We present the VLA-COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project based on 384 h of observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) at 3 GHz (10 cm) toward the two square degree Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field. The final mosaic reaches a median rms of 2.3 µJy beam −1 over the two square degrees at an angular resolution of 0.75 . To fully account for the spectral shape and resolution variations across the broad (2 GHz) band, we image all data with a multiscale, multifrequency synthesis algorithm. We present a catalog of 10 830 radio sources down to 5σ, out of which 67 are combined from multiple components. Comparing the positions of our 3 GHz sources with those from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)-COSMOS survey, we estimate that the astrometry is accurate to 0.01 at the bright end (signal-to-noise ratio, S /N 3 GHz > 20). Survival analysis on our data combined with the VLA-COSMOS 1.4 GHz Joint Project catalog yields an expected median radio spectral index of α = −0.7. We compute completeness corrections via Monte Carlo simulations to derive the corrected 3 GHz source counts. Our counts are in agreement with previously derived 3 GHz counts based on single-pointing (0.087 square degrees) VLA data. In summary, the VLA-COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project simultaneously provides the largest and deepest radio continuum survey at high (0.75 ) angular resolution to date, bridging the gap between last-generation and next-generation surveys.

We explore the multiwavelength properties of AGN host galaxies for different classes of radio-selected AGN out to z 6 via a multiwavelength analysis of about 7 700 radio sources in the COSMOS field. The sources were selected with the Very Large Array (VLA) at 3 GHz (10 cm) within the VLA-COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project, and cross-matched with multiwavelength ancillary data. This is the largest sample of highredshift (z 6) radio sources with exquisite photometric coverage and redshift measurements available. We constructed a sample of moderate-tohigh radiative luminosity AGN (HLAGN) via spectral energy distribution (SED) decomposition combined with standard X-ray and mid-infrared diagnostics. Within the remainder of the sample we further identified low-to-moderate radiative luminosity AGN (MLAGN) via excess in radio emission relative to the star formation rates in their host galaxies. We show that at each redshift our HLAGN have systematically higher radiative luminosities than MLAGN and that their AGN power occurs predominantly in radiative form, while MLAGN display a substantial mechanical AGN luminosity component. We found significant differences in the host properties of the two AGN classes, as a function of redshift. At z<1.5, MLAGN appear to reside in significantly more massive and less star-forming galaxies compared to HLAGN. At z>1.5, we observed a reversal in the behaviour of the stellar mass distributions with the HLAGN populating the higher stellar mass tail. We interpret this finding as a possible hint of the downsizing of galaxies hosting HLAGN, with the most massive galaxies triggering AGN activity earlier than less massive galaxies, and then fading to MLAGN at lower redshifts. Our conclusion is that HLAGN and MLAGN samples trace two distinct galaxy and AGN populations in a wide range of redshifts, possibly resembling the radio AGN types often referred to as radiative-and jet-mode (or high-and low-excitation), respectively, whose properties might depend on the different availability of cold gas supplies.

The quest for binary and dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the dawn of the multi-messenger era is compelling. Detecting dual active galactic nuclei (AGN)-active SMBHs at projected separations larger than several parsecs-and binary AGN-probing the scale where SMBHs are bound in a Keplerian binary-is an observational challenge. The study of AGN pairs (either dual or binary) also represents an overarching theoretical problem in cosmology and astrophysics. The AGN triggering calls for detailed knowledge of the hydrodynamical conditions of gas in the imminent surroundings of the SMBHs and, at the same time, their duality calls for detailed knowledge on how galaxies assemble through major and minor mergers and grow fed by matter along the filaments of the cosmic web. This review describes the techniques used across the electromagnetic spectrum to detect dual and binary AGN candidates and proposes new avenues for their search. The current observational status is compared with the state-of-the-art numerical simulations and models for formation of dual and binary AGN. Binary SMBHs are among the loudest sources of gravitational waves (GWs) in the Universe. The search for a background of GWs at nHz frequencies from inspiralling SMBHs at low redshifts, and the direct detection of signals from their coalescence by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna in the next decade, make this a theme of major interest for multi-messenger astrophysics. This review discusses the future facilities and observational strategies that are likely to significantly advance this fascinating field.

Context. Quantifying the fraction of active galactic nuclei in the faint radio population and understanding their relation with starforming activity are fundamental to studies of galaxy evolution. Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations are able to identify active galactic nuclei (AGN) above relatively low redshifts (z > 0.1) since they provide milli-arcsecond resolution. Aims. We have created an AGN catalogue from 2865 known radio sources observed in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, which has exceptional multi-wavelength coverage. With this catalogue we intend to study the faint radio sky with statistically relevant numbers and to analyse the AGN -host galaxy co-evolution, making use of the large amount of ancillary data available in the field. Methods. Wide-field VLBI observations were made of all known radio sources in the COSMOS field at 1.4 GHz to measure the AGN fraction, in particular in the faint radio population. We describe in detail the observations, data calibration, source detection and flux density measurements, parts of which we have developed for this survey. The combination of number of sources, sensitivity, and area covered with this project are unprecedented. Results. We have detected 468 radio sources, expected to be AGNs, with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). This is, to date, the largest sample assembled of VLBI detected sources in the sub-mJy regime. The input sample was taken from previous observations with the Very Large Array (VLA). We present the catalogue with additional optical, infrared and X-ray information.Conclusions. We find a detection fraction of 20±1%, considering only those sources from the input catalogue which were in principle detectable with the VLBA (2361). As a function of the VLA flux density, the detection fraction is higher for higher flux densities, since at high flux densities a source could be detected even if the VLBI core accounts for a small percentage of the total flux density. As a function of redshift, we see no evolution of the detection fraction over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 3. In addition, we find that faint radio sources typically have a greater fraction of their radio luminosity in a compact core -∼70% of the sub-mJy sources detected with the VLBA have more than half of their total radio luminosity in a VLBI-scale component, whereas this is true for only ∼30% of the sources that are brighter than 10 mJy. This suggests that fainter radio sources differ intrinsically from brighter ones. Across our entire sample, we find the predominant morphological classification of the host galaxies of the VLBA detected sources to be early type (57%), although this varies with redshift and at z>1.5 we find that spiral galaxies become the most prevalent (48%). The number of detections is high enough to study the faint radio population with statistically significant numbers. We demonstrate that wide-field VLBI observations, together with new calibration methods such as multi-source self-calibration and mosaicing, result in information whic...

The origin of the radio emission in radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) has been a matter of debate for a long time. It is not well understood whether the emission is caused by star formation in the host galaxy or by black hole activity of the active galactic nuclei (AGN). We shed some light on these questions using the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique to search for RQQs in the field of the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS). The extensive multi-wavelength coverage of the field (from radio to X-rays) was used to classify RQQs, and the milli-arcsecond resolution of VLBI provides a direct way to identify AGNs. In a sample of 18 RQQs we detected 3 using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 1.4 GHz. In this Letter we report for the first time on a sample of RQQs with a measured lower limit on the fraction of radio emission coming from the AGN, thus demonstrating that the radio emission of at least some RQQs is dominated by an AGN.

We study a sample of 1, 604 moderate-to-high radiative luminosity active galactic nuclei (HLAGN) selected at 3 GHz within the VLA-COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project. These were classified by combining multiple AGN diagnostics: X-ray data, mid-infrared data and broad-band spectral energy distribution fitting. We decompose the total radio 1.4 GHz luminosity (L 1.4 GHz,TOT ) into the emission originating from star formation and AGN activity by measuring the excess in L 1.4 GHz,TOT relative to the infrared-radio correlation of star-forming galaxies. To quantify the excess, for each source we calculate the AGN fraction (f AGN ) defined as the fractional contribution of AGN activity to L 1.4 GHz,TOT . The majority of the HLAGN, (68.0±1.5)%, are dominated by star-forming processes (f AGN ≤ 0.5), while (32.0 ± 1.5)% are dominated by AGN-related radio emission (0.5 < f AGN ≤ 1). We use the AGN-related 1.4 GHz emission to derive the 1.4 GHz AGN luminosity functions of HLAGN. By assuming pure density and pure luminosity evolution models we constrain their cosmic evolution out to z ∼ 6, finding Φ * (z) ∝ (1 + z) (2.64±0.10)+(−0.61±0.04)z and L * (z) ∝ (1 + z) (3.97±0.15)+(−0.92±0.06)z . These evolutionary laws show that the number and luminosity density of HLAGN increased from higher redshifts (z ∼ 6) up to a maximum in the redshift range 1 < z < 2.5, followed by a decline towards local values. By scaling the 1.4 GHz AGN luminosity to kinetic luminosity using the standard conversion, we estimate the kinetic luminosity density as a function of redshift. We compare our result to the semi-analytic models of radio mode feedback finding that this feedback could have played an important role in the context of AGN-host coevolution in HLAGN which show evidence of AGN-related radio emission (f AGN > 0).

Context. The observed spatial scale of the radio continuum emission from star-forming galaxies can be used to investigate the spatial extent of active star formation, constrain the importance of cosmic-ray transport, and examine the effects of galaxy interactions. Aims. We determine the radio size distribution of a large sample of 152 submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) in the COSMOS field that were pre-selected at 1.1 mm, and later detected with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) in the observed-frame 1.3 mm dust continuum emission at a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of ≥ 5. Methods. We used the deep, subarcsecond-resolution (1σ = 2.3 µJy beam −1 ; 0 ′′ . 75) centimetre radio continuum observations taken by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA)-COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project. Results. One hundred and fifteen of the 152 target SMGs (76%±7%) were found to have a 3 GHz counterpart (≥ 4.2σ), which renders the radio detection rate notably high. The median value of the deconvolved major axis full width at half maximum (FWHM) size at 3 GHz is derived to be 0 ′′ . 59 ± 0 ′′ . 05, or 4.6 ± 0.4 kpc in physical units, where the median redshift of the sources is z = 2.23 ± 0.13 (23% are spectroscopic and 77% are photometric values). The radio sizes are roughly log-normally distributed, and they show no evolutionary trend with redshift, or difference between different galaxy morphologies. We also derived the spectral indices between 1.4 and 3 GHz, and 3 GHz brightness temperatures for the sources, and the median values were found to be α 3 GHz 1.4 GHz = −0.67 (S ν ∝ ν α ) and T B = 12.6 ± 2 K. Three of the target SMGs, which are also detected with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 1.4 GHz (AzTEC/C24b, 61, and 77a), show clearly higher brightness temperatures than the typical values, reaching T B (3 GHz) > 10 4.03 K for AzTEC/C61. Conclusions. The derived median radio spectral index agrees with a value expected for optically thin non-thermal synchrotron radiation, and the low median 3 GHz brightness temperature shows that the observed radio emission is predominantly powered by star formation and supernova activity. However, our results provide a strong indication of the presence of an active galactic nucleus in the VLBA and X-ray-detected SMG AzTEC/C61 (high T B and an inverted radio spectrum). The median radio-emitting size we have derived is ∼ 1.5 − 3 times larger than the typical far-infrared dust-emitting sizes of SMGs, but similar to that of the SMGs' molecular gas component traced through mid-J line emission of carbon monoxide. The physical conditions of SMGs probably render the diffusion of cosmic-ray electrons inefficient, and hence an unlikely process to lead to the observed extended radio sizes. Instead, our results point towards a scenario where SMGs are driven by galaxy interactions and mergers. Besides triggering vigorous starbursts, galaxy collisions can also pull out the magnetised fluids from the interacting disks, and give rise to a taffy-like synchrotron-emitting bridge. This provides an exp...

Context. In the context of structure formation and galaxy evolution, the contribution of magnetic fields is not well understood. Feedback processes originating from active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and star formation can be actively influenced by magnetic fields, depending on their strength and morphology. One of the best tracers of magnetic fields is polarised radio emission. Tracing this emission over a broad redshift range therefore allows an investigation of these fields and their evolution. Aims. We aim to study the nature of the faint, polarised radio source population whose source composition and redshift dependence contain information about the strength, morphology, and evolution of magnetic fields over cosmic timescales. Methods. We use a 15-pointing radio continuum L-band mosaic of the Lockman Hole, observed in full polarisation, generated from archival data of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. The data were analysed using the rotation measure synthesis technique. We achieved a noise of 7 μJy beam−1 in polarised intensity, with a resolution of 15″. Using infrared and optical images and source catalogues, we were able to cross-identify and determine redshifts for one-third of our detected polarised sources. Results. We detected 150 polarised sources, most of which are weakly polarised with a mean fractional polarisation of 5.4%. No source was found with a fractional polarisation higher than 21%. With a total area of 6.5 deg2 and a detection threshold of 6.25σ, we find 23 polarised sources per deg2. Based on our multi-wavelength analysis, we find that our sample consists of AGN only. We find a discrepancy between archival number counts and those present in our data, which we attribute to sample variance (i.e. large-scale structures). Considering the absolute radio luminosity, we find a general trend of increased probability of detecting weak sources at low redshift and strong sources at high redshift. We attribute this trend to a selection bias. Further, we find an anti-correlation between fractional polarisation and redshift for our strong-source sample at z ≥ 0.6. Conclusions. A decrease in the fractional polarisation of strong sources with increasing redshift cannot be explained by a constant magnetic field and electron density over cosmic scales; however, the changing properties of cluster environments over cosmic time may play an important role. Disentangling these two effects requires deeper and wider polarisation observations as well as better models of the morphology and strength of cosmic magnetic fields.