An Introduction to Radio Astronomy

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

Bernard F. Burke (Author), Francis Graham-Smith (Author), Peter N. Wilkinson (Author)

9781107189416, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 August 2019

540 pages, 329 b/w illus.
25.3 x 17.8 x 2.7 cm, 1.2 kg

'… the authors include comprehensive discussion of correlation, digitization, and modern techniques of image restoration. The book concludes with a masterful summary of the recent extraordinary advances in our knowledge of the universe and its constituents. Many of these have involved significant contributions at radio wavelengths.' D. E. Hogg, Choice

Radio astronomy is an active and rapidly expanding field due to advances in computing techniques, with several important new instruments on the horizon. This text provides a thorough introduction to radio astronomy and its contribution to our understanding of the universe, bridging the gap between basic introductions and research-level treatments. It begins by covering the fundamentals physics of radio techniques, before moving on to single-dish telescopes and aperture synthesis arrays. Fully updated and extensively rewritten, the fourth edition places greater emphasis on techniques, with detailed discussion of interferometry in particular, and comprehensive coverage of digital techniques in the appendices. The science sections are fully revised, with new author Peter N. Wilkinson bringing added expertise to the sections on pulsars, quasars and active galaxies. Spanning the entirety of radio astronomy, this is an engaging introduction for students and researchers approaching radio astronomy for the first time.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I. The Emission, Propagation, and Detection of Radio Waves: 1. The role of radio observations in astronomy
2. Emission and general properties of radio waves
3. Spectral lines
4. Radio wave propagation
5. The nature of the received radio signal
6. Radiometers
7. Spectrometers and polarimeters
Part II. Radio Telescopes and Aperture Synthesis: 8. Single-aperture radio telescopes
9. The basics of interferometry
10. Aperture synthesis
11. Further interferometric techniques
Part III. The Radio Cosmos: 12. The Sun and the planets
13. Stars and nebulae
14. The Milky Way galaxy
15. Pulsars
16. Active galaxies
17. The radio contributions to cosmology
Appendix 1. Fourier transforms
Appendix 2. Celestial coordinates and time
Appendix 3. Digitization
Appendix 4. Calibrating polarimeters
Appendix 5. Spherical harmonics
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB], Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods [PGG], Astronomy, space & time [PG]