Physical Principles of Astronomical Instrumentation

Peter A. R. Ade, Matthew J. Griffin, Carole E. Tucker

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781439871898
• eBook ISBN: 9781315357034
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Physics
• Index: Physics

Offering practical advice on a range of wavelengths, this highly accessible and self-contained book presents a broad overview of astronomical instrumentation, techniques, and tools.

Drawing on the notes and lessons of the authors' established graduate course, the text reviews basic concepts in astrophysics, spectroscopy, and signal analysis. It includes illustrative problems and case studies and aims to provide readers with a toolbox for observational capabilities across the electromagnetic spectrum and the knowledge to understand which tools are best suited to different observations. It is an ideal guide for undergraduates and graduates studying astronomy.

Features:

• 
  
  

• Presents a self-contained account of a highly complex subject.

• 
  
  

• Offers practical advice and instruction on a wide range of wavelengths and tools.

• 
  
  

• Includes case studies and problems for further learning opportunities.

Solutions Manual available upon qualifying course adoption.

1 Review of Electromagnetic Radiation

1.1 Introduction

In this chapter, we review the basic properties of electromagnetic (EM) radiation that are pivotal to our understanding of the radiation detected from astronomical sources and the design of instrumentation to characterise it.

EM radiation originates from the acceleration of charged particles. First, consider a charged particle that is made to oscillate back and forth in simple harmonic motion around some location in space. In forcing this motion, the particle is being continually accelerated. As it moves, the electric field which it produces oscillates and, as a moving charge constitutes a current, the oscillation of the charge also leads to an oscillating magnetic field. Therefore, an oscillating charge produces oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which are the basis of EM radiation.

While EM radiation can be described as a travelling oscillation of the electric and magnetic fields (the wave picture), it can also be described as a stream of discrete packets of energy (the photon picture). As we shall see, the wave picture is usually adopted for long-wavelength/low energy radio waves while the photon picture for higher energy radiation in the visible to γ-ray regions of the spectrum. In between, at millimetre to infrared wavelengths, both conceptualisations can be used, depending on the circumstances. We begin with the wave picture, which can be derived from Maxwell’s equations for the electric and magnetic fields.

1.2 Mathematical Description of Waves

A transverse travelling wave involves oscillation in a direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation; EM waves are transverse waves. A snapshot of a travelling electric field wave moving in the $z$ direction is illustrated in Figure 1.1.

FIGURE 1.1 Sinusoidal electric field travelling wave of wa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Authors
• Chapter 1 Review of Electromagnetic Radiation
• Chapter 2 Astrophysical Radiation
• Chapter 3 Interaction of Electromagnetic Radiation with Matter
• Chapter 4 Telescopes and Optical Systems
• Chapter 5 Key Concepts in Astronomical Measurement
• Chapter 6 Sensitivity and Noise in Electromagnetic Detection
• Chapter 7 Astronomical Spectroscopy
• Chapter 8 Radio Instrumentation
• Chapter 9 Far-Infrared to Millimetre Wavelength Instrumentation
• Chapter 10 Infrared to UV Instrumentation
• Chapter 11 X-Ray, γ-Ray, and Astro-Particle Detection
• Bibliography
• Index