Caltech-NRAO Stripe 82 Survey (CNSS). V. AGNs That Transitioned to Radio-loud State

Abstract

A recent multiyear Caltech-NRAO Stripe 82 Survey revealed a group of objects that appeared as new radio sources after >5–20 yr of absence. They are transient phenomena with respect to the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters survey and constitute the first unbiased sample of renewed radio activity. Here we present a follow-up, radio, optical, and X-ray study of them. The group consists of 12 sources, both quasars and galaxies with wide redshift (0.04 < z < 1.7) and luminosity (22 < log₁₀ [L_(1.4 GHz)/W Hz⁻¹] > 24.5) distributions. Their radio properties in the first phase of activity, namely the convex spectra and compact morphology, allow them all to be classified as gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) sources. We conclude that the spectral changes are a consequence of the evolution of newly born radio jets. Our observations show that over the next few years of activity the GPS galaxies keep the convex shape of the spectrum, while GPS quasars rapidly transform into flat-spectrum sources, which may result in them not being recognized as young sources. The wide range of bolometric luminosities, black hole masses, and jet powers among the transient sources indicates even greater population diversity in the group of young radio objects. We also suggest that small changes of the accretion disk luminosity (accretion rate) may be sufficient to ignite low-power radio activity that evolves on the scale of decades.