GMRT 333 MHz observations of 6 nearby normal galaxies
  We report Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) continuum observations of
six nearby normal galaxies at 333 MHz. The galaxies are observed with angular
resolutions better than ~20" (corresponding to a linear scale of about 0.4 - 1
kpc). These observations are sensitive to all the angular scales of interest,
since the resolution of the shortest baseline in GMRT is greater than the
angular size of the galaxies. Further, for five of these galaxies we show that
at 333 MHz, the mean thermal fraction is less than 5%. Using archival data at
about 1 GHz, we estimate the mean thermal fraction to be about 10% at that
frequency. We also find that the nonthermal spectral index is generally steeper
in regions with low thermal fraction and/or located in the outer parts of the
galaxy. In regions of high thermal fraction, the nonthermal spectral index is
flatter, and has a narrow distribution peaking at ~ -0.78 with a spread of
0.16, putting stringent constraints on the physical conditions for generation,
diffusion and energy losses of cosmic ray electrons at scales of ~ 1 kpc.
