The Westerbork Observatory, Continuing Adventure in Radio Astronomy
The Westerbork Observatory, Continuing Adventure in Radio Astronomy

Author: Ernst Raimond

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9400917341

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A small country builds a world-class telescope in its backyard and lives happily ever after (or at least for a quarter century). That in a nutshell is the story told in this collection of essays. The country of course is the Netherlands, and the telescope is the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Tele scope (WSRT), brainchild of Jan Oort. Living happily in this context is a continuing record of discovery and as such also a continuing basis for se curing observing time on facilities in other countries and operating at other frequencies. As our community celebrates the Silver Anniversary of the radio tele scope at Westerbork, it is fitting that we pause to take account of the scientific discoveries and insights it made possible. Initially the instrument represented the very significant step away from university-run, specialist facilities to a well-supported, common-user radio imager also having spec tral and polarization capabilities. It pioneered the mode of operation now common for satellite observatories, in which data is taken and calibrated by technicians and provided to researchers ready for analysis. It has been a major source of discovery in, among other areas, research on neutral hy drogen and studies of dark matter in galaxies.

The Rise of Radio Astronomy in the Netherlands
The Rise of Radio Astronomy in the Netherlands

Author: Astrid Elbers

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-11-23

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 3319490796

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Radio astronomy was born during the Second World War, but as this book explains, the history of early Dutch radio astronomy is in several respects rather anomalous in comparison to the development of radio astronomy in other countries. The author describes how these very differences led the Netherlands to become one of the world leaders in radio astronomy. Dominated by the Leiden astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort, the field embarked on an era of success, and to this day, the country still holds a leading position. To tell this story, the book focuses on three key events in the period 1940-1970, namely the construction of the radio telescopes in Kootwijk (1948), in Dwingeloo (1956), and in Westerbork (1970). These projects show that Dutch radio astronomers must not be seen as merely scientists, but also as strategic lobbyists, networkers and organizers in a specific political and economic context. It was in the process of planning, designing and constructing these instruments that the interests of the astronomers, industrial partners, politicians and lobby groups merged to create today's existing research centers for radio astronomy.

Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy
Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy

Author: A. Richard Thompson

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-02-22

Total Pages: 910

ISBN-13: 331944431X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. The third edition of this indispensable book in radio interferometry provides extensive updates to the second edition, including results and technical advances from the past decade; discussion of arrays that now span the full range of the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum observable from the ground, 10 MHz to 1 THz; an analysis of factors that affect array speed; and an expanded discussion of digital signal-processing techniques and of scintillation phenomena and the effects of atmospheric water vapor on image distortion, among many other topics. With its comprehensiveness and detailed exposition of all aspects of the theory and practice of radio interferometry and synthesis imaging, this book has established itself as a standard reference in the field. It begins with an overview of the basic principles of radio astronomy, a short history of the development of radio interferometry, and an elementary discussion of the operation of an interferometer. From this foundation, it delves into the underlying relationships of interferometry, sets forth the coordinate systems and parameters to describe synthesis imaging, and examines configurations of antennas for multielement synthesis arrays. Various aspects of the design and response of receiving systems are discussed, as well as the special requirements of very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI), image reconstruction, and recent developments in image enhancement techniques and astrometric observations. Also discussed are propagation effects in the media between the source and the observer, and radio interference, factors that limit performance. Related techniques are introduced, including intensity interferometry, optical interferometry, lunar occultations, tracking of satellites in Earth orbit, interferometry for remote Earth sensing, and holographic measurements of antenna surfaces. This book will benefit anyone who is interested in radio interferometry techniques for astronomy, astrometry, geodesy, or electrical engineering.

Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy
Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy

Author: A. Richard Thompson

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2024-11-12

Total Pages: 723

ISBN-13: 3527414525

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this second edition of Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy, three leading figures in the development of large imaging arrays, including very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI), describe and explain the technology that provides images of the universe with an angular resolution as fine as 1/20,000 of an arcsecond. This comprehensive volume begins with a historical review followed by detailed coverage of the theory of interferometry and synthesis imaging, analysis of interferometer response, geometrical relationships, polarimetry, antennas, and arrays. Discussion of the receiving system continues with analysis of the response to signals and noise, analog design requirements, and digital signal processing. The authors detail special requirements of VLBI including atomic frequency standards, broadband recording systems, and antennas in orbit. Further major topics include: Calibration of data and synthesis of images Image enhancement using nonlinear algorithms Techniques for astrometry and geodesy Propagation in the neutral atmosphere and ionized media Radio interference Related techniques: intensity interferometry, moon occultations, antenna holography, and optical interferometry ”This edition meets current demands by providing a comprehensive account of the techniques used today.“ (La Doc STI) [...] The up-to-date edition of Thompson [...] with its exhaustive bibliography, becomes the indispensable source of background for those already in, or considering, radio astronomy.“ (The Observatory)

High-Sensitivity Radio Astronomy
High-Sensitivity Radio Astronomy

Author: N. Jackson

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-01-28

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9780521573504

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Enhanced sensitivity radio telescopes are producing dramatic results. An international conference was held in Jodrell Bank to take stock of these advances. This timely volume presents the review articles presented by a host of world experts who gathered at this meeting. We are shown how high sensitivity is advancing our understanding in radio spectral line analysis, radio continuum observations of galaxies, cosmology, pulsars, and radio emission from stars; what new and enhanced instruments are now available and those planned for the future. This volume provides graduate students and researchers with an up-to-date and wide-ranging review of the new and future research possible with high-sensitivity radio telescopes.

Open Skies
Open Skies

Author: Kenneth I. Kellermann

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-01-01

Total Pages: 652

ISBN-13: 3030323455

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This open access book on the history of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory covers the scientific discoveries and technical innovations of late 20th century radio astronomy with particular attention to the people and institutions involved. The authors have made extensive use of the NRAO Archives, which contain an unparalleled collection of documents pertaining to the history of radio astronomy, including the institutional records of NRAO as well as the personal papers of many of the pioneers of U.S. radio astronomy. Technical details and extensive citations to original sources are given in notes for the more technical readers, but are not required for an understanding of the body of the book. This book is intended for an audience ranging from interested lay readers to professional researchers studying the scientific, technical, political, and cultural development of a new science, and how it changed the course of 20th century astronomy.

Multielement System Design in Astronomy and Radio Science
Multielement System Design in Astronomy and Radio Science

Author: L.E. Kopilovich

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 9401597510

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The multielement systems have been widely used in many fields of astron omy and radio science in the last decades. This is caused by the increasing demands on the resolution and sensitivity of such systems over the wide range of the electromagnetic wavelengths, from gamma up to radio. The ground-based optical and radio interferometers, gamma-ray and X-ray or bital telescopes, antenna arrays of radio telescopes and also some other radio devices belong to scientific instruments using multielement systems. There fore, the current problems of the optimal construction of such systems, or precisely, those of searching for the best arrangement of the elements in them, were formulated. A rather large number of scientific papers, including those of the authors, is devoted to these problems, and we believe that the time has come to integrate the basic results of the papers into the mono graph. The offered book consists of three parts. The first part is concerned with the optimal synthesis of optical and radio interferometers of various types and purposes; the synthesis of non-equidistant antenna arrays is con sidered in the second part; and the methods for the construction of coded masks for X-ray and gamma-ray orbital telescopes are expounded in the third one. Since in the text combinatorial constructions which are little known to astronomers are used, the necessary information is given in the appendices. Various tables containing the parameters of the systems consid ered are also represented.

Knowledge Discovery in Big Data from Astronomy and Earth Observation
Knowledge Discovery in Big Data from Astronomy and Earth Observation

Author: Petr Skoda

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2020-04-10

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 0128191554

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Knowledge Discovery in Big Data from Astronomy and Earth Observation: Astrogeoinformatics bridges the gap between astronomy and geoscience in the context of applications, techniques and key principles of big data. Machine learning and parallel computing are increasingly becoming cross-disciplinary as the phenomena of Big Data is becoming common place. This book provides insight into the common workflows and data science tools used for big data in astronomy and geoscience. After establishing similarity in data gathering, pre-processing and handling, the data science aspects are illustrated in the context of both fields. Software, hardware and algorithms of big data are addressed. Finally, the book offers insight into the emerging science which combines data and expertise from both fields in studying the effect of cosmos on the earth and its inhabitants. - Addresses both astronomy and geosciences in parallel, from a big data perspective - Includes introductory information, key principles, applications and the latest techniques - Well-supported by computing and information science-oriented chapters to introduce the necessary knowledge in these fields