37 research outputs found
Study of the Power Beam Pattern of RATAN-600 During the Deep RZF Survey (1998-2003)
This paper proposes a method for constructing an experimental power beam
pattern (PB) of RATAN-600 based on the sample of NVSS sources observed in the
process of a deep sky survey near local zenith. The data obtained from
observations of radio sources at wave 7.6 cm in nine bands of the survey (the
2002 and 2003 sets) are used to construct vertical PB of the telescope at
rather large offsets from the central horizontal section of the PB (+/-36').
The experimental PBs obtained using different methods are compared and the
root-mean-square deviations of the experimental PB from the corresponding
computed PB are determined. The stability of the power beam pattern in its
central part (+/-6') during the RATAN-600 Zenith Field (RZF) survey (1998-2003)
and the accuracies of the fluxes of the sources observed within the framework
of this survey and included into the RZF catalog are estimated.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figure
The KHOLOD Experiment: A Search for a New Population of Radio Sources
Published data from long-term observations of a strip of sky at declination
+5 degrees carried out at 7.6 cm on the RATAN-600 radio telescope are used to
estimate some statistical properties of radio sources. Limits on the
sensitivity of the survey due to noise imposed by background sources, which
dominates the radiometer sensitivity, are refined. The vast majority of noise
due to background sources is associated with known radio sources (for example,
from the NVSS with a detection threshold of 2.3 mJy) with normal steep spectra
({\alpha} = 0.7-0.8, S \propto {\nu}^{- \alpha}), which have also been detected
in new deep surveys at decimeter wavelengths. When all such objects are removed
from the observational data, this leaves another noise component that is
observed to be roughly identical in independent groups of observations. We
suggest this represents a new population of radio sources that are not present
in known catalogs at the 0.6 mJy level at 7.6 cm. The studied redshift
dependence of the number of steep-spectrum objects shows that the sensitivity
of our survey is sufficient to detect powerful FRII radio sources at any
redshift, right to the epoch of formation of the first galaxies. The inferred
new population is most likely associated with low-luminosity objects at
redshifts z < 1. In spite of the appearance of new means of carrying out direct
studies of distant galaxies, searches for objects with very high redshifts
among steep and ultra-steep spectrum radio sources remains an effective method
for studying the early Universe.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
CMB Telescopes and Optical Systems
The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is now firmly established as
a fundamental and essential probe of the geometry, constituents, and birth of
the Universe. The CMB is a potent observable because it can be measured with
precision and accuracy. Just as importantly, theoretical models of the Universe
can predict the characteristics of the CMB to high accuracy, and those
predictions can be directly compared to observations. There are multiple
aspects associated with making a precise measurement. In this review, we focus
on optical components for the instrumentation used to measure the CMB
polarization and temperature anisotropy. We begin with an overview of general
considerations for CMB observations and discuss common concepts used in the
community. We next consider a variety of alternatives available for a designer
of a CMB telescope. Our discussion is guided by the ground and balloon-based
instruments that have been implemented over the years. In the same vein, we
compare the arc-minute resolution Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the
South Pole Telescope (SPT). CMB interferometers are presented briefly. We
conclude with a comparison of the four CMB satellites, Relikt, COBE, WMAP, and
Planck, to demonstrate a remarkable evolution in design, sensitivity,
resolution, and complexity over the past thirty years.Comment: To appear in: Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems (PSSS), Volume 1:
Telescopes and Instrumentatio