First results from the Very Small Array. 1. Observational methods

Watson, Robert A.; Carreira, Pedro; Cleary, Kieran; Davies, Rod D.; Davis, Richard J.; Dickinson, Clive; Grainge, Keith; Gutierrez, Carlos M.; Hobson, Michael P.; Jones, Michael E.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06338.x

First results from the Very Small Array. 1. Observational methods

May, 2002

Published in:

Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 341 (2003) 1057

e-Print:

astro-ph/0205378 [astro-ph]

DOI:

10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06338.x

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Abstract: (arXiv)

The Very Small Array (VSA) is a synthesis telescope designed to image faint structures in the cosmic microwave background on degree and sub-degree angular scales. The VSA has key differences from other CMB interferometers with the result that different systematic errors are expected. We have tested the operation of the VSA with a variety of blank-field and calibrator observations and cross-checked its calibration scale against independent measurements. We find that systematic effects can be suppressed below the thermal noise level in long observations: the overall calibration accuracy of the flux density scale is 3.5 percent and is limited by the external absolute calibration scale.

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