Data Combination
- Author(s)
- Adele Plunkett, Alvaro Hacar, Lydia Moser-Fischer, Dirk Petry, Peter Teuben, Nickolas Pingel, Devaky Kunneriath, Toshinobu Takagi, Yusuke Miyamoto, Emily Moravec, Sumeyye Suri, Kelley M. Hess, Melissa Hoffman, Brian Mason
- Abstract
Modern interferometers routinely provide radio-astronomical images down to subarcsecond resolution. However, interferometers filter out spatial scales larger than those sampled by the shortest baselines, which affects the measurement of both spatial and spectral features. Complementary single-dish data are vital for recovering the true flux distribution of spatially resolved astronomical sources with such extended emission. In this work, we provide an overview of the prominent available methods to combine single-dish and interferometric observations. We test each of these methods in the framework of the CASA data analysis software package on both synthetic continuum and observed spectral data sets. We develop a set of new assessment tools that are generally applicable to all radio-astronomical cases of data combination. Applying these new assessment diagnostics, we evaluate the methods' performance and demonstrate the significant improvement of the combined results in comparison to purely interferometric reductions. We provide combination and assessment scripts as add-on material. Our results highlight the advantage of using data combination to ensure high-quality science images of spatially resolved objects.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, European Southern Observatory (Germany), University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Australian National University, Japan Space Forum, Fukui University of Technology, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Space Telescope Science Institute
- Journal
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Volume
- 135
- No. of pages
- 29
- ISSN
- 0004-6280
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/acb9bd
- Publication date
- 03-2023
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/5a65f200-d674-4d77-8136-66408c42a988