A Wide‐Field, Low‐Frequency Radio Survey of the Field of M31. I. Construction and Statistical Analysis of the Source Catalog

We present here the results of a 325 MHz radio survey of M31, conducted withthe A-configuration of the Very Large Array. The survey covered an area of 7.6deg$^2$, and a total of 405 radio sources between $\la$6\arcsec and 170\arcsecin extent were mapped with a resolution of 6\arcsec and a 1$\sigma$ sensitivityof $\sim$0.6 \mjyb. For each source, its morphological class, major axis$\theta_M$, minor axis $\theta_m$, position angle $\theta_{PA}$, peak flux $I$,integrated flux density $S$, spectral index $\alpha$ and spectral curvatureparameter $\phi$ were calculated. A comparison of the flux and radialdistribution -- both in the plane of the sky and in the plane of M31 -- ofthese sources with those of the XMM--LSS and WENSS radio surveys revealed thata vast majority of sources detected are background radio galaxies. As a resultof this analysis, we expect that only a few sources are intrinsic to M31. Thesesources are identified and discussed in an accompanying paper.Comment: 29 pages with 4 tables and 10 figures (JPEGs), accepted for publication in ApJS. Full-resolution images available on reques