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PKS 1413+135 is one of the most peculiar blazars known. Its strange properties led to the hypothesis almost four decades ago that it is gravitationally lensed by a mass concentration associated with an intervening galaxy. It exhibits symmetric achromatic variability, a rare form of variability that has been attributed to gravitational milli-lensing. It has been classified as a BL Lac object, and is one of the rare objects in this class with a visible counterjet. BL Lac objects have jet axes aligned close to the line of sight. It has also been classified as a compact symmetric object, which have jet axes not aligned close to the line of sight. Intensive efforts to understand this blazar have hitherto failed to resolve even the questions of the orientation of the relativistic jet, and the host galaxy. Answering these two questions is important as they challenge our understanding of jets in active galactic nuclei and the classification schemes we use to describe them. We show that the jet axis is aligned close to the line of sight and PKS 1413+135 is almost certainly not located in the apparent host galaxy, but is a background object in the redshift range $0.247 < z < 0.5$. The intervening spiral galaxy at $z = 0.247$ provides a natural host for the putative lens responsible for symmetric achromatic variability and is shown to be a Seyfert 2 galaxy. We also show that, as for the radio emission, a "multizone" model is needed to account for the high-energy emission., Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 28 pages, 15 figures

We present 30 GHz Sunyaev Zel'dovich observations of a statistically complete sample of galaxy clusters with OCRA-p. The clusters are the 18 most X-ray luminous clusters at z > 0.2 in the ROSAT Brightest Cluster Sample. We correct for contaminant radio sources via supplementary observations with the Green Bank Telescope, also at 30 GHz, and remove a cluster that is contaminated by an unresolved X-ray source. All 17 remaining clusters have central SZ effects with Comptonisation parameter y_0 exceeding 1.9x10^-4, and 13 are detected at significance > 3 sigma. We use our data to examine scalings between y_0 and X-ray temperature, X-ray luminosity, and the X-ray mass proxy Y_X, and find good agreement with predictions from self-similar models of cluster formation, with an intrinsic scatter in y_0 of about 25%. We also comment on the success of the observations in the face of the contaminant source population, and the implications for upcoming cm-wave surveys.

Knowledge of the population of radio sources in the range ~2-200 GHz is important for understanding their effects on measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background power spectrum. We report measurements of the 30 GHz flux densities of 605 radio sources from the Combined Radio All-sky Targeted Eight-GHz Survey (CRATES), which have been made with the One Centimetre Receiver Array prototype (OCRA-p) on the Torun 32-m telescope. The flux densities of sources that were also observed by WMAP and previous OCRA surveys are in broad agreement with those reported here, however a number of sources display intrinsic variability. We find a good correlation between the 30 GHz and Fermi gamma-ray flux densities for common sources. We examine the radio spectra of all observed sources and report a number of Gigahertz-peaked and inverted spectrum sources. These measurements will be useful for comparison to those from the Low Frequency Instrument of the Planck satellite, which will make some of its most sensitive observations in the region covered here.

We report the results of a survey of 442 planetary nebulae at 30 GHz. The purpose of the survey is to develop a list of planetary nebulae as calibration sources which could be used for high frequency calibration in future. For 41 PNe with sufficient data, we test the emission mechanisms in order to evaluate whether or not spinning dust plays an important role in their spectra at 30 GHz. The 30-GHz data were obtained with a twin-beam differencing radiometer, OCRA-p, which is in operation on the Torun 32-m telescope. Sources were scanned both in right ascension and declination. We estimated flux densities at 30 GHz using a free-free emission model and compared it with our data. The primary result is a catalogue containing the flux densities of 93 planetary nebulae at 30 GHz. Sources with sufficient data were compared with a spectral model of free-free emission. The model shows that free-free emission can generally explain the observed flux densities at 30 GHz thus no other emission mechanism is needed to account for the high frequency spectra., Comment: 10 pages, 7 Postscript figures, to be published in A&A

We discuss the possibility of performing a substantial spectroscopic galaxy redshift survey selected via the 21cm emission from neutral hydrogen using the Five-hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) to be built in China. We consider issues related to the estimation of the source counts and optimizations of the survey, and discuss the constraints on cosmological models that such a survey could provide. We find that a survey taking around two years could detect ~10^7 galaxies with an average redshift of ~0.15 making the survey complementary to those already carried out at optical wavelengths. These conservative estimates have used the z=0 HI mass function and have ignored the possibility of evolution. The results could be used to constrain Gamma = (Omega_m h) to 5 per cent and the spectral index, n_s, to 7 per cent independent of cosmic microwave background data. If we also use simulated power spectra from the Planck satellite, we can constrain w to be within 5 per cent of -1.

As new scientists and engineers join the SKA project and as the pressures come on to maintain costs within a chosen envelope it is worth restating and updating the rationale for the “Exploration of the Unknown” (EoU). Maintaining an EoU philosophy will prove a vital ingredient for realizing the SKA’s discovery potential. Since people make the discoveries enabled by technology a further axis in capability parameter space, the “human bandwidth” is emphasised. Using the morphological approach pioneered by Zwicky, a currently unexploited region of observational parameter space can be identified viz: time variable spectral patterns on all spectral and angular scales – one interesting example would be “spectral transients”. We should be prepared to build up to 10% less collecting area for a given overall budget in order to enhance the ways in which SKA1 can be flexibly utilized.

A new population of sources emitting fast and bright transient radio bursts has recently been identified. The observed large dispersion measure values of FRBs suggests an extragalactic origin and an accurate determination of their positions and distances will provide an unique opportunity to study the magneto-ionic properties of the IGM. So far, FRBs have all been found using large dishes equipped with multi-pixel arrays. While large single dishes are well-suited for the discovery of transient sources they are poor at providing accurate localisations. A 2D snapshot image of the sky, made with a correlation interferometer array, can provide an accurate localisation of many compact radio sources simultaneously. However, the required time resolution to detect FRBs and a desire to detect them in real time, makes this currently impractical. In a beamforming approach, where many narrow tied-array beams are produced, the advantages of single dishes and interferometers can be combined. We present a proof-of-concept analysis of a new non-imaging method that utilises the additional spectral and comparative spatial information obtained from multiple overlapping TABs to estimate a transient source location with up to arcsecond accuracy in almost real time. We show that this method can work for a variety of interferometric configurations, including for LOFAR and MeerKAT, and that the estimated angular position may be sufficient to identify a host galaxy without reference to other simultaneous or follow-up observations. With this method, many transient sources can be localised to small fractions of a HPBW of a TAB, in the case of MeerKAT, sufficient to localise a source to arcsecond accuracy. In cases where the position is less accurately determined we can still significantly reduce the area that need be searched for associated emission at other wavelengths and potential host galaxies., Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal, updated Table 1

We report on the discovery of the new gravitational lens system CLASS B0631+519. Imaging with the Very Large Array, the Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) reveals a doubly imaged flat-spectrum radio core, a doubly imaged steep-spectrum radio lobe and possible quadruply imaged emission from a second lobe. The maximum separation between the lensed images is 1.16 arcsec. High-resolution mapping with the VLBA at 5 GHz resolves the most magnified image of the radio core into a number of subcomponents spread across approximately 20 mas. No emission from the lensing galaxy or an odd image is detected down to 0.31 mJy (5σ )a t8.4 GHz. Optical and near-infrared imaging with the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) show that there are two galaxies along the line of sight to the lensed source, as previously discovered by optical spectroscopy. We find that the foreground galaxy at z = 0.0896 is a small irregular, and that the other, at z = 0.6196 is a massive elliptical, which appears to contribute the majority of the lensing effect. The host galaxy of the lensed source is detected in the HST near-infrared imaging as a set of arcs, which form a nearly complete Einstein ring. Mass modelling using non-parametric techniques can reproduce the near-infrared observations and indicates that the small irregular galaxy has a (localized) effect on the flux density distribution in the Einstein ring at the 5‐10 per cent level. Ke yw ords: gravitational lensing ‐ cosmology: miscellaneous.

Eighteen days of MERLIN data and 42 hours of A-array VLA data at 1.4 GHz have been combined to image a 10-arcmin field centred on the Hubble Deep and Flanking Fields (HDF and HFF). A complete sample of 92 radio sources with 1.4-GHz flux densities above 40 microJy has been imaged using MERLIN+VLA. The images are amongst the most sensitive yet made at 1.4 GHz, with rms noise levels of 3.3 microJy/beam in the 0.2-arcsec images. Virtually all the sources are resolved, with angular sizes in the range 0.2 to 3 arcsec. No additional sources were detected down to 23 microJy in the central 3 arcmin, indicating that sources fainter than 40 microJy are heavily resolved with MERLIN and must have typical angular sizes greater than 0.5 arcsec. Compact radio sources were used to align the optical data to the ICRF, to, Accepted by MNRAS Jan 2005 34 pp with inline b/w figures plus 9 pp of colour figures All material is available from http://www.merlin.ac.uk/HDF/ as gzipped PDFs. ME547.pdf.gz - main paper ME547_Appendix_C1.pdf.gz, ME547_Appendix_C2.pdf.gz - colour figures All figures are also available in png form

We present observations of CLASS B2108+213, the widest separation gravitational lens system discovered by the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey. Radio imaging using the VLA at 8.46 GHz and MERLIN at 5 GHz shows two compact components separated by 4.56 arcsec with a faint third component in between which we believe is emission from a lensing galaxy. 5-GHz VLBA observations reveal milliarcsecond-scale structure in the two lensed images that is consistent with gravitational lensing. Optical emission from the two lensed images and two lensing galaxies within the Einstein radius is detected in Hubble Space Telescope imaging. Furthermore, an optical gravitational arc, associated with the strongest lensed component, has been detected. Surrounding the system are a number of faint galaxies which may help explain the wide image separation. A plausible mass distribution model for CLASS B2108+213 is also presented., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We report the final results of the search for gravitationally lensed flat-spectrum radio sources found in the combination of CLASS (Cosmic Lens All Sky Survey) and JVAS (Jodrell-Bank VLA Astrometric Survey). VLA observations of 16,503 sources have been made, resulting in the largest sample of arcsec-scale lens systems available. Contained within the 16,503 sources is a complete sample of 11,685 sources having two-point spectral indices between 1.4 and 5 GHz flatter than -0.5 and 5 GHz flux densities $\geq$30 mJy. A subset of 8,958 sources form a well-defined statistical sample suitable for analysis of the lens statistics. We describe the systematic process by which 149 candidate lensed sources were picked from the statistical sample on the basis of possessing multiple compact components in the 0.2 arcsec-resolution VLA maps. Candidates were followed up with 0.05 arcsec resolution MERLIN and 0.003 arcsec VLBA observations at 5 GHz and rejected as lens systems if they failed well-defined surface brightness and/or morphological tests. Maps for all the candidates can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/research/gravlens/index.html We summarize the properties of each of the 22 gravitational lens systems in JVAS/CLASS. Twelve are double-image systems, nine are four-image systems and one is a six-image system. Thirteen constitute a statistically well-defined sample giving a point-source lensing rate of 1:690$\pm$190. The interpretation of the results in terms of the properties of the lensing galaxy population and cosmological parameters will be published elsewhere. (Abridged), v2: web link in the abstract fixed; some corrections made in section 6.1

The Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (CLASS) is an international collaborative program which has obtained high-resolution radio images of over 10000 flat-spectrum radio sources in order to create the largest and best studied statistical sample of radio-loud gravitationally lensed systems. With this survey, combined with detailed studies of the lenses found therein, constraints can be placed on the expansion rate, matter density, and dark energy (e.g. cosmological constant, quintessence) content of the Universe that are complementary to and independent of those obtained through other methods. CLASS is aimed at identifying lenses where multiple images are formed from compact flat-spectrum radio sources, which should be easily identifiable in the radio maps. Because CLASS is radio-based, dust obscuration in lensing galaxies is not a factor, and the relative insensitivity of the instrument to environmental conditions leads to nearly uniform sensitivity and resolution over the entire survey. In four observing seasons from 1994-1999, CLASS has observed 13783 radio sources with the VLA at 8.4 GHz at 0.2 arcsecond resolution. When combined with the JVAS survey, the CLASS sample contains over 16,000 images. A complete sample of 11685 flat-spectrum sources was observed, selected from GB6 catalogue at 4.85 GHz and the NVSS at 1.4 GHz. So far, CLASS has found 16 new gravitational lens systems, and the JVAS/CLASS survey contains a total of 22 lenses. (Abridged), 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

A new two-image gravitational lens system has been discovered as a result of the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (CLASS). Radio observations with the VLA, MERLIN and the VLBA at increasingly higher resolutions all show two components with a flux density ratio of ~7:1 and a separation of 1.34". Both components are compact and have the same spectral index. Followup observations made with the VLA at 8.4 GHz show evidence of a feature to the south-east of the brighter component and a corresponding extension of the weaker component to the north-west. Optical observations with the WHT show ~1.7" extended emission aligned in approximately the same direction as the separation between the radio components with an R-band magnitude of 21.8 +/- 0.4., 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRAS

Image processing techniques can be used to improve the cost-effectiveness of future interferometric Passive MilliMetre Wave (PMMW) imagers. The implementation of such techniques will allow for a reduction in the number of collecting elements whilst ensuring adequate image fidelity is maintained. Various techniques have been developed by the radio astronomy community to enhance the imaging capability of sparse interferometric arrays. The most prominent are Multi- Frequency Synthesis (MFS) and non-linear deconvolution algorithms, such as the Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) and variations of the CLEAN algorithm. This investigation focuses on the implementation of these methods in the defacto standard for radio astronomy image processing, the Common Astronomy Software Applications (CASA) package, building upon the discussion presented in Taylor et al., SPIE 8362-0F. We describe the image conversion process into a CASA suitable format, followed by a series of simulations that exploit the highlighted deconvolution and MFS algorithms assuming far-field imagery. The primary target application used for this investigation is an outdoor security scanner for soft-sided Heavy Goods Vehicles. A quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of the aforementioned image processing techniques is presented, with thoughts on the potential cost-savings such an approach could yield. Consideration is also given to how the implementation of these techniques in CASA might be adapted to operate in a near-field target environment. This may enable a much wider usability by the imaging community outside of radio astronomy and thus would be directly relevant to portal screening security systems in the microwave and millimetre wave bands. © 2014 SPIE.

We investigate the effectiveness of blind surveys for radio sources and galaxy cluster thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects (TSZEs) using the four-pair, beam-switched OCRA-f radiometer on the 32-m radio telescope in Poland. The predictions are based on mock maps that include the cosmic microwave background, TSZEs from hydrodynamical simulations, and unresolved radio sources. We estimate the effects of source clustering towards galaxy clusters from NVSS source counts around Planck-selected cluster candidates, and include appropriate correlations in our mock maps. The study allows us to quantify the effects of halo line-of-sight alignments, source confusion, and telescope angular resolution on the detections of TSZEs. We perform a similar analysis for the planned 100-m Hevelius radio telescope (RTH) equipped with a 49-beam radio camera. We find that RT32/OCRA-f will be suitable for small-field blind radio source surveys, and will detect $33^{+17}_{-11}$ new radio sources brighter than 0.87 mJy at 30~GHz in a 1 deg$^2$ field at $>5\sigma$ CL during a one-year, non-continuous, observing campaign, taking account of Polish weather conditions. It is unlikely that any galaxy cluster will be detected at $3\sigma$ CL in such a survey. A $60$-deg$^2$ survey, with field coverage of $2^2$ beams per pixel, at 15 GHz with the RTH, would find, Comment: 37 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in JCAP

We have discovered a radio source (B2114+022) with a unique structure during the course of the JVAS gravitational lens survey. VLA, MERLIN, VLBA and MERLIN+EVN radio maps reveal four compact components, in a configuration unlike that of any known lens system, or, for that matter, any of the ∼15 000 radio sources in the JVAS and CLASS surveys. Three of the components are within 0.3 arcsec of each other while the fourth is separated from the group by 2.4 arcsec. The widest separation pair of components have similar radio structures and spectra. The other pair also have similar properties. This latter pair have spectra which peak at ∼5 GHz. Their surface brightnesses are much lower than expected for synchrotron self-absorbed components. Ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope optical observations show two galaxies (z=0.3157 and 0.5883) separated by 1.25 arcsec. The lower redshift galaxy has a post-starburst spectrum and lies close to, but not coincident with, the compact group of three radio components. No optical or infrared emission is detected from any of the radio components down to I=25 and H=23. We argue that the most likely explanation of the B2114+022 system is that the post-starburst galaxy, assisted by the second galaxy, lenses a distant radio source producing the two wide-separation images. The other two radio components are then associated with the post-starburst galaxy. The combination of the angular sizes of these components, their radio spectra and their location with respect to their host galaxy still remains puzzling.

A radio-based search for strong gravitational lensing, with image separations in the range 160-300 milliarcsec (mas), has yielded a null result for a sample of 1665 sources (Augusto, Wilkinson & Browne 1998) whose mean redshift is estimated to be ~1.3. The lensing rate for this previously-unexplored separation range, Accepted for publication in MNRAS (Letters) 5 pages, 2 Figures

A personal view of the conference highlights.

We are conducting a multi-wavelength (radio, optical, and X-ray) observational campaign to classify, morphologically and physically, a sample of 55 flat-spectrum radio sources dominated by structure on kpc-scales. This sample contains 22 compact-/medium-sized symmetric object candidates, a class of objects thought to be the early stages of the evolution of radio galaxies. The vast majority of the remaining objects have core-plus-one-sided-jet structures, half of which present sharply bent jets, probably due to strong interactions with the interstellar medium of the host galaxies. Once the observational campaign is completed, we will constrain evolutionary theories of radio galaxies at their intermediate stages and possibly understand the physics of the hypothesized narrow line region in active galactic nuclei, given our advantageous statistical position., Comment: 7 pages, 0 figures, conference proceedings to be published in New Astronomy Reviews

We report the final results of the search for gravitationally lensed flat-spectrum radio sources in the 2384-source Jodrell Bank–VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS). We describe the process of selecting candidate lensed sources from 8.4-GHz VLA snapshot maps. 66 sources were selected as lens candidates and were followed up with multifrequency VLA and/or high-resolution MERLIN 5-GHz observations. To illustrate the candidate elimination process, we discuss examples of sources representative of particular morphologies that have been ruled out by the follow-up observations. There are six gravitational lens systems in the JVAS, five of which are new discoveries. We summarize the properties of all the systems.

Measurement of the time delay between multiple images of a gravitational lens system is potentially an accurate method of determining the Hubble constant over cosmological distances. One of the most promising candidates for an application of this technique is the system B0218+357 which was found in the Jodrell Bank/VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS). This system consists of two images of a compact radio source, separated by 335 milliarcsec, and an Einstein ring which can provide a strong constraint on the mass distribution in the lens. We present here the results of a three-month VLA monitoring campaign at two frequencies. The data are of high quality and both images show clear variations in total flux density, percentage polarization and polarization position angle at both frequencies. The time delay between the variations in the two images has been calculated using a chi-squared minimization to be 10.5+/-0.4 days at 95 per cent confidence, with the error being derived from Monte-Carlo simulations of the light curves. Although mass modelling of the system is at a preliminary stage, taking the lensing galaxy to be a singular isothermal ellipsoid and using the new value for the time delay gives a value for the Hubble constant of 69+13/-19 km/s/Mpc, again at 95 per cent confidence., Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 12 pages, 10 included PostScript figures. Data can be obtained from http://multivac.jb.man.ac.uk:8000/ceres/data_from_papers/0218.html

We present constraints on the cosmological constant $\lambda_{0}$ from gravitational lensing statistics of the Jodrell Bank-VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS). Although this is the largest gravitational lens survey which has been analysed, cosmological constraints are only comparable to those from optical surveys. This is due to the fact that the median source redshifts of JVAS are lower, which leads to both relatively fewer lenses in the survey and a weaker dependence on the cosmological parameters. Although more approximations have to be made than is the case for optical surveys, the consistency of the results with those from optical gravitational lens surveys and other cosmological tests indicate that this is not a major source of uncertainty in the results. However, joint constraints from a combination of radio and optical data are much tighter. Thus, a similar analysis of the much larger Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey should provide even tighter constraints on the cosmological constant, especially when combined with data from optical lens surveys. At 95% confidence, our lower and upper limits on $\lambda_{0}-\Omega_{0}$, using the JVAS lensing statistics information alone, are respectively -2.69 and 0.68. For a flat universe, these correspond to lower and upper limits on \lambda_{0} of respectively -0.85 and 0.84. Using the combination of JVAS lensing statistics and lensing statistics from the literature as discussed in Quast & Helbig (Paper I) the corresponding $\lambda_{0}-\Omega_{0}$ values are -1.78 and 0.27. For a flat universe, these correspond to lower and upper limits on $\lambda_{0}$ of respectively -0.39 and 0.64., Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 18 PostScript files in 6 figures. Paper version available on request. Data available from http://gladia.astro.rug.nl:8000/ceres/data_from_papers/papers.html

We report the discovery of a new double image gravitational lens system B1030+074 which was found during the Jodrell Bank - VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS). We have collected extensive radio data on the system using the VLA, MERLIN, the EVN and the VLBA and optical observations using WFPC2 on the HST. The lensed images are separated by 1.56 arcseconds and their flux density ratio at centimetric wavelengths is approximately 14:1 although the ratio is slightly frequency dependent and the images appear to be time variable. The HST pictures show both the lensed images and the lensing galaxy close to the weaker image. The lensing galaxy has substructure which could be a spiral arm or an interacting galaxy., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, submitted to MNRAS

We present optical spectra and redshifts for flat-spectrum radio sources taken from the second Caltech-lodrell Bank VLBI sample. The sources were observed using the Faint Object Spectrograph on the Isaac Newton Telescope. We show optical spectra for 90 sources, out of a total of 101 observed; of the remaining 11 sources, nine were not detected, and two were mis­ identified. Definite redshifts have been determined for 60 sources, and a further seven have probable redshifts determined. Five sources are shown to have featureless BL Lac type spectra, and 18 sources are too weak to give a reliable redshlft.

Very-long-baseline radio interferometry (VLBI) imaging surveys have been undertaken since the late 1970s. The sample sizes were initially limited to a few tens of objects but the snapshot technique has now allowed samples containing almost 200 sources to be studied. The overwhelming majority of powerful compact sources are asymmetric corejects of one form or another, most of which exhibit apparent superluminal motion. However 5-10% of powerful flat-spectrum sources are 100-parsec (pc)-scale compact symmetric objects; these appear to form a continuum with the 1-kpc-scale double-lobed compact steep-spectrum sources, which make up 15-20% of lower frequency samples. It is likely that these sub-galactic-size symmetric sources are the precursors to the large-scale classical double sources. There is a surprising peak around 90 degrees in the histogram of misalignments between the dominant source axes on parsec and kiloparsec scales; this seems to be associated with sources exhibiting a high degree of relativistic beaming. VLBI snapshot surveys have great cosmological potential via measurements of both proper motion and angular size vs. redshift as well as searches for gravitational "millilensing."

A large 1.6 m aperture mechanically scanning quasi-optical millimetre wave imaging system designed for active use [1] has been investigated for its passive millimetre wave (PMMW) imaging capabilities. This raises new challenges for this imager, as the person / background contrast in indoor security scenarios at these frequencies is in the region of 6-7 K. The system is sensitive over 24 – 28 GHz and has a radiometric sensitivity measured at 6.5 K in a single frame, at a frame rate of 8.8 Hz. It was found that the focal plane receiver array radiated an excess noise ratio (ENR) of typically 9 dB. This radiation re-entered the focal plane array receivers after reflection from the imager optical components typically with a standard deviation of 17 K over the mechanical scan associated with a single image frame. Reflected from subjects in the field of view, it was typically 400 K from a 100 % reflective surface, and 40 K to 100 K from a human subject. This radiation, termed self-emission in this paper, is a feature of many PMMW imaging systems that use highgain electronic amplifiers in their receiving systems. The effectiveness in the use of a calibration mechanism to subtract self-emission reflected from the optical components and a large area quarter wave plate to minimising the amount of self-emission reflected back from subjects is demonstrated. The present system would benefit greatly from replacement amplifiers of larger bandwidth, lower self-emission and lower noise figure. It was also found that the millimetre wave emission from fluorescent room lighting entered the optics of the imager and modulated the received signals at 100 Hz. The mean level of emission was measured at 10 K with a 10 K modulation at 100 Hz for per mode for a 100 % reflecting surface in the room. The best solution to the problem of emission from fluorescent lights was to turn them off and use incandescent lighting.

This paper discusses the phase effects in the near-field associated with aperture synthesis imaging. The results explain why in some regions of the near-field it is possible to use Fourier transform techniques on a visibility function to create images. However, to generate images deep inside the near-field alternative processing techniques such as the G-matrix method are required. Algorithms based on this technique are used to process imagery from a proof of concept 22 GHz aperture synthesis imager [1]. Techniques for generating synthetic cross-correlations for the aperture synthesis technique are introduced and these are then validated using the image creation algorithms and real data from the proof of concept imager. Using these data the phenomenon of aliasing is explored. The simulation code is then used to illustrate how the effects of aliasing may be minimised by randomising the locations of the antennas over the aperture. The simulation tool is used to show how in the near field the technique can provide a range resolution in 3D imaging of a couple of millimetres when operating with a wavelength of 13 mm. Moving to illustrate the quality of images generated by a next generation aperture synthesis imagers, the software is extended to systems with hundreds of receiver channels

Satellite Low Noise Block-down convertors (LNBs) have been evaluated for use in amplitude and intensity interferometry. LNBs have been found to have a high performance to cost ratio which is beneficial for any sensor system. They are investigated here for a diversity of applications from the derisking of subsystems for next generation aperture synthesis imagers having hundreds of channels [1] to a platform for the investigation of phase recovery in intensity interferometry and experimentation in entangled photons. Measured noise temperatures of LNBs were found to lie between 170 K and 300 K which is higher than typical manufacturers’ specifications. A twin channel interferometer system was developed using satellite receiver feeds and LNBs at the front-end, other amplifiers, mixers, filters and local oscillators at intermediate stages, and 8-bit USB ADCs sampling synchronously at 100 MHz and a PC for data processing. LabVIEW was used to digitally demodulate the sampled data and process it into the first and second orders of coherence. Measurements of the first order of coherence from a standard low energy discharge lamp indicated interference fringes were commensurate with range and spacing of the two receivers and the source. The relationship between the measured first and second order of coherence agrees within the experimental error. Variations of the first and second orders of coherence with range, R, follow the relationship 1/R and 1/R2. The system has the potential for investigations into phase extraction for intensity interferometry and for the study of digital demodulation schemes for aperture synthesis amplitude interferometry with hundreds of receiver channels for next generation security screening systems. A twin, triple or quadruple channel polarimetric LNB interferometer could be used as basis for high precision investigations in to entangled photons and quantum communications.

This PhD programme is contributing to the development of Passive Millimetre-Wave Imagers (PMMWI) using the principles of interferometric aperture synthesis and digital signal processing. The principal applications are security screening, all-weather flight aids and earth observation. To enhance the cost-effectiveness of PMMWI systems the number of collecting elements must be minimised whilst maintaining adequate image fidelity. A wide range of techniques have been developed by the radio astronomy community for improving the fidelity of sparse interferometric array imagery. This paper brings to the attention of readers these techniques and discusses how they may be applied to imaging using software packages publicly available from the radio astronomy community. The intention of future work is to adapt these algorithms to process experimental data from a range of realistic simulations and real-world targets. © 2012 SPIE.

We present a 33–50 GHz circular waveguide polarizer based on a broadband combination of retarders. The device was designed within the FP7 RadioNet APRICOT (‘All Purpose Radio Imaging Cameras on Telescopes’) consortium for the development of focal plane arrays for radiotelescopes. The device is based on a Pancharatnam recipe used in optics and behaves as a polarization transformer, from circular to linear and vice versa. This novel design of polarizer exhibits an unprecedented performance combining extremely flat differential phaseshift across the whole band, very low losses and very low Amplitude Unbalance (AU). It can be used in astronomical instruments or telecommunication antennas where very high purity circular polarization is required. The design was manufactured and then tested using a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). Averaged across a 40% bandwidth the measured RL, IL, amplitude unbalance and differential phase-shift were respectively:−31.4/−35.3 dB, −0.09/−0.06 dB, 0.04 dB and 90.0 ± 0.4°.

This paper examines the sourcing of low cost components for next generation passive millimetre wave (PMMW) aperture synthesis imagers. Splitting the elements of the imager into antennas/receivers, analogue to digital converters (ADCs), digital signal processors (DSP) and a host computer, technologies are identified that can minimise the cost of these in future systems. It is established that the follow-on aperture PMMW imagers can be constructed at relatively low cost, using a combination of low frequency (< 30 GHz) satellite receiver technology, high-speed clocked comparators, DSP (both Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Graphical Processor Units (GPUs)) and the latest personal computers that use high-speed high lane count PCI Express Bus technology.

The first video rate imagery from a proof-of-concept 32-channel 22 GHz aperture synthesis imager is reported. This imager has been brought into operation over the first half of year 2011. Receiver noise temperatures have been measured to be ~453 K, close to original specifications, and the measured radiometric sensitivity agrees with the theoretical predictions for aperture synthesis imagers (2 K for a 40 ms integration time). The short term (few seconds) magnitude stability in the cross-correlations expressed as a fraction was measured to have a mean of 3.45×10-4 with a standard deviation of ~2.30×10-4, whilst the figure for the phase was found to have a mean of essentially zero with a standard deviation of 0.0181°. The susceptibility of the system to aliasing for point sources in the scene was examined and found to be well understood. The system was calibrated and security-relevant indoor near-field and out-door far-field imagery was created, at frame rates ranging from 1 to 200 frames per second. The results prove that an aperture synthesis imager can generate imagery in the near-field regime, successfully coping with the curved wave-fronts. The original objective of the project, to deliver a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 laboratory demonstrator for aperture synthesis passive millimetre wave (PMMW) imaging, has been achieved. The project was co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board and the Royal Society of the United Kingdom.

The medium of RF signal transfer adopted for 2PAD was twisted pair differential signal cabling. While intended to demonstrate a low cost solution, the technique has brought with it several challenges, not least in terms of the losses and phase skew introduced. Some interesting engineering challenges have been faced along the way to delivering usable signals to the DSP

This paper discusses a practical and affordable approach to the accurate calibration of electronic beam-forming passive millimetre-wave imagers. With the aim of calibrating imagers with radiometric sensitivities ΔT < 1 K, we have constructed a thermal radiation source at ambient temperature that fills the imager field-of-view at close range and can support several controllable thermal radiation sources to provide absolute and differential radiation temperature standards. Using a variety of temperature sensors, which have been extensively cross-calibrated against each other and a commercially provided calibration standard that is accurate to < 0.1 K, we have achieved absolute and relative calibration temperature uncertainties of less than 0.25 K.

A catalogue of 800 compact radio sources in the declination range 35° ≤ δ ≤ 75°, whose positions have been measured to an rms accuracy of ∼12 milliarcsec with the VLA, is presented. They are primarily intended for use as phase reference sources for the Jodrell Bank MERLIN but they will also be suitable phase calibrators for the VLA and the VLBI networks

Context. We present the soft X-ray properties obtained in the ROSAT All-Sky survey and from pointed PSPC observations for the AGN in the complete flux-density limited Caltech-Jodrell Bank flat spectrum sample (hereafter CJF). CJF is a VLBI survey (VLBA observations at 5 GHz) of 293 AGN with detailed information on jet component motion. Aims. We investigate and discuss the soft X-ray properties of this AGN sample and examine the correlations between X-ray and VLBI properties, test beaming scenarios, and search for the discriminating properties between the sub-samples detected and not detected by ROSAT. Methods. Comparing the observed and the predicted X-ray fluxes by assuming an Inverse Compton (IC) origin for the observed X-rays, we compute the beaming or Doppler factor, δ_(IC), for the CJF sources and compare it with the equipartition Doppler factor, δ_(EQ). We further contrast the Doppler factors with other beaming indicators derived from the VLBI observations, such as the value of the expansion velocity, and the observed and intrinsic brightness temperature. We calculate two different core dominance parameters (R): the ratio of total VLBI flux to single-dish flux, R_V, and the ratio of the VLBI core-component flux to single-dish flux, R_C. In addition, we investigate the large-scale radio structure of the AGN and the difference between the pc- and kpc-scale structure (misalignment) with regard to the X-ray observations. Results. We find a nearly linear relation between X-ray and radio luminosities, and a similar but less stringent behaviour for the relation between optical and X-ray luminosities. The CJF-quasars show faster apparent motions and larger values of δ_(IC) than the radio galaxies do. The quasars detected by ROSAT have a different β_(app)-redshift relationship compared to the non-detected ones. We find no significant difference in R between the quasars detected and not detected by ROSAT. We find evidence that R is larger for quasars and BL Lac objects than it is for radio galaxies, in accordance with unification scenarios. ROSAT-detected sources tend to reveal extended large-scale radio structures more often. Conclusions. We conclude that beaming alone cannot explain the observed dichotomy of ROSAT detection or non-detection and assume that the large-scale jet structure plays a decisive role.

We present 30 GHz Sunyaev Zel'dovich (SZ) observations of a sample of four galaxy clusters with a prototype of the One Centimetre Receiver Array (OCRA-p) which is mounted on the Torun 32-m telescope. The clusters (Cl0016+16, MS0451.6-0305, MS1054.4-0321 and Abell 2218) are popular SZ targets and serve as commissioning observations. All four are detected with clear significance (4-6 sigma) and values for the central temperature decrements are in good agreement with measurements reported in the literature. We believe that systematic effects are successfully suppressed by our observing strategy. The relatively short integration times required to obtain these results demonstrate the power of OCRA-p and its successors for future SZ studies., 9 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by MNRAS, online early

A 10-arcmin field around the HDF(N) contains 92 radio sources >40 uJy, resolved by MERLIN+VLA at 0".2-2".0 resolution. 55 have Chandra X-ray counterparts including 18 with a hard X-ray photon index and high luminosity characteristic of a type-II (obscured) AGN. >70% of the radio sources have been classified as starbursts or AGN using radio morphologies, spectral indices and comparisons with optical appearance and MIR emission. Starbursts outnumber radio AGN 3:1. This study extends the VO methods previously used to identify X-ray-selected obscured type-II AGN to investigate whether very luminous radio and X-ray emission originates from different phenomena in the same galaxy. The high-redshift starbursts have typical sizes of 5--10 kpc and star formation rates of ~1000 Msun/yr. There is no correlation between radio and X-ray luminosities nor spectral indices at z>~1.3. ~70% of both the radio-selected AGN and the starburst samples were detected by Chandra. The X-ray luminosity indicates the presence of an AGN in at least half of the 45 cross-matched radio starbursts, of which 11 are type-II AGN including 7 at z>1.5. This distribution overlaps closely with the X-ray detected radio sources which were also detected by SCUBA. Stacked 1.4-GHz emission at the positions of radio-faint X-ray sources is correlated with X-ray hardness. Most extended radio starbursts at z>1.3 host X-ray selected obscured AGN. Radio emission from most of these ultra-luminous objects is dominated by star formation but it contributes less than 1/3 of their X-ray luminosity. Our results support the inferences from SCUBA and IR data, that at z>1.5, star formation is an order of magnitude more extended and more copious, it is closely linked to AGN activity and it is triggered differently, compared with star formation at lower redshifts., 24 pages, 12 figures, uses graphicx, rotating, natbib, supertabular packages and aa.cls. Accepted for publication in A&A

We have used the very large JVAS/CLASS 8.4-GHz surveys of flat-spectrum radio sources to obtain a large, uniformly observed and calibrated, sample of radio source polarizations. These are useful for many investigations of the properties of radio sources and the interstellar medium. We discuss comparisons with polarization measurements from this survey and from other large-scale surveys of polarization in flat-spectrum sources., Comment: Accepted by MNRAS. 8 pages, 5 figures. Full version of Table 2 available at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~njj/classqu_pol

To measure the 30-GHz flux densities of the 293 sources in the Caltech-Jodrell Bank flat-spectrum (CJF) sample. The measurements are part of an ongoing programme to measure the spectral energy distributions of flat spectrum radio sources and to correlate them with the milliarcsecond structures from VLBI and other measured astrophysical properties. The 30-GHz data were obtained with a twin-beam differencing radiometer system mounted on the Torun 32-m telescope. The system has an angular resolution of 1.2 arcmin. Together with radio spectral data obtained from the literature, the 30-GHz data have enabled us to identify 42 of the CJF sources as Giga-hertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) sources. Seventeen percent of the sources have rising spectra (alpha > 0) between 5 and 30 GHz., 9 pages, 2 figures, 2 Tables, submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics

In order to understand the origin and evolution of radio galaxies, searches for the youngest such sources have been conducted. Compact-medium symmetric objects (CSO-MSOs) are thought to be the earliest stages of radio sources, with possible ages of, 19 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables (note that Table 2, in landscape format, has a separate file); accepted by MNRAS

ASTRON has demonstrated the capabilities of a 4m2, dense phased array antenna (Bij de Vaate et al., 2002) for radio astronomy, as part of the Thousand Element Array project (ThEA). Although it proved the principle, a definitive answer related to the viability of the dense phased array approach for the SKA could not be given, due to the limited collecting area of the array considered. A larger demonstrator has therefore been defined, known as “Electronic Multi-Beam Radio Astronomy Concept“, EMBRACE, which will have an area of 625 m2, operate in the band 0.4–1.550 GHz and have at least two independent and steerable beams.With this collecting area EMBRACE can function as a radio astronomy instrument whose sensitivity is comparable to that of a 25-m diameter dish. The collecting area also represents a significant percentage area (∼10%) of an individual SKA “station.” This paper presents the plans for the realisation of the EMBRACE demonstrator.