Spectral analysis of spatially-resolved 3C295 (sub-arcsecond resolution)
  with the International LOFAR Telescope
  3C295 is a bright, compact steep spectrum source with a well-studied
integrated radio spectral energy distribution (SED) from 132 MHz to 15 GHz.
However, spatially resolved spectral studies have been limited due to a lack of
high resolution images at low radio frequencies. These frequencies are crucial
for measuring absorption processes, and anchoring the overall spectral
modelling of the radio SED. In this paper, we use International LOFAR
(LOw-Frequency ARray) Telescope (ILT) observations of 3C295 to study its
spatially resolved spectral properties with sub-arcsecond resolution at 132
MHz. Combining our new 132 MHz observation with archival data at 1.6 GHz, 4.8
GHz, and 15 GHz, we are able to carry out a resolved radio spectral analysis.
The spectral properties of the hotspots provides evidence for low frequency
flattening. In contrast, the spectral shape across the lobes is consistent with
a JP spectral ageing model. Using the integrated spectral information for each
component, we then fit low-frequency absorption models to the hotspots, finding
that both free-free absorption and synchrotron self-absorption models provide a
better fit to the data than a standard power law. Although we can say there is
low-frequency absorption present in the hotspots of 3C295, future observations
with the Low Band Antenna of the ILT at 55 MHz may allow us to distinguish the
type of absorption.
