Principles of
Interferometry, IMPRS School 2014
Radio Interferometry and Synthesis Imaging is the art to synthesise a very large effective aperture from a number of "smaller" antennas. Combining the signals of these antennas will result in a meaningful property that can be used as a diagnostic tool to investigate the original state of the received radio waves.
In this light the lectures will explain the theory and the technical requirements needed to successfully measure extraterrestrial radio emission.
Lecture 1:
concepts of interferometry, early history of radio astronomy, cosmic radio emission, radio telescopes, interferometers | lecture notes
Lecture 2:
radio astronomical terms and definitions, antenna temperature, sensitivity, telescope types, telescope beam | lecture notes
Lecture 3:
radio astronomical system, heterodyne receivers, low-noise amplifiers, system noise performance, data sampling/representation, Fourier transformation | lecture notes
Lecture 4:
2-element interferometer, visibilities, correlator, uv-coverage, synthesis imaging | lecture notes
Lecture 5:
calibration, image reconstruction, self-calibration, measurement equation | lecture notes
Lecture 6:
observing with a radio interferometer, investigating raw data, evaluating calibration and self-calibration procedure, data analysis | lecture notes
Literature:
Tools of Radio Astronomy, Kirsten Rohlfs, Thomas L.Wilson, Publisher: A&A Library-Springer
Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference series Volume 180, Synthesis Imaging in Radio Astronomy II, G.B.Taylor, R.A. Perley, Publisher:Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference
Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy (Second Edition),A.R.Thompson, J.M. Moran, G.W. Swenson Jr., Publisher: Wiley-VCH.