Journal article
The Role of the Instrumental Response in 21 cm Epoch of Reionization Power Spectrum Gridding Analyses
N Barry, A Chokshi
Astrophysical Journal | IOP Publishing Ltd | Published : 2022
Abstract
Reconstruction of the sky brightness measured by radio interferometers is typically achieved through gridding techniques, or histograms in spatial Fourier space. For Epoch of Reionization (EoR) 21 cm power spectrum measurements, extreme levels of gridding resolution are required to reduce spectral contamination, as explored in other works. However, the role of the shape of the Fourier space spreading function, or kernel, also has consequences in reconstructed power spectra. We decompose the instrumental Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) beam into a series of Gaussians and simulate the effects of finite kernel extents and differing shapes in gridding/degridding for optimal map making analyses. ..
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Grants
Awarded by Forrest Research Foundation
Funding Acknowledgements
y The authors would like to thank Cathryn Trott, Bart Pindor, Randall Wayth, Daniel Mitchell, and Miguel Morales for their informative discussions, and Chris Riseley for his advice. N.B. acknowledges the support of the Forrest Research Foundation, under a postdoctoral research fellowship. This research was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), through project number CE170100013. This work was supported by resources awarded under Astronomy Australia Ltds merit allocation scheme on the OzSTAR national facility at Swinburne University of Technology. OzSTAR is funded by Swinburne University of Technology and the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) is a Joint Venture of Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, funded by the Western Australian State government.