| GK Radio Interfermetry Cross Correlation |
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| June 2013 | |
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This information is in the category of general knowledge at a layman level. It aims to introduce 3 key ideas involved in radio interferometry cross-correlation for achieving better visibility. Though the info is not for specialists, some mathematical background is needed to understand the concepts involved. The aim is to improve angular resolution Ó¨ of antenna detection for a specific wavelength λ (or frequency) of signals from the sky. The equations show that we can reduce Ó¨ easily by 1220 times by placing a 2nd antenna at a distance (B = 1000D) apart from the 1st antenna.
o For a single antenna of diameter D, Ó¨ ~ 1.22 λ / D
The aim is to reduce noise so that the signal measured becomes more accurate. This is achieved by multiplying the signals from an antenna pair because signal will correlate whereas noise will not. o Do the same for other pairs (cross-correlation) and integrate within a time period for exposure before rotation of the Earth introduces smearing.
This is a Fast Fourier Transform: I (l,m) = ∫ V (u,v) e i2π(ul+vm) du dv where
o I is brightness intensity & l, m are angular coordinates of brightness |
