The Power of Simultaneous Multi-Frequency Observations for mm-VLBI: Astrometry up to 130 GHz with the KVN [IMA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1509.02621


Simultaneous observations at multiple frequencies have the potential to overcome the fundamental limitation imposed by the atmospheric propagation in mm-VLBI observations. The propagation effects place a severe limit in the sensitivity achievable in mm-VLBI, reducing the time over which the signals can be coherently combined, and preventing the use of phase referencing and astrometric measurements. We carried out simultaneous observations at 22, 43, 87 and 130\,GHz of a group of five AGNs, the weakest of which is $\sim$200\,mJy at 130\,GHz, with angular separations ranging from 3.6 to 11 degrees, with the KVN. We analysed this data using the Frequency Phase Transfer (FPT) and the Source Frequency Phase Referencing (SFPR) techniques, which use the observations at a lower frequency to correct those at a higher frequency. The results of the analysis provide an empirical demonstration of the increase in the coherence times at 130\,GHz from a few tens of seconds to about twenty minutes, with FPT, and up to many hours with SFPR. Moreover the astrometric analysis provides high precision measurements for a bona fide astrometric image registration of the sources at the four bands, including, for the first time, high precision astrometric measurements at 130 GHz. Finally we demonstrate a method for the generalised decomposition of the relative measurements into the position shifts of the individual sources for a bona fide astrometric registration of the maps at the four frequencies.

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M. Rioja, R. Dodson, T. Jung, et. al.
Thu, 10 Sep 15
14/67

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