Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Johnston, K. J..
Two experiments were performed in April and September 1976 to determine precise positions of radio sources using conventional Mark 2 VLBI techniques. Four stations in the continental United States observed at a wavelength of 18 cm. The recording bandwidth was 2 MHz. The preliminary results using analyses of fringe rate and delay are discussed and the source positions compared with the results of other measurements.
Nine transitions of the possible parent molecules H2O, NH3, CH3OH and N2O as well as the OH radical were searched for in Comet Kohoutek (1973f) in the frequency range 22.2-25.2 GHz. These molecules were not detected, but the upper limits for the optical depth, mean column density and the production rate are derived for each of the molecules. These results are discussed and compared with the reported detections of HCN and CH3CN emission and OH absorption.
The utilization of conventional and VLBI interferometer techniques for accurate determination of UTI, polar motion, and radio source position catalog data is discussed.
Observations of M17 at 0.955, 1.65, and 2.73 cm yield flux densities of 575 plus or minus 80, 644 plus or minus 64, and 644 plus or minus 64 flux units. We conclude that M17, although having a very complex angular structure over approximately one square degree of the sky, is composed of sources with thermal spectra.
Radio astronomy experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of making precise position measurements using interferometry techniques. The application of this method to navigation and marine geodesy is discussed, and comparisons are made with existing navigation systems. The very long baseline technique, with a master station, can use either an artificial satellite or natural sources as position references; a high-speed data link is required. A completely ship-borne system is shown to be feasible, at the cost of poorer sensitivity for natural sources. A comparison of Doppler, delay and phase-track modes of operating a very long baseline configuration is made, as that between instantaneous measurements and those where a source can be tracked from horizon to transit. Geometric limitations in latitude and longitude coverage are discussed. The characteristics of natural radio sources, their flux, distribution on the sky, and apparent size are shown to provide a limit on position measurements precision. The atmosphere and frequency standard used both contribute to position measurement uncertainty by affecting interferometric phase.
Water vapor emission map at 22 GHz from W 49, using three-station long baseline radio interferometer data
H II regions compact radiation sources flux densities observation at centimeter wavelengths