology for a radio-halo-hosting cluster, with Abell 141 having been previously reported to be in a pre-merging state, and Abell 3404 is largely relaxed with only minor evidence for a disturbed morphology. We find that the radio halo powers are consistent with the current radio halo sample and $P_\nu$–M scaling relations, but note that the radio halo in Abell 3404 is an ultra-steep–spectrum radio halo (USSRH) and, as with other USSRHs lies slightly below the best-fit $P_{1.4}$–M relation. We find that an updated scaling relation is consistent with previous results and shifting the frequency to 150 MHz does not significantly alter the best-fit relations with a sample of 86 radio halos. We suggest that the USSRH halo in Abell 3404 represents the faint class of radio halos that will be found in clusters undergoing weak mergers.

We follow up on a report by Vacca et al. (2018) of 28 candidate large-scale diffuse synchrotron sources in an 8° × 8° area of the sky (centred at RA 5h0m0s; Dec 5°48ʹ00ʹʹ). These sources were originally observed at 1.4 GHz using a combination of the single-dish Sardinia Radio Telescope and archival NRAO VLA Sky Survey data. They are in an area with nine massive galaxy clusters at $z \approx 0.1$ and are candidates for the first detection of filaments of the synchrotron cosmic web. We attempt to verify these candidate sources with lower frequency observations at 154 MHz with the Murchison Widefield Array and at 887 MHz with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). We use a novel technique to calculate the surface brightness sensitivity of these instruments to show that our lower frequency observations, and in particular those by ASKAP, are ideally suited to detect large-scale, extended synchrotron emission. Nonetheless, we are forced to conclude that none of these sources are likely to be synchrotron in origin or associated with the cosmic web.

The Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) is a proposed radio continuum survey of the Southern Hemisphere up to declination + 30°, with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). EMU will use an automated source identification and measurement approach that is demonstrably optimal, to maximise the reliability and robustness of the resulting radio source catalogues. As a step toward this goal we conducted a “Data Challenge” to test a variety of source finders on simulated images. The aim is to quantify the accuracy and limitations of existing automated source finding and measurement approaches. The Challenge initiators also tested the current ASKAPsoft source-finding tool to establish how it could benefit from incorporating successful features of the other tools. As expected, most finders show completeness around 100% at ≈ 10σ dropping to about 10% by ≈ 5σ. Reliability is typically close to 100% at ≈ 10σ, with performance to lower sensitivities varying between finders. All finders show the expected trade-off, where a high completeness at low signal-to-noise gives a corresponding reduction in reliability, and vice versa. We conclude with a series of recommendations for improving the performance of the ASKAPsoft source-finding tool.

Early science observations from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) have revealed clear signals of diffuse radio emission associated with two clusters detected by the South Pole Telescope via their Sunyaev Zel’dovich signal: SPT CLJ0553-3342 (MACS J0553.4-3342) and SPT CLJ0638-5358 (Abell S0592) are both high-mass lensing clusters that have undergone major mergers. To create science-fidelity images of the galaxy clusters, we performed direction-dependent (DD) calibration and imaging on these ASKAP early science observations using state-of-the-art software killMS and DDFacet. Here, we present our DD calibrated ASKAP radio images of both clusters showing unambiguous giant radio halos with largest linear scales of ${\sim}1$ Mpc. The halo in MACS J0553.4-3342 was previously detected with Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations at 323 MHz but appears more extended in our ASKAP image. Although there is a shock detected in the thermal X-ray emission of this cluster, we find that the particle number density in the shocked region is too low to allow for the generation of a radio shock. The radio halo in Abell S0592 is a new discovery, and the Southwest border of the halo coincides with a shock detected in X-rays. We discuss the origins of these halos considering both the hadronic and turbulent re-acceleration models and sources of seed electrons. This work gives a positive indication of the potential of ASKAP’s Evolutionary Map of the Universe survey in detecting intracluster medium radio sources.

We describe the performance of the Boolardy Engineering Test Array, the prototype for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope. Boolardy Engineering Test Array is the first aperture synthesis radio telescope to use phased array feed technology, giving it the ability to electronically form up to nine dual-polarisation beams. We report the methods developed for forming and measuring the beams, and the adaptations that have been made to the traditional calibration and imaging procedures in order to allow BETA to function as a multi-beam aperture synthesis telescope. We describe the commissioning of the instrument and present details of Boolardy Engineering Test Array’s performance: sensitivity, beam characteristics, polarimetric properties, and image quality. We summarise the astronomical science that it has produced and draw lessons from operating Boolardy Engineering Test Array that will be relevant to the commissioning and operation of the final Australian Square Kilometre Array Path telescope.

We present the data and initial results from the first pilot survey of the Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU), observed at 944 MHz with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. The survey covers $270 \,\mathrm{deg}^2$ of an area covered by the Dark Energy Survey, reaching a depth of 25–30 $\mu\mathrm{Jy\ beam}^{-1}$ rms at a spatial resolution of $\sim$ 11–18 arcsec, resulting in a catalogue of $\sim$ 220 000 sources, of which $\sim$ 180 000 are single-component sources. Here we present the catalogue of single-component sources, together with (where available) optical and infrared cross-identifications, classifications, and redshifts. This survey explores a new region of parameter space compared to previous surveys. Specifically, the EMU Pilot Survey has a high density of sources, and also a high sensitivity to low surface brightness emission. These properties result in the detection of types of sources that were rarely seen in or absent from previous surveys. We present some of these new results here.

The Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS) is the first large-area survey to be conducted with the full 36-antenna Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. RACS will provide a shallow model of the ASKAP sky that will aid the calibration of future deep ASKAP surveys. RACS will cover the whole sky visible from the ASKAP site in Western Australia and will cover the full ASKAP band of 700–1800 MHz. The RACS images are generally deeper than the existing NRAO VLA Sky Survey and Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey radio surveys and have better spatial resolution. All RACS survey products will be public, including radio images (with $\sim$ 15 arcsec resolution) and catalogues of about three million source components with spectral index and polarisation information. In this paper, we present a description of the RACS survey and the first data release of 903 images covering the sky south of declination $+41^\circ$ made over a 288-MHz band centred at 887.5 MHz.

The recent increase in well-localised fast radio bursts (FRBs) has facilitated in-depth studies of global FRB host properties, the source circumburst medium, and the potential impacts of these environments on the burst properties. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) has localised 11 FRBs with sub-arcsecond to arcsecond precision, leading to sub-galaxy localisation regions in some cases and those covering much of the host galaxy in others. The method used to astrometrically register the FRB image frame for ASKAP, in order to align it with images taken at other wavelengths, is currently limited by the brightness of continuum sources detected in the short-duration (‘snapshot’) voltage data captured by the Commensal Real-Time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) software correlator, which are used to correct for any frame offsets due to imperfect calibration solutions and estimate the accuracy of any required correction. In this paper, we use dedicated observations of bright, compact radio sources in the low- and mid-frequency bands observable by ASKAP to investigate the typical astrometric accuracy of the positions obtained using this so-called ‘snapshot’ technique. Having captured these data with both the CRAFT software and ASKAP hardware correlators, we also compare the offset distributions obtained from both data products to estimate a typical offset between the image frames resulting from the differing processing paths, laying the groundwork for future use of the longer duration, higher signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) data recorded by the hardware correlator. We find typical offsets between the two frames of ${\sim}0.6$ and ${\sim}0.3$ arcsec in the low- and mid-band data, respectively, for both RA and Dec. We also find reasonable agreement between our offset distributions and those of the published FRBs. We detect only a weak dependence in positional offset on the relative separation in time and elevation between target and calibrator scans, with the trends being more pronounced in the low-band data and in Dec. Conversely, the offsets show a clear dependence on frequency in the low band, which we compare to the frequency-dependent Dec. offsets found in FRB 200430. In addition, we present a refined methodology for estimating the overall astrometric accuracy of CRAFT FRBs.

We discuss observational strategies to detect prompt bursts associated with gravitational wave (GW) events using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). Many theoretical models of binary neutron stars mergers predict that bright, prompt radio emission would accompany the merger. The detection of such prompt emission would greatly improve our knowledge of the physical conditions, environment, and location of the merger. However, searches for prompt emission are complicated by the relatively poor localisation for GW events, with the 90% credible region reaching hundreds or even thousands of square degrees. Operating in fly’s eye mode, the ASKAP field of view can reach $\sim1\,000$ deg$^2$ at $\sim$$888\,{\rm MHz}$. This potentially allows observers to cover most of the 90% credible region quickly enough to detect prompt emission. We use skymaps for GW170817 and GW190814 from LIGO/Virgo’s third observing run to simulate the probability of detecting prompt emission for GW events in the upcoming fourth observing run. With only alerts released after merger, we find it difficult to slew the telescope sufficiently quickly as to capture any prompt emission. However, with the addition of alerts released before merger by negative-latency pipelines, we find that it should be possible to search for nearby, bright prompt fast radio burst-like emission from GW events. Nonetheless, the rates are low: we would expect to observe $\sim$0.012 events during the fourth observing run, assuming that the prompt emission is emitted microseconds around the merger.

Galaxy clusters have been found to host a range of diffuse, non-thermal emission components, generally with steep, power law spectra. In this work we report on the detection and follow-up of radio halos, relics, remnant radio galaxies, and other fossil radio plasmas in Southern Sky galaxy clusters using the Murchison Widefield Array and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. We make use of the frequency coverage between the two radio interferometers—from 88 to $\sim\!900$ MHz—to characterise the integrated spectra of these sources within this frequency range. Highlights from the sample include the detection of a double relic system in Abell 3186, a mini-halo in RXC J0137.2–0912, a candidate halo and relic in Abell 3399, and a complex multi-episodic head-tail radio galaxy in Abell 3164. We compare this selection of sources and candidates to the literature sample, finding sources consistent with established radio power–cluster mass scaling relations. Finally, we use the low-frequency integrated spectral index, $\alpha$ ( $S_v \propto v^\alpha$ ), of the detected sample of cluster remnants and fossil sources to compare with samples of known halos, relics, remnants and fossils to investigate a possible link between their electron populations. We find the distributions of $\alpha$ to be consistent with relic and halo emission generated by seed electrons that originated in fossil or remnant sources. However, the present sample sizes are insufficient to rule out other scenarios.