Full Description
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)
Contents
Preface to the Second Edition xix Preface to the First Edition xxi
1 Introduction and Historical Review 1
2 Introductory Thcory of Interferometry and Synthesis Imaging 50
3 Analysis of the Interferometer Response 68
4 Geometric Relationships and Polarimetry 86
5 Antennas and Arrays 122
6 Response of the Receiving System 168
7 Design of the Analog Receiving System 212
8 Digital Signal Processing 254
9 Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry 304
10 Calibration and Fourier Transformation of Visibility Data 383
11 Deconvolution, Adaptive Calibration, and Applications 426
12 Interferometer Techniques for Astrometry and Geodesy 467
13 Propagation Effects 507
14 Van Cittert-Zernike Theorem, Spatial Coherence, and Scattering 594
15 Radio Interference 613
16 Related Techniques 627
Principal Symbols 655
Author Index 667
Subject Index 677
