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Bayesian Inference for Radio Observations - Going beyond deconvolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2015

Michelle Lochner
Affiliation:
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, 6 Melrose Road, Muizenberg, 7945, South Africa email: [email protected] Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
Bruce Bassett
Affiliation:
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, 6 Melrose Road, Muizenberg, 7945, South Africa email: [email protected] Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa South African Astronomical Observatory, Observatory Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 7935, South Africa
Martin Kunz
Affiliation:
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, 6 Melrose Road, Muizenberg, 7945, South Africa email: [email protected] Département de Physique Théorique and Center for Astroparticle Physics, Université de Genève, Quai E. Ansermet 24, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
Iniyan Natarajan
Affiliation:
Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (ACGC), Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Nadeem Oozeer
Affiliation:
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, 6 Melrose Road, Muizenberg, 7945, South Africa email: [email protected] SKA South Africa, 3rd Floor, The Park, Park Road, Pinelands, 7405, South Africa Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
Oleg Smirnov
Affiliation:
SKA South Africa, 3rd Floor, The Park, Park Road, Pinelands, 7405, South Africa Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
Jonathan Zwart
Affiliation:
Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
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Abstract

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Radio interferometers suffer from the problem of missing information in their data, due to the gaps between the antennae. This results in artifacts, such as bright rings around sources, in the images obtained. Multiple deconvolution algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem and produce cleaner radio images. However, these algorithms are unable to correctly estimate uncertainties in derived scientific parameters or to always include the effects of instrumental errors. We propose an alternative technique called Bayesian Inference for Radio Observations (BIRO) which uses a Bayesian statistical framework to determine the scientific parameters and instrumental errors simultaneously directly from the raw data, without making an image. We use a simple simulation of Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope data including pointing errors and beam parameters as instrumental effects, to demonstrate the use of BIRO.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2015 

References

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