[Previous] | [Session 40] | [Next]
R. Montez Jr. (University of Texas at Austin)
Calibration of a Small Radio Telescope (SRT) can be made by measuring the ratio of the radiometer power looking at cold sky with the power looking at an absorbing vane. The accuracy is limited by the knowledge of the noise picked up from the spillover of the antenna feed onto to the warm ground. The addition of an electronic calibrator allows the spillover to be modeled, and hence the absolute accuracy of the calibration to be improved. In addition the electronic noise source provides a more reliable calibration for long term monitoring of radio source flux density and other education projects using the SRT. This research was conducted as part of the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates at MIT Haystack Observatory.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: rudy@astro.as.utexas.edu