Notes from 12/7/10 meeting going over class and readings - general comments below and detailed comments throughout readings/topics lists:
  * 2-3 year cadence for intro class, more in depth in between?
  * more continuity in the readings if possible...
  * 2 hour block with snack / moving around break in the middle
  * organizers set precedent for how talks / discussion should run in the first meeting
  * add apodization somewhere? glossary wiki page somewhere??
  * need better copies of VLASS and SDRATA articles - online version figures are unreadable when printed


===== Detailed topic list, with associated readings =====

**8/31** --- **//Science //**
  - Course introduction
  - Introduction to science and radiative processes relevant to the radio astronomy
    * Statia: Molecular mysteries in the Solar System
      * Why do rotational lines appear in the millimeter regime?
      * Small scale: planets, comets, solar system molecular-line studies
      * Relevant emission mechanisms: molecular rotational lines
    * Chat: Molecular mysteries in the Galaxy
      * Small-to-medium scale: protostars, dense cores, molecular clouds, disks, CO and other molecules
      * Relevant emission mechanisms: molecular rotational lines, thermal dust emission
    * Amber: Molecular and atomic mysteries of intra- and extragalactic nature
      * Galactic and extragalactic HI, high-velocity clouds
      * Relevant emission mechanisms: molecular rotational lines, 21 cm radiation
    * Peter: Transient galactic mysteries
      * Galactic radio sources & transients: pulsars, X-ray binaries, Galactic synchrotron background, Bremsstrahlung in HII regions, supernova remnants, masers, microquasars, scintillation
      * Relevant emission mechanisms: Bremsstrahlung, synchrotron
    * Jonnie: Extragalactic and cosmological mysteries
      * Cosmology: quasars and radio galaxies, galaxy clusters (Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect), cosmic microwave background, epoch of reionization
      * Relevant emission mechanisms: synchrotron, inverse Compton scattering, thermal blackbody, 21 cm radiation
  - **Notes:** tricky problem here...

== 9/7 --- Single-dish basics == 
  - Radio basics and reflector antennas 
    * **Readings for Everyone:** 
      * Carl's [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~heiles/handouts/fount.ps|Fount of All Knowledge]] handout = 11 pp.
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278...45G|Radio Telescopes and Measurements at Radio Wavelengths]], sec. 1-3,6 = 14 pp.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * Kraus (1986 ed.), [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Kraus%206-24.pdf|sec. 6-24]] = 15 skimmable pages
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Specific intensity, flux density, brightness temperature 
      * Antennas as abstract power collectors: A_eff, Jy/K, T_ant 
      * Antenna architecture zoo (in Kraus reading)
    * **Notes:** Fount of Knowledge great, SDRATA fine, Kraus kind of neat
  - Practicalities and Performance Parameters
    * **Readings for Everyone:** ([[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Day%2002%20-%20Part%202%20Readings.pdf|here]] is a condensed pdf of the following ~12 pages of reading, for your convenience)
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278...81C|Measurement in Radio Astronomy]] sec. 7 = 1/2 pp.
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..155C|Continuum 1: General Aspects]] sec. 3 = 5 pp.
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..313J|Millimeter-Wave Calibration Techniques]], sec 2.1,2.2 = 4 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * T_sys, SEFD
      * Primary beam, sidelobes, spillover, etc. 
      * Confusion 
    * **Notes:** better reading for this (especially the confusion, 1/f noise reading) - use astrobaki as resource for how these things are tied together. Look for chapter in more basic text?

==9/14 --- Single-dish signal path & calibration==
  - Signal path 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278...91N|The Receiver System - cm Regime]] = 8 pp.
      * Heterodyning Wikipedia [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodyning|page]]
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..113F|Back-ends]] sec. 1-3 = 6 pp.
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..453P|Focal Plane Arrays]] = 9 pp.
      * [[http://www.naic.edu/alfa/|ALFA website]]
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Feed, polarizer, OMT, mixer, LNA, filters
      * Heterodyning
      * Back-ends: detectors (samplers come later)
      * Focal plane arrays (inc. coma, abberations)
      * Bolometer arrays
    * **Notes:** diagrams don't copy well from SDRATA and VLASS
      * SDRATA good, short, fairly clear; wiki article pretty good
      * presenter reading on back-ends was good and should be added to everyone readings
      * presenter reading on focal-plane arrays good as presenter reading - move this to the end of the course though in a 'modern/advanced' stuff session?
  - Calibration 
    * **Readings for Everyone:** 
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..293O|Single Dish Calibration Techniques at Radio Wavelengths]] (first few sections are review) = 17 pp.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * CARMA calibration example 1: [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Carma%20Quality%20Report%20-%20c0599.1D_114NGC475.5.qq.pdf|Click here]] for a high-quality CARMA observation, exhibiting T_sys vs. time, gain amplitude vs. time, and bandpass amplitude vs. channel.  There is also phase information, which will be applicable once we get to interferometry.
      * CARMA calibration example 2: [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Carma%20Quality%20Report%20-%20c0599.2D_114NGC366.5.qq.pdf|Click here]] for a CARMA observation that would have been good had it not been for a baseline error, which caused huge phase slopes across the bandpass.  Appropriate for interferometry.
      * CARMA calibration example 3: [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Carma%20Quality%20Report%20-%20c0599.5D_114NGC443.4.qq.pdf|Click here]] for your run-of-the-mill failed CARMA observation (failed due to weather).  The data are still useable, however.
      * Optional: Carl suggests [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007PASP..119..643H|this paper on bandpass]].  The introduction (= 1 p.) has a good description of least-squares frequency switching, which separates the IF gain from the RF gain.
      * Optional: Carl suggests [[http://www.naic.edu/alfa/memos/general/alfa_bm2.ps|this memo]] (= 22 pp.) as an example of calibration work in practice.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Finding T_off with frequency and/or position switching and/or chopper wheel method
      * Bandpass calibration (i.e. filter response)
      * Gain calibration
      * Pointing calibration
    * **Notes:** reading is generally good, but seems just about spectral line - make this clear
      * this seems the same as the next lecture - need to combine! **needs work!**
      * intro of Carl's paper decent, probably remove the GALFA memo

==9/21 --- Single Dish Observing, Spectral Line Basics==
  - Single Dish Observing
    * **Readings for Everyone:** 
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..329M|Reduction and Analysis Techniques]] Sec. 3 = 10 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Observing Techniques: on/off, beam-switching
        * Gain stability (particularly the need to map on a timescale shorter than antenna-gain fluctuations)
      * Mapping Techniques: on-the-fly vs. grid mapping (boustrophedonic, "as the ox plows"...)
    * **Notes:** same as previous lecture - need to combine! The idea was to talk about mapping, but didn't work out....**needs work!**
  - Spectral line Basics
    * **Readings for Everyone:** 
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..187L|The Rudiments of Spectral Line Radio Astronomy]] Sec. 3 = 4 pp.
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..113F|Back-ends]] Sec. 4. = 2 pp.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..329M|Reduction and Analysis Techniques]] Sec. 4 = 9 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Velocity definitions and line width considerations
      * Doppler tracking
      * Local Standard of Rest (LSR) definitions
      * Spectrometers
    * **Notes:** unclear what the point was...needs work
      * back-ends reading not good
      * optional reading was good and should be for everyone
      * rework entire 3 sessions - James, Therese and Katie: one joint topic on 'single dish observing/calibration/analysis' with all 3 packets as readings
      * keep spectral line reduction techniques here, but move doppler tracking, velocities definitions, moements stuff down to 'spectral line considerations' (this is talked about a little in section 4 of 'reduction and analysis techniques' reading? 

==9/28 --- Fourier Transforms==
  - Fourier Transforms
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * {{:radio101:204_ft_handout.ps|Carl's Fourier Transforms handout}} = 28 pp.
      * The section on digital audio in [[http://www.xiph.org/video/vid1.shtml|this video]] touches on issues relating to the role of the Fourier transform in filtering and digital signal processing.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters**
      * FFT Wikipedia [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Fourier_transform|page]] 
      * Filtering Wikipedia [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-aliasing_filter|page]]
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Convolution theorem
      * Discrete vs. continuous FTs
      * Aliasing
      * FFTs
      * Basic FT examples
      * Sampling, Nyquist Theorem
      * Autocorrelation
    * **Notes:** FT reading is good, need to talk about digital sampling stuff somewhere else (need a reading - start from astrobaki)
      * keep this lecture just all FT - do less of full derivation (astrobaki), more about using FTs: they are linear, etc.

==10/5 --- Polarization==
  - Characterization of Polarization 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..131H|Heuristic Introduction to Radioastronomical Polarization]] Sec. 1-4 = 10 pp.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..111C|Ch.6]], Sec. 1 = 4 pp.
      * {{:radio101:kraus_polarization.pdf|Kraus (1966 ed.)}}, Sec. 4.1 - 4.3 = 9 pp. (the Poincaré sphere)
      * {{:radio101:stokes_padmanabhan.pdf|Padmanabhan}}, Sec. 3.12.2 = 3 pp. (Stokes parameters)
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Why do we care about polarization?
      * What is polarization, and how do we describe it?
        * Geometric description of polarization
        * Stokes parameters
    * **Notes:** Casey says wikipedia page on Poincare sphere is good - maybe we don't need to talk about it, Carl readings are good
      * get rid of VLASS reading for presenters
  - Measurement of Polarization 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * SDRATA [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..278..131H|Heuristic Introduction to Radioastronomical Polarization]] Sec. 5-8 = 12 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..111C|Ch.6]], Sec. 2.1 = 1 p. (leakage terms)
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Jones matrices
      * Mueller matrices
      * Instrumental response
        * Leakage terms
        * Beam squint & squash
      * Causes of depolarization
        * Bandwidth depolarization (Faraday rotation) 
        * Beam depolarization (mention RM synthesis)
        * Optical depth depolarization


==10/12 --- Interferometry I==
  - 2-element interferometer 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Fomalont%20&%20Wright%20-%20Interferometry%20and%20Aperture%20Synthesis.pdf|Wright]] 10.1 = 7 pp.
      * TMS 2.1, 2.2 = 8 pp. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180...11T|Ch.2]], Sections 1-3 = 5 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Fringes
      * b-dot-s
      * Visibilities
    * **Notes:** TMS reading is good
  - Interferometer response 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * TMS 2.3, 2.4 = 10 pp. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180...11T|Ch.2]], Sections 7-8 = 6 pp.
      * [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Fomalont%20&%20Wright%20-%20Interferometry%20and%20Aperture%20Synthesis.pdf|Wright]], Appendix III = 2 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Sky coordinates and (u,v) plane 
      * FT relationship between visibilities and sky domain 
      * Primary beam
      * Resolution
    * **Notes:** the way Garrett and Jonnie split it up is better - see astrobaki

==10/19 --- Interferometry II==
  - Basic properties of synthesis arrays 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..171W|Ch.9]], Sections 1,2,5 = 2 pp.
      * Wright 10.3.3 = 2 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180...11T|Ch.2]], Sections 4,5 = 6 pp. 
      * NOTE: Wright 10.2.1-2 should probably be here
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Sensitivity & noise
        * Radiometer equation
      * Fringe rotation
      * Delays
      * Phase center 
    * **Notes:** VLASS reading are very dense, but good
      * this section was done as adding the rotating sky and sensitivity

  - Aperture Synthesis
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * Wright 10.3.1, 10.3.2 = 5 pp. 
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters**
      * TMS 5.6 = 15 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Filling (u,v) plane/maximizing (u,v) coverage 
      * Earth-rotation synthesis
      * Synthesized beam
      * Effects of weighting on sensitivity
    * **Notes:** lecture, astrobaki not what we wanted; better reading?

==10/26 --- Interferometry III==
  - Correlators and Phase Switching
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * Wright 10.2.1, 10.2.2 = 2 pp. - REMOVE
      * Wright 10.2.4(b) should be here
      * TMS 8.7 = 16 pp. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters**
      * TMS 7.5 (Walshing and phase switching) = 8 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180...57R|Ch.4]] = 21 pp. (optional)
      * UNM [[http://www.phys.unm.edu/~gbtaylor/astr423-2009/lectures/correlators.pdf|lecture on correlators]]
      * GMRT [[http://www.ncra.tifr.res.in/gmrt_hpage/Users/doc/WEBLF/LFRA/node218.html|phase switching summary]]
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * How does the correlator work?
        * Why and how do you channelize your bandwidth?
        * The difference between XF (lag) and FX correlators
      * Why and how do you phase switch? What is a Walshing function?
    * **Notes:** switch TMS 8.7 and VLASS Ch.4 reading - VLASS was better
      * TMS 7.5 was terrible -> need a better reading for this topic

  - Calibration 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * Wright 10.2.3 = 2 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180...79F|Ch.5]], Sections 1-5,7 = 21 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..187C|Ch.10]], Sections 1-4 = 8 pp.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..187C|Ch.10]], Section 5 = 4 pp.
      * CARMA calibration example 1: [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Carma%20Quality%20Report%20-%20c0599.1D_114NGC475.5.qq.pdf|Click here]] for a high-quality CARMA observation, exhibiting T_sys vs. time, gain amplitude and phase vs. time, and bandpass amplitude vs. channel.
      * CARMA calibration example 2: [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Carma%20Quality%20Report%20-%20c0599.2D_114NGC366.5.qq.pdf|Click here]] for a CARMA observation that would have been good had it not been for a baseline error, which caused huge phase slopes across the bandpass.
      * CARMA calibration example 3: [[http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pkwill/radio101/Carma%20Quality%20Report%20-%20c0599.5D_114NGC443.4.qq.pdf|Click here]] for your run-of-the-mill failed CARMA observation (failed due to weather).  The data are still usable, however.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Define the Basic Interferometric Calibrations: phase, delay, baseline (antenna positions), bandpass
        * why do you need to do each?
        * where in the visibility function does each correction appear?
        * time permitting, show a few before and after illustrations of these corrections (or just draw them on the board)
      * Selfcal
        * why do we use selfcal?
        * how does it work?
        * emphasize that selfcal preserves closure quantities (and explain what these are)
    * **Notes:** good readings, but need to move selfcal somewhere else

==11/2 --- Imaging I==
  - Dirty map and weighting 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * TMS 10.2 = 11 pp. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
      * Wright, 10.4.1 = 2 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Give an overview of the imaging process: grid, weight, FFT
      * What is the dirty map? (show how your map is the convolution of the true sky with the FT of your uv coverage)
      * How does aliasing affect your images? 
    * **Notes:** good readings

  - Deconvolution and MFS
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * Wright 10.4.2 = 3 pp.
      * TMS 11.1-11.3 = 12 pp. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
      * TMS 11.7 = 1 p. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..151C|Ch.8]] = 29 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Selfcal
        * why do we use selfcal?
        * how does it work?
        * emphasize that selfcal preserves closure quantities (and explain what these are)
      * Deconvolution methods: CLEAN, Maximum Entropy
        * fancier methods: multi-resolution clean
      * Describe multi-frequency synthesis (MFS): taking advantage of spectral uv coverage 
    * **Notes:** good readings; no room for selfcal here either though

==11/9 --- Imaging II==
  - Imaging errors and data editing 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180...79F|Ch.5]], section 6 = 3 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..357C|Ch.17]], sections 1.1, 1.2 = 6 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..321E|Ch.15]] = 23 pages
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters**
      * [[http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/events/synthesis/2010/lectures/Gustaaf_van_Moorsel_2010_ER+IA.pdf|Lecture]] on this topic at VLA Summer School
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Present examples of imaging errors and how to recognize them: 
        * their characteristics 
        * their causes
        * errors listed in ch. 15 and time, bandwidth smearing 
      * Justify why data editing is acceptable
        * how many datà get edited‽ : a lot
    * **Notes:** VLASS Ch 17 reading not good - perhaps TMS replacement?
  
==11/16 --- Imaging III: Wide-field Imaging==
  - Non-coplanar imaging 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..357C|Ch.17]] , sections 1.3-1.6 = 5 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..383P|Ch. 19]] section 2.2 = 3 pp.
      * W-Projection: [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005ASPC..347...86C|Cornwell et al. 2005]]; click here for the [[http://tinyurl.com/2daa8hh|PDF]]. = 3 pp.
    * **Additional Readings for Presenters**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..383P|Ch. 19]] sections 1.1-1.3 = 5 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * What is the w term and when do you need to worry about it?
      * Describe some methods for handling wide fields:
        * faceted (polyhedron) imaging
        * w-projection
    * **Notes:** VLASS Ch 17 not good - remove it; add VLASS Ch.2 explanation about coordinates
      * VLASS Ch 19 was good but we need more material
  - Mosaicking 
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..401H|Ch.20]] = 18 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Describe why we use mosaicking and some complications involved
    * **Notes:** good

==11/18 --- Imaging IV: Spectral Line and Polarization Considerations==
  - Spectral Line
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..229R|Ch.12]], Section 11 = 10 pp.
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..229R|Ch.12]], Section 6 = 9 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * Describe moment maps 
      * What is beam smearing?
      * Describe different methods of continuum subtraction and advantages / disadvantages of each
    * **Notes:** add velocity definitions stuff from spectral line for single dish and turn this into one full day (2 session) discussion
  - Polarization
    * **Readings for Everyone:**
      * TMS 4.8, pp. 112-117 = 5 pp. (email ''pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu'' for access)
      * VLASS [[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..180..111C|Ch.6]], Section 7 = 3 pp.
    * **Specific Topics to be Covered:**
      * How do you calibrate your instrumental polarization?
      * Discuss considerations for imaging polarization products: 
        * Q,U,V can be negative 
    * **Notes:** get rid of this entirely?

==11/30 --- Berkeley radio astronomy; wrap-up ==
  - Radio astronomy in the Berkeley community
    * CARMA, ATA, PAPER, and others
  - Clarification of topics; wrap-up