John D. Monnier, Ronald J. Allen
Astronomers usually need the highest angular resolution possible, but the
blurring effect of diffraction imposes a fundamental limit on the image quality
from any single telescope. Interferometry allows light collected at
widely-separated telescopes to be combined in order to synthesize an aperture
much larger than an individual telescope thereby improving angular resolution
by orders of magnitude. Radio and millimeter wave astronomers depend on
interferometry to achieve image quality on par with conventional visible and
infrared telescopes. Interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths extend
angular resolution below the milli-arcsecond level to open up unique research
areas in imaging stellar surfaces and circumstellar environments.
In this chapter the basic principles of interferometry are reviewed with an
emphasis on the common features for radio and optical observing. While many
techniques are common to interferometers of all wavelengths, crucial
differences are identified that will help new practitioners avoid unnecessary
confusion and common pitfalls. Concepts essential for writing observing
proposals and for planning observations are described, depending on the science
wavelength, angular resolution, and field of view required. Atmospheric and
ionospheric turbulence degrades the longest-baseline observations by
significantly reducing the stability of interference fringes. Such
instabilities represent a persistent challenge, and the basic techniques of
phase-referencing and phase closure have been developed to deal with them.
Synthesis imaging with large observing datasets has become a routine and
straightforward process at radio observatories, but remains challenging for
optical facilities. In this context the commonly-used image reconstruction
algorithms CLEAN and MEM are presented. Lastly, a concise overview of current
facilities is included as an appendix.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.2963
No comments:
Post a Comment