Radio astronomy

Radio astronomy is a relatively young science that has yet to celebrate its first century of life. It aims to study the Universe in the radio band of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e. from tens of MHz to hundreds of GHz. In this frequency band, the atmosphere is transparent to radio waves and consequently the electromagnetic waves are able to reach the earth. The main instrument for carrying out scientific observations is the radio telescope, typically consisting of an antenna with a large collection area, sensitive cryogenic receivers and sophisticated digital acquisition systems. To be able to detect the signals emitted by increasingly weak and/or distant astrophysical sources, the instrumentation used in radio telescopes is always at the frontier of technological research.

Topics of the training

Here are the main topics to be addressed at SPETTRA:

• •  Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy

  •  Antenna and array systems

  •  Cryogenic front-end receivers

  •  Firmware and control system

  •  Digital acquisition system

  •  Spectrum Management and Radio Frequency Interference

  •  Interferometry

  •  Observing and calibration methods

  •  Future technology for radio astronomy

  • Project Management and System Engineering

  •  Seminars on: SKA, ALMA, MeerKAT, LOFAR and SRT

Final program