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To test the hypothesis that megaparsec-scale giant radio galaxies (GRGs) have multiple epochs of recurrent activity which lead to their giant sizes and to understand the nature of double-double radio galaxies (DDRGs), we have built the largest sample of giant DDRGs from the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS). The sample consists of 111 sources, of which 76 are newly identified. Their redshift and total projected size ranges are between 0.06 to 1.6 and 0.7 Mpc to 3.2 Mpc, respectively. We conducted a detailed analysis to characterise their properties, including arm-length ratios, flux density ratios of pairs of lobes, and misalignment angles. These measurements allow us to study the symmetry parameters, which are influenced by the immediate and large-scale environments of DDRGs. Our study conclusively shows that the cocoons in which the inner lobes of DDRGs grow are often contaminated with surrounding material from the external medium, leading to observed asymmetries in the inner lobes. Our analysis also reveals highly misaligned DDRGs, which could be due to environmental factors and/or changes in the supermassive black hole jet ejection axes. By studying the misalignment angles, we assess the stability of the jets in these systems in relation to their environment. Additionally, we have also characterised the large-scale environments of DDRGs, identifying them within dense galaxy clusters and studying how cluster weather significantly affects their morphologies. Interestingly, we have identified two gigahertz peaked-spectrum (GPS) candidates in the unresolved cores of the DDRGs, as well as one triple-double candidate, which, if confirmed, would be only the fifth known case. Additionally, we have discovered a DDRG in a distant galaxy cluster at $z\sim$\u20091.4. Abridged.

[Abridged] The relation between nuclear star clusters (NSCs) and the growth of the central SMBHs, as well as their connection to the properties of the host galaxies, is crucial for understanding the evolution of galaxies. Recent observations have revealed that about 10 per cent of nucleated galaxies host hybrid nuclei, consisting of both NSCs and accreting SMBHs that power active galactic nuclei (AGN). Motivated by the potential of the recently published multi-wavelength data sets from LeMMINGs survey, here we present the most thorough investigation to date of the incidence of hybrid nuclei in a large sample of 100 nearby nucleated galaxies (10 E, 25 S0, 63 S, and 2 Irr), covering a wide range in stellar mass ($M_{*,\rm gal} \sim 10^{8.7}-10^{12}~\rm M_{sun}$). We identify the nuclei and derive their properties by performing detailed 1D and 2D multi-component decompositions of the optical and near-infrared $HST$ stellar light distributions of the galaxies using Sérsic and core-Sérsic models. Our AGN diagnostics are based on homogeneously derived nuclear 1.5 GHz $e$-MERLIN radio, $Chandra$ X-ray (0.3--10 keV) and optical emission-line data. We determine the nucleation fraction ($f_{\rm nuc} $) as the relative incidence of nuclei across the LeMMINGs $HST$ sample and find $f_{\rm nuc} =~ $100/149 (= 67 $\pm$ 7 per cent), confirming previous work, with a peak value of 49/56~(= $88 \pm 13$ per cent) at bulge masses $M_{*,\rm bulge} \sim 10^{9.4}$- $10^{10.8}~\rm M_{sun}$. We identify 30 nucleated LeMMINGs galaxies that are optically active, radio-detected and X-ray luminous ($L_{X} > 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$). This indicates that our nucleated sample has a lower limit $\sim$ 30 per cent occupancy of hybrid nuclei, which is a function of $M_{*,\rm bulge}$ and $M_{*,\rm gal}$. We find that hybrid nuclei have a number density of $(1.5 \pm 0.4) \times 10^{-5}$ Mpc$^{-3}$.

Neutral atomic hydrogen and molecular gas in the host galaxies of radio active galactic nuclei (AGN) can be traced using H I 21-cm and OH-1667 MHz absorption lines to understand the fueling and feedback processes. We present the results of an H I and OH absorption survey with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) towards 40 radio sources of low-intermediate radio luminosity ($\sim$10$^{23}$-10$^{26}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ at 1.4 GHz), red mid-infrared color (W2[4.6 $\mu$m]$-$W3[12 $\mu$m] $>$ 2.5 mag) and redshift up to 0.35. From 13 sources with good data at H I observing frequencies, we report the detection of H I absorption towards 8 sources, 5 of which are new detections including 4 in the redshift range 0.25 to 0.35. Our detection rates are consistent with our previous results with dependence on the star-formation history of the host galaxy reflected in the mid-infrared \textitWISE W2$-$W3 colors and the compactness of the radio source. We find no significant dependence of detection rates on radio luminosity or redshift. We also find that H I column densities are anti-correlated with the low-frequency spectral indices ($\alpha_{\rm 150 MHz}^{\rm 1.4 GHz}$, $S_{\nu}\propto \nu^{-\alpha}$). We do not have any detection from 23 sources with good data at OH observing frequencies. However, by stacking the spectra we estimate the 3$\sigma$ upper limit of OH column density to be 2.27$\times$10$^{14}$$T_{\rm ex}$/10 K $\times$1/$f_{\rm c}$ cm$^{-2}$. By stacking the OH spectra for 7 associated H I absorbers, we get a 3$\sigma$ upper limit of 3.47$\times$10$^{14}$ $T_{\rm ex}$/10 K $\times$1/$f_{\rm c}$ cm$^{-2}$ on OH column density and 1.78$\times$10$^{-7}$ on [OH]/[H I] ratio.

Circumnuclear star formation (SF) is generally seen in galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN); however, the connection between the AGN activity and SF in them is less well understood. To explore this connection on scales of a few tens of parsec to a few tens of kiloparsec and larger, we carried out an investigation of SF in seven Seyfert type AGN and one LINER galaxy, using observations with the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board \it AstroSat in the near ultra-Violet (NUV; 2000-3000 Å) and far ultra-Violet (FUV; 2000-3000 Å) bands. A total of 1742 star-forming regions were identified, having size scales of 0.010 to 63.642 kpc$^2$. Considering all the galaxies, we found a positive correlation between their total surface density of SF ($\Sigma_{SFR}$) and extinction. For five galaxies, namely NGC 1365, NGC 4051, NGC 4321, NGC 5033 and NGC 6814, we found a gradual decrease of both extinction and $\Sigma_{SFR}$ from the centre to the outer regions. Four sources are found to lie in the main sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies, and the other four are away from MS. We found the ratio of the star formation rate (SFR) in the nuclear region to the total SFR to be positively correlated with the Eddington ratio. This points to the influence of AGN on enhancing the SF characteristics of the hosts. However, the impact is dominant only in the central nuclear region with no significant effect on the larger scales probed in this work.

The astrophysical $\gamma$-ray photons carry the signatures of the violent phenomena happening on various astronomical scales in our Universe. This includes supernova remnants, pulsars, and pulsar wind nebulae in the Galactic environment and extragalactic relativistic jets associated with active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, $\sim$30\% of the \gm-ray sources detected with the Fermi Large Area Telescope lack multiwavelength counterpart association, precluding us from characterizing their origin. Here we report, for the first time, the association of a collisional ring galaxy system in our Galactic neighborhood (distance $\sim$10 Mpc), formed as a consequence of a smaller `bullet' galaxy piercing through a larger galaxy, as the multi-frequency counterpart of an unassociated $\gamma$-ray source 4FGL~J1647.5$-$5724. The system, also known as "Kathryn's Wheel", contains two dwarf irregular galaxies and an edge-on, late-type, spiral galaxy surrounded by a ring of star-forming knots. We utilized observations taken from the Neil Gehrels Swift observatory, Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey, SuperCOSMOS H$\alpha$ Survey, Dark Energy Survey, and Visible MultiObject Spectrograph at Very Large Telescope to ascertain the association with 4FGL~J1647.5$-$5724 and to explore the connection between the star-forming activities and the observed $\gamma$-ray emission. We found that star-formation alone cannot explain the observed $\gamma$-ray emission, and additional contribution likely from the pulsars/supernova remnants or buried AGN is required. We conclude that arcsecond/sub-arcsecond-scale observations of this extraordinary $\gamma$-ray emitting galaxy collision will be needed to resolve the environment and explore the origin of cosmic rays.

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies are an enigmatic class of active galactic nuclei (AGN) that exhibit peculiar multiwavelength properties across the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, these sources have allowed us to explore the innermost regions of the central engine of AGN using X-ray observations and have also provided clues about the origin of relativistic jets considering radio and gamma-ray bands. Keeping in mind the ongoing and upcoming wide-field, multi-frequency sky surveys, we present a new catalogue of NLSy1 galaxies. This was done by carrying out a detailed decomposition of >2 million optical spectra of quasars and galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 17 (SDSS-DR17) using the publicly available software "Bayesian AGN Decomposition Analysis for SDSS Spectra". The catalogue contains 22656 NLSy1 galaxies which is more than twice the size of the previously identified NLSy1s based on SDSS-DR12. As a corollary, we also release a new catalogue of 52273 broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLSy1) galaxies. The estimated optical spectral parameters and derived quantities confirm the previously known finding of NLSy1 galaxies being AGN powered by highly accreting, low-mass black holes. We conclude that this enlarged sample of NLSy1 and BLSy1 galaxies will enable us to explore the low-luminosity end of the AGN population by effectively utilizing the sensitive, high-quality observations delivered by ongoing/upcoming wide-field sky surveys. The catalogue has been made public at https://www.ucm.es/blazars/seyfert

Black hole driven outflows in galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN) may interact with their interstellar medium (ISM) affecting star formation. Such feedback processes, reminiscent of those seen in massive galaxies, have been reported recently in some dwarf galaxies. However, such studies have usually been on kiloparsec and larger scales and our knowledge on the smallest spatial scales to which these feedback processes can operate is unclear. Here we demonstrate radio jet$-$ISM interaction on the scale of an asymmetric triple radio structure of $\sim$ 10 parsec size in NGC 4395. This triple radio structure is seen in the 15 GHz continuum image and the two asymmetric jet-like structures are situated on either side of the radio core that coincides with the optical \it Gaia position. The high resolution radio image and the extended [OIII]$\lambda$5007 emission, indicative of an outflow, are spatially coincident and are consistent with the interpretation of a low power radio jet interacting with the ISM. Modelling of the spectral lines using \tt MAPPINGS, and estimation of temperature using optical integral field spectroscopic data suggest shock ionization of the gas. The continuum emission at 237 GHz, though weak, was found to spatially coincide with the AGN. However, the CO(2$-$1) line emission was found to be displaced by around 20 parsec northward of the AGN core. The spatial coincidence of molecular H$_2$$\lambda$2.4085 along the jet direction, the morphology of ionised [OIII]$\lambda$5007 and displacement of the CO(2$-$1) emission argues for conditions less favourable for star formation in the central $\sim$ 10 parsec region.

The excellent sensitivity and optimum resolution of LoTSS DR2 at 144 MHz has enabled us to discover a giant radio galaxy (J1225+4011) with three distinct episodes of jet activity, making it a member of a class of objects called triple-double radio galaxies (TDRGs). The source extends overall up to 1.35 Mpc in projected size, with the second episode extending to 572 kpc, and the inner episode to 118 kpc. J1225+4011 is only the fourth radio source showing a triple-double radio structure. All four sources have overall sizes greater than 700 kpc, making them giants. We also present the LoTSS 144 MHz map of the TDRG J0929+4146 and report its updated size. Lastly, we have summarised and discussed the radio properties of all TDRGs for the first time to understand their growth and evolution. Our observations suggest that the power of their jets may decrease with time.

We present a detailed multi-wavelength study of star formation in the dwarf galaxy NGC 4395 which hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN). From our observations with the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope, we have compiled a catalogue of 284 star forming (SF) regions, out of which we could detect 120 SF regions in H$\alpha$ observations. Across the entire galaxy, we found the extinction corrected star formation rate (SFR) in the far ultra-violet (FUV) to range from 2.0 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$ M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ to 1.5 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$ M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ with a median of 3.0 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$ M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ and age to lie in the range of $\sim$ 1 to 98 Myr with a median of 14 Myr. In H$\alpha$ we found the SFR to range from 7.2 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ to 2.7 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$ M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ with a median of 1.7 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$ M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ and age to lie between 3 to 6 Myr with a median of 5 Myr. The stellar ages derived from H$\alpha$ show a gradual decline with galactocentric distance. We found three SF regions close to the center of NGC~4395 with high SFR both from H$\alpha$ and UV which could be attributed to feedback effects from the AGN. We also found six other SF regions in one of the spiral arms having higher SFR. These are very close to supernovae remnants which could have enhanced the SFR locally. We obtained a specific SFR (SFR per unit mass) for the whole galaxy 4.64 $\times$ 10$^{-10}$ yr$^{-1}$.

Multiwavelength studies indicate that nuclear activity and bulge properties are closely related, but the details remain unclear. To study this further, we combine $Hubble~Space~Telescope$ bulge structural and photometric properties with 1.5 GHz, $e$-MERLIN nuclear radio continuum data from the LeMMINGs survey for a large sample of 173 `active' galaxies (LINERs and Seyferts) and `inactive' galaxies (H IIs and absorption line galaxies, ALGs). Dividing our sample into active and inactive, they define distinct (radio core luminosity)$-$(bulge mass), L_R,core-M_*,bulge, relations, with a mass turnover at M_*, bulge ~ 10^(9.8 +- 0.3) M_sun (supermassive black hole mass M_BH ~ 10^(6.8 +- 0.3) M_sun), which marks the transition from AGN-dominated nuclear radio emission in more massive bulges to that mainly driven by stellar processes in low-mass bulges. None of our 10/173 bulgeless galaxies host an AGN. The AGN fraction increases with increasing M_*, bulge such that f_optical_AGN $\propto$ M_*,bulge^(0.24 +- 0.06) and f_radio_AGN $\propto$ M_*,bulge^(0.24 +- 0.05). Between M_*,bulge ~ 10^8.5 and 10^11.3 M_sun, f_optical_AGN steadily rises from 15 +- 4 to 80 +- 5 per cent. We find that at fixed bulge mass, the radio loudness, nuclear radio activity and the (optical and radio) AGN fraction exhibit no dependence on environment. Radio-loud hosts preferentially possess an early-type morphology than radio-quiet hosts, the two types are however indistinguishable in terms of bulge Sérsic index and ellipticity, while results on the bulge inner logarithmic profile slope are inconclusive. We finally discuss the importance of bulge mass in determining the AGN triggering processes, including potential implications for the nuclear radio emission in nearby galaxies.

The orientation of the jet axis to the line of sight of the observer plays a major role in explaining the phenomena observed from blazars and radio galaxies. In the gamma-ray band, only a handful of radio galaxies have been identified, all being located in the nearby Universe (z<0.5). Here we report the identification of 4FGL J1435.5+2021, associated with TXS 1433+205, as a Fanaroff-Riley type II (FR II) radio galaxy at a considerably higher redshift of z=0.748, thereby making it the most distant gamma-ray detected radio galaxy known as of now. The Very Large Array Sky Survey data at 3 GHz resolves the source morphology into a bright core, a jet and two hotspots, with a total end-to-end projected length between lobe extremities of ~170 kpc. The optical and radio properties of this enigmatic object suggest it to be a high-excitation FR II radio galaxy. The multi-wavelength behaviour of TXS 1433+205 is found to be similar to other gamma-ray detected FR II sources but is at the high luminosity end. We suggest that the ongoing and upcoming high-resolution radio surveys will lead to the identification of many more high-redshift radio galaxies in the gamma-ray sky, thus allowing comprehensive studies of misaligned relativistic jets.

We present for the first time a study of peculiar giant radio galaxy (GRG) J223301+131502 using deep multi-frequency radio observations from GMRT (323, 612, and 1300 MHz) and LOFAR (144 MHz) along with optical spectroscopic observations with the WHT~4.2m optical telescope. Our observations have firmly established its redshift of 0.09956 and unveiled its exceptional jet structure extending more than $\sim$ 200 kpc leading to a peculiar kink structure of $\sim$ 100 kpc. We measure the overall size of this GRG to be $\sim$ 1.83 Mpc; it exhibits lobes without any prominent hotspots and closely resembles a barbell. Our deep low-frequency radio maps clearly reveal the steep-spectrum diffuse emission from the lobes of the GRG. The magnetic field strength of $\sim$ 5 $\mu$G and spectral ages between about 110 to 200 mega years for the radio lobes were estimated using radio data from LOFAR 144 MHz observations and GMRT 323 and 612 MHz observations. We discuss the possible causes leading to the formation of the observed kink feature for the GRG, which includes precession of the jet axis, development of instabilities and magnetic reconnection. Despite its enormous size, the Barbell GRG is found to be residing in a low-mass (M$_{200} \sim 10^{14}$ $\rm M_{\odot}$) galaxy cluster. This GRG with two-sided large-scale jets with a kink and diffuse outer lobes residing in a cluster environment provides an opportunity to explore the structure and growth of GRGs in different environments.

Giant radio sources (GRSs) defined to be > 0.7 Mpc are the largest single objects in the Universe and can be associated with both galaxies (GRGs) and quasars (GRQs). They are important for understanding the evolution of radio galaxies and quasars whose sizes range from pc to Mpc scales and are also valuable probes of their environment. These radio-loud active galactic nuclei (RLAGN) interact with the interstellar medium of the host galaxy on small scales and the large-scale intracluster or intergalactic medium for the GRSs. With several new and sensitive surveys over the last few years, the number of known GRSs has increased many fold which has led a resurgence of interest in the field. This review article summarises our current understanding of these sources based on nearly five decades of research and discusses the importance of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) in addressing some of the outstanding questions.

This article gives a brief historical introduction and reviews our current understanding of jets in radio galaxies and quasars from an observational perspective, with an emphasis on observations at radio wavelengths. Recent results on the Fanaroff-Riley classification scheme, and the nature of radio structures and jets in the FR classes as well as in high-excitation and low-excitation radio galaxies are summarized. The collimation and propagation of jets from nuclear sub-pc to hundreds of kpc scales from both observatinoal and theoretical work have been discussed. The jets exhibit evidence of interaction with a clumpy interstellar medium, especially in young radio sources, and could trigger both star formation as well as suppress star formation depending on the physical conditions. Observational evidence for such interactions and jet feedback which have profound implications in our understanding of galaxy evolution have been presented. Recurrent jet activity which has been seen over a wide range of projected linear size and time scales has been discussed. This review article concludes with a brief discussion of unresolved questions on jets which new telescopes should help address.

Giant radio quasars (GRQs) are radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), propelling megaparsec-scale jets. In order to understand GRQs and their properties, we have compiled all known GRQs ("the GRQ catalogue"), and a subset of small (size <700 kpc) radio quasars (SRQs) from the literature. In this process, we have found 10 new FR-II GRQs, in the redshift range of 0.66 < z < 1.72, which we include in the GRQ catalogue. Using the above samples, we have carried out a systematic comparative study of GRQs and SRQs, using optical and radio data. Our results show that the GRQs and SRQs statistically have similar spectral index and black hole mass distributions. However, SRQs have higher radio core power, core dominance factor, total radio power, jet kinetic power and Eddington ratio compared to GRQs. On the other hand, when compared to giant radio galaxies (GRGs), GRQs have higher black hole mass and Eddington ratio. The high core dominance factor of SRQs is an indicator of them lying closer to the line of sight than GRQs. We also find a correlation of the accretion disc luminosity with the radio core and jet power of GRQs, which provides evidence for disc-jet coupling. Lastly, we find the distributions of Eddington ratios of GRGs and GRQs to be bi-modal, similar to that found in small radio galaxies (SRGs) and SRQs, which indicate that size is not strongly dependent on the accretion state. Using all of these, we provide a basic model for the growth of SRQs to GRQs.

What determines the nuclear radio emission in local galaxies? We combine optical [O III] line emission, robust black hole (BH) mass estimates, and high-resolution e-MERLIN 1.5-GHz data, from the LeMMINGs survey, of a statistically-complete sample of 280 nearby, optically active (LINER and Seyfert) and inactive HII and Absorption line galaxies [ALG]) galaxies. Using [O III] luminosity ($L_{\rm [O~III]}$) as a proxy for the accretion power, local galaxies follow distinct sequences in the optical-radio planes of BH activity, which suggest different origins of the nuclear radio emission for the optical classes. The 1.5-GHz radio luminosity of their parsec-scale cores ($L_{\rm core}$) is found to scale with BH mass ($M_{\rm BH}$) and [O~III] luminosity. Below $M_{\rm BH} \sim$10$^{6.5}$ M$_{\odot}$, stellar processes from non-jetted HII galaxies dominate with $L_{\rm core} \propto M_{\rm BH}^{0.61\pm0.33}$ and $L_{\rm core} \propto L_{\rm [O~III]}^{0.79\pm0.30}$. Above $M_{\rm BH} \sim$10$^{6.5}$ M$_{\odot}$, accretion-driven processes dominate with $L_{\rm core} \propto M_{\rm BH}^{1.5-1.65}$ and $L_{\rm core} \propto L_{\rm [O~III]}^{0.99-1.31}$ for active galaxies: radio-quiet/loud LINERs, Seyferts and jetted HII galaxies always display (although low) signatures of radio-emitting BH activity, with $L_{\rm 1.5\, GHz}\gtrsim$10$^{19.8}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ and $M_{\rm BH}\gtrsim10^{7}$ M$_{\odot}$, on a broad range of Eddington-scaled accretion rates ($\dot{m}$). Radio-quiet and radio-loud LINERs are powered by low-$\dot{m}$ discs launching sub-relativistic and relativistic jets, respectively. Low-power slow jets and disc/corona winds from moderately high to high-$\dot{m}$ discs account for the compact and edge-brightened jets of Seyferts, respectively. Jetted HII galaxies may host weakly active BHs. Fuel-starved BHs and recurrent activity account for ALG properties. [abridged]

Compact steep-spectrum (CSS) and peaked spectrum (PS) radio sources are compact, powerful radio sources. The multi-frequency observational properties and current theories are reviewed with emphasis on developments since the earlier review of O'Dea (1998). There are three main hypotheses for the nature of PS and CSS sources. (1) The PS sources might be very young radio galaxies which will evolve into CSS sources on their way to becoming large radio galaxies. (2) The PS and CSS sources might be compact because they are confined (and enhanced in radio power) by interaction with dense gas in their environments. (3) Alternately, the PS sources might be transient or intermittent sources. Each of these hypotheses may apply to individual objects. The relative number in each population will have significant implications for the radio galaxy paradigm. Proper motion studies over long time baselines have helped determine hotspot speeds for over three dozen sources and establish that these are young objects. Multifrequency polarization observations have demonstrated that many CSS/PS sources are embedded in a dense interstellar medium and vigorously interacting with it. The detection of emission line gas aligned with the radio source, and blue-shifted HI absorption and [OIII] emission lines indicates that AGN feedback is present in these objects -- possibly driven by the radio source. CSS/PS sources with evidence of episodic AGN over a large range of time-scales have been discussed. The review closes with a discussion of open questions and prospects for the future.

We present the first results of a project called SAGAN, which is dedicated solely to the studies of relatively rare megaparsec-scale radio galaxies in the Universe, called giant radio galaxies (GRGs). We have identified 162 new GRGs primarily from the NVSS with sizes ranging from ~0.71 Mpc to 2.82 Mpc in the redshift range of ~0.03 - 0.95, of which 23 are hosted by quasars (giant radio quasars, GRQs). As part of the project SAGAN, we have created a database of all known GRGs, the GRG catalogue, from the literature (including our new sample); it includes 820 sources. For the first time, we present the multi-wavelength properties of the largest sample of GRGs. Our results establish that the distributions of the radio spectral index and the black hole mass of GRGs do not differ from the corresponding distributions of normal-sized radio galaxies (RGs). However, GRGs have a lower Eddington ratio (ER) than RGs. Using the mid-infrared data, we classified GRGs in terms of their accretion mode: either a high-power radiatively efficient high-excitation state, or a radiatively inefficient low-excitation state. We find that GRGs in high-excitation state statistically have larger sizes, stronger radio power, jet kinetic power, and higher ER than those in low-excitation state. Our analysis reveals a strong correlation between the ER and the scaled jet kinetic power, which suggests a disc-jet coupling. Our environmental study reveals that ~10% of all GRGs may reside at the centres of galaxy clusters, in a denser galactic environment, while the majority appears to reside in a sparse environment. We find that the probability of BCG as a GRG is quite low. We present new results for GRGs that range from black hole mass to large-scale environment properties. We discuss their formation and growth scenarios, highlighting the key physical factors that cause them to reach their gigantic size. Abridged.

We present results of H I absorption experiment done using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) towards 27 low- and intermediate-luminosity ($P_{\rm 1.4 GHz}$ $\sim$10$^{23}$-10$^{26}$ W Hz$^{-1}$) radio active galactic nuclei (AGN), classified as either low excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) or high excitation radio galaxies (HERGs) and with WISE colour W2[4.6 $\mu$m]$-$W3[12 $\mu$m]$>$ 2. We report H I absorption detection towards seven radio AGNs, six of which are new. Combined with other sources from literature classified as LERGs or HERGs, we confirm our earlier result that compact radio AGNs with WISE colour W2$-$W3 $>$2 have higher detection rates compared to those with W2$-$W3 $<$2. We find that H I absorption detection rate is higher for HERGs (37.0$^{+15.8}_{-11.5}$ per cent) compared to LERGs (22.0$^{+3.9}_{-3.4}$ per cent), mainly due to a larger fraction of HERGs being gas and dust rich with a younger stellar population compared to LERGs. However, for similar compact radio structures and host galaxies with WISE colours W2$-$W3$>$2, we don't find any significant difference in detection rates of two types of AGNs implying detection of H I gas may not necessarily mean high excitation mode AGN. We further analysed the kinematics towards these sources. We find that while LERGs show a wide range in the shift of centroid velocities ($\sim$ $-$479 to $+$356 km s$^{-1}$) relative to the optical systemic velocity, most of the HERGs have centroid velocity shift less than 200 km s$^{-1}$, possibly due to differences in jet-interstellar medium interaction.

The CHANG-ES galaxy sample consists of 35 nearby edge-on galaxies that have been observed using the VLA at 1.6 GHz and 6.0 GHz. Here we present the 3rd data release of our sample, namely the B-configuration 1.6 GHz sample. In addition, we make available the \it band-to-band spectral index maps between 1.6 GHz and 6.0 GHz, the latter taken in the matching resolution C-configuration. The images can be downloaded from https://www.queensu.ca/changes. These are our highest resolution images ($\approx$ 3 arcsec) and we examine the possible presence of low luminosity active galactic nuclei in the sample as well as some in-disk structure. New features can be seen in the spectral index maps that are masked in the total intensity emission, including hidden spiral arms in NGC~3448 and two previously unknown radio lobes on either side of the nucleus of NGC~3628. Our AGN detection rate, using only radio criteria, is 55\% which we take as a lower limit because some weaker embedded AGNs are likely present which could be revealed at higher resolution. Archival XMM-Newton data were used to search for further fingerprints of the AGNs in the studied sample. In galaxy disks, discrete regions of flat spectral index are seen, likely due to a thermal emission fraction that is higher than the global average.

In order to understand the possible mechanisms of recurrent jet activity in radio galaxies and quasars, which are still unclear, we have identified such sources with a large range of linear sizes (220 $-$ 917 kpc), and hence time scales of episodic activity. Here we present high-sensitivity 607-MHz Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) images of 21 possible double-double radio galaxies (DDRGs) identified from the FIRST survey to confirm their episodic nature. These GMRT observations show that none of the inner compact components suspected to be hot-spots of the inner doubles are cores having a flat radio spectrum, confirming the episodic nature of these radio sources. We have indentified a new DDRG with a candidate quasar, and have estimated the upper spectral age limits for eight sources which showed marginal evidence of steepening at higher frequencies. The estimated age limits (11 $-$ 52 Myr) are smaller than those of the large-sized ($\sim$ 1 Mpc) DDRGs.

We present a catalogue of 349 giant radio sources (GRSs including both galaxies and quasars). The database contains all giants known to date from the literature. These GRSs cover the redshift range of 0.016$<$z$<$3.22 and include radio sources of projected linear sizes larger than 0.7~Mpc which extend up to 4.7~Mpc. We provide the principal parameters (i.e. exact position of the host in the sky, redshift, angular and projected linear size, red optical magnitude, radio morphology type, total radio flux density and luminosity) for all the sources as well as characteristics of the sample. Based on the distribution of GRSs in the sky we identify regions where there is a paucity of giants, so that future surveys for this type of objects could concentrate primarily in these fields. From the analysis presented here, we estimate a lower limit for the expected number of GRSs as about 2000, for the resolution and sensitivity limits of FIRST, NRAO VLA Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey surveys. Compared with earlier compilations, there is a significant increase in the number of large giants with sizes $>$ 2 Mpc as well as those at high redshifts with z$>$1. We discuss aspects of their evolution and suggest that these are consistent with evolutionary models.

We detect 5 galaxies in the CHANG-ES (Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies -- an EVLA Survey) sample that show circular polarization (CP) at L-band in our high resolution data sets. Two of the galaxies (NGC~4388 and NGC~4845) show strong Stokes $V/I\,\equiv\,m_C\,\sim\,2$\%, two (NGC~660 and NGC~3628) have values of $m_C\sim \,0.3$\%, and NGC~3079 is a marginal detection at $m_C\sim \,0.2$\%. The two strongest $m_C$ galaxies also have the most luminous X-ray cores and the strongest internal absorption in X-rays. We have expanded on our previous Faraday conversion interpretation and analysis and provide analytical expressions for the expected $V$ signal for a general case in which the cosmic ray electron energy spectral index can take on any value. We provide examples as to how such expressions could be used to estimate magnetic field strengths and the lower energy cutoff for CR electrons. Four out of our detections are \it resolved, showing unique structures, including a \it jet in NGC~4388 and a CP `conversion disk' in NGC~4845. The conversion disk is inclined to the galactic disk but is perpendicular to a possible outflow direction. Such CP structures have never before been seen in any galaxy to our knowledge. None of the galaxy cores show linear polarization at L-band. Thus CP may provide a unique probe of physical conditions deep into radio AGNs.

We present the first data release of high-resolution ($\leq0.2$ arcsec) 1.5-GHz radio images of 103 nearby galaxies from the Palomar sample, observed with the eMERLIN array, as part of the LeMMINGs survey. This sample includes galaxies which are active (LINER and Seyfert) and quiescent (HII galaxies and Absorption line galaxies, ALG), which are reclassified based upon revised emission-line diagrams. We detect radio emission $\gtrsim$ 0.2 mJy for 47/103 galaxies (22/34 for LINERS, 4/4 for Seyferts, 16/51 for HII galaxies and 5/14 for ALGs) with radio sizes typically of $\lesssim$100 pc. We identify the radio core position within the radio structures for 41 sources. Half of the sample shows jetted morphologies. The remaining half shows single radio cores or complex morphologies. LINERs show radio structures more core-brightened than Seyferts. Radio luminosities of the sample range from 10$^{32}$ to 10$^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$: LINERs and HII galaxies show the highest and the lowest radio powers respectively, while ALGs and Seyferts have intermediate luminosities. We find that radio core luminosities correlate with black hole (BH) mass down to $\sim$10$^{7}$ M$_{\odot}$, but a break emerges at lower masses. Using [O III] line luminosity as a proxy for the accretion luminosity, active nuclei and jetted HII galaxies follow an optical fundamental plane of BH activity, suggesting a common disc-jet relationship. In conclusion, LINER nuclei are the scaled-down version of FR I radio galaxies; Seyferts show less collimated jets; HII galaxies may host weak active BHs and/or nuclear star-forming cores; and recurrent BH activity may account for ALG properties.

We present results from our Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) HI observations of the Arp 305 system. The system consists of two interacting spiral galaxies NGC 4016 and NGC 4017, a large amount of resultant tidal debris and a prominent tidal dwarf galaxy (TDG) candidate projected within the tidal bridge between the two principal galaxies. Our higher resolution GMRT HI mapping, compared to previous observations, allowed detailed study of smaller scale features. Our HI analysis supports the conclusion in Hancock et al. (2009) that the most recent encounter between the pair occurred $\sim$ 4 $\times$ 10$^8$ yrs ago. The GMRT observations also show HI features near NGC 4017 which may be remnants of an earlier encounter between the two galaxies. The HI properties of the Bridge TDG candidate include: M(HI) $\sim$ 6.6 $\times$ 10$^8$ msolar and V(HI) = 3500$\pm$ 7 km/s, which is in good agreement with the velocities of the parent galaxies. Additionally the TDG's HI linewidth of 30 km/s and a modest velocity gradient together with its SFR of 0.2 msolar/yr add to the evidence favouring the bridge candidate being a genuine TDG. The Bridge TDG's \textitSpitzer 3.6 $\mu$m and 4.5 $\mu$m counterparts with a [3.6]--[4.5] colour $\sim$ -0.2 mag suggests stellar debris may have seeded its formation. Future spectroscopic observations could confirm this formation scenario and provide the metallicity which is a key criteria for the validation for TDG candidates.

We present a radio and optical study of the double-double radio galaxy J1328+2752 based on new low-frequency GMRT observations and SDSS data. The radio data were used to investigate the morphology and to perform a spectral index analysis. In this source we find that the inner double is misaligned by $\sim$30$^\circ$ from the axis of the outer diffuse structure. The SDSS spectrum shows that the central component has double-peaked line profiles with different emission strengths. The average velocity off-set of the two components is 235$\pm$10.5 km s$^{-1}$. The misaligned radio morphology along with the double-peaked emission lines indicate that this source is a potential candidate binary supermassive black hole. This study further supports mergers as a possible explanation for repeated jet activity in radio sources.

H\sc i absorption studies of active galaxies enable us to probe their circumnuclear regions and the general interstellar medium, and study the supply of gas which may trigger the nuclear activity. In this paper, we investigate the detection rate of H\sc i absorption on the nature of radio galaxies based on their emission-line spectra, nature of the host galaxies based on the \textitWISE colours and their radio structure, which may help understand the different accretion modes. We find significant difference in distributions of W2$-$W3 colour for sources with H\sc i absorption detections and non-detections. We report a high detection rate of H\sc i absorption in the galaxies with \textitWISE infrared colours W2$-$W3 $>$ 2, which is typical of gas-rich systems, along with a compact radio structure. The H\sc i detection rate for low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) with W2$-$W3 $>$ 2 and compact radio structure is high (70.6$\pm$20.4 \%). In HERGs, compact radio structure in the nuclear or circumnuclear region could give rise to absorption by gas in the dusty torus in addition to gas in the interstellar medium. However, higher specific star formation rate (sSFR) for the LERGs with W2$-$W3 $>$ 2 suggests that H\sc i absorption may be largely due to star-forming gas in their hosts. LERGs with extended radio structure tend to have significantly lower values of W2$-$W3 compared to those with compact structure. Extended radio sources and those with W2$-$W3 $<$ 2 have low H\sc i detection rates.

Context: Pre-merger interactions between galaxies can induce significant changes in the morphologies and kinematics of the stellar and ISM components. Large amounts of gas and stars are often found to be disturbed or displaced as tidal debris. This debris then evolves, sometimes forming stars and occasionally tidal dwarf galaxies. Here we present results from our HI study of Arp 65, an interacting pair hosting extended HI tidal debris. Aims: In an effort to understand the evolution of tidal debris produced by interacting pairs of galaxies, including in situ star and tidal dwarf galaxy formation, we are mapping HI in a sample of interacting galaxy pairs. The Arp 65 pair is one of them. Methods: Our resolved HI 21 cm line survey is being carried out using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We used our HI survey data as well as available SDSS optical, Spitzer infra-red and GALEX UV data to study the evolution of the tidal debris and the correlation of HI with the star-forming regions within it. Results: In Arp 65 we see a high impact pre-merger interaction involving a pair of massive galaxies (NGC 90 and NGC 93) that have a stellar mass ratio of ~ 1:3. The interaction, which probably occurred ~ 1.0 -- 2.5 $\times$ 10$^8$ yr ago, appears to have displaced a large fraction of the HI in NGC 90 (including the highest column density HI) beyond its optical disk. We also find extended ongoing star formation in the outer disk of NGC 90. In the major star-forming regions, we find the HI column densities to be ~ 4.7 $\times$ 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ or lower. But no signature of star formation was found in the highest column density HI debris, SE of NGC 90. This indicates conditions within the highest column density HI debris remain hostile to star formation and it reaffirms that high HI column densities may be a necessary but not sufficient criterion for star formation.

We present results from our Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) HI observations of the interacting pair Arp 202 (NGC 2719 and NGC 2719A). Earlier deep UV(GALEX) observations of this system revealed a tidal tail like extension with a diffuse object towards its end, proposed as a tidal dwarf galaxy (TDG) candidate. We detect HI emission from the Arp 202 system, including HI counterparts for the tidal tail and the TDG candidate. Our GMRT HI morphological and kinematic results clearly link the HI tidal tail and the HI TDG counterparts to the interaction between NGC 2719 and NGC 2719A, thus strengthening the case for the TDG. The Arp 202 TDG candidate belongs to a small group of TDG candidates with extremely blue colours. In order to gain a better understanding of this group we carried out a comparative study of their properties from the available data. We find that HI (and probably stellar) masses of this extremely blue group are similar to the lowest HI mass TDGs in the literature. However the number of such blue TDG candidates examined so far is too small to conclude whether or not their properties justify them to be considered as a subgroup of TDGs.

We report a new double-double radio quasar, DDRQ, J0746$+$4526 which exhibits two cycles of episodic activity. From radio continuum observations at 607 MHz using the GMRT and 1400 MHz from the FIRST survey we confirm its episodic nature. We examine the SDSS optical spectrum and estimate the black hole mass to be (8.2$\pm$0.3)$\times$10$^7$M$_\odot$ from its observed MgII emission line, and the Eddington ratio to be 0.03. The black hole mass is significantly smaller than for the other reported DDRQ, J0935+0204, while the Eddington ratios are comparable. The SDSS spectrum is significantly red continuum dominated suggesting that it is highly obscured with ${E(B-V)}_{host}=0.70\pm0.16$ mag. This high obscuration further indicates the existence of a large quantity of dust and gas along the line of sight, which may have a key role in triggering the recurrent jet activity in such objects.

Relativistic and magnetised plasma ejected by radio loud AGNs through jets form the diffuse lobes of radio galaxies. The radiating particles (electron/electron-positron) in lobes emit in radio via the synchrotron process and X-ray via inverse-Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons. The thermal environment around radio galaxies emits X-rays via the thermal bremsstrahlung process. By combining information from these processes we can measure physical conditions in and around the radio lobes and thus study the dynamics of radio galaxies, including double-double radio galaxies.

We describe a 325-MHz survey, undertaken with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), which covers a large part of the three equatorial fields at 9, 12 and 14.5 h of right ascension from the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS) in the area also covered by the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey (GAMA). The full dataset, after some observed pointings were removed during the data reduction process, comprises 212 GMRT pointings covering ~90 deg^2 of sky. We have imaged and catalogued the data using a pipeline that automates the process of flagging, calibration, self-calibration and source detection for each of the survey pointings. The resulting images have resolutions of between 14 and 24 arcsec and minimum rms noise (away from bright sources) of ~1 mJy/beam, and the catalogue contains 5263 sources brighter than 5 sigma. We investigate the spectral indices of GMRT sources which are also detected at 1.4 GHz and find them to agree broadly with previously published results; there is no evidence for any flattening of the radio spectral index below S_1.4=10 mJy. This work adds to the large amount of available optical and infrared data in the H-ATLAS equatorial fields and will facilitate further study of the low-frequency radio properties of star formation and AGN activity in galaxies out to z~1.

We present the first maps of NGC 3044 and NGC 4157 at $\lambda\,450 \mu$m and $\lambda\,850 \mu$m from the JCMT as well as the first maps at 617 MHz from the GMRT. High latitude emission has been detected in both the radio continuum and sub-mm for NGC 3044 and in the radio continuum for NGC 4157, including several new features. The dust spectrum at long wavelengths required fitting with a two-temperature model for both galaxies, implying the presence of cold dust. Dust masses are $M_d\,=\,1.6\,\times\,10^8 M_\odot$ and $M_d\,=\,2.1\,\times\,10^7 M_\odot$ for NGC 3044 and NGC 4157, respectively, and are dominated by the cold component. There is a clear correlation between the 617 MHz and $\lambda\,850 \mu$m emission in the two galaxies. In the case of NGC 3044, this implies a relation between the non-thermal synchrotron emission and cold dust. The 617 MHz component represents an integration of massive star formation over the past $10^{7-8}$ yr and the $\lambda \,850 \mu$m emission represents heating from the diffuse interstellar radiation field (ISRF). The 617 MHz -- $\lambda\,850 \mu$m correlation improves when a smoothing kernel is applied to the $\lambda\,850 \mu$m data to account for differences between the CR electron diffusion scale and the mean free path of an ISRF photon to dust. The best-fit relation is $L_{617_{\rm MHz}}\,\propto\,{L_{850 \mu{\rm m}}}^{2.1\,\pm\,0.2}$ for NGC 3044. If variations in the cold dust emissivity are dominated by variations in dust density, and the synchrotron emission depends on magnetic field strength (a function of gas density) as well as CR electron generation (a function of massive star formation rate and therefore density via the Schmidt law) then the expected correlation for NGC 3044 is $L_{617_{\rm MHz}}\,\propto\,{L_{850 \mu{\rm m}}}^{2.2}$, in agreement with the observed correlation.

Aims - We report new Very Large Array polarimetric observations of Compact Steep-Spectrum (CSS) sources at 8.4, 15, and 23GHz. Methods - Using multi-frequency VLA observations we have derived sub-arcsecond resolution images of the total intensity, polarisation, and rotation measure (RM) distributions. Results heading - We present multi-frequency VLA polarisation observations of CSS sources. About half of the sources are point-like even at the resolution of about 0.1x0.1 arcseconds. The remaining sources have double or triple structure. Low values for the percentage of polarised emission in CSS sources is confirmed. On the average, quasars are more polarised than galaxies. A wide range of RM values have been measured. There are clear indications of very large RMs up to 5\u2009585 rad m**(-2). CSS galaxies are characterized by RM values that are larger than CSS quasars. The majority of the objects show very large values of RM. Conclusions - The available data on sub-arcsecond-scale rest-frame RM estimates for CSS sources show that these have a wide range of values extending up to about 36,000 rad m**(-2). RM estimates indicate an overall density of the magneto-ionic medium larger than classical radio sources.

The high-redshift radio galaxy MRC 1138-262 (`Spiderweb Galaxy'; z = 2.16), is one of the most massive systems in the early Universe and surrounded by a dense `web' of proto-cluster galaxies. Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we detected CO(1-0) emission from cold molecular gas -- the raw ingredient for star formation -- across the Spiderweb Galaxy. We infer a molecular gas mass of M(H2) = 6x10^10 M(sun) (for M(H2)/L'(CO)=0.8). While the bulk of the molecular gas coincides with the central radio galaxy, there are indications that a substantial fraction of this gas is associated with satellite galaxies or spread across the inter-galactic medium on scales of tens of kpc. In addition, we tentatively detect CO(1-0) in the star-forming proto-cluster galaxy HAE 229, 250 kpc to the west. Our observations are consistent with the fact that the Spiderweb Galaxy is building up its stellar mass through a massive burst of widespread star formation. At maximum star formation efficiency, the molecular gas will be able to sustain the current star formation rate (SFR ~ 1400 M(sun)/yr, as traced by Seymour et al.) for about 40 Myr. This is similar to the estimated typical lifetime of a major starburst event in infra-red luminous merger systems.

We present a detailed study of a close pair of clusters of galaxies, A3532 and A3530, and their environments. The \textitChandra X-ray image of A3532 reveals presence of substructures on scales of $\sim$20$^{\prime\prime}$ in its core. XMM-Newton maps of the clusters show excess X-ray emission from an overlapping region between them. Spectrally determined projected temperature and entropy maps do not show any signs of cluster scale mergers either in the overlapping region or in any of the clusters. In A3532, however, some signs of the presence of galaxy scale mergers are visible e.g., anisotropic temperature variations in the projected thermodynamic maps, a wide angled tailed (WAT) radio source in the brighter nucleus of its dumbbell Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG), and a candidate X-ray cavity coincident with the northwestern extension of the WAT source in the low-frequency radio observations. The northwestern extension in A3532 seems either a part of the WAT or an unrelated diffuse source in A3532 or in the background. There is an indication that the cool core in A3532 has been disrupted by the central AGN activity. A reanalysis of the redshift data reinforces the close proximity of the clusters. The excess emission in the overlapping region appears to be a result of tidal interactions as the two clusters approach each other for the first time. However, we can not rule out the possibility of the excess being due to the chance superposition of their X-ray halos.

We present the results of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations to detect H\sc i in absorption towards the cores of a sample of radio galaxies. From observations of a sample of 16 sources, we detect H\sc i in absorption towards the core of only one source, the FR\u2009II radio galaxy 3C\u2009452 which has been reported earlier by Gupta & Saikia (2006a). In this paper we present the results for the remaining sources which have been observed to a similar optical depth as for a comparison sample of compact steep-spectrum (CSS) and giga-hertz peaked spectrum (GPS) sources. We also compile available information on H\sc i absorption towards the cores of extended radio sources observed with angular resolutions of a few arcsec or better. The fraction of extended sources with detection of H\sc i absorption towards their cores is significantly smaller (7/47) than the fraction of H\sc i detection towards CSS and GPS objects (28/49). For the cores of extended sources, there is no evidence of a significant correlation between H\sc i column density towards the cores and the largest linear size of the sources. The distribution of the relative velocity of the principal absorbing component towards the cores of extended sources is not significantly different from that of the CSS and GPS objects. However, a few of the CSS and GPS objects have blue-shifted components $\gapp$1000 km s$^{-1}$, possibly due to jet-cloud interactions. With the small number of detections towards cores, the difference in detection rate between FR\u2009I (4/32) and FR\u2009II (3/15) sources is within the statistical uncertainties.

We present results from GMRT HI 21 cm line observations of the interacting galaxy pair Arp 181 (NGC 3212 and NGC 3215) at z =0.032. We find almost all of the detected HI (90%) displaced well beyond the optical disks of the pair with the highest density HI located ~70 kpc west of the pair. An HI bridge extending between the optical pair and the bulk of the HI together with their HI deficiencies provide strong evidence that the interaction between the pair has removed most of their HI to the current projected position. HI to the west of the pair has two approximately equal intensity peaks. The HI intensity maximum furthest to the west coincides with a small spiral companion SDSS J102726.32+794911.9 which shows enhanced mid-infrared (Spitzer), UV (GALEX) and H alpha emission indicating intense star forming activity. The HI intensity maximum close to the Arp 181 pair, coincides with a diffuse optical cloud detected in UV (GALEX) at the end of the stellar and HI tidal tails originating at NGC 3212 and, previously proposed to be a tidal dwarf galaxy in formation. Future sensitive HI surveys by telescopes like ASKAP should prove to be powerful tools for identifying tidal dwarfs at moderate to large redshifts to explore in detail the evolution of dwarf galaxies in the Universe.

The Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) has surveyed seven square degrees of sky around the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) and the European Large Area ISO Survey - South 1 (ELAIS-S1) fields at 1.4 GHz. ATLAS aims to reach a uniform sensitivity of $10 \mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ rms over the entire region with data release 1 currently reaching $\sim30 \mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ rms. Here we present 466 new spectroscopic redshifts for radio sources in ATLAS as part of our optical follow-up program. Of the 466 radio sources with new spectroscopic redshifts, 142 have star-forming optical spectra, 282 show evidence for AGN in their optical spectra, 10 have stellar spectra and 32 have spectra revealing redshifts, but with insufficient features to classify. We compare our spectroscopic classifications with two mid-infrared diagnostics and find them to be in broad agreement. We also construct the radio luminosity function for star-forming galaxies to z $= 0.5$ and for AGN to z $= 0.8$. The radio luminosity function for star-forming galaxies appears to be in good agreement with previous studies. The radio luminosity function for AGN appears higher than previous studies of the local AGN radio luminosity function. We explore the possibility of evolution, cosmic variance and classification techniques affecting the AGN radio luminosity function. ATLAS is a pathfinder for the forthcoming EMU survey and the data presented in this paper will be used to guide EMU's survey design and early science papers.

The radio structures and optical identifications of a sample of 242 sources classified as double-double radio sources by Proctor (2011) from a morphological study of sources in the FIRST (Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters) survey (2003 April release, 811,117 entries) have been examined. We have been able to confirm only 23 of these as likely to be double-double radio galaxies (DDRGs), whose structures could be attributed to episodic nuclear activity in their host galaxies. A further 63 require either higher-resolution radio observations or optical identifications to determine whether these are DDRGs. The remaining sources are unlikely to be DDRGs. We have examined the luminosities, sizes and symmetry parameters of the DDRGs and the constraints these place on our understanding of these sources.

We report the results of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations of H\sc i absorption towards the FRII radio galaxy 3C321 (J1531+2404), which is associated with an active galaxy interacting with a companion. The absorption profile towards the radio core is well resolved and consists three components, of which the two prominent ones are red-shifted by 186 and 235 km s$^{-1}$ relative to the optical systemic velocity. The neutral hydrogen column density towards the core is estimated to be $N$(H\sci)=9.23$\times10^{21}$(${T}_{\rm s}$/100)($f_{c}$/1.0) cm$^{-2}$, where ${T}_{\rm s}$ and $f_c$ are the spin temperature and covering factor of the background source respectively. We also present radio continuum observations of the source with both the GMRT and the Very Large Array (VLA) in order to understand the properties of a plume of emission at an angle of $\sim30^\circ$ to the source axis. This feature appears to have a steep high-frequency spectrum. The current hotspots and jet are active and seen in X-ray emission. The spectral ages of the lobes are $\lapp$26 Myr. We discuss the possibility that the plume could be relic emission due to an earlier cycle of activity.

The distributions of galaxies in the environments of 16 large radio sources have been examined using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In the giant radio galaxy J1552+2005 (3C326) which has the highest arm-length ratio, the shorter arm is found to interact with a group of galaxies which forms part of a filamentary structure. Although most large sources occur in regions of low galaxy density, the shorter arm is brighter in most cases suggesting asymmetries in the intergalactic medium which may not be apparent in the distribution of galaxies. In two cases with strong and variable cores, J0313+4120 and J1147+3501, the large flux density asymmetries are possibly also caused by the effects of relativistic motion.

We introduce a new survey to map the radio continuum halos of a sample of 35 edge-on spiral galaxies at 1.5 GHz and 6 GHz in all polarization products. The survey is exploiting the new wide bandwidth capabilities of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (i.e. the Expanded Very Large Array, or EVLA) in a variety of array configurations (B, C, and D) in order to compile the most comprehensive data set yet obtained for the study of radio halo properties. This is the first survey of radio halos to include all polarization products. In this first paper, we outline the scientific motivation of the survey, the specific science goals, and the expected improvements in noise levels and spatial coverage from the survey. Our goals include investigating the physical conditions and origin of halos, characterizing cosmic ray transport and wind speed, measuring Faraday rotation and mapping the magnetic field, probing the in-disk and extraplanar far-infrared - radio continuum relation, and reconciling non-thermal radio emission with high-energy gamma-ray models. The sample size allows us to search for correlations between radio halos and other properties, including environment, star formation rate, and the presence of AGNs. In a companion paper (Paper II) we outline the data reduction steps and present the first results of the survey for the galaxy, NGC 4631.

We present the first results from the CHANG-ES survey, a new survey of 35 edge-on galaxies to search for both in-disk as well as extra-planar radio continuum emission. The motivation and science case for the survey are presented in a companion paper (Paper I). In this paper (Paper II), we outline the observations and data reduction steps required for wide-band calibration and mapping of EVLA data, including polarization, based on C-array test observations of NGC 4631. With modest on-source observing times (30 minutes at 1.5 GHz and 75 minutes at 6 GHz for the test data) we have achieved best rms noise levels of 22 and 3.5 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ at 1.5 GHz and 6 GHz, respectively. New disk-halo features have been detected, among them two at 1.5 GHz that appear as loops in projection. We present the first 1.5 GHz spectral index map of NGC 4631 to be formed from a single wide-band observation in a single array configuration. This map represents tangent slopes to the intensities within the band centered at 1.5 GHz, rather than fits across widely separated frequencies as has been done in the past and is also the highest spatial resolution spectral index map yet presented for this galaxy. The average spectral index in the disk is $\bar\alpha_{1.5 GHz}\,=\,-0.84\,\pm\,0.05$ indicating that the emission is largely non-thermal, but a small global thermal contribution is sufficient to explain a positive curvature term in the spectral index over the band. Two specific star forming regions have spectral indices that are consistent with thermal emission. Polarization results (uncorrected for internal Faraday rotation) are consistent with previous observations and also reveal some new features. On broad scales, we find strong support for the notion that magnetic fields constrain the X-ray emitting hot gas.

We present the results of multifrequency observations of two asymmetric, Mpc-scale radio sources with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and the Very Large Array (VLA). The radio luminosity of these two sources, J1211+743 and J1918+742, are in the Fanaroff-Riley class II (FRII) range, but have diffuse radio components on one side of the galaxy while the opposite component appears edge-brightened with a prominent hot-spot. Although the absence of a hot-spot is reminiscent of FRI radio galaxies, suggesting a hybrid morphology, the radio jet facing the diffuse lobe in J1211+743 is similar to those in FRII radio sources, and it is important to consider these aspects as well while classifying these sources in the FR scheme. The observed asymmetries in these Mpc-scale sources are likely to be largely intrinsic rather than being due to the effects of orientation and relativistic motion. The formation of a diffuse lobe facing the radio jet in J1211+743 is possibly due to the jet being highly dissipative. The low-frequency spectral indices of the lobes are in the range of approximately -0.8 to -1, while at the outer edges these vary from approximately -0.65 to -1.05 suggesting steep injection spectral indices, which need to be examined further from observations at even lower frequencies by telescopes such as the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR).

(Abridged) We present the results of a systematic GBT and GMRT survey for 21-cm absorption in a sample of 10 DLAs at 2<z_abs<3.4. Analysis of L-band VLBA images of the background QSOs are also presented. We detect 21-cm absorption in only one DLA (at z_abs = 3.1745 towards J1337+3152). Combining our data with the data from the literature (a sample of 28 DLAs) and assuming the measured core fraction at milliarcsecond scale to represent the gas covering factor, we find that the HI gas in DLAs at z> 2 is predominantly constituted by WNM. The detection rate of 21-cm absorption seems to be higher for systems with higher N(HI) or metallicity. However, no clear correlation is found between the integrated 21-cm optical depth (or spin temperature) and either N(HI), metallicity or velocity spread of the low ionization species. There are 13 DLAs in our sample for which high resolution optical spectra covering the expected wavelength range of H_2 absorption are available. We report the detection of H_2 molecules in the z_abs = 3.3871 21-cm absorber towards J0203+1134 (PKS 0201+113). In 8 cases, neither H_2 nor 21-cm absorption are detected. The lack of 21-cm and H_2 absorption in these systems can be explained if most of the HI in these DLAs originate from low density high temperature gas. In one case we have a DLA with 21-cm absorption not showing H_2 absorption. In two cases, both species are detected but do not originate from the same velocity component. In the remaining 2 cases 21-cm absorption is not detected despite the presence of H_2 with evidence for the presence of cold gas. All this is consistent with the idea that the H_2 components seen in DLAs are compact (with sizes of < 15 pc) and contain only a small fraction (i.e typically <10%) of the total N(HI) measured in the DLAs.

We present a detailed imaging and spectral analysis of the merging environment of the bimodal cluster A3395 using X-ray and radio observations. X-ray images of the cluster show five main constituents of diffuse emission : A3395 NE, A3395 SW, A3395 NW, A3395 W, and a filament connecting NE to W. X-ray surface-brightness profiles of the cluster did not show any shock fronts in the cluster. Temperature and entropy maps show high temperature and high entropy regions in the W, the NW, the filament and between the NE and SW subclusters. The NE, SW and W components have X-ray bolometric luminosities similar to those of rich clusters of galaxies but have relatively higher temperatures. Similarly, the NW component has X-ray bolometric luminosity similar to that of isolated groups but with much higher temperature. It is, therefore, possible that all the components of the cluster have been heated by the ongoing mergers. The NE subcluster is the most massive and luminous constituent and other subclusters are found to be gravitationally bound to it. The W component is most probably either a clump of gas stripped off the SW due to ram pressure or a separate subcluster that has merged or is merging with the SW. No X-ray cavities are seen associated with the Wide Angle Tailed (WAT) radio source near the centre of the SW subcluster. Minimum energy pressure in the radio emission-peaks of the WAT galaxy is comparable with the external thermal pressure. The radio spectrum of the WAT suggests a spectral age of ~10Myr.

We present neutral hydrogen (H\sc i) observations with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (\it GMRT) of the interacting galaxies NGC5996 and NGC5994, which make up the Arp72 system. Arp72 is an M51-type system and shows a complex distribution of H\sc i tails and a bridge due to tidal interactions. H\sc i column densities ranging from 0.8$-1.8\times10^{20}$ atoms cm$^{-2}$ in the eastern tidal tail to 1.7$-2\times10^{21}$ atoms cm$^{-2}$ in the bridge connecting the two galaxies, are seen to be associated with star-forming regions. We discuss the morphological and kinematic similarities of Arp72 with M51, the archetypal example of the M51-type systems, and Arp86, another M51-type system studied with the \it GMRT, and suggest that a multiple passage model of Salo & Laurikainen may be preferred over the classical single passage model of Toomre & Toomre, to reproduce the H\sc i features in Arp72 as well as in other M-51 systems depicting similar optical and H\sc i features.

We present the results of HI absorption measurements towards a sample of nearby Compact Steep-Spectrum (CSS) and Giga-Hertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) radio sources, the CORALZ sample, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We observed a sample of 18 sources and find 7 new detections. These sources are of lower luminosity than earlier studies of CSS and GPS objects and we investigate any dependence of HI absorption features on radio luminosity. Within the uncertainties, the detection rates and column densities are similar to the more luminous objects, with the GPS objects exhibiting a higher detection rate than for the CSS objects. The relative velocity of the blueshifted absorption features, which may be due to jet-cloud interactions, are within $\sim$$-$250 km s$^{-1}$ and do not appear to extend to values over 1000 km s$^{-1}$ seen for the more luminous objects. This could be due to the weaker jets in these objects, but requires confirmation from observations of a larger sample of sources. There appears to be no evidence of any dependence of HI column density on either luminosity or redshift, but these new detections are consistent with the inverse relation between HI column density and projected linear size.

We report the discovery of a unique radio galaxy at z=0.137, which could possibly be the second spiral-host large radio galaxy and also the second triple-double episodic radio galaxy. The host galaxy shows signs of recent star formation in the UV but is optically red and is the brightest galaxy of a possible cluster. The outer relic radio lobes of this galaxy, separated by ~1 Mpc, show evidence of spectral flattening and a high fraction of linear polarisation. We interpret that these relic lobes have experienced re-acceleration of particles and compression of the magnetic field due to shocks in the cluster outskirts. From the morphology of the relics and galaxy distribution, we argue that re-acceleration is unlikely to be due to a cluster-cluster merger and suggest the possibility of accretion shocks. The source was identified from SDSS, GALEX, NVSS and FIRST survey data but we also present follow up optical observations with the Lulin telescope and 325 MHz low frequency radio observations with the GMRT. We briefly discuss the scientific potential of this example in understanding the evolution of galaxies and clusters by accretion, mergers, star formation, and AGN feedback.

We present new GMRT observations of HDF 130, an inverse-Compton (IC) ghost of a giant radio source that is no longer being powered by jets. We compare the properties of HDF 130 with the new and important constraint of the upper limit of the radio flux density at 240 MHz to an analytic model. We learn what values of physical parameters in the model for the dynamics and evolution of the radio luminosity and X-ray luminosity (due to IC scattering of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)) of a Fanaroff-Riley II (FR II) source are able to describe a source with features (lobe length, axial ratio, X-ray luminosity, photon index and upper limit of radio luminosity) similar to the observations. HDF 130 is found to agree with the interpretation that it is an IC ghost of a powerful double-lobed radio source, and we are observing it at least a few Myr after jet activity (which lasted 5--100 Myr) has ceased. The minimum Lorentz factor of injected particles into the lobes from the hotspot is preferred to be $\gamma\sim10^3$ for the model to describe the observed quantities well, assuming that the magnetic energy density, electron energy density, and lobe pressure at time of injection into the lobe are linked by constant factors according to a minimum energy argument, so that the minimum Lorentz factor is constrained by the lobe pressure. We also apply the model to match the features of 6C 0905+3955, a classical double FR II galaxy thought to have a low-energy cutoff of $\gamma\sim10^4$ in the hotspot due to a lack of hotspot inverse-Compton X-ray emission. The models suggest that the low-energy cutoff in the hotspots of 6C 0905+3955 is $\gamma\gtrsim 10^3$, just slightly above the particles required for X-ray emission.

EMU is a wide-field radio continuum survey planned for the new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. The primary goal of EMU is to make a deep (rms ~ 10 microJy/beam) radio continuum survey of the entire Southern Sky at 1.3 GHz, extending as far North as +30 degrees declination, with a resolution of 10 arcsec. EMU is expected to detect and catalogue about 70 million galaxies, including typical star-forming galaxies up to z~1, powerful starbursts to even greater redshifts, and AGNs to the edge of the visible Universe. It will undoubtedly discover new classes of object. This paper defines the science goals and parameters of the survey, and describes the development of techniques necessary to maximise the science return from EMU.

We report the detection of molecular CO(1-0) gas in the high-z radio galaxy MRC 0152-209 (z = 1.92) with the Australia Telescope Compact Array Broadband Backend (ATCA/CABB). This is the third known detection of CO(1-0) in a high-z radio galaxy to date. CO(1-0) is the most robust tracer of the overall molecular gas content (including the wide-spread, low-density and subthermally excited component), hence observations of CO(1-0) are crucial for studying galaxy evolution in the Early Universe. We derive L'(CO) = (6.6 +- 2.0) x 10^10 K km/s pc^2 for MRC 0152-209, which is comparable to that derived from CO(1-0) observations of several high-z submillimetre and starforming BzK galaxies. The CO(1-0) traces a total molecular hydrogen mass of M(H2) = 5 x 10^10 (alpha_x/0.8) Msun. MRC 0152-209 is an infra-red bright radio galaxy, in which a large reservoir of cold molecular gas has not (yet) been depleted by star formation or radio source feedback. Its compact radio source is reliably detected at 40 GHz and has a steep spectral index of alpha = -1.3 between 1.4 and 40 GHz (4-115 GHz in the galaxy's rest-frame). MRC 0152-209 is part of an ongoing systematic ATCA/CABB survey of CO(1-0) in high-z radio galaxies between 1.7 < z < 3.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that AGN activity may be episodic, with a wide range of possible time scales. Radio galaxies exhibit the most striking examples of episodic activity, with two or three distinct pairs of lobes on opposite sides of the active nucleus. Radio emission from earlier cycles of activity are expected to have steep radio spectra due to radiative losses, and hence be detected more easily at low radio frequencies. Inverse-Compton scattered cosmic microwave background radiation could in prinicple probe even lower Lorentz-factor particles, revealing an older population. We illustrate the time scales of episodic activity by considering different radio galaxies, discuss the possiblity of episodic activity in cluster radio sources, and a possible trend for a high incidence of H\sc i absorption in sources with evidence of episodic activity.

We present radio continuum observations at frequencies ranging from $\sim$150 to 5000 MHz of the misaligned double-double radio galaxy, DDRG, 3C293 (J1352+3126) using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and the Very Large Array (VLA). The spectra of the outer lobes and the central source are consistent with being straight, indicating spectral ages of $\lapp17-$23 Myr for the outer lobes, and $\lapp$0.1 Myr for the central source. The north-western lobe has a prominent hotspot suggesting that the interruption of jet activity is $\lapp$0.1 Myr, consistent with the age of the inner double. The time scale of interruption of jet activity appears significantly smaller than observed in most other DDRGs which are often associated with giant radio sources. These observations suggest that there is a wide range of time scales of interruption of jet activity in active galaxies.

We present radio images of a sample of six Wide-Angle Tail (WAT) radio sources identified in the ATLAS 1.4 GHz radio survey, and new spectroscopic redshifts for four of these sources. These WATs are in the redshift range of 0.1469 - 0.3762, and we find evidence of galaxy overdensities in the vicinity of four of the WATs from either spectroscopic or photometric redshifts. We also present follow-up spectroscopic observations of the area surrounding the largest WAT, S1189, which is at a redshift of ~0.22. The spectroscopic observations, taken using the AAOmega spectrograph on the AAT, show an overdensity of galaxies at this redshift. The galaxies are spread over an unusually large area of ~12 Mpc with a velocity spread of ~4500 km/s. This large-scale structure includes a highly asymmetric FRI radio galaxy and also appears to host a radio relic. It may represent an unrelaxed system with different sub-structures interacting or merging with one another. We discuss the implications of these observations for future large-scale radio surveys.

We report VLBA polarimetric observations of the CSS sources 3C119, 3C318, and 3C343 at 5 and 8.4 GHz. The CSS source 3C119 has source rest-frame RM values up to ~10200 rad/m**2 in a region which coincides with a change in the direction of the inner jet. This component is located ~325 pc from the core, which is variable and has a peaked radio spectrum. In the case of 3C318, a rest-frame RM of ~3030 rad/m**2 has been estimated for the brightest component which contributes almost all of the polarised emission. Further, two more extended components have been detected, clearly showing "wiggles" in the jet towards the southern side of the source. The CSS source 3C343 contains two peaks of emission and a curved jet embedded in more diffuse emission. It exhibits complex field directions near the emission peaks, which indicate rest-frame RM values in excess of ~6000 rad/m**2. The locations of the cores in 3C318 and 3C343 are not clear. The available data on mas-scale rest-frame RM estimates for CSS sources show that these have a wide range of values extending up to ~40000 rad/m**2 in the central region of OQ172, and could be located at projected distances from the core of up to ~1600 pc, as in 3C43 where this feature has a rest-frame RM of ~14000 rad/m**2. RM estimates for cores in core-dominated radio sources indicate that in addition to responding to an overall density gradient of the magneto-ionic medium, geometry, orientation and modes of fuelling may also play a significant role. In addition to these effects, the high values of RM in CSS sources are possibly due to dense clouds of gas interacting with the radio jets. The observed distortions in the radio structures of many CSS sources are consistent with this interpretation.

We report the discovery of HI 21-cm absorption towards the well-studied GHz Peaked-Spectrum source CTA 21 (4C 16.09) using the Arecibo Telescope on 2009 September 20 and 21. Recently, the frequency band between 700 and 800 MHz was temporarily opened up to radio astronomy when US TV stations were mandated to switch from analog to digital transmissions, with new frequency allocations. The redshifted HI frequency for CTA 21 falls within this band. CTA 21 has a complex radio structure on a range of scales. The innermost prominent components are separated by ~12 mas while weak diffuse emission extends for up to ~300 mas. The HI absorption profile that we find has two main components, one narrow, the other wider and blue-shifted. The total HI column density is 7.9 x 10^20 cm^-2, assuming a covering factor of unity and a spin temperature of 100 K. This HI absorption confirms the recently determined optical redshift of this faint galaxy of z ~ 0.907. We discuss this new detection in the light of HI absorption studies towards compact radio sources, and also the possibility that CTA 21 may be exhibiting multiple cycles of nuclear activity. This new detection in CTA 21 is consistent with a strong trend for detection of HI absorption in radio galaxies with evidence of episodic nuclear/jet activity.

There has been a growing body of evidence to suggest that AGN activity, which is powered by mass accretion on to a supermasive black hole, could be episodic, although the range of time scales involved needs to be explored further. The structure and spectra of radio emission from radio galaxies, whose sizes range up to $\sim$5 Mpc, contain information on the history of AGN activity in the source. They thus provide a unique opportunity to study the time scales of recurrent AGN activity. The most striking examples of recurrent activity in radio galaxies and quasars are the double-double or triple-double radio sources which contain two or three pairs of distinct lobes on opposite sides of the parent optical object. Spectral and dynamical ages of these lobes could be used to constrain time scales of episodic activity. Inverse-Compton scattered cosmic microwave background radiation could in principle probe lower Lorentz-factor particles than radio observations of synchrotron emission, and thereby reveal an older population. We review briefly the radio continuum as well as molecular and atomic gas properties of radio sources which exhibit recurrent or episodic activity, and present a few cases of quasars which require further observations to confirm their episodic nature. We also illustrate evidence of episodic AGN activity in radio sources in clusters of galaxies.

We present low-frequency observations starting from ~150 MHz with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), and high-frequency observations with the Very Large Array (VLA) of two large radio galaxies 3C46 and 3C452. These observations were made with the objectives of estimating their spectral ages and examining any evidence of diffuse extended emission at low radio frequencies due to an earlier cycle of activity. While no evidence of extended emission due to an earlier cycle of activity has been found, the spectral ages have been estimated to be ~15 and 27 Myr for the oldest relativistic plasma seen in the regions close to the cores for 3C46 and 3C452 respectively. The spectra in the vicinity of the hotspots are consistent with a straight spectrum with injection spectral indices of ~1.0 and 0.78 respectively, somewhat steeper than theoretical expectations.

We present preliminary results from a multi-wavelength study of a merger candidate, NGC3801, hosting a young FR I radio galaxy, with a Z-shaped structure. Analysing archival data from the VLA, we find two HI emission blobs on either side of the host galaxy, suggesting a 30 kpc sized rotating gas disk aligned with stellar rotation, but rotating significantly faster than the stars. Broad, faint, blue-shifted absorption wing and an HI absorption clump associated with the shocked shell around the eastern lobe are also seen, possibly due to an jet-driven outflow. While 8.0 um dust and PAH emission, from Spitzer and near and far UV emission from GALEX is seen on a large scale in an S-shape, partially coinciding with the HI emission blobs, it reveals a ~2 kpc radius ring-like, dusty, starforming structure in the nuclear region, orthogonal to the radio jet axis. Its similarities with Kinematically Decoupled Core galaxies and other evidences have been argued for a merger origin of this young, bent jet radio galaxy.

We report the results of our observations of HI absorption towards the central region of the rejuvenated radio galaxy 4C29.30 (J0840+2949) with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). The radio source has diffuse, extended emission with an angular size of $\sim$520 arcsec (639 kpc) within which a compact edge-brightened double-lobed source with a size of 29 arcsec (36 kpc) is embedded. The absorption profile which is seen towards the central component of the inner double is well resolved and consists of six components; all but one of which appears to be red-shifted relative to the optical systemic velocity. The neutral hydrogen column density is estimated to be $N$(HI)=4.7$\times10^{21}$($T_s$/100)($f_c$/1.0) cm$^{-2}$, where $T_s$ and $f_c$ are the spin temperature and covering factor of the background source respectively. This detection reinforces a strong correlation between the occurrence of HI absorption and rejuvenation of radio activity suggested earlier, with the possibility that the red-shifted gas is fuelling the recent activity.

Aims. We report new VLBA polarimetric observations of the compact steep-spectrum (CSS) quasar 3C147 (B0538+498) at 5 and 8.4GHz. Methods. By using multifrequency VLBA observations, we derived milliarcsecond-resolution images of the total intensity, polarisation, and rotation measure distributions, by combining our new observations with archival data. Results. The source shows a one-sided structure, with a compact region, and a component extending about 200 mas to the south-west. The compact region is resolved into two main components with polarised emission, a complex rotation measure distribution, and a magnetic field dominated by components perpendicular to the source axis. Conclusions. By considering all the available data, we examine the possible location of the core component, and discuss two possible interpretations of the observed structure of this source: core-jet and lobe-hot spot. Further observations to unambiguously determine the location of the core would help distinguish between the two possibilities discussed here.

Striking examples of episodic activity in active galactic nuclei are the double-double radio galaxies (DDRGs) with two pairs of oppositely-directed radio lobes from two different cycles of activity. Although there are over about a dozen good examples of DDRGs, so far no case of one associated with a quasar has been reported. We present Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations of a candidate double-double radio quasar (DDRQ), J0935+0204 (4C02.27), and suggest that radio jets in this source may also have been intrinsically asymmetric, contributing to the large observed asymmetries in the flux density and location of both pairs of radio lobes.

We present multi-frequency radio observations with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and Very Large Array, and X-ray observations with the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (\it XMM-Newton) telescope of the giant radio source (GRS) 3C 457. We have detected the core, lobes and the environment of the GRS in X-ray. We examine the relationships between the radio and X-ray emission, determine the radio spectrum over a large frequency range and attribute the X-ray emission from the lobes to the inverse-Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons. The magnetic field strength of the lobes is very close to the equipartition value. Both the lobes are in pressure balance near the hotspots and apparently under-pressured towards the core. The X-ray spectrum of the core of the GRS consists of an unabsorbed soft power-law component and a heavily absorbed hard power-law component. The soft unabsorbed component is likely to be related to the radio jets. There is no strong evidence of Fe K$\alpha$ emission line in our data.

Dynamical ages of the opposite lobes determined \sl independently of each other suggest that their ratios are between $\sim$1.1 to $\sim$1.4. Demanding similar values of the jet power and the radio core density for the same GRS, we look for a \sl self-consistent solution for the opposite lobes, which results in different density profiles along them found by the fit. A comparison of the dynamical and spectral ages shows that their ratio is between $\sim$1 and $\sim$5, i.e. is similar to that found for smaller radio galaxies. Two causes of this effect are pointed out.

We present low-frequency observations with the GMRT of three giant radio sources (J0139+3957, J0200+4049 and J0807+7400) with relaxed diffuse lobes which show no hotspots and no evidence of jets. The largest of these three, J0200+4049, exhibits a depression in the centre of the western lobe, while J0139+3957 and J0807+7400 have been suggested earlier by Klein et al. and Lara et al. respectively to be relic radio sources. We estimate the spectral ages of the lobes. All three sources have compact radio cores. Although the radio cores suggest that the sources are currently active, we suggest that the lobes in these sources could be due to an earlier cycle of activity.

Multifrequency observations with the GMRT and the VLA are used to determine the spectral breaks in consecutive strips along the lobes of a sample of selected giant radio sources (GRSs) in order to estimate their spectral ages. The maximum spectral ages estimated for the detected radio emission in the lobes of our sample of ten sources has a median value of $\sim$20 Myr. The spectral ages of these GRSs are significantly older than smaller sources. In all but one source (J1313+6937) the spectral age gradually increases with distance from the hotspot regions, confirming that acceleration of the particles mainly occurs in the hotspots. Most of the GRSs do not exhibit zero spectral ages in the hotspots. This is likely to be largely due to contamination by more extended emission due to relatively modest resolutions. The injection spectral indices range from $\sim$0.55 to 0.88 with a median value of $\sim$0.6. We show that the injection spectral index appears to be correlated with luminosity and/or redshift as well as with linear size.