As we saw in the previous section, the spatial correlation of the electric field in the U-V plane is related to the source brightness distribution. Further, for the typical radio array the relationship between the measured visibility and the source brightness distribution is a simple Fourier transform. Correlation of the voltages from any two radio antennas then allows the measurement of a single Fourier component of the source brightness distribution. Given sufficient number of measurements the source brightness distribution can then be obtained by Fourier inversion. The derived image of the sky is usually called a ``map'' in radio astronomy, and the process of producing the image from the visibilities is called ``mapping''.
The radio sky (apart from a few rare sources) does not vary2.8. This means that it is not necessary to measure
all the Fourier components simultaneously. Thus for example one can imagine measuring
all required Fourier components with just two antennas, (one of which is mobile),
by laboriously moving the second antenna from place to place. This method of gradually
building up all the required Fourier components and using them to image the source
is called ``aperture synthesis''. If for example one has measured all Fourier components
up to a baseline length of say 25 km, then one could obtain an image of the sky with
the same resolution as that of a telescope of aperture size 25 km, i.e. one has synthesized
a 25 km aperture. In practice one can use the fact that the Earth rotates to sample the
U-V plane quite rapidly. As seen from a distant cosmic source, the baseline
vector between two antennas on the Earth is continuously changing because of the
Earth's rotation (see Figure 2.3). Or equivalently, as the source
rises and sets the Fourier components measured by a given pair of antennas is
continuously changing. If one has an array of N antennas spread on the Earth's surface,
then at any given instant one measures Fourier components (or in radio
astronomy jargon one has
samples in the U-V plane). As the Earth rotates
one samples more and more of the U-V plane. For arrays like the GMRT with 30 antennas,
if one tracks a source from rise to set, the sampling of the U-V plane is sufficiently
dense to allow extremely high fidelity reconstructions of even complex sources. This
technique of using the Earth's rotation to improve ``U-V coverage'' was traditionally
called ``Earth rotation aperture synthesis'', but in modern usage is usually also
simply referred to as ``aperture synthesis''.
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From the inverse relationship of Fourier conjugate variables it follows that short baselines are sensitive to large angular structures in the source and that long baselines are sensitive to fine scale structure. To image large, smooth sources one would hence like an array with the antennas closely packed together, while for a source with considerable fine scale structure one needs antennas spread out to large distances. The array configuration hence has a major influence on the kind of sources that can be imaged. The GMRT array configuration consists of a combination of a central 1x1 km cluster of densely packed antennas and three 14 km long arms along which the remaining antennas are spread out. This gives a combination of both short and long spacings, and gives considerable flexibility in the kind of sources that can be imaged. Arrays like the VLA on the other hand have all their antennas mounted on rails, allowing even more flexibility in determining how the U-V plane is sampled.
Other chapters in these notes discuss the practical details of aperture
synthesis. Chapter 3 discusses how one can use radio antennas
and receivers to measure the electric field from cosmic sources. For an N antenna array
one needs to measure correlations simultaneously, this is done by a
(usually digital) machine called the ``correlator''. The spatial correlation that
one needs to measure (see equation 2.4.6) is the correlation between
the instantaneous fields at points
and
. In an interferometer the signals
from antennas at points
and
are transported by cable to some central
location where the correlator is - this means that the correlator has also to
continuously adjust the delays of the signals from different antennas before
correlating them. This and other corrections that need to be made are
discussed in Chapter 4, and exactly how these corrections
are implemented in the correlator are discussed in Chapters 8
and 9.
The astronomical calibration of the measured visibilities is discussed in
Chapter 5, while Chapter 16 deals with
the various ways in which passage through the Earth's ionosphere corrupts the
astronomical signal. Chapters 10, 12
and 14 discuss the nitty gritty of going from the calibrated
visibilities to the image of the sky. Chapters 13 and
15 discuss two refinements, viz. measuring the
spectra and polarization properties of the sources respectively.