What are “X-shaped” radio sources telling us? I. Very large array imaging of a large sample of candidate XRGs

Abstract

We present archival and Jansky Very Large Array multi-frequency multi-array radio continuum imaging of a unique sample of 100 radio sources that have been selected to be candidate "X-shaped" Radio Galaxies (XRGs). The archival data were calibrated in AIPS and imaged using DIFMAP, while the new Very Large Array data were calibrated and imaged in CASA. No attempt was made to re-image the archival data in CASA. Altogether we present images of 95 of the 100 sources. These observations give us the opportunity to study radio sources with synchrotron plasma that is significantly offset from the main radio axis and therefore to open a window into investigations of physical mechanisms responsible for depositing the plasma in off-axis regions. Here, we present the technical details of the observations and all of the total intensity images, while in subsequent papers we use them to examine critically various models for the formation of XRGs. Spectral index and linear polarization information is also presented and analyzed in further papers in this series.