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1998ApJS..118..327Kapahi+
See also MRC 1Jy sample I.
and MRC 1Jy sample II.

The Molonglo Reference Catalog 1 Jy Radio Source Survey. III. Identification of a Complete Quasar Sample

VIJAY K. KAPAHI, RAMANA M. ATHREYA, AND C. R. SUBRAHMANYA
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, TIFR, Pune University Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune-411007, India; vijay@ncra.tifr.res.in, ramana@ncra.tifr.res.in, crs@ncra.tifr.res.in
JOANNE C. BAKER 1
School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; jcb@mrao.cam.ac.uk
RICHARD W. HUNSTEAD
School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; RWH@astrop.physics.usyd.edu.au
PATRICK J. MCCARTHY
The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101; pmc2@ocwi.edu
WIL VAN BREUGEL
Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, LLNL, P.O. Box 808, L-413, Livermore, CA 94551; wil@sunlight.llnl.gov
Received 1998 February 5; accepted 1998 May 1

ABSTRACT

We present a new complete sample of 111 radio quasars (including six BL Lac objects) selected from the Molonglo Reference Catalog (MRC) at 408 MHz. The sample, which we call the Molonglo Quasar Sample (MQS), forms part of a complete survey of 557 MRC radio sources with S408 >= 0.95 Jy in the declination range -30deg < Delta < -20deg, b > 20deg but excluding the R.A. range 14h03m--20h20m. Quasar classifications are based on high-resolution radio images, deep optical identifications, and follow-up spectroscopy of sources in the strip. The relatively low radio frequency of the finding survey and the complete optical identification of quasars to faint magnitudes ensure that the MQS is relatively free from orientation biases that affect most other samples of radio-loud quasars. The MQS is therefore particularly well suited to investigating the effects of radio axis orientation on quasar properties. This paper describes in detail the formation of the MQS and presents basic radio and optical data, including VLA images of extended radio sources in the sample and a complete set of optical finding charts.
Subject headings: galaxies: structure, quasars: general, radio continuum: galaxies, surveys 
CONTENTS

   * 1. INTRODUCTION
   * 2. DEFINITION OF THE MOLONGLO QUASAR SAMPLE
        o 2.1. MOST Observations
        o 2.2. Optical Identifications
        o 2.3. Initial VLA Observations
        o 2.4. Optical Spectroscopy
        o 2.5. Further Radio and Optical Imaging
        o 2.6. The Final List
   * 3. RADIO OBSERVATIONS
        o 3.1. Journal of VLA Observations
        o 3.2. Data Reduction and Radio Images
        o 3.3. High-Resolution Observations with the Parkes-Tidbinbilla
          Interferometer
        o 3.4. Radio and Optical Properties
   * 4. NOTES ON INDIVIDUAL SOURCES
   * 5. OPTICAL FINDING CHARTS
   * 6. SUMMARY
   * REFERENCES
   * FIGURES
   * TABLES
   * REFERENCES TO THIS ARTICLE

FOOTNOTES

     1 MRAO, Cavendish Laboratory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.