Applications of statistical techniques to the angular size-flux density relation for extraglactic radio sources

Abstract

The data on the angular sizes (theta) and flux densities (S) of extragalactic radio sources selected from two surveys are subjected to two independent statistical tests in order to determine whether the data warrant the conclusion that the universe is evolving. The nature of the observed scatter in the (theta, S) relation is examined, and a minimum chi-squared test is used to compare the observed (theta, S) plot with three theoretical models (one evolutionary and two nonevolutionary). A median test is then applied to compare the median angular sizes of two source samples in a narrow range of flux density. The results obtained indicate that due to the existing large scatter in the (theta, S) data, it is not possible to distinguish clearly between the evolutionary and the nonevolutionary models.