| 1. |
- Arias, M., et al.
(författare)
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Low-frequency radio absorption in Cassiopeia A
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 612
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Cassiopeia A is one of the best-studied supernova remnants. Its bright radio and X-ray emission is due to shocked ejecta. Cas A is rather unique in that the unshocked ejecta can also be studied: through emission in the infrared, the radio-active decay of Ti-44, and the low-frequency free-free absorption caused by cold ionised gas, which is the topic of this paper. Aims. Free-free absorption processes are affected by the mass, geometry, temperature, and ionisation conditions in the absorbing gas. Observations at the lowest radio frequencies can constrain a combination of these properties. Methods. We used Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Low Band Antenna observations at 30-77 MHz and Very Large Array (VLA) L-band observations at 1-2 GHz to fit for internal absorption as parametrised by the emission measure. We simultaneously fit multiple UV-matched images with a common resolution of 17 '' (this corresponds to 0.25 pc for a source at the distance of Cas A). The ample frequency coverage allows us separate the relative contributions from the absorbing gas, the unabsorbed front of the shell, and the absorbed back of the shell to the emission spectrum. We explored the effects that a temperature lower than the similar to 100-500 K proposed from infrared observations and a high degree of clumping can have on the derived physical properties of the unshocked material, such as its mass and density. We also compiled integrated radio flux density measurements, fit for the absorption processes that occur in the radio band, and considered their effect on the secular decline of the source. Results. We find a mass in the unshocked ejecta of M = 2.95 +/- 0.48 M-circle dot for an assumed gas temperature of T = 100 K. This estimate is reduced for colder gas temperatures and, most significantly, if the ejecta are clumped. We measure the reverse shock to have a radius of 114 '' +/- 6 '' and be centred at 23:23:26, +58:48:54 (J2000). We also find that a decrease in the amount of mass in the unshocked ejecta (as more and more material meets the reverse shock and heats up) cannot account for the observed low-frequency behaviour of the secular decline rate. Conclusions. To reconcile our low-frequency absorption measurements with models that reproduce much of the observed behaviour in Cas A and predict little mass in the unshocked ejecta, the ejecta need to be very clumped or the temperature in the cold gas needs to be low (similar to 10 K). Both of these options are plausible and can together contribute to the high absorption value that we find.
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| 2. |
- Carretti, Ettore, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetic field strength in cosmic web filaments
- 2022
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 512:1, s. 945-959
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We used the rotation measure (RM) catalogue derived from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Data Release 2 (LoTSS DR2) at 144MHz to measure the evolution with redshift of the extragalactic RM (RRM: Residual RM) and the polarization fraction (p) of sources in low-density environments. We also measured the same at 1.4 GHz by cross-matching with the NRAO VLA Sky Survey RM catalogue. We find that RRM versus redshift is flat at 144 MHz, but, once redshift-corrected, it shows evolution at high significance. Also, p evolves with redshift with a decrement by a factor of similar to 8 at z similar to 2. Comparing the 144-MHz and 1.4-GHz data, we find that the observed RRM and p are most likely to have an origin local to the source at 1.4 GHz, while a cosmic web filament origin is favoured at 144 MHz. If we attribute the entire signal to filaments, we infer a mean rest-frame RRM per filament of RRM0,f = 0.71 +/- 0.07 rad m(-2) and a magnetic field per filament of B-f = 32 +/- 3 nG. This is in agreement with estimates obtained with a complementary method based on synchrotron emission stacking, and with cosmological simulations if primordial magnetic fields are amplified by astrophysical source field seeding. The measurement of an RRM0, f supports the presence of diffuse baryonic gas in filaments. We also estimated a conservative upper limit of the filament magnetic turbulence of sigma(RRM0,f) = 0.039 +/- 0.001 rad m(-2), concluding that the ordered magnetic field component dominates in filaments.
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| 3. |
- Cockell, C.S., et al.
(författare)
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Darwin - an experimental astronomy mission to search for extrasolar planets
- 2009
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Ingår i: Experimental Astronomy. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 23:1, s. 435-461
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As a response to ESA call for mission concepts for its Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 plan, we propose a mission called Darwin. Its primary goal is the study of terrestrial extrasolar planets and the search for life on them. In this paper, we describe different characteristics of the instrument.
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| 4. |
- Emig, K. L., et al.
(författare)
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Searching for the largest bound atoms in space
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 634
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Radio recombination lines (RRLs) at frequencies nu< 250 MHz trace the cold, diffuse phase of the interstellar medium, and yet, RRLs have been largely unexplored outside of our Galaxy. Next-generation low-frequency interferometers such as LOFAR, MWA, and the future SKA will, with unprecedented sensitivity, resolution, and large fractional bandwidths, enable the exploration of the extragalactic RRL universe.Aims. We describe methods used to (1) process LOFAR high band antenna (HBA) observations for RRL analysis, and (2) search spectra for RRLs blindly in redshift space.Methods. We observed the radio quasar 3C 190 (z approximate to 1.2) with the LOFAR HBA. In reducing these data for spectroscopic analysis, we placed special emphasis on bandpass calibration. We devised cross-correlation techniques that utilize the unique frequency spacing between RRLs to significantly identify RRLs in a low-frequency spectrum. We demonstrate the utility of this method by applying it to existing low-frequency spectra of Cassiopeia A and M 82, and to the new observations of 3C 190.Results. Radio recombination lines have been detected in the foreground of 3C 190 at z=1.12355 (assuming a carbon origin) owing to the first detection of RRLs outside of the local universe (first reported in A&A, 622, A7). Toward the Galactic supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, we uncover three new detections: (1) stimulated CE transitions (Delta n=5) for the first time at low radio frequencies, (2) H alpha transitions at 64 MHz with a full width at half-maximum of 3.1 km s(-1) the most narrow and one of the lowest frequency detections of hydrogen to date, and (3) C alpha at v(LSR)approximate to 0 km s(-1) in the frequency range 55-78 MHz for the first time. Additionally, we recover C alpha, C beta, C gamma, and C delta from the -47 km s(-1) and -38 km s(-1) components. In the nearby starburst galaxy M 82, we do not find a significant feature. With previously used techniques, we reproduce the previously reported line properties.Conclusions. RRLs have been blindly searched and successfully identified in Galactic (to high-order transitions) and extragalactic (to high redshift) observations with our spectral searching method. Our current searches for RRLs in LOFAR observations are limited to narrow (<100 km s(-1)) features, owing to the relatively small number of channels available for continuum estimation. Future strategies making use of a wider band (covering multiple LOFAR subbands) or designs with larger contiguous frequency chunks would aid calibration to deeper sensitivities and broader features.
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| 5. |
- Govoni, F., et al.
(författare)
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A radio ridge connecting two galaxy clusters in a filament of the cosmic web
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6444, s. 981-984
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Galaxy clusters are the most massive gravitationally bound structures in the Universe. They grow by accreting smaller structures in a merging process that produces shocks and turbulence in the intracluster gas. We observed a ridge of radio emission connecting the merging galaxy clusters Abell 0399 and Abell 0401 with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope network at 140 megahertz. This emission requires a population of relativistic electrons and a magnetic field located in a filament between the two galaxy clusters. We performed simulations to show that a volume-filling distribution of weak shocks may reaccelerate a preexisting population of relativistic particles, producing emission at radio wavelengths that illuminates the magnetic ridge.
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| 6. |
- Lammer, H., et al.
(författare)
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Geophysical and Atmospheric Evolution of Habitable Planets
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astrobiology. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1531-1074 .- 1557-8070. ; 10:1, s. 45-68
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The evolution of Earth-like habitable planets is a complex process that depends on the geodynamical and geophysical environments. In particular, it is necessary that plate tectonics remain active over billions of years. These geophysically active environments are strongly coupled to a planet's host star parameters, such as mass, luminosity and activity, orbit location of the habitable zone, and the planet's initial water inventory. Depending on the host star's radiation and particle flux evolution, the composition in the thermosphere, and the availability of an active magnetic dynamo, the atmospheres of Earth-like planets within their habitable zones are differently affected due to thermal and nonthermal escape processes. For some planets, strong atmospheric escape could even effect the stability of the atmosphere.
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| 7. |
- Muxlow, T. W. B., et al.
(författare)
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The e-MERGE Survey (e-MERLIN Galaxy Evolution Survey): overview and survey description
- 2020
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 495:1, s. 1188-1208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an overview and description of the e-MERGE Survey (e-MERLIN Galaxy Evolution Survey) Data Release 1 (DR1), a large program of high-resolution 1.5-GHz radio observations of the GOODS-N field comprising similar to 140 h of observations with enhanced-Multi-Element Remotely Linked Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN) and similar to 40 h with the Very Large Array (VLA). We combine the long baselines of e-MERLIN (providing high angular resolution) with the relatively closely packed antennas of the VLA (providing excellent surface brightness sensitivity) to produce a deep 1.5-GHz radio survey with the sensitivity (similar to 1.5 mu Jy beam(-1)), angular resolution (0.2-0.7 arcsec) and field-of-view (similar to 15x15 arcmin(2)) to detect and spatially resolve star-forming galaxies and active galactic nucleus (AGN) at z greater than or similar to 1. The goal of e-MERGE is to provide new constraints on the deep, sub-arcsecond radio sky which will be surveyed by SKA1-mid. In this initial publication, we discuss our data analysis techniques, including steps taken to model in-beam source variability over an similar to 20-yr baseline and the development of newpoint spread function/primary beam models to seamlessly merge e-MERLIN and VLA data in the uv plane. We present early science results, including measurements of the luminosities and/or linear sizes of similar to 500 galaxies selected at 1.5 GHz. In combination with deep Hubble Space Telescope observations, we measure a mean radio-to-optical size ratio of r(e-MERGE)/r(HST) similar to 1.02 +/- 0.03, suggesting that in most high-redshift galaxies, the similar to GHz continuum emission traces the stellar light seen in optical imaging. This is the first in a series of papers that will explore the similar to kpc-scale radio properties of star-forming galaxies and AGN in the GOODS-N field observed by e-MERGE DR1.
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| 8. |
- Oonk, J. B. R., et al.
(författare)
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Discovery of carbon radio recombination lines in absorption towards Cygnus A
- 2014
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 437:4, s. 3506-3515
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the first detection of carbon radio recombination line absorption along the line of sight to Cygnus A. The observations were carried out with the Low Frequency Array in the 33–57 MHz range. These low-frequency radio observations provide us with a new line of sight to study the diffuse, neutral gas in our Galaxy. To our knowledge this is the first time that foreground Milky Way recombination line absorption has been observed against a bright extragalactic background source. By stacking 48 carbon α lines in the observed frequency range we detect carbon absorption with a signal-to-noise ratio of about 5. The average carbon absorption has a peak optical depth of 2 × 10−4, a line width of 10 km s−1 and a velocity of +4 km s−1 with respect to the local standard of rest. The associated gas is found to have an electron temperature Te ∼ 110 K and density ne ∼ 0.06 cm−3. These properties imply that the observed carbon α absorption likely arises in the cold neutral medium of the Orion arm of the Milky Way. Hydrogen and helium lines were not detected to a 3σ peak optical depth limit of 1.5 × 10−4 for a 4 km s−1 channel width. Radio recombination lines associated with Cygnus A itself were also searched for, but are not detected. We set a 3σ upper limit of 1.5 × 10−4 for the peak optical depth of these lines for a 4 km s−1 channel width.
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| 9. |
- Smolčić, Vernesa, et al.
(författare)
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The XXL Survey: XI. ATCA 2.1 GHz continuum observations?
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 592:Art. no A10
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present 2.1 GHz imaging with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) of a 6.5 deg2 region within the XXM-Newton XXL South field using a band of 1.1-3.1 GHz.We achieve an angular resolution of 4:7″ × 4:2″ in the final radio continuum map with a median rms noise level of 50 μJy/beam. We identify 1389 radio sources in the field with peak S=N ≥ 5 and present the catalogue of observed parameters. We find that 305 sources are resolved, of which 77 consist of multiple radio components. These number counts are in agreement with those found for the COSMOS-VLA 1.4 GHz survey. We derive spectral indices by a comparison with the Sydney University Molongolo Sky Survey (SUMSS) 843MHz data. We find an average spectral index of -0:78 and a scatter of 0.28, in line with expectations. This pilot survey was conducted in preparation for a larger ATCA program to observe the full 25 deg2 southern XXL field. When complete, the survey will provide a unique resource of sensitive, wide-field radio continuum imaging with complementary X-ray data in the field. This will facilitate studies of the physical mechanisms of radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs and galaxy clusters, and the role they play in galaxy evolution. The source catalogue is publicly available online via the XXL Master Catalogue browser and the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS).
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| 10. |
- Snellen, I., et al.
(författare)
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Future investigations of GPS and CSS radio sources with LOFAR
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astronomische Nachrichten. - : Wiley. - 0004-6337 .- 1521-3994. ; 330:2-3, s. 297-300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the next few years, the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) will open up one of the last astronomically unexplored wavelength regimes. While the LOFAR core is currently being erected in the Netherlands, its outer stations will cover a large part of Europe, resulting in an unprecedented angular resolution at > meter wavelengths. Next to many other exciting scientific endeavours, LOFAR will be the first instrument to probe the low frequency spectra of Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) and Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) radio sources. It will give new insights into their absorption processes, and probe associated extended emission (possibly linked to earlier epochs of activity) in these enigmatic class of young active galactic nuclei. Furthermore, LOFAR will be sensitive to possibly the most distant GPS and CSS sources, of which their spectral turnovers have redshifted down to the lowest observable radio frequencies.
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| 11. |
- Vacca, V., et al.
(författare)
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Using rotation measure grids to detect cosmological magnetic fields: A Bayesian approach
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 591, s. Art. no. A13-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Determining magnetic field properties in different environments of the cosmic large-scale structure as well as their evolution over redshift is a fundamental step toward uncovering the origin of cosmic magnetic fields. Radio observations permit the study of extragalactic magnetic fields via measurements of the Faraday depth of extragalactic radio sources. Our aim is to investigate how much different extragalactic environments contribute to the Faraday depth variance of these sources. We develop a Bayesian algorithm to distinguish statistically Faraday depth variance contributions intrinsic to the source from those due to the medium between the source and the observer. In our algorithm the Galactic foreground and measurement noise are taken into account as the uncertainty correlations of the Galactic model. Additionally, our algorithm allows for the investigation of possible redshift evolution of the extragalactic contribution. This work presents the derivation of the algorithm and tests performed on mock observations. Because cosmic magnetism is one of the key science projects of the new generation of radio interferometers, we have predicted the performance of our algorithm on mock data collected with these instruments. According to our tests, high-quality catalogs of a few thousands of sources should already enable us to investigate magnetic fields in the cosmic structure.
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| 12. |
- Van Eck, C.L., et al.
(författare)
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Polarized point sources in the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey: A preliminary catalog
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 613
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The polarization properties of radio sources at very low frequencies (<200 MHz) have not been widely measured, but the new generation of low-frequency radio telescopes, including the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR: a Square Kilometre Array Low pathfinder), now gives us the opportunity to investigate these properties. In this paper, we report on the preliminary development of a data reduction pipeline to carry out polarization processing and Faraday tomography for data from the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey (LOTSS) and present the results of this pipeline from the LOTSS preliminary data release region (10h45m–15h30m right ascension, 45°–57° declination, 570 square degrees). We have produced a catalog of 92 polarized radio sources at 150 MHz at 4.′3 resolution and 1 mJy rms sensitivity, which is the largest catalog of polarized sources at such low frequencies. We estimate a lower limit to the polarized source surface density at 150 MHz, with our resolution and sensitivity, of 1 source per 6.2 square degrees. We find that our Faraday depth measurements are in agreement with previous measurements and have significantly smaller errors. Most of our sources show significant depolarization compared to 1.4 GHz, but there is a small population of sources with low depolarization indicating that their polarized emission is highly localized in Faraday depth. We predict that an extension of this work to the full LOTSS data would detect at least 3400 polarized sources using the same methods, and probably considerably more with improved data processing.
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| 13. |
- Yatawatta, S., et al.
(författare)
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Initial deep LOFAR observations of epoch of reionization windows I. The north celestial pole
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 550, s. A136-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. The aim of the LOFAR epoch of reionization (EoR) project is to detect the spectral fluctuations of the redshifted HI 21 cm signal. This signal is weaker by several orders of magnitude than the astrophysical foreground signals and hence, in order to achieve this, very long integrations, accurate calibration for stations and ionosphere and reliable foreground removal are essential. Methods. One of the prospective observing windows for the LOFAR EoR project will be centered at the north celestial pole (NCP). We present results from observations of the NCP window using the LOFAR highband antenna (HBA) array in the frequency range 115 MHz to 163 MHz. The data were obtained in April 2011 during the commissioning phase of LOFAR. We used baselines up to about 30 km. The data was processed using a dedicated processing pipeline which is an enhanced version of the standard LOFAR processing pipeline. Results. With about 3 nights, of 6 h each, effective integration we have achieved a noise level of about 100 mu Jy/PSF in the NCP window. Close to the NCP, the noise level increases to about 180 mu Jy/PSF, mainly due to additional contamination from unsubtracted nearby sources. We estimate that in our best night, we have reached a noise level only a factor of 1.4 above the thermal limit set by the noise from our Galaxy and the receivers. Our continuum images are several times deeper than have been achieved previously using the WSRT and GMRT arrays. We derive an analytical explanation for the excess noise that we believe to be mainly due to sources at large angular separation from the NCP. We present some details of the data processing challenges and how we solved them. Conclusions. Although many LOFAR stations were, at the time of the observations, in a still poorly calibrated state we have seen no artefacts in our images which would prevent us from producing deeper images in much longer integrations on the NCP window which are about to commence. The limitations present in our current results are mainly due to sidelobe noise from the large number of distant sources, as well as errors related to station beam variations and rapid ionospheric phase fluctuations acting on bright sources. We are confident that we can improve our results with refined processing.
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