Physics 343: Observational Radio Astronomy
Spring 2016

Pictures from class trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia (April 15-17, 2016):

Professor Andrew Baker Serin W309 Phone: 848-445-8887 Email: ajbaker[at]physics.rutgers.edu Instructor Jesse Rivera Serin W332 Email: jrivera[at]physics.rutgers.edu Phone: 848-445-8980

Course meetings
Lectures: Serin 401, Monday 10:20-11:40am
Labs: Meet at Serin 403b (or as instructed), according to your assigned weekly time slots:

SECTION	TIME	STUDENTS
A	Mon 1:40-3:00pm	LF, RG, AMa, TR
B	Mon 3:20-4:40pm	JC, JM, SS, NY
C	Mon 5:00-6:20pm	IC, SR, JR, MR
D	Thu 12:00-1:20pm	PF, MS, AT, IV
E	Fri 1:40-3:00pm	RPC, DD, AMo, GP, LW

Office hours
Every week: Wednesday 1:40-3:00pm (Rivera); Thursday 3:20-4:40pm (Baker); or by appointment
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. The online Essential Radio Astronomy course developed by Jim Condon and Scott Ransom at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is also an excellent reference.

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 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, many of which will focus on the analysis of archival data from research-grade telescopes; these will give you the chance to confront some of the same challenges that professional radio astronomers face in their work. As part of these analyses, you will be expected to work with spreadsheets and adapt simple programs; previous experience with these tools is helpful but is not necessary for success in the course. Each lab will feature a "hands-on week" in which you meet with an instructor and your lab partners to be introduced to the new data, followed by an "analysis week" in which you can consult with your lab partners and/or an instructor as you complete your report. The sixth lab will involve either data obtained 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 has been arranged for the weekend of April 15-17. 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 25	course organization; radiative processes; specific intensity
2	Feb 1	lab # 1; the 21cm line of HI	Hands-on week # 1
3	Feb 8	statistics and radio astronomy	Analysis week # 1
4	Feb 15	lab # 2; gas dynamics	Hands-on week # 2	Report # 1
5	Feb 22	the interstellar medium; active galactic nuclei	Analysis week # 2
6	Feb 29	lab # 3; Fourier transforms; radio antennas	Hands-on week # 3	Report # 2
7	Mar 7	radio telescopes; interferometry guest lecturer: Dr. Ximena Fernández	Analysis week # 3
8	Mar 21	lab # 4; Green Bank trip; deconvolution	Hands-on week # 4	Report # 3
9	Mar 28	final thoughts on telescopes, interferometry, and deconvolution	Analysis week # 4
10	Apr 4	lab # 5; stars and planets	Hands-on week # 5	Report # 4
11	Apr 11	distant, dusty galaxies	Analysis week # 5
	Apr 15-17	visit to NRAO (Green Bank, West Virginia)
12	Apr 18	galaxy clusters	Hands-on week # 6 (for students not visiting NRAO)
13	Apr 25	cosmic microwave background and reionization	Analysis week # 6 (for students not visiting NRAO)	Report # 5
14	May 2	student choice		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 one of our regular lectures, which will be taught by a guest lecturer 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 participation (and, for a lecture, quiz) points and will need to rely on your classmates' notes to catch up on the material you missed. All absences should be reported at this website.
• 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 (the first deduction hits at 11:59pm on the nominal due date). This means that a lab report handed in three days late will receive at best a grade of 70%, and a report that is 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 lab reports from previous offerings of this course or similar courses elsewhere.
• Auditors
  Students not enrolled for credit are welcome to attend the lectures if space permits.
• 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.
• Student wellness services
  The School of Arts and Sciences and the Rutgers University Student Assembly have requested that all course syllabi include the following information on resources to support student wellness:
  • The Just In Case Web App provides access to helpful mental health information and resources for yourself or a friend in a mental health crisis on your smartphone or tablet, and easily contacts CAPS or RUPD.
  • Rutgers Counseling, ADAP & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) (848-932-7884; 17 Senior Street in New Brunswick) is a University mental health support service that includes counseling, alcohol and other drug assistance, and psychiatric services staffed by a team of professionals within Rutgers Health Services to support students' efforts to succeed at Rutgers University. CAPS offers a variety of services that include individual therapy, group therapy and workshops, crisis intervention, referral to specialists in the community and consultation, and collaboration with campus partners.
  • The Office for Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance (VPVA) (848-932-1181; 3 Bartlett Street in New Brunswick) provides confidential crisis intervention, counseling, and advocacy for victims of sexual and relationship violence and stalking to students, staff, and faculty.N Staff can be reached by phone during office hours when the university; advocates can be reached by phone after hours.
  • The Office of Disability Services (848-445-6800; Lucy Stone Hall, Suite A145, Livingston Campus, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue in Piscataway) works with students with documented disabilities to determine eligibility for reasonable accommodations, facilitates and coordinates those accommodations when applicable, and lastly engages with the Rutgers community at large to provide and connect students to appropriate resources.
  • Scarlet Listeners (732-247-5555) is a free and confidential peer counseling and referral hotline, providing a comforting and supportive safe space.