Import standard modules:
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import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
%matplotlib inline
from IPython.display import HTML
HTML('../style/course.css') #apply general CSS
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Import section specific modules:
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from IPython.display import Image
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HTML('../style/code_toggle.html')
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TODO:
how is the primary beam used in calibration and imaging?
https://www.cv.nrao.edu/course/astr534/ReflectorAntennas.html
The primary beam of an antenna (also known as its radiation pattern) is the directional dependence of the antenna's gain.
The primary beam of the antenna is the most important direction-dependent propagation effect ($\S$7.3 ➞). Etienne: broken link; no idea where it was initially supposed to point
It has a multiplicative effect in the image plane, and a convolutional effect in the visibility plane, due to the Fourier Transform relationship between the image and visibility planes.
Figure 7.5.1:Schematic diagram of an antenna radiation pattern (Image taken from Wikipedia ➞).
Example: Primary beam of the JVLA (Jansky Very Large Array)
Figure 7.5.3: Gain across a horizontal cross section of the centre of the beam pattern shown in Fig 7.5.2 ⤵. The peak at the centre corresponds to the main lobe, with the first null and the first sidelobe at larger radii.
Figure 7.5.5: Frequency-dependent variation of the beam gain at the position of the source marked by a black dot in Fig 7.5.4 ⤵.
A JVLA antenna, which has an alt-azimuth mountEtienne: finish sentence
The rotation of the primary beam causes the beam gain in a given direction to vary with time.
Figure 7.5.7: Rotation of the beam pattern in Figure 7.5.2 over the course of an observation.
Figure 7.5.8: Variation of the beam gain as a function of the hour angle at the position of the source marked by a black dot in Fig 7.5.7 ⤵.
An antenna with an alt-azimuth mount tracks a source in the sky by rotating along two axes - altitude (vertical) and azimuth (vertical).
An antenna with an equatorial mount tracks a source by rotating about the polar axis (i.e., an axis which points towards the celestial pole).
Figure 7.7.1: Alt-azimuth and equatorial mounts illustrated for the case of an optical telescope (Image taken from oasi.org ➞).
For an antenna with an alt-azimuth mount, the antenna primary beam Etienne: dead link, no actual destination given? rotates relative to the sky during the course of an observation. For an equatorially-mounted antenna, the relative orientation of the antenna primary beam and the sky remains unchanged throughout the course of an observation.
The parallactic angle is the spherical angle between two great circles on the celestial sphere - one passing through the source and the zenith, and the other passing through the source and the north celestial pole.
Figure 7.7.4: Parallactic angle
The parallactic angle is given by
$$ q = \arctan \bigg( \frac{\sin(HA)}{\tan(L_a)\cos(\delta)-\sin(\delta)\cos(HA)} \bigg) $$where
$q$ is the parallactic angle,
$HA$ is the hour angle of the source,
$\delta$ is the declination of the source,
$L_a$ is the latitude of the observer.
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