Very Long Baseline Interferometry

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Fundamental VLBI Techniques

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Basic Radio Astronomy

      • B. Anderson

      Pages 3-10

   3. Fundamentals of Interferometry

      • R. E. Spencer

      Pages 11-25

   4. Introduction to VLBI

      • J. M. Moran

      Pages 27-45

   5. The Effects of Propagation on VLBI Observations

      • J. M. Moran

      Pages 47-59

   6. Signal Flow at VLBI Antennas

      • B. Anderson

      Pages 61-68

   7. An Introduction to Closure Phase and Self-Calibration

      • Peter N. Wilkinson

      Pages 69-93

3. VLBI Techniques in Practice

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 95-95

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   2. Scheduling, Correlating, and Postprocessing of VLBI Observations

      • W. Alef

      Pages 97-139

   3. Calibration Methods

      • R. Craig Walker

      Pages 141-162

   4. Sensitivity

      • R. Craig Walker

      Pages 163-182

   5. An Introduction to Deconvolution in VLBI

      • Peter N. Wilkinson

      Pages 183-197

   6. Mapping in Practice

      • Lars B. Bååth

      Pages 199-230

   7. Spectral Line Techniques

      • Philip Diamond

      Pages 231-259

   8. Introduction to Phase-Reference Mapping

      • W. Alef

      Pages 261-274

   9. Polarimetry

      • William D. Cotton Jr.

      Pages 275-287

   10. Geodesy-VLBI Observables

       • B. O. Ronnang

       Pages 289-302

4. Some Results in VLBI

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 303-303

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   2. Geodesy, Geodynamics, and Astrometry Using Very Long Baseline Interferometry

      • B. O. Ronnang

      Pages 305-317

The quest for high resolution has preoccupied radio astronomers ever since radio waves were first detected from space fifty years ago. This venture was par­ ticularly stimulated by the discovery of quasars, and led to the development of interferometer techniques using baselines of transglobal dimensions. These meth­ ods have become known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). Arrays of radio telescopes situated all over the Earth (or even in space) are regularly used for researches in radio astronomy, reaching resolutions as small as a fraction of a milli arcsecond. The technique also allows the measurement of the positions of the radio telescopes to a few millimeters and so VLBI has become a major tool in geodesy and the study of the rotation of the Earth. VLBI has now passed the pioneer stage and is becoming a standard facility available to astronomers and geodesists, requiring the coordination of the operations of indpendently owned radio telescopes around the world. In Europe observatories from England, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden and The Netherlands are coordinated in their VLBI activity by the European VLBI Network Consortium (EVN). The Programme Committee of the EVN allocates time to scientific projects on a routine basis three times a year. The Unites States has a similar arrangement of a network of independent radio observatories, and joint experiments using 'Global Network' are often made.

• Libration
• astrometry
• astronomy
• earth
• geodesy
• instruments
• interferometry
• observatory
• quasar
• quasars
• radio astronomy
• telescope

• Arcetri Observatory, Florence, Italy

  Marcello Felli

• Jodrell Bank, University of Manchester, UK

  Ralph E. Spencer

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