Back to Search Start Over

All-Stokes Parameterization of the Main Beam and First Sidelobe for the Arecibo Radio Telescope

Authors :
Heiles, Carl
Perillat, Phil
Nolan, Michael
Lorimer, Duncan
Bhat, Ramesh
Ghosh, Tapasi
Howell, Ellen
Lewis, Murray
O'Neil, Karen
Salter, Chris
Stanimirovic, Snezana
Source :
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific; October 2001, Vol. 113 Issue: 788 p1247-1273, 27p
Publication Year :
2001

Abstract

Radio astronomical measurements of extended emission require knowledge of the beam shape and response because the measurements need correction for quantities such as beam efficiency and beamwidth. We describe a scheme that characterizes the main beam and sidelobe in all Stokes parameters employing parameters that allow reconstruction of the complete beam patterns and, also, afford an easy way to see how the beam changes with azimuth, zenith angle, and time. For the main beam in Stokes I, the parameters include the beamwidth, ellipticity and its orientation, coma and its orientation, the point-source gain, and the integrated gain (or, equivalently, the main-beam efficiency); for the other Stokes parameters, the beam parameters include beam squint and beam squash. For the first sidelobe ring in Stokes I, the parameters include an eight-term Fourier series describing the height, radius, and radial width; for the other Stokes parameters they include only the sidelobe's fractional polarization.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00046280 and 15383873
Volume :
113
Issue :
788
Database :
Supplemental Index
Journal :
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Publication Type :
Periodical
Accession number :
ejs56696224
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1086/323290