Course Description and Goals:
In this class we will learn about the basic components of radio
telescopes and how they work in practice to explore our universe. We
will study the emission mechanisms that produce radio waves, and
what we have learned about astrophysical objects through radio
studies. We will also explore the concepts of synthesis imaging which
make use of many small telescopes to synthesise a single, much larger
aperture. As an integral part of the class we will
carry out observations of cosmic radio sources using the Very Large
Array (VLA), operated out of
Socorro, NM, and the Long Wavelength Array (LWA) operated by UNM. Each
student, working as part of a team, will learn how to
calibrate, image, and analyze LWA and VLA data. If possible we will
take a 1-day field trip to the VLA/LWA.
Course Texts:
RW: Rohlfs & Wilson (chapter sections will be indicated; pages if necessary).
SI:Synthesis Imaging in Radio Astronomy II by Taylor, Carilli & Perley
(electronic version available for individual chapters assigned below, or
you can peruse the book (45 MB).)
Class time and location: Zoom initially, later maybe PAIS 1140, M/W, 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Instructor: Greg Taylor, gbtaylor@unm.edu, PAIS 3236,
home page, Office Hours:
Mondays 9-11am or by appointment.
TA: Megan Lewis, melewis@unm.edu, Office Hours:
Tuesdays 1-2pm or by appointment.
Homework:
There will be several homework assignments, each due at the beginning
of class one week from the time it is assigned unless otherwise
specified.
Grades:
Grades will be based on two midterm exams (40%), the homework sets (25%),
the written presentations of the projects (25%) and the oral
presentations of the projects (10%). There will be no final exam.
Useful Links:
Greg Taylor's home page
NASA Extragalactic Database: Useful Information about sources of interest.
NVSS Postage stamp server Image cutouts from the entire sky imaged with the VLA at 1.4 GHz in D config (45 arcsec resolution, mJy sensitivity).
VLSSr Postage stamp server Image cutouts from the entire sky imaged with the VLA at 74 MHz in B config (90 arcsec resolution, 100 mJy sensitivity).
LWA home page
VLA astronomers page
VLBA astronomers page
ADS (literature search)
astro-ph preprint server
Schedule of Topics |
| Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 20 Jan (W) | Introduction to Radio Astronomy and this course | RW (1.1) | |
| 25 Jan (M) | Survey of Radio Science | RW (1.2) | |
| 27 Jan (W) | Power, Radiative transfer | RW (1.3-1.4) | |
| 1 Feb (M) | Blackbody radiation, noise | RW (1.5-1.6) | HW 1 Due |
| 3 Feb (W) | Amplifiers and Receivers | RW (3.1-3.2, 3.5) | |
| 8 Feb (M) | signal processing and receivers | RW (4) 48-70, 76-80, 95-109 | |
| 10 Feb (W) | VLA Schedule Due | 2 hours | |
| 10 Feb (W) | Single Dish telescopes | SI (3) | HW 2 Due |
| 15 Feb (M) | Interferometry and Synthesis Imaging | SI (2) | |
| 17 Feb (W) | Interferometry continued | | HW 3 Due |
| 22 Feb (M) | Correlators | SI (2) | |
| 24 Feb (W) | Calibration | SI (6), SI (7) | HW 4 due |
| 1 Mar (M) | Polarization in Interferometry | SI (5), AIPStutorial.pdf | Project assigned |
| 3 Mar (W) | Midterm number 1 | | |
| 8 Mar (M) | Imaging | SI (5), AIPStutorial.pdf | |
| 10 Mar (W) | Self Calibration | SI (10), SI (16) | HW 5 Due |
| Week of 15 March | SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS | | |
| 22 Mar (M) | Imaging tutorial | SI (10), SI (16) | |
| 24 Mar (W) | Error Analysis | SI (10), SI (16) | HW 6 Due |
| 29 Mar (M) | Spectral Lines | RW (11, 12) SI (22) | |
| 31 Mar (W) | Non-imaging analysis | SI (5) SI (22) | HW 7 Due |
| 5 Apr (M) | Very Long Baseline Interferometry, Geodesy | RW (10.7) | |
| 7 Apr (W) | Synchrotron Emission and Magnetic fields | RW (9.1-9.5, 9.7-9.12) | HW 8 Due |
| 12 Apr (M) | Brehmsstralung | RW (10.1-10.5) | Project Outline Due |
| 14 Apr (W) | Thermal radio sources | RW (10.1-10.5) | HW 9 Due |
| 19 Apr (M) | Non-Thermal radio sources | | |
| 21 Apr (W) | Midterm number 2 | | |
| 26 Apr (M) | Long Wavelength Interferometry and Science | | |
| 28 Apr (W) | Future Instruments | | |
| 3 May (M) | Team 1 & 2 Presentations | | |
| 5 May (W) | Team 3 & 4 Presentations | | |
| 7 May (F) | Written Reports Due | | |