VLBI Science Applications

A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997). This special issue belongs to the section "Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 10057

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
2. INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius CA, Italy
Interests: high-mass and low-mass star formation; astronomical masers; supermassive black holes, AGN, and relativistic jets; radiointerferometry, VLBI, and polarimetry at radio and mm wavelengths

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Guest Editor
ALLEGRO/Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Interests: radio interferometry; ALMA observations; VLBI; water megamaser emission; molecules in AGN tori

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Guest Editor
Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE), Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
Interests: astrophysical masers; VLBI; space geodesy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a technique that provides the highest angular resolution in astronomy and also the highest precision for astrometry. It is a mature technique, originally developed in the 1960s, with unique applications in astronomy, geodesy, and planetary sciences. VLBI offers unique opportunities to study extreme physical phenomena in the universe with unprecedented image resolution and precision. It is thanks to its ground-breaking potential that VLBI is at the heart of some of the most advanced current facilities and next-generation instruments (LOFAR, ALMA, EHT, ngVLA, SKA, VGOS).

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art scientific results and future developments in each field of VLBI applications. Some topics that will be covered are the latest achievements in VLBI (cm, mm, space), future space missions and concepts (space–ground, space–space, small or larger number of antennas), the science of jets and black holes, tests of general relativity, transients, masers, star and planet formation, and astrometry.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions from experts in the form of both review and research articles. We believe that the compilation of these articles will assess the central relevance of VLBI in the continuously evolving landscape of astrophysics, Earth, and planetary sciences.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Remote Sensing.

Dr. Ciriaco Goddi
Dr. C. M. Violette Impellizzeri
Dr. Francisco Colomer
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • radio interferometry
  • polarimetry
  • astrometry
  • space missions
  • black holes
  • relativistic jets
  • active galactic nuclei
  • astronomical masers
  • star formation
  • transients

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

33 pages, 2518 KiB  
Review
Software and Techniques for VLBI Data Processing and Analysis
by Michael Janssen, Jack F. Radcliffe and Jan Wagner
Universe 2022, 8(10), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8100527 - 10 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3155
Abstract
Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a challenging observational technique, which requires in-depth knowledge about radio telescope instrumentation, interferometry, and the handling of noisy data. The reduction in raw data is mostly left to the scientists and demands the use of complex algorithms implemented in [...] Read more.
Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a challenging observational technique, which requires in-depth knowledge about radio telescope instrumentation, interferometry, and the handling of noisy data. The reduction in raw data is mostly left to the scientists and demands the use of complex algorithms implemented in comprehensive software packages. The correct application of these algorithms necessitates a good understanding of the underlying techniques and physics that are at play. The verification of the processed data produced by the algorithms demands a thorough understanding of the underlying interferometric VLBI measurements. This review describes the latest techniques and algorithms that scientists should know about when analyzing VLBI data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLBI Science Applications)
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26 pages, 9842 KiB  
Review
An Updated View of the Milky Way from Maser Astrometry
by Katharina Immer and Kazi L. J. Rygl
Universe 2022, 8(8), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8080390 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2702
Abstract
Astrometric observations of maser sources in the Milky Way, using the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique, have been exploited to determine the spiral structure of our Galaxy. Several major spiral arms have now been pinpointed in the first and second Galactic quadrants. [...] Read more.
Astrometric observations of maser sources in the Milky Way, using the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique, have been exploited to determine the spiral structure of our Galaxy. Several major spiral arms have now been pinpointed in the first and second Galactic quadrants. Fundamental Galactic parameters such as the distance to the Galactic Centre and the rotation curve and speed have been determined. In this review, we discuss the latest results from the Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy survey, the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry survey and other VLBI arrays and compare them with astrometric measurements of stars from the Gaia mission. In particular, we present the peculiarities of the individual spiral arms and a thorough discussion of the methods to determine different Galactic parameters as well as the obtained values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLBI Science Applications)
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23 pages, 4996 KiB  
Review
Overview and Status of the International Celestial Reference Frame as Realized by VLBI
by Aletha de Witt, Patrick Charlot, David Gordon and Christopher S. Jacobs
Universe 2022, 8(7), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8070374 - 7 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3280
Abstract
Accurate measurement of angular positions on the sky requires a well-defined system of reference that is realized with accessible objects. The purpose of this study is to review the international standard realization of such a system, the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). The [...] Read more.
Accurate measurement of angular positions on the sky requires a well-defined system of reference that is realized with accessible objects. The purpose of this study is to review the international standard realization of such a system, the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). The ICRF uses the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique as it has the highest resolution of any current astrometric technique for reference frames in order to observe Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) which are at such great distances (typical redshift ∼1) that there is currently no observed parallax or proper motion of these objects thus giving the frame excellent stability. We briefly review the history of the transition from the Fundamental Katalog 5 (FK5) optical frame to VLBI-based frames with attention to each of the three generations: ICRF-1, ICRF-2, and ICRF-3. We present some of the more prominent applications of the ICRF and outline the methods used to construct the ICRF. Next we discuss in more detail the current standard ICRF-3—which is the first frame to be realized at multiple wavelengths (S/X, K, X/Ka-bands)—including an estimate of its accuracy and limiting errors. We conclude with an overview of future plans for improving the ICRF. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLBI Science Applications)
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