The existence of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) is predicted by various cosmological and evolutionary scenarios for active galactic nuclei. These objects are considered as contributors into the gravitational wave (GW) background and emitters of discrete GW bursts. Yet, SMBHBs remain a rather elusive class of extragalactic objects. Previously we have identified the quasar J2102+6015 as potential SMBHB system based on its oscillating astrometric pattern. We analysed the available VLBI astrometry data and identified another case of astrometric oscillations in the source J0204+1514. We assume these oscillations as manifestations of orbital motion in a binary systems. We estimated parameters of the suspected SMBHB in this source and applied basic theoretical models for projecting its evolution toward coalescence. We also develop a toy model of SMBHB consistent with the discovered astrometric oscillations and give quantitative predictions of GW emission of such the source using the case of J0204+1514 as an example. As an ad hoc result, we also provide a re-assessed estimate of the redshift of J2102+6015, z=1.42. A toy model of the object containing SMBHB with parameters consistent with the observed astrometric oscillations of the source J0204+1514 enabled us to consider GW emission as the cause of the system's orbital evolution. Astrometric VLBI monitoring has an appreciable potential for future detections of SMBHBs as multi-messenger targets for both electromagnetic (in radio domain) and gravitational wave astronomy. To outline the contours of a future physical model connecting SMBHB with detectable GW manifestations, we apply the toy model to the source J0204+1514. We also provide justification for aiming future space-borne VLBI missions toward direct imaging of SMBHBs as a synergistic contribution into future multi-messenger studies involving prospective GW facilities.

The 2017 observing campaign of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) delivered the first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images at the observing frequency of 230 GHz, leading to a number of unique studies on black holes and relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN). In total, eighteen sources were observed: the main science targets, Sgr A* and M87 along with various calibrators. We investigated the morphology of the sixteen AGN in the EHT 2017 data set, focusing on the properties of the VLBI cores: size, flux density, and brightness temperature. We studied their dependence on the observing frequency in order to compare it with the Blandford-Königl (BK) jet model. We modeled the source structure of seven AGN in the EHT 2017 data set using linearly polarized circular Gaussian components and collected results for the other nine AGN from dedicated EHT publications, complemented by lower frequency data in the 2-86 GHz range. Then, we studied the dependences of the VLBI core flux density, size, and brightness temperature on the frequency measured in the AGN host frame. We compared the observations with the BK jet model and estimated the magnetic field strength dependence on the distance from the central black hole. Our results indicate a deviation from the standard BK model, particularly in the decrease of the brightness temperature with the observing frequency. Either bulk acceleration of the jet material, energy transfer from the magnetic field to the particles, or both are required to explain the observations.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are being detected with increasing regularity. However, their spontaneous and often once-off nature makes high-precision burst position and frequency-time structure measurements difficult without specialised real-time detection techniques and instrumentation. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) has been enabled by the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients Collaboration (CRAFT) to detect FRBs in real-time and save raw antenna voltages containing FRB detections. We present the CRAFT Effortless Localisation and Enhanced Burst Inspection pipeline (CELEBI), an automated software pipeline that extends CRAFT's existing software to process ASKAP voltages in order to produce sub-arcsecond precision localisations and polarimetric data at time resolutions as fine as 3 ns of FRB events. We use Nextflow to link together Bash and Python code that performs software correlation, interferometric imaging, and beamforming, making use of common astronomical software packages.

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

FRB 20121102A is the original repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source and also the first to be localised to milliarcsecond precision using very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). It has been active for over 13 years and resides in an extreme magneto-ionic environment in a dwarf host galaxy at a distance of ~1 Gpc. In this work, we use the European VLBI Network (EVN) to (re-)localise FRB 20121102A and its associated persistent radio source (PRS). We confirm that the two are co-located -- improving on previous results by a factor of ~4 and constraining the FRB and PRS co-location to ~12 pc transverse offset. Over a decade, the PRS luminosity on milliarcsecond scales remains consistent with measurements on larger angular scales, showing that the PRS is still compact. We also present the detection of 18 bursts with the Nancay Radio Telescope (NRT) as part of our ÉCLAT monitoring program. These bursts, together with previously published results, show that the observed dispersion measure (DM) of FRB 20121102A has dropped by ~25 pc/cc in the past five years, highlighting a fractional decrease in the local DM contribution of >15%. We discuss potential physical scenarios and highlight possible future observations that will help reveal the nature of FRB 20121102A, which is one of only a few known FRBs with a luminous PRS.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration pulses of radio emission originating from extragalactic distances. Radio dispersion on each burst is imparted by intervening plasma mostly located in the intergalactic medium. We observe a burst, FRB 20220610A, in a morphologically complex host galaxy system at redshift $z=1.016 \pm 0.002$. The burst redshift and dispersion are consistent with passage through a substantial column of material from the intergalactic medium. The burst shows evidence for passage through additional turbulent magnetized plasma, potentially associated with the host galaxy. We use the burst energy of $2 \times 10^{42}$ erg, to revise the maximum energy of an FRB.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are being detected with increasing regularity. However, their spontaneous and often once-off nature makes high-precision burst position and frequency-time structure measurements difficult without specialised real-time detection techniques and instrumentation. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) has been enabled by the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients Collaboration (CRAFT) to detect FRBs in real-time and save raw antenna voltages containing FRB detections. We present the CRAFT Effortless Localisation and Enhanced Burst Inspection pipeline (CELEBI), an automated software pipeline that extends CRAFT's existing software to process ASKAP voltages in order to produce sub-arcsecond precision localisations and polarimetric data at time resolutions as fine as 3 ns of FRB events. We use Nextflow to link together Bash and Python code that performs software correlation, interferometric imaging, and beamforming, making use of common astronomical software packages.

CASA, the Common Astronomy Software Applications, is the primary data processing software for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), and is frequently used also for other radio telescopes. The CASA software can handle data from single-dish, aperture-synthesis, and Very Long Baseline Interferometery (VLBI) telescopes. One of its core functionalities is to support the calibration and imaging pipelines for ALMA, VLA, VLA Sky Survey (VLASS), and the Nobeyama 45m telescope. This paper presents a high-level overview of the basic structure of the CASA software, as well as procedures for calibrating and imaging astronomical radio data in CASA. CASA is being developed by an international consortium of scientists and software engineers based at the National Radio Astronomical Observatory (NRAO), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), and the Joint Institute for VLBI European Research Infrastructure Consortium (JIV-ERIC), under the guidance of NRAO.

We present 1 - 12 GHz Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array observations of 9 off-nuclear persistent radio sources (PRSs) in nearby (z < 0.055) dwarf galaxies, along with high-resolution European very-long baseline interferometry (VLBI) Network (EVN) observations for one of them at 1.7GHz. We explore the plausibility that these PRSs are associated with fast radio burst (FRB) sources by examining their properties, physical sizes, host-normalized offsets, spectral energy distributions (SEDs), radio luminosities, and light curves, and compare them to those of the PRSs associated with FRBs 20121102A and 20190520B, two known active galactic nuclei (AGN), and one likely AGN in our sample with comparable data, as well as other radio transients exhibiting characteristics analogous to FRB-PRSs. We identify a single source in our sample, J1136+2643, as the most promising FRB- PRS, based on its compact physical size and host-normalized offset. We further identify two sources, J0019+1507 and J0909+5955, with physical sizes comparable to FRB-PRSs, but which exhibit large offsets and flat spectral indices potentially indicative of a background AGN origin. We test the viability of neutron star wind nebulae and hypernebulae models for J1136+2643, and find that the physical size, luminosity, and SED of J1136+2643 are broadly consistent with these models. Finally, we discuss the alternative interpretation that the radio sources are instead powered by accreting massive black holes and outline future prospects and follow-up observations for differentiating between these scenarios.

Massive outflows of neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) have been observed in absorption in a number of radio galaxies and are considered a signature of AGN feedback. These outflows on kpc-scales have not been investigated in great detail as they require high-angular resolution observations to be spatially resolved. In some radio AGN, they are likely the result of the radio jets interacting with the interstellar medium. We have used a global VLBI array to map the HI outflow in a small sample of young and restarted radio galaxies which we previously observed with the VLA and the WSRT at lower resolution. Here, we report on our findings for 4C52.37 and 3C293 and we discuss the sample including the previously published sources 4C12.50 and 3C236. For 4C52.37, we present the first-ever HI VLBI observation which recovered the majority of the outflowing HI gas in form of clouds towards the central 100pc of the AGN. The clouds are blue-shifted by up to 600km/s with respect to the systemic velocity. 3C293 is largely resolved out in our VLBI observation, but we detect, towards the VLBI core, some outflowing HI gas blueshifted with respect to the systemic velocity by up to 300km/s. We also find indications that the HI outflow is extended. Overall, we find that the fraction of HI gas recovered by our VLBI observation varies significantly within our sample. In all cases we find evidence for a clumpy structure of both the outflowing and the quiescent gas, consistent with predictions from numerical simulations. The outflows include at least a component of relatively compact clouds (10^4-10^5Msun) often observed already at a few tens of pc (in projection) from the core. We also find indications that the HI outflow might have a diffuse component, especially in larger sources. Our results support the interpretation that we observe these AGNs at different stages in the evolution of the jet-ISM interaction.

In radio astronomy, the Ultra-Long Wavelengths (ULW) regime of longer than 10 m (frequencies below 30 MHz), remains the last virtually unexplored window of the celestial electromagnetic spectrum. The strength of the science case for extending radio astronomy into the ULW window is growing. However, the opaqueness of the Earth's ionosphere makes ULW observations by ground-based facilities practically impossible. Furthermore, the ULW spectrum is full of anthropogenic radio frequency interference (RFI). The only radical solution for both problems is in placing an ULW astronomy facility in space. We present a concept of a key element of a space-borne ULW array facility, an antenna that addresses radio astronomical specifications. A tripole-type antenna and amplifier are analysed as a solution for ULW implementation. A receiver system with a low power dissipation is discussed as well. The active antenna is optimized to operate at the noise level defined by the celestial emission in the frequency band 1 - 30 MHz. Field experiments with a prototype tripole antenna enabled estimates of the system noise temperature. They indicated that the proposed concept meets the requirements of a space-borne ULW array facility.

The millisecond-duration radio flashes known as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) represent an enigmatic astrophysical phenomenon. Recently, the sub-arcsecond localization (~ 100mas precision) of FRB121102 using the VLA has led to its unambiguous association with persistent radio and optical counterparts, and to the identification of its host galaxy. However, an even more precise localization is needed in order to probe the direct physical relationship between the millisecond bursts themselves and the associated persistent emission. Here we report very-long-baseline radio interferometric observations using the European VLBI Network and the 305-m Arecibo telescope, which simultaneously detect both the bursts and the persistent radio emission at milliarcsecond angular scales and show that they are co-located to within a projected linear separation of < 40pc (< 12mas angular separation, at 95% confidence). We detect consistent angular broadening of the bursts and persistent radio source (~ 2-4mas at 1.7GHz), which are both similar to the expected Milky Way scattering contribution. The persistent radio source has a projected size constrained to be < 0.7pc (< 0.2mas angular extent at 5.0GHz) and a lower limit for the brightness temperature of T_b > 5 x 10^7K. Together, these observations provide strong evidence for a direct physical link between FRB121102 and the compact persistent radio source. We argue that a burst source associated with a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus or a young neutron star energizing a supernova remnant are the two scenarios for FRB121102 that best match the observed data.

Investigating star formation requires precise knowledge of the properties of the dense molecular gas. The low metallicity and wide range of star formation activity of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds make them prime laboratories to study how local physical conditions impact the dense gas reservoirs. The aim of the Dense Gas Survey for the Magellanic Clouds (DeGaS-MC) project is to expand our knowledge of the relation between dense gas properties and star formation activity by targeting the LMC and SMC observed in the HCO+(2-1) and HCN(2-1) transitions. We carried out a pointing survey toward 30 LMC and SMC molecular clouds using the SEPIA180 instrument installed on the APEX telescope and a follow-up mapping campaign in 13 star-forming regions. This first paper provides line characteristic catalogs and integrated line-intensity maps of the sources. HCO+(2-1) is detected in 20 and HCN(2-1) in 8 of the 29 pointings observed. The dense gas velocity pattern follows the line-of-sight velocity field derived from the stellar population. The HCN emission is less extended than the HCO+ emission. The HCO+(2-1)/HCN(2-1) brightness temperature ratios range from 1 to 7, which is consistent with the large ratios commonly observed in low-metallicity environments. A larger number of young stellar objects are found at high HCO+ intensities and lower HCO+/HCN flux ratios, and thus toward denser lines of sight. The dense gas luminosities correlate with the star formation rate traced by the total infrared luminosity over the two orders of magnitude covered by our observations, although substantial region-to-region variations are observed.

Ejection activities in S255IR-SMA1 and AFGL 5142 were investigated by multi-epoch VLBI observations of 22 GHz water masers, tracing bowshocks leading collimated jets. The history of ejections, revealed by the 3D maser motions and supplemented by the literature, suggests that these massive stars formed by episodic accretion, inferred via the accretion-ejection connection. This contribution centers on the role of episodic accretion in overcoming the radiation pressure problem of massive star formation - with maser VLBI and single-dish observations providing essential observational tools.

We report on results from new high-sensitivity, high-resolution 86GHz (3.5 millimeter) observations of the jet base in the nearby radio galaxy M87, obtained by the Very Long Baseline Array in conjunction with the Green Bank Telescope. The resulting image has a dynamic range exceeding 1500 to 1, the highest ever achieved for this jet at this frequency, resolving and imaging a detailed jet formation/collimation structure down to ~10 Schwarzschild radii (Rs). The obtained 86GHz image clearly confirms some important jet features known at lower frequencies, i.e., a wide-opening angle jet base, a limb-brightened intensity profile, a parabola-shape collimation profile and a counter jet. The limb-brightened structure is already well developed at < 0.2mas (< 28Rs, projected) from the core, where the corresponding apparent opening angle becomes as wide as ~100 degrees. The subsequent jet collimation near the black hole evolves in a complicated manner; there is a "constricted" structure at tens Rs from the core, where the jet cross section is locally shrinking. We suggest that an external pressure support from the inner part of radiatively-inefficient accretion flow may be dynamically important in shaping/confining the footprint of the magnetized jet. We also present the first VLBI 86GHz polarimetric experiment for this source, where a highly polarized (~20%) feature is detected near the jet base, indicating the presence of a well-ordered magnetic field. As a by-product, we additionally report a 43/86 GHz polarimetric result for our calibrator 3C 273 suggesting an extreme rotation measure near the core.

We present the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS), the first northern-sky LOFAR imaging survey. In this introductory paper, we first describe in detail the motivation and design of the survey. Compared to previous radio surveys, MSSS is exceptional due to its intrinsic multifrequency nature providing information about the spectral properties of the detected sources over more than two octaves (from 30 to 160 MHz). The broadband frequency coverage, together with the fast survey speed generated by LOFAR's multibeaming capabilities, make MSSS the first survey of the sort anticipated to be carried out with the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Two of the sixteen frequency bands included in the survey were chosen to exactly overlap the frequency coverage of large-area Very Large Array (VLA) and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) surveys at 74 MHz and 151 MHz respectively. The survey performance is illustrated within the "MSSS Verification Field" (MVF), a region of 100 square degrees centered at J2000 (RA,Dec)=(15h,69deg). The MSSS results from the MVF are compared with previous radio survey catalogs. We assess the flux and astrometric uncertainties in the catalog, as well as the completeness and reliability considering our source finding strategy. We determine the 90% completeness levels within the MVF to be 100 mJy at 135 MHz with 108" resolution, and 550 mJy at 50 MHz with 166" resolution. Images and catalogs for the full survey, expected to contain 150,000-200,000 sources, will be released to a public web server. We outline the plans for the ongoing production of the final survey products, and the ultimate public release of images and source catalogs.

We present the discovery of as-of-yet non-repeating Fast Radio Burst (FRB), FRB 20210117A, with the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) as a part of the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) Survey. The sub-arcsecond localization of the burst led to the identification of its host galaxy at a $z=0.214(1)$. This redshift is much lower than what would be expected for a source dispersion measure (DM) of 729 pc cm$^{-3}$, given typical contributions from the intergalactic medium and the host galaxy. Optical observations reveal the host to be a dwarf galaxy with little on-going star formation, very different to the dwarf host galaxies of known repeating FRBs 20121102A, and 20190520B. We find an excess DM contribution from the host and attribute it to the FRB's local environment. We do not find any radio emission from the FRB site or host galaxy. The low magnetized environment and lack of a persistent radio source (PRS) indicate that the FRB source is older than those found in other dwarf host galaxies, and establish the diversity of FRB sources in dwarf galaxy environments. We find our observations to be fully consistent with the hypernebula model, where the FRB is powered by accretion-jet from a hyper-accreting black hole. Finally, our high-time resolution analysis reveals burst characteristics similar to those seen in repeating FRBs. We encourage follow-up observations of FRB 20210117A to establish any repeating nature.

(Abridged) The CASA software suite, can now reduce very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data with the recent addition of a fringe fitter. Here, we present the Radboud PIpeline for the Calibration of high Angular Resolution Data (rPICARD), which is an open-source VLBI calibration and imaging pipeline built on top of the CASA framework. The pipeline is capable of reducing data from different VLBI arrays. It can be run non-interactively after only a few non-default input parameters are set and delivers high-quality calibrated data. CPU scalability based on a message-passing interface (MPI) implementation ensures that large bandwidth data from future arrays can be processed within reasonable computing times. Phase calibration is done with a Schwab-Cotton fringe fit algorithm. For the calibration of residual atmospheric effects, optimal solution intervals are determined based on the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the data for each scan. Different solution intervals can be set for different antennas in the same scan to increase the number of detections in the low S/N regime. These novel techniques allow rPICARD to calibrate data from different arrays, including high-frequency and low-sensitivity arrays. The amplitude calibration is based on standard telescope metadata, and a robust algorithm can solve for atmospheric opacity attenuation in the high-frequency regime. Standard CASA tasks are used for CLEAN imaging and self-calibration. In this work we demonstrate the capabilities of rPICARD by calibrating and imaging 7 mm VLBA data of the central radio source in the M87 galaxy. The reconstructed jet image reveals a complex collimation profile and edge-brightened structure. A potential counter-jet is detected that has 10 % of the brightness of the approaching jet. This constrains jet speeds close to the radio core to about half the speed of light for small inclination angles.