The importance of the Earth's atmosphere propagation
medium effects on radio astronomical observations
by Maria Rioja (UWA/CASS)
Abstract.The Earth's atmosphere
leaves its fingerprints on the incoming
radiation waves which are observed from ground telescopes. These
propagation effects are manifested in very distinct fashion depending
on the observing frequency. They affect the outcomes of the
observations and ultimately will limit the accuracy of the
measurements. The development of new methods is therefore essential to
achieve the full potential of the next generation of instruments
coming into operation for the exploration of new regimes of the
electromagnetic spectrum. In this talk I will present a variety of
methods to mitigate the effects of the atmosphere in radio
astronomical observations. Furthermore I will address the
applicability to various fields of science. The first part will focus
on the high frequency observations and tropospheric corrections, which
has enabled for the first time high precision astrometry at 2mm and
hours-long coherence times; the second part of the talk will address
ionospheric propagation effects: what can be done and how to explore
these ideas.
