First results from the Very Small Array - I. Observational methods

June 2003 • 2003MNRAS.341.1057W

Authors • Watson, Robert A. • Carreira, Pedro • Cleary, Kieran • Davies, Rod D. • Davis, Richard J. • Dickinson, Clive • Grainge, Keith • Gutiérrez, Carlos M. • Hobson, Michael P. • Jones, Michael E. • Kneissl, Rüdiger • Lasenby, Anthony • Maisinger, Klaus • Pooley, Guy G. • Rebolo, Rafael • Rubiño-Martin, José Alberto • Rusholme, Ben • Saunders, Richard D. E. • Savage, Richard • Scott, Paul F. • Slosar, Anže • Sosa Molina, Pedro J. • Taylor, Angela C. • Titterington, David • Waldram, Elizabeth • Wilkinson, Althea

Abstract • The Very Small Array (VSA) is a synthesis telescope designed to image faint structures in the cosmic microwave background on degree and sub-degree angular scales. The VSA has key differences from other CMB interferometers with the result that different systematic errors are expected. We have tested the operation of the VSA with a variety of blank-field and calibrator observations, and cross-checked its calibration scale against independent measurements. We find that systematic effects can be suppressed below the thermal noise level in long observations; the overall calibration accuracy of the flux density scale is 3.5 per cent and is limited by the external absolute calibration scale.

Links

• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0205378
• NED https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/uri/NED::InRefcode/2003MNRAS.341.1057W
• SPIRES http://inspirehep.net/search?p=find+j+MNRAA,341,1057
• ELECTR http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06338.x
• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=2003MNRAS.341.1057W
• PDF https://academic.oup.com/mnras/pdf-lookup/doi/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06338.x
• GIF http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2003MNRAS.341.1057W
• ARTICLE http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2003MNRAS.341.1057W?defaultprint=YES
• SPIRES http://inspirehep.net/search?p=find+eprint+astro-ph/0205378