Undergraduate Radio Lab

This course consists of four laboratory experiments that concentrate on radio instrumentation and laboratory techniques. We will build receiving, observing, and data analysis systems for two telescopes: a single-dish 21-cm line system, and a 10.7-GHz interferometer. We will use these telescopes for astronomical observing projects including structure of the Milky Way galaxy, precise position measurement of several radio sources, and measurement of the radio brightness distributions of the sun and moon with high angular resolution. There is a heavy emphasis on digital data acquisition, software development in the Python language, and high-quality written reports.

Class Programmatics

Class Code Repository: http://github.com/AaronParsons/ugradio
Syllabus
Zoom Room: 358 760 9756
Bcourses: 1502778
Discord: [1]
Class Hours:
- Tuesday/Thursday 1:00-3:00pm
Office Hours:
- Aaron Parsons (aparsons at berkeley): TBD
- Tyler Cox (tyler.a.cox at berkeley): T/TH 9-10am, 4-5pm or by appointment
- Kyle Miller (ckmiller at berkeley): TBD; by appointment and MW(F) 10-11am
- Frank Latora (fjlatora at berkeley)
Lab Groups:
- TBD

Experiments

General Skills Used Through-Out Course

Topics by Date

Lab 1 (Exploring Digital Sampling, Fourier Transforms, and both DSB and SSB Mixers), Due Feb 9, 1:00p

Lab 1, Week 1 (Jan 19): Sampling and Power Spectra

Resources and Handouts
Demos and Tutorials
- Introduction to Python and Plotting
- Aliasing Demo
In class:
- Astrobaki, Syllabus, Office Hours
- Getting accounts (premade by Bill Boyd, change password)
- Lab access (email Mark Hayden)
- EM waves from sky to wire
- Nyquist Sampling and aliasing
- Fourier Transform
- Lab Hardware
  - PicoScope 2206a

Lab 1, Week 2 (Jan 27): DSB and SSB Mixers

Theory and Background:
Demos and Tutorials
In class:
- Lecture: Introduction to DSB and SSB Mixers
- Lecture: Discrete Fourier Transforms and the Convolution Theorem
- Show and Tell (10m per group)

Lab 1, Week 3 (Feb 2): More Mixers, and Lab Reports

Theory and Background
- LaTeX
- Introduction to Python and Plotting, second pass
In Class:
- Lecture: One more pass on Convolution Theorem, Heterodyne Mixers, and DFTs
- Show and Tell
- Writing Lab Reports
Lab 1 Due Feb 11, 1:30p

Lab 2 (Astronomy with the 21cm Line; Some Microwave Electronics), due Mar 2, 1:00p

Lab 2, Week 1 (Feb 9): 21cm Line and Waveguides

Theory and Background:
Demos and Tutorials
- Python Tutorial Part 3: Functions, Modules, and Objects
- Matrix Math with Numpy
- Doppler Corrections, ugradio.doppler
In class:
- Introduction to Horn and Receiver
- Time
- Coordinates

Lab 2, Week 2 (Feb 16): Collect and Analyze Data

Theory and Background
Demos and Tutorials
- Central Limit Theorem and Averaging
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Waveguides, Transmission Lines, and Rope
- Fitting Gaussians and Polynomials, ugradio.gauss

Lab 2, Week 3 (Feb 23): Write Lab Report

Theory and Background
- Least-Squares and Chi-Square for the Budding Aficionado: Art and Practice
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Least Squares Part 2
Lab 2 Due Mar 3, 1:00p

Lab 3 (Radio Interferometry at X Band), due Apr 6, 1:00p

Lab 3 Week 1 (Mar 2): Interferometer

Theory and Background
- Coordinates
- Basic Interferometry
In Class:
- Tour of Rooftop Interferometer
- Exercise Ball Coordinates
- Interferometry with Strings

Lab 3 Week 2 (Mar 9): Collect and Analyze Data

Theory and Background
- Measurement Equation
- Telescope Field of View/Resolution
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Controlling the Telescope
- Tracking the Sun
- Scheduling Observations
Lecture Links
- Lab 3 Lecture 3 (Tuesday 3/10/20)
- Lab 3 Lecture 4 (Thursday 3/12/20)

Lab 3 Week 3 (Mar 16): Collect and Analyze Data

Theory and Background
- Basic Interferometry II
- Least Squares
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Linear Least-Squares in Python
- Minimizing Chi-Square]
- Noise in Observations
Lecture Links
- Lab 3 Lecture 5 (Tuesday 3/17/20)
- Lab 3 Lecture 6 (Thursday 3/19/20)

No class (Mar 23, 26)

Lab 3 Week 4 (Mar 30): Write Lab Report

Theory and Background
- - Correlators
  - Units of radiation
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Photon bucket demo
Lecture Links
- Lab 3 Lecture 7 (Tuesday 3/31/20)
- Lab 3 Lecture 8 (Thursday 4/2/20)
Lab 3 Due Apr 7, 1:00p

Lab 4 (Mapping the HI Line: the Galaxy and Supershells), due May 4, 1:00p

Useful Links

Link to Observing Calendar

Leuschner WebCam

Lab 4 Week 1 (Apr 6): Leuschner Dish

Theory and Background
In Class:
- Trip to Leuschner: Class will go later than usual
- drive mechanism (how the dish moves)
- feed (notice probes) and cables
- IF setup (one channel for OH, one for HI)
- interacting with a CASPER spectrometer
- pointing control
- spatial sampling with dish
Lecture Links
- Lab 4 Lecture 1 (Tuesday 4/7/20)
- Lab 4 Lecture 2 (Thursday 4/9/20)

Lab 4 Week 2 (Apr 13): Collect and Analyze Data

Theory and Background
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- spatial sampling with a dish
- interpolation
- projection
Lecture Links
- Lab 4 Lecture 3 (Tuesday 4/14; access v7*1$5k7)
- Lab 4 Lecture 4 (Thursday 4/16; access G7*##+1O)

Lab 4 Week 3 (Apr 20): Collect and Analyze Data

Theory and Background
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- close-out plan
- computing doppler width for a line of sight (assuming circular motion)
- calibrating spectra
- converting spectra to hydrogen
Lecture Links
- Lab 4 Lecture 5 (Tuesday 4/21; access 7f!o&=J9)
- Lab 4 Lecture 6 (Thursday 4/23): share day; no recording

Lab 4 Week 4 (Apr 27): Write Lab Report

Theory and Background
- Calibrating the Intensity and Shape of Spectral Lines (Carl Heiles)
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- displaying information in image form
- Lab 4 Due May 4, 1:00p
Lecture Links
- Lab 4 Lecture 7 (Tuesday 4/28; access 3h=j11*@ )
- Lab 4 Lecture 8 (Thursday 4/30; access 5V$.3i8$ )