Abstract We present new sub-arcsecond (∼0.3-1 arcsec; ∼1–3 kpc) VLA imaging at 1.4 GHz and 6 GHz of 29 optically-selected, O iii luminous (LOIII 1042.1 erg s−1), z 0.2 quasars drawn from the expanded Quasar Feedback Survey (QFeedS; with L1.4 GHz = 1022.6–1026.3 W Hz−1). These 29 new objects occupy the low end of the radio-power distribution (L1.4 GHz=1022.63–1023.45 W Hz−1) in the QFeedS sample and are nominally ‘radio quiet’. Despite this, we find widespread evidence of AGN-driven synchrotron activity. Nearly ∼31 per cent exhibit resolved radio structures on ∼0.1–20 kpc scales consistent with compact jets or wind-driven outflows, and ∼90 per cent display steep spectra (α ≲ −1) indicative of optically thin synchrotron emission. Combining morphology, spectral index and brightness-temperature diagnostics, at least ∼38 per cent of the sample show clear AGN signatures that cannot be explained by star formation alone. These constitute the first results from the expanded QFeedS (now 71 quasars spanning ≈4 dex in radio power) and demonstrate that compact, low-power jets and AGN shocks are common deep inside the radio-quiet regime. A thorough understanding of feedback processes from quasars, deep into the ‘radio-quiet’ regime, will be obtained by connecting these high resolution radio observations with multi-wavelength observations.
Njeri et al. (Thu,) studied this question.