Physics 343: Observational Radio Astronomy
Spring 2009

Pictures from class trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia (April 24-26, 2009):

Professor Andrew Baker Serin W309 Phone: 732-445-5500 x2544 Email: ajbaker[at]physics.rutgers.edu Instructor Chelsea Sharon Serin W332 Phone: 732-445-5881 Email: csharon[at]physics.rutgers.edu

Course meetings
Lectures: Serin 401, Monday 10:20-11:40am
Labs: Serin 403b, according to your assigned weekly time slots:

SECTION	TIME	STUDENTS
A	Monday 1:40-3:00pm	Sergey Galkin, Bing Llamas, Hanisha Patel
B	Tuesday 12:00-1:20pm	Phoebe Law, Joe Rodriguez
C	Tuesday 5:00-6:20pm	Scott Demarest, Sam Heiblim, Saeed Tarabichi
D	Wednesday 1:40-3:00pm	Matt Brady, Kent Patterson
E	Wednesday 3:20-4:40pm	Brett Salmon, Rushi Shah, Irena Spassova

Office hours
Every week: Monday 6:40-8:00pm (Baker); Thursday 10:20-11:40am (Sharon)
Analysis weeks: One of us will be "on call" during each of the regular lab section times.

Textbooks
This course does not have an official textbook. However, you may find it useful (or just interesting!) to dip into Bracewell, The Fourier Transform and its Applications, Rohlfs & Wilson, Tools of Radio Astronomy, and Wall & Jenkins, Practical Statistics for Astronomers, all of which will be on reserve in the physics library. The online Essential Radio Astronomy course developed by Jim Condon and Scott Ransom at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is also an excellent reference. The operator's manual for the Small Radio Telescope on the roof can be found here.

Overview
Here's the official course catalog listing:
"Observational study of the solar system, stars, and galaxies, using the Serin 3 meter radio telescope. Emphasizes computer techniques for data reduction and analysis. Topics may include calibrating system properties, the variability of the Sun, Jupiter, or quasars, and mapping the distribution of hydrogen in our Milky Way galaxy and measuring its rotation."

I plan to teach this course so that by the end of it you will not only have experience acquiring and analyzing data from the (ahem) 2.3 meter telescope on the roof, but also an understanding of how astronomers use much larger (e.g., 100 meter) radio telescopes in their research, and what kinds of astronomical targets they observe.

Schedule
Lectures: The sequence of lecture topics may be updated during the course of the semester. The last lecture is tentatively reserved for a topic related to radio astronomy to be chosen shortly after spring break by the students enrolled in the course. This will give you an opportunity to make me sweat, thus exacting revenge for a semester's worth of quizzes and lab reports.
Labs: There will be a total of six labs in this course. Each of the first four labs will involve one week of observations and one week of analysis, with lab reports due the following Monday in lecture. The fifth lab will involve analysis of an existing dataset taken with an array of radiotelescopes. The sixth lab will involve either a final set of observations with the 2.3 meter telescope on the roof, or an observing trip to West Virginia.
NRAO trip: A class trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's site in Green Bank, West Virginia will be arranged for the weekend of April 24-26. This will be a time-consuming trip (the drive alone takes 7-8 hours each way); however, it will give you a unique opportunity to see a research-grade observatory located in the center of the National Radio Quiet Zone, a variety of radio telescopes, and hands-on observing experience with a more powerful instrument than what we have available in New Jersey. Students who participate will be excused from the sixth lab.

WEEK	LECTURE	LECTURE TOPIC	LAB	DUE
1	Jan 26	course organization; introduction to radio astronomy
2	Feb 2	lab # 1; radiative processes; Chilean trip report	Observation week # 1
3	Feb 9	data analysis; statistics	Analysis week # 1
4	Feb 16	lab # 2; temperature scales	Observation week # 2	Report # 1
5	Feb 23	Sun, stars, and planets; Fourier transforms	Analysis week # 2
6	Mar 2	snow day; advance copy of next Monday's slides	Observation week # 3	Report # 2
7	Mar 9	lab # 3; the interstellar medium	Analysis week # 3
8	Mar 23	Green Bank trip; gas dynamics; antennas	Observation week # 4	Report # 3
9	Mar 30	telescopes; interferometry	Analysis week # 4
10	Apr 6	lab # 5; deconvolution	Observation week # 5	Report # 4
11	Apr 13	active galactic nuclei etc.	Analysis week # 5
12	Apr 20	guest lecture: gravitational lensing	Observation week # 6 (for students not visiting NRAO)	Report # 5
	Apr 24-26	visit to Green Bank, West Virginia
13	Apr 27	cosmic microwave background and reionization	Analysis week # 6 (for students not visiting NRAO)
14	May 4	student choice: SETI		Report # 6 (for students not visiting NRAO)

Grading
Your course grade will be based on a combination of four elements:

• quizzes during lectures (10%)
• participation during lectures (10%)
• preparation for and active participation in labs (30%)
• lab reports (50%)

Other items

• Instructor absences
  I will have to miss two of our regular lectures, which will be taught by guest lecturers in my absence.
• Student absences
  If you miss a lecture or lab, unless I have given prior permission or it is a medical emergency, you will receive a zero for that day's quiz and will need to rely on your classmates' notes to catch up on the material you missed.
• Late assignments
  I am willing to be somewhat flexible, but unless I tell you otherwise, I will deduct 10% off the top for each day a lab report is handed in late. This means that a lab report handed in ten or more days late will automatically receive a zero.
• Collaboration policy
  As you are writing up your lab reports, you should first try to answer every question yourself without discussing it with others. If you get stuck, you may discuss questions with other students in the course and/or the instructors, but you should always write up your own answers. You may consult books, published papers, and reference materials on the internet, but not old problem sets from previous offerings of this course or similar courses elsewhere.
• Auditors
  Students not enrolled for credit are welcome to attend the lectures.
• Students with disabilities
  If you have a disability, let me know early in the semester so that we can make the necessary arrangements for you to have a successful learning experience. Please consult this web page for more details.