Radio Astronomy

The ideal text for a one-semester course in radio astronomy Essential Radio Astronomy is the only textbook on the subject specifically designed for a one-semester introductory course for advanced undergraduates or graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics. It starts from first principles in order to fill gaps in students' backgrounds, make teaching easier for professors who are not expert radio astronomers, and provide a useful reference to the essential equations used by practitioners. This unique textbook reflects the fact that students of multiwavelength astronomy typically can afford to spend only one semester studying the observational techniques particular to each wavelength band. Essential Radio Astronomy presents only the most crucial concepts—succinctly and accessibly. It covers the general principles behind radio telescopes, receivers, and digital backends without getting bogged down in engineering details. Emphasizing the physical processes in radio sources, the book's approach is shaped by the view that radio astrophysics owes more to thermodynamics than electromagnetism. Proven in the classroom and generously illustrated throughout, Essential Radio Astronomy is an invaluable resource for students and researchers alike. The only textbook specifically designed for a one-semester course in radio astronomy Starts from first principles Makes teaching easier for astronomy professors who are not expert radio astronomers Emphasizes the physical processes in radio sources Covers the principles behind radio telescopes and receivers Provides the essential equations and fundamental constants used by practitioners Supplementary website includes lecture notes, problem sets, exams, and links to interactive demonstrations An online illustration package is available to professors

A thorough introduction to radio astronomy and techniques for students and researchers approaching radio astronomy for the first time.

Designed for a course in radio astronomy or for use as a reference for practicing engineers and astronomers, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the topic. Application boxes in each chapter cover topics like LOFAR, DSN, and VLBI. The book begins with the history of radio astronomy, then explains the fundamentals, polarization, designing radio telescopes, understanding radio arrays, interferometers, receiving systems, mapping techniques, image processing and propagation effects in relation to radio astronomy. A special chapter in the end presents the GMRT radio array as an example of the explained techniques. Features: •Includes context-connection boxes, including NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) the South Pole Telescope (SPT), the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), pulsar dispersion and distance, and plane waves in conducting and dielectric media •Contains several appendices including radiation potential formalism, the physics of radio spectral lines, and a table of world radio observatories •View the comprehensive companion disc with hundreds of color images and figures from the text

Galactic and Extragalactic Radio Astronomy is a fundamental text for graduate students and professional astronomers and covers all aspects of radio astronomy beyond the solar system. Each chapter is written by a renowned expert in the field and contains a review of a particular area of radio astronomy and presents the latest observations and interpretations as well as an extensive view of the literature (as of 1988). Topics covered include: galactic continuum emission, HII regions, the diffuse interstellar medium, interstellar molecules, astronomical masers, neutral hydrogen, the galactic center, radio stars, supernova remnants, pulsars, extragalactic hydrogen, radio galaxies and quasars, the microwave background, and cosmological radio sources.

A unified description of the theory and practice of radio interferometry and synthesis mapping techniques as they apply to astronomy and geology. Beginning with an historical review, it goes on to provide a detailed description of all aspects of radio inferometry, from basic principles through instrumental design to data reduction. Over 450 original papers and monographs are cited.

1. 1. Short History of Solar Radio Astronomy Since its birth in the forties of our century, solar radio astronomy has grown into an extensive scientific branch comprising a number of quite different topics covering technical sciences, astrophysics, plasma physics, solar-terrestrial physics, and other disciplines. Historically, the story of radio astronomy goes back to the times of James Clerk Maxwell, whose well known phenomenological electromagnetic field equations have become the basis of present-time radio physics. As a direct consequence of these equations, Maxwell was able to prognosticate the existence of radio waves which fifteen years later were experimentally detected by the famous work of Heinrich Hertz (1887/88). However, all attempts to detect radio waves from cosmic objects failed until 1932, which was mainly due to the early stage of development of receiving techniques and the as yet missing knowledge of the existence of a screening ionosphere (which was detected in 1925). Therefore, famous inventors like Thomas Edison and A. E. Kennelly, as well as Sir Oliver Lodge, were unsuccessful in receiving any radio emission from the Sun or other extraterrestrial sources. Another hindering point was that nobody could a priori expect that solar radio emission should have something to do with solar activity so that unfortunately by chance some experiments were carried out just at periods of low solar activity. This was also why Karl Guthe Jansky at the birth of radio astronomy detected galactic radio waves but no emission from the Sun.

Radio astronomy is a mystery to the majority of amateur astronomers, yet it is the best subject to turn to when desirous of an expanded knowledge of the sky. This guide intends to instruct complete newcomers to radio astronomy, and provides help for the first steps on the road towards the study of this fascinating subject. In addition to a history of the science behind the pursuit, directions are included for four easy-to-build projects, based around long-term NASA and Stanford Solar Center projects. The first three projects constitute self-contained units available as kits, so there is no need to hunt around for parts. The fourth – more advanced – project encourages readers to do their own research and track down items. Getting Started in Radio Astronomy provides an overall introduction to listening in on the radio spectrum. With details of equipment that really works, a list of suppliers, lists of online help forums, and written by someone who has actually built and operated the tools described, this book contains everything the newcomer to radio astronomy needs to get going.