Literature for Astronomical Observing Techniques 2

General references and textbooks

• Observational Astrophysics
  P. Lena, F. Lebrun & F. Mignard
  (2nd edition, Springer, 1998)
  The basic textbook for this course. Nice unified approach, especially of imaging problems. Radio astronomy and practical matters are a bit under-emphasized.

• Astrophysical techniques
  C. R. Kitchin
  (3rd edition, Institute of Physics Publishing, 1998)
  A very practical approach to mostly optical and infrared observing, but the unifying principles are less clear. Radio astronomy and interferometry is only briefly covered.

• Instrumentation for Large Telescopes
  J.M. Rodriguez-Espinosa, A. Herrero & F. Sanchez (eds.)
  (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  Good practical discussion of contemporary optical and near-IR techniques. Includes useful chapters on spectroscopy, imaging, mid-IR techniques, adaptive optics, and image reconstruction.

History of astronomy

• Cambridge illustrated history of astronomy
  Michael Hoskin (editor)
  (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  Beautifully illustrated, and very readable.

• Early astronomy
  Hugh Thurston
  (Springer, 1994)
  A good study text for the history of astronomy, ending with Kepler.

• A history of astronomy from Thales to Kepler
  J.L.E. Dreyer
  (2nd edition, Dover, 1953)
  Good and detailed account (and not expensive) of the history of atronomy starting with the Greeks and ending with Kepler.

• The exact sciences in antiquity
  O. Neugebauer
  (2nd edition, Dover, 1969)
  Excellent account of mathematics and astronomy in the Babylonian and Greek eras. Not expensive.

Radiation quantities

• Radiative processes in astrophysics
  George Rybicki and Alan Lightman
  (Wiley, 1979)
  Excellent textbook on radiation in astrophysics.

• The physics of astrophysics, Volume I: Radiation
  Frank Shu
  (University Science Books, 1991)
  Brilliant textbook, very insightful. Highly recommended.

• Astronomical measurements in the infrared
  H. Johnson
  ARA&A 4, 193 (1966)
  Definition of the Johnson (Vega-based) magnitude system.

• Secondary standard stars for absolute spectrophotometry
  J. Oke and J. Gunn
  ApJ 266, 713 (1983)
  Definition of the AB magnitude scale (with error in sign!).

• Observational techniques and data reduction
  A. Young
  in Methods of experimental physics, vol. 12B
  ed. N. Carleton
  (Academic Press, 1974)
  Detailed discussion of principles of ground-based astronomical photometry, including error analysis.

• The 1997 reference of diffuse night sky brightness
  C. Leinert et al.
  A&AS 127, 1 (1998)
  Extensive compilation of diffuse backgrounds, groundbased and spacebased.

Atmosphere

• Fundamental and practical limits to the sensitivity of submillimeter astronomical observations
  J.M. Lamarre
  in The Infrared and Submillimetre Sky after COBE
  eds. M. Signore et al.
  (Kluwer, 1992)
  Discussion of sky noise in chopped ground-based submillimetre observations.

• Observations at (sub)millimetre wavelengths: effect of atmosphere and telescope sidelobes
  M. Guelin
  in The Infrared and Submillimetre Sky after COBE
  eds. M. Signore et al.
  (Kluwer, 1992)
  Discussion of atmospheric absorption and emission and its effects in (sub)millimetre astronomy

Fourier theory

• The Fourier Transform and its applications
  Ronald Bracewell
  (2nd edition, McGraw Hill, 1986)
  The basic reference on the most important mathematical tool in astronomical observing: the Fourier transform. Very readable, and with an emphasis on applications, including radio interferometry.

Telescopes and optics

• Optical telescopes and instrumentation
  H. Nicklas
  in Compendium of practical astronomy, vol. I: Instrumentation and reduction techniques
  ed. G. D. Roth
  (Springer, 1994)
  Good description of optical telescope arrangements, aberrations, etc.

Adaptive optics

• Adaptive optics in astronomy
  F. Roddier (ed.)
  (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
  Essential reference. Comprehensive, modern, and very readable.

• Improving the resolution of ground-based telescopes
  M.C. Roggemann, B.M. Welsh, & R. Q. Fugate
  Rev. Mod. Phys. 69, 437 (1997)
  Comprehensive review, very good introduction to the subject.

• The effects of atmospheric turbulence in optical astronomy
  F. Roddier
  Progress in Optics 19, 281 (1981)
  The basic text on the physics of imaging through a turbulent atmosphere.

Spectroscopy

• Diffraction grating instruments
  D.J. Schroeder
  in Methods of experimental physics, vol. 12A
  ed. N. Carleton
  (Academic Press, 1974)
  Although somewhat outdated, this chapter covers the basic principles of grating and echelle spectroscopy very well and in considerable datail.

• Correction of the atmospheric transmission in infrared spectroscopy
  R. Maiolino, G.H. Rieke & M.J. Rieke
  AJ 111, 537 (1996)
  Clever way of dealing with atmospheric absorption based on solar-type stars and the spectrum of the sun.

• Numerical evaluation of OH-suppression instruments
  T.M. Herbst
  AJ 106, 1298 (1994)
  Analysis of the principle and gains of suppressing the near-IR OH-lines in hardware in near-IR spectrographs.

• 3D: the next-generation near-infrared imaging spectrometer
  L. Weitzel et al.
  A&AS 119, 531 (1996)
  Description of a near-IR integral field spectrograph using an image slicer..

• Sampling and background subtraction in fiber-lenslet integral field spectrographs
  J. Allington-Smith & R. Content
  PASP 110, 1216 (1998)
  Thorough analysis of the features of integral field spectrographs with fiber-lenslets.

• Fabry-Perot instruments for astronomy
  F.L. Roesler
  in Methods of experimental physics, vol. 12A
  ed. N. Carleton
  (Academic Press, 1974)
  Although somewhat outdated, this chapter covers the basic principles of Fabry-Perot spectroscopy very well and in considerable datail.

• Fourier spectrometers
  H.W. Schnopper & R.I. Thompson
  in Methods of experimental physics, vol. 12A
  ed. N. Carleton
  (Academic Press, 1974)
  Although somewhat outdated, this chapter covers the basic principles of Fourier spectroscopy very well and in considerable datail.

• Critical comparison of 3-d imaging approaches
  C.L. Bennett
  in Imaging the universe in trhee dimensions: astrophysics with advanced multi-wavelength imaging devices
  eds. W. van Breugel & J. Bland-Hawthorn
  ASP Conference Series 195, 58 (2000)
  Useful performance comparison of Fourier transform, Fabry-Perot and dispersive spectropgraphs.

Detection and detectors

• Electronic imaging in astronomy
  Ian McLean
  (Wiley, 1997)
  Excellent and up-to-date overview of CCDs and infrared detectors, which are covered in great detail (a bit too much for this course). Mathematics is avoided as much as possible, which is a disadvantage for this course. Very practical approach.

• Detection of light from the ultraviolet to the submillimeter
  George Rieke
  (Cambridge University Press, 1994)
  In-depth and quantitative treatment of incoherent detection techniques with a clear discussion of the underlying physics.

• Detectors and receivers
  I. Appenzeller
  in Evolution of galaxies - astronomical observations, p. 299
  eds. I Appenzeller, H.J. Habing and P. Lena
  (Springer, Lecture Notes in Physics 333 (1989))
  Comprehensive and very readable overview of incoherent and coherent techniques.

• The HAWAII infrared detector arrays: testing and astronomical characterization of prototype and science-grade devices
  K.-W. Hodapp et al.
  New Astr 1, 177 (1996)
  Detailed description and performance tests of modern near-IR array detector.

• A 5-18 micron array camera for high-background astronomical imaging
  D. Gezari et al.
  PASP 104, 191 (1992)
  Description of a Si:Ga DRO array for mid-infrared imaging, and detector features particular to this wavelength regime.

Coherent vs. incoherent detection

• Techniques of submillimeter astronomy
  T.G. Phillips
  in Millimetre and submillimetre astronomy, p.1
  (eds. R.D. Wolstencroft and W.B. Burton)
  (Reidel, 1988)
  Very clear and quantitative overview of the trade-offs between coerent and incohrent detection techniques.

Radio astronomy

• Tools of Radio astronomy
  Kristen Rohlfs and Tom Wilson
  (Springer, 1996, 2nd edition)
  Excellent and up-to-date textbook on radio astronomy with single-dish telescopes and a good introduction to radio astronomy. Chapters 1, 4, 5 (partly), 6, 7 and 8 are material for this course. This book also contains the basics of astrophysical applications of radio astronomy.

• Radio astronomy
  John D. Kraus
  (Cygnus-Quasar Books, 1986, 2nd edition)
  Out of print, and partly out-to-date on technical issues, but still the classic text on radio astronomy principles

• Radio telescopes
  W.N. Christiansen & J.A. Hogbom
  (Cambridge University Press, 1984, 2nd edition)
  Very clear account, in particular of antenna theory and aperture synthesis.

Receivers

• Millimeter- and submillimeter-wave receivers
  T.G. Phillips and D.P. woody
  Ann.Rev.A&A 20, 285 (1982)
  Somewhat outdated in its practival details, but a good introduction to the principles of (sub)mm mixers.

• Millimeter and submillimeter techniques
  John E. Carlstrom and Jonas Zmuidzinas
  in Reviews of radio science 1993-1995
  (ed. W.R. Stone)
  (Oxford University Press, 1996)
  Reasonably modern overview of (sub)mm techniques, especially of SIS mixers and hot electron bolometers. Very extensive and useful reference list.

• Receiver technology
  Glenn J. White
  in Millimetre and submillimetre astronomy, p.27
  (eds. R.D. Wolstencroft and W.B. Burton)
  (Reidel, 1988)
  Excellent and detailed practical overview of (sub)millimeter mixer technology.

Antennas

• The primary antenna elements
  Peter J. Napier
  in Synthesis imaging in radio astronomy, p. 39
  (ed. R.A. Perley, F.R. Scwab, & A.H. Bridle)
  (ASP Conference Series 6, 1994)
  Clear and complete tutorial on the theory and practice of radio to submm antennas

• Radio astronomy techniques
  D. Downes
  in Evolution of galaxies - astronomical observations, p. 351
  eds. I Appenzeller, H.J. Habing and P. Lena
  (Springer, Lecture Notes in Physics 333 (1989))
  Good introduction to fundamentals of radio astronomy (single-dish and interferometric) with emphasis on the (sub)mm regime

Radio interferometry

• Interferometry and synthesis in radio astronomy
  Richard Thompson, James Moran, and George Swenson (Krieger, 1986)
  The best available reference on radio interferometry and aperture synthesis, including VLBI. Unfortunately, very expensive.

• Synthesis imaging in radio astronomy
  Rick Perley, Fred Schwab and Alan Bridle (editors) (ASP Conference Series Vol 6, 1994)
  Lectures from an NRAO Summer school on radio synthesis imaging. Excellent and detailed textbook, albeit strongly geared towards the VLA.

Optical interferometry

• Emerging trends of optical interferometry in astronomy
  S.K. Saha
  Bull. Astron. Soc. India 27, 441 (1999)
  Basic reference. Includes speckle interferometry and wave propagation in the turbulent atmosphere.
  

• Imaging in interferometry
  Oskar von der Luhe and Nancy Ageorges
  in High angular resolution in astrophysics
  eds. A.-M. Lagrange et al.
  (Kluwer, 1997)
  Good practical introduction.

• Interferometric imaging in optical astronomy
  F. Roddier
  Physics reports 170-2, 97 (1988)
  Somewhat outdated, but an excellent account of the principles of optical interferometry. Also covers speckle interferometry.

• Images in astronomy: an overview
  P. Lena
  in Evolution of galaxies - astronomical observations, p. 243
  eds. I Appenzeller, H.J. Habing and P. Lena
  (Springer, Lecture Notes in Physics 333 (1989))
  Very good account of image formation in astronomy, including direct imaging, adptive optics and interferometry.