Baseline design for IIT Indore radio interferometer

Abstract

Radio interferometry is a powerful technique used in astronomy to capture high-resolution images of celestial objects. It involves an array of antennas that work together to detect radio waves emitted by these objects. One crucial step in this process is the calculation of the (u,v) distribution, which represents the spatial frequencies measured by the interferometer. This distribution is essential during the imaging process and plays a vital role in obtaining the best possible results. To design a radio interferometer array, we need to consider the configuration of the antennas and calculate the (u,v) distribution using a specialized algorithm. This algorithm efficiently processes the interferometric data to create a high-quality (u,v) distribution. However, determining the optimal beam shape for the radio interferometer can be challenging. To tackle this challenge, we simulated different random configurations of the antennas and calculated the root mean square value of the difference between the data parameters of the beam and the model parameters of the Gaussian. By doing so, we were able to determine the ideal beam shape that would yield the most accurate results for the radio interferometer.