Measuring the universe : a multiwavelength perspective / George H. Rieke, University of Arizona ; illustrated by Shiras Manning.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rieke, G. H. (George Henry), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Radio astronomy.

Infrared astronomy.

Gamma ray astronomy.

X-ray astronomy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 343 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Astronomy is an observational science, renewed and even revolutionized by new developments in instrumentation. With the resulting growth of multiwavelength investigation as an engine of discovery, it is increasingly important for astronomers to understand the underlying physical principles and operational characteristics for a broad range of instruments. This comprehensive text is ideal for graduate students, active researchers and instrument developers. It is a thorough review of how astronomers obtain their data, covering current approaches to astronomical measurements from radio to gamma rays. The focus is on current technology rather than the history of the field, allowing each topic to be discussed in depth. Areas covered include telescopes, detectors, photometry, spectroscopy, adaptive optics and high-contrast imaging, millimeter-wave and radio receivers, radio and optical/infrared interferometry, and X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, all at a level that bridges the gap between the basic principles of optics and the subject's abundant specialist literature. Color versions of figures and solutions to selected problems are available online at www.cambridge.org/9780521762298.

Contents:

Cover; MEASURING THE UNIVERSE; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; 1: Radiometry, optics, statistics; 1.1 Basics of radiometry; 1.2 Image formation and the wave nature of light; 1.3 Power received by an optical system; 1.3.1 Basic geometry; 1.3.2 How much gets to the detector?; 1.3.3 Radiometry example; 1.4 Optical systems; 1.4.1 Lenses and mirrors; 1.4.2 Detectors: basic principles; 1.5 Statistics and noise

1.5.1 Error propagation1.5.2 Probability distributions; 1.5.3 Photon statistics; 1.5.4 Other forms of noise; 1.6 Exercises; Further reading; 2: Telescopes; 2.1 Basic principles; 2.2 Telescope design; 2.3 Matching telescopes to instruments; 2.3.1 Telescope parameters; 2.3.2 An example of telescope design; 2.3.3 Image description; 2.3.4 Examples of image behavior; 2.4 Telescope optimization; 2.4.1 Wide field; 2.4.2 Infrared; 2.4.3 Radio; 2.4.4 Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray; 2.5 Modern optical-infrared telescopes; 2.5.1 10-meter-class telescopes; 2.5.2 Wavefront sensing

2.5.3 Telescopes of the future2.6 Exercises; Further reading; 3: Detectors for the ultraviolet through the infrared; 3.1 Basic properties of photodetectors; 3.2 Photon absorption; 3.3 Basic photodetector characteristics; 3.3.1 Noise; 3.3.2 Linearity/dynamic range; 3.3.3 Time response; 3.3.4 Spectral response; 3.3.5 Detector arrays and resolution; 3.4 Photon detector types for the infrared; 3.4.1 Impurity Band Conduction (IBC) detectors; 3.4.2 Solid-state photomultiplier; 3.4.3 Photodiodes; 3.4.4 Diode variants; PIN diodes; Avalanche diodes; Schottky diodes; 3.5 Infrared arrays

3.5.1 Readout circuits3.5.2 An example; 3.5.3 Multiplexing; 3.6 Charge coupled devices (CCDs); 3.6.1 Basics; 3.6.2 Other aspects of CCD performance; 3.6.3 Some alternative optical detectors; Direct hybrid PIN silicon diodes; CMOS imagers; 3.7 Image intensifiers; 3.8 Photomultipliers; 3.9 Exercises; Further reading; 4: Optical and infrared imaging; astrometry; 4.1 Imagers; 4.2 Optical imager design; 4.3 Infrared imagers; 4.4 Nyquist sampling; 4.5 Imager data reduction; 4.5.1 Benefits and issues; 4.5.2 Taking good data; 4.5.3 Calibration; 4.5.4 How to carry the measurements around

4.6 Astrometry4.6.1 Coordinate systems; 4.6.2 Time; 4.6.3 Coordinate transformations; 4.6.4 Defining coordinate systems; 4.6.5 World Coordinate System; 4.6.6 Changes in celestial coordinates; Precession; Nutation; Parallax; Proper motion; Refraction; Aberration; 4.7 Astrometric instrumentation and surveys; 4.8 Exercises; Further reading; 5: Photometry and polarimetry; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Stellar photometry; 5.2.1 Source extraction and measurement; Aperture photometry; ; Point spread function (PSF) fitting; 5.2.2 Photometric systems and terminology; 5.3 Photometric refinements

5.3.1 Corrections for atmospheric absorption

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-139-53958-2

1-107-22468-3

1-283-52834-7

0-511-98049-3

9786613840790

1-139-52674-X

1-139-52793-2

1-139-52554-9

1-139-53140-9

1-139-53021-6

OCLC:

811489407