Extragalactic radio sources with sharply inverted spectrum at metre wavelengths

We present the first results of a systematic search for the rare extragalactic radio sources showing an inverted (integrated) spectrum, with spectral index α ≥ +2.0, a previously unexplored spectral domain. The search is expected to yield strong candidates for α ≥+2.5, for which the standard synchrotron self-absorption (characterized by a single power-law energy distribution of relativistic electron population) would not be a plausible explanation, even in an ideal case of a perfectly homogeneous source of incoherent synchrotron radiation. Such sharply inverted spectra, if found, would require alternative explanations, e.g. free-free absorption, or non-standard energy distribution of relativistic electrons which differs from a power law (e.g. Maxwellian). The search was carried out by comparing two sensitive low-frequency radio surveys made with sub-arcminute resolution, namely, the Westerbork In the Southern Hemisphere (WISH) survey at 352 MHz and TGSS/DR5 at 150 MHz. The overlap region between these two surveys contains 7056 WISH sources classified as 'single' and brighter than 100 mJy at 352 MHz. We focus here on the seven of these sources for which we find α > +2.0. Two of these are undetected at 150 MHz and are particularly good candidates for α > +2.5. Five of the seven sources exhibit a 'Gigahertz-Peaked-Spectrum'. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.