Journal article
Aliasing from Galactic Plane Setting in Widefield Radio Interferometry
N Barry, JLB Line, CR Lynch, M Kriele, J Cook
Astrophysical Journal | IOP Publishing Ltd | Published : 2024
Abstract
Measurements with widefield radio interferometers often include the near-infinite gradient between the sky and the horizon. This causes aliasing inherent to the measurement itself and is purely a consequence of the Fourier basis. For this reason, the horizon is often attenuated by the instrumental beam down to levels deemed inconsequential. However, this effect is enhanced via our own Galactic plane as it sets over the course of a night. We show all-sky simulations of the Galactic plane setting in a low-frequency radio interferometer in detail for the first time. We then apply these simulations to the Murchison Widefield Array to show that a beam attenuation of 0.1% is not sufficient in some..
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Grants
Awarded by Australian Government
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the Wajarri Yamaji as the traditional custodians of the MWA site, Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara. N.B. acknowledges the support of the Forrest Research Foundation, under a postdoctoral research fellowship. 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. 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 Ltd's 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). This work was supported by resources provided by the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre with funding from the Australian Government and the Government of Western Australia.