Simulating the Full Radio Sky for Future Surveys

This paper presents a novel algorithm for generating empirical simulations of the full radio sky, designed to support the preparation and scientific exploitation of upcoming radio surveys. The algorithm combines a simulated dark-matter light-cone with empirically sampled galaxy populations and a probabilistic galaxy-halo assignment scheme, producing self-consistent mock catalogues that include multiple radio populations. The resulting catalogues encompass both radio continuum and line emission, extending down to redshift z=5 and covering the entire sky (4π steradians). Two public catalogues are released: a shallow catalogue, constrained by existing observational data, and a deep catalogue, extending the calibrated empirical model to better sensitivities, broadly matching future SKAO surveys. These catalogues include radio continuum active galactic nuclei and star-forming galaxies, together with HI-emitting galaxies, comprising a vast number of sources. The authors validate the simulations by analyzing their statistical properties, demonstrating that the mocks reproduce the targeted clustering and population statistics while retaining minimal physical assumptions. The availability of these realistic mock catalogues represents a significant resource for the radio astronomy community, enabling a wide range of cosmological and astrophysical applications and facilitating powerful synergies with experiments at other wavelengths.

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