Notes from 12/7/10 meeting going over class and readings - general comments below and detailed comments throughout readings/topics lists:

  • 2-3 year cadence for intro class, more in depth in between?
  • more continuity in the readings if possible…
  • 2 hour block with snack / moving around break in the middle
  • organizers set precedent for how talks / discussion should run in the first meeting
  • add apodization somewhere? glossary wiki page somewhere??
  • need better copies of VLASS and SDRATA articles - online version figures are unreadable when printed

Detailed topic list, with associated readings

8/31 — Science

  1. Course introduction
  2. Introduction to science and radiative processes relevant to the radio astronomy
    • Statia: Molecular mysteries in the Solar System
      • Why do rotational lines appear in the millimeter regime?
      • Small scale: planets, comets, solar system molecular-line studies
      • Relevant emission mechanisms: molecular rotational lines
    • Chat: Molecular mysteries in the Galaxy
      • Small-to-medium scale: protostars, dense cores, molecular clouds, disks, CO and other molecules
      • Relevant emission mechanisms: molecular rotational lines, thermal dust emission
    • Amber: Molecular and atomic mysteries of intra- and extragalactic nature
      • Galactic and extragalactic HI, high-velocity clouds
      • Relevant emission mechanisms: molecular rotational lines, 21 cm radiation
    • Peter: Transient galactic mysteries
      • Galactic radio sources & transients: pulsars, X-ray binaries, Galactic synchrotron background, Bremsstrahlung in HII regions, supernova remnants, masers, microquasars, scintillation
      • Relevant emission mechanisms: Bremsstrahlung, synchrotron
    • Jonnie: Extragalactic and cosmological mysteries
      • Cosmology: quasars and radio galaxies, galaxy clusters (Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect), cosmic microwave background, epoch of reionization
      • Relevant emission mechanisms: synchrotron, inverse Compton scattering, thermal blackbody, 21 cm radiation
  3. Notes: tricky problem here…
9/7 --- Single-dish basics
  1. Radio basics and reflector antennas
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
      • Kraus (1986 ed.), sec. 6-24 = 15 skimmable pages
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Specific intensity, flux density, brightness temperature
      • Antennas as abstract power collectors: A_eff, Jy/K, T_ant
      • Antenna architecture zoo (in Kraus reading)
    • Notes: Fount of Knowledge great, SDRATA fine, Kraus kind of neat
  2. Practicalities and Performance Parameters
    • Readings for Everyone: (here is a condensed pdf of the following ~12 pages of reading, for your convenience)
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • T_sys, SEFD
      • Primary beam, sidelobes, spillover, etc.
      • Confusion
    • Notes: better reading for this (especially the confusion, 1/f noise reading) - use astrobaki as resource for how these things are tied together. Look for chapter in more basic text?
9/14 --- Single-dish signal path & calibration
  1. Signal path
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Feed, polarizer, OMT, mixer, LNA, filters
      • Heterodyning
      • Back-ends: detectors (samplers come later)
      • Focal plane arrays (inc. coma, abberations)
      • Bolometer arrays
    • Notes: diagrams don't copy well from SDRATA and VLASS
      • SDRATA good, short, fairly clear; wiki article pretty good
      • presenter reading on back-ends was good and should be added to everyone readings
      • presenter reading on focal-plane arrays good as presenter reading - move this to the end of the course though in a 'modern/advanced' stuff session?
  2. Calibration
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
      • CARMA calibration example 1: Click here for a high-quality CARMA observation, exhibiting T_sys vs. time, gain amplitude vs. time, and bandpass amplitude vs. channel. There is also phase information, which will be applicable once we get to interferometry.
      • CARMA calibration example 2: Click here for a CARMA observation that would have been good had it not been for a baseline error, which caused huge phase slopes across the bandpass. Appropriate for interferometry.
      • CARMA calibration example 3: Click here for your run-of-the-mill failed CARMA observation (failed due to weather). The data are still useable, however.
      • Optional: Carl suggests this paper on bandpass. The introduction (= 1 p.) has a good description of least-squares frequency switching, which separates the IF gain from the RF gain.
      • Optional: Carl suggests this memo (= 22 pp.) as an example of calibration work in practice.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Finding T_off with frequency and/or position switching and/or chopper wheel method
      • Bandpass calibration (i.e. filter response)
      • Gain calibration
      • Pointing calibration
    • Notes: reading is generally good, but seems just about spectral line - make this clear
      • this seems the same as the next lecture - need to combine! needs work!
      • intro of Carl's paper decent, probably remove the GALFA memo
9/21 --- Single Dish Observing, Spectral Line Basics
  1. Single Dish Observing
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Observing Techniques: on/off, beam-switching
        • Gain stability (particularly the need to map on a timescale shorter than antenna-gain fluctuations)
      • Mapping Techniques: on-the-fly vs. grid mapping (boustrophedonic, “as the ox plows”…)
    • Notes: same as previous lecture - need to combine! The idea was to talk about mapping, but didn't work out….needs work!
  2. Spectral line Basics
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Velocity definitions and line width considerations
      • Doppler tracking
      • Local Standard of Rest (LSR) definitions
      • Spectrometers
    • Notes: unclear what the point was…needs work
      • back-ends reading not good
      • optional reading was good and should be for everyone
      • rework entire 3 sessions - James, Therese and Katie: one joint topic on 'single dish observing/calibration/analysis' with all 3 packets as readings
      • keep spectral line reduction techniques here, but move doppler tracking, velocities definitions, moements stuff down to 'spectral line considerations' (this is talked about a little in section 4 of 'reduction and analysis techniques' reading?
9/28 --- Fourier Transforms
  1. Fourier Transforms
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters
      • FFT Wikipedia page
      • Filtering Wikipedia page
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Convolution theorem
      • Discrete vs. continuous FTs
      • Aliasing
      • FFTs
      • Basic FT examples
      • Sampling, Nyquist Theorem
      • Autocorrelation
    • Notes: FT reading is good, need to talk about digital sampling stuff somewhere else (need a reading - start from astrobaki)
      • keep this lecture just all FT - do less of full derivation (astrobaki), more about using FTs: they are linear, etc.
10/5 --- Polarization
  1. Characterization of Polarization
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Why do we care about polarization?
      • What is polarization, and how do we describe it?
        • Geometric description of polarization
        • Stokes parameters
    • Notes: Casey says wikipedia page on Poincare sphere is good - maybe we don't need to talk about it, Carl readings are good
      • get rid of VLASS reading for presenters
  2. Measurement of Polarization
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Jones matrices
      • Mueller matrices
      • Instrumental response
        • Leakage terms
        • Beam squint & squash
      • Causes of depolarization
        • Bandwidth depolarization (Faraday rotation)
        • Beam depolarization (mention RM synthesis)
        • Optical depth depolarization
10/12 --- Interferometry I
  1. 2-element interferometer
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • Wright 10.1 = 7 pp.
      • TMS 2.1, 2.2 = 8 pp. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
      • VLASS Ch.2, Sections 1-3 = 5 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Fringes
      • b-dot-s
      • Visibilities
    • Notes: TMS reading is good
  2. Interferometer response
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • TMS 2.3, 2.4 = 10 pp. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
      • VLASS Ch.2, Sections 7-8 = 6 pp.
      • Wright, Appendix III = 2 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Sky coordinates and (u,v) plane
      • FT relationship between visibilities and sky domain
      • Primary beam
      • Resolution
    • Notes: the way Garrett and Jonnie split it up is better - see astrobaki
10/19 --- Interferometry II
  1. Basic properties of synthesis arrays
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • VLASS Ch.9, Sections 1,2,5 = 2 pp.
      • Wright 10.3.3 = 2 pp.
      • VLASS Ch.2, Sections 4,5 = 6 pp.
      • NOTE: Wright 10.2.1-2 should probably be here
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Sensitivity & noise
        • Radiometer equation
      • Fringe rotation
      • Delays
      • Phase center
    • Notes: VLASS reading are very dense, but good
      • this section was done as adding the rotating sky and sensitivity
  1. Aperture Synthesis
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • Wright 10.3.1, 10.3.2 = 5 pp.
    • Additional Readings for Presenters
      • TMS 5.6 = 15 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Filling (u,v) plane/maximizing (u,v) coverage
      • Earth-rotation synthesis
      • Synthesized beam
      • Effects of weighting on sensitivity
    • Notes: lecture, astrobaki not what we wanted; better reading?
10/26 --- Interferometry III
  1. Correlators and Phase Switching
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • Wright 10.2.1, 10.2.2 = 2 pp. - REMOVE
      • Wright 10.2.4(b) should be here
      • TMS 8.7 = 16 pp. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
    • Additional Readings for Presenters
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • How does the correlator work?
        • Why and how do you channelize your bandwidth?
        • The difference between XF (lag) and FX correlators
      • Why and how do you phase switch? What is a Walshing function?
    • Notes: switch TMS 8.7 and VLASS Ch.4 reading - VLASS was better
      • TMS 7.5 was terrible → need a better reading for this topic
  1. Calibration
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • Wright 10.2.3 = 2 pp.
      • VLASS Ch.5, Sections 1-5,7 = 21 pp.
      • VLASS Ch.10, Sections 1-4 = 8 pp.
    • Additional Readings for Presenters:
      • VLASS Ch.10, Section 5 = 4 pp.
      • CARMA calibration example 1: Click here for a high-quality CARMA observation, exhibiting T_sys vs. time, gain amplitude and phase vs. time, and bandpass amplitude vs. channel.
      • CARMA calibration example 2: Click here for a CARMA observation that would have been good had it not been for a baseline error, which caused huge phase slopes across the bandpass.
      • CARMA calibration example 3: Click here for your run-of-the-mill failed CARMA observation (failed due to weather). The data are still usable, however.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Define the Basic Interferometric Calibrations: phase, delay, baseline (antenna positions), bandpass
        • why do you need to do each?
        • where in the visibility function does each correction appear?
        • time permitting, show a few before and after illustrations of these corrections (or just draw them on the board)
      • Selfcal
        • why do we use selfcal?
        • how does it work?
        • emphasize that selfcal preserves closure quantities (and explain what these are)
    • Notes: good readings, but need to move selfcal somewhere else
11/2 --- Imaging I
  1. Dirty map and weighting
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • TMS 10.2 = 11 pp. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
      • Wright, 10.4.1 = 2 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Give an overview of the imaging process: grid, weight, FFT
      • What is the dirty map? (show how your map is the convolution of the true sky with the FT of your uv coverage)
      • How does aliasing affect your images?
    • Notes: good readings
  1. Deconvolution and MFS
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • Wright 10.4.2 = 3 pp.
      • TMS 11.1-11.3 = 12 pp. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
      • TMS 11.7 = 1 p. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
    • Additional Readings for Presenters
      • VLASS Ch.8 = 29 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Selfcal
        • why do we use selfcal?
        • how does it work?
        • emphasize that selfcal preserves closure quantities (and explain what these are)
      • Deconvolution methods: CLEAN, Maximum Entropy
        • fancier methods: multi-resolution clean
      • Describe multi-frequency synthesis (MFS): taking advantage of spectral uv coverage
    • Notes: good readings; no room for selfcal here either though
11/9 --- Imaging II
  1. Imaging errors and data editing
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • VLASS Ch.5, section 6 = 3 pp.
      • VLASS Ch.17, sections 1.1, 1.2 = 6 pp.
      • VLASS Ch.15 = 23 pages
    • Additional Readings for Presenters
      • Lecture on this topic at VLA Summer School
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Present examples of imaging errors and how to recognize them:
        • their characteristics
        • their causes
        • errors listed in ch. 15 and time, bandwidth smearing
      • Justify why data editing is acceptable
        • how many datà get edited‽ : a lot
    • Notes: VLASS Ch 17 reading not good - perhaps TMS replacement?
11/16 --- Imaging III: Wide-field Imaging
  1. Non-coplanar imaging
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Additional Readings for Presenters
      • VLASS Ch. 19 sections 1.1-1.3 = 5 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • What is the w term and when do you need to worry about it?
      • Describe some methods for handling wide fields:
        • faceted (polyhedron) imaging
        • w-projection
    • Notes: VLASS Ch 17 not good - remove it; add VLASS Ch.2 explanation about coordinates
      • VLASS Ch 19 was good but we need more material
  2. Mosaicking
    • Readings for Everyone:
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Describe why we use mosaicking and some complications involved
    • Notes: good
11/18 --- Imaging IV: Spectral Line and Polarization Considerations
  1. Spectral Line
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • VLASS Ch.12, Section 11 = 10 pp.
      • VLASS Ch.12, Section 6 = 9 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • Describe moment maps
      • What is beam smearing?
      • Describe different methods of continuum subtraction and advantages / disadvantages of each
    • Notes: add velocity definitions stuff from spectral line for single dish and turn this into one full day (2 session) discussion
  2. Polarization
    • Readings for Everyone:
      • TMS 4.8, pp. 112-117 = 5 pp. (email pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu for access)
      • VLASS Ch.6, Section 7 = 3 pp.
    • Specific Topics to be Covered:
      • How do you calibrate your instrumental polarization?
      • Discuss considerations for imaging polarization products:
        • Q,U,V can be negative
    • Notes: get rid of this entirely?
11/30 --- Berkeley radio astronomy; wrap-up
  1. Radio astronomy in the Berkeley community
    • CARMA, ATA, PAPER, and others
  2. Clarification of topics; wrap-up

Trace: • notes