Undergraduate Radio Lab

This course consists of four laboratory experiments that concentrate on radio instrumentation and laboratory techniques. We will build receiving, observing, and data analysis systems for two telescopes: a single-dish 21-cm line system, and a 10.7-GHz interferometer. We will use these telescopes for astronomical observing projects including structure of the Milky Way galaxy, precise position measurement of several radio sources, and measurement of the radio brightness distributions of the sun and moon with high angular resolution. There is a heavy emphasis on digital data acquisition, software development in the Python language, and high-quality written reports.

Class Programmatics[edit]

These are the essential links for staying up to date with the class. The course code repository will be updated throughout the semester with tweaks and edits. BCourses is used for grading. Slack is used for student communication. A shared calendar is used to schedule telescope time. Office hours are can greatly accelerate your progress. Please make use of them early and often!

Class Code Repository: http://github.com/AaronParsons/ugradio
Syllabus
Zoom Room: 358 760 9756
Bcourses: 1543188
Slack: Radio Lab 2025
ClassCalendar
Check out an RPi
Observing Appointments
Class Hours:
- Mon/Weds 1:00-3:00pm
Office Hours:
- Aaron Parsons (aparsons at berkeley): or by appointment, in standard Zoom Room: 358 760 9756
  - M/W 3-4p
- Charlie Tolley (tolley412 at berkeley):
  - T/Th 11-1p; T 4:30-5:30p; Fri 1-3p
  - Appointment, in person or Zoom (email me)
- Dirk Wright (dirkw at berkeley):

Experiments[edit]

Getting Set Up[edit]

These are the recommended steps for getting the necessary accounts, software, and hardware for this class. Buying your own Raspberry Pi is recommended, but not required.

Getting Started in the Undergraduate Radio Lab
- Setting Up Your Raspberry Pi
- Connecting to the Lab Computers Remotely

General Skills Used Through-Out Course[edit]

Students are expected to have familiarity with programming computers and navigating file systems. The resources below can augment, but not a substitute for, prior programming experience.

Navigating Linux/Unix-like Operating Systems
- Unix Primer
- Unix Text Editors
Programming in Python
- Python Installation and Basic Programming
- Introduction to Python and Plotting
Software Engineering
Report Writing
- LaTeX

Topics by Date[edit]

Lab 1 (Exploring Digital Sampling, Fourier Transforms, and both DSB and SSB Mixers), Due Feb 7, 11:59p[edit]

Lab 1, Week 1 (Jan 21): Sampling and Power Spectra[edit]

Resources and Handouts
- Nyquist Sampling
- Fourier Transform
- Technical Skills

Demos and Tutorials
- Introduction to Python and Plotting
- Aliasing Demo (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
In class:
- Astrobaki, Syllabus, Office Hours
- Getting accounts (premade by Bill Boyd, change password with passwd command)
- Lab access (see Getting Started in the Undergraduate Radio Lab)
- Class philosophy and workflow
- Nyquist Sampling and aliasing
- Fourier Transform
- ADC Quantization
- Lab Hardware
  - Raspberry Pi + NESDR Smart
- Data Challenge
  - Secret Message

Lab 1, Week 2 (Jan 27): DSB and SSB Mixers[edit]

Theory and Background:
Demos and Tutorials
- Convolutions and Correlations
- In the Mind: Introduction to the Fourier Transform
- Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival of Python Oddities
- Data Representations, with handout on Data Types and Organizational Structures
- Data Challenge
  - Secret Message 2
In class:
- Lecture: Introduction to DSB and SSB Mixers
- Show and Tell (1m per person)

Lab 1, Week 3 (Feb 3): More Mixers, and Lab Reports[edit]

Theory and Background
- LaTeX
- Introduction to Python and Plotting, second pass
- LaTex Template Template you may use for your lab report
  - Overleaf version of the lab template
In Class:
- Lecture: One more pass on Convolution Theorem, Heterodyne Mixers, and DFTs
- Show and Tell
- Writing Lab Reports
Lab 1 Due Feb 7, 11:59p

Lab 2 (Astronomy with the 21cm Line; Some Microwave Electronics), due Mar 7, 11:59p[edit]

Lab 2, Week 1 (Feb 10): 21cm Line and Waveguides[edit]

Theory and Background:
Demos and Tutorials
- Python Tutorial Part 3: Functions, Modules, and Objects
- Matrix Math with Numpy
- Doppler Corrections, ugradio.doppler
In class:
- Introduction to Horn and Receiver
- Time
- Coordinates

Lab 2, Week 2 (Feb 24): Collect and Analyze Data[edit]

No class Feb 17
Theory and Background
Demos and Tutorials
- Central Limit Theorem and Averaging
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Waveguides, Transmission Lines, and Rope
- Fitting Gaussians and Polynomials, ugradio.gauss

Lab 2, Week 3 (Mar 3): Write Lab Report[edit]

Theory and Background
- Least-Squares and Chi-Square for the Budding Aficionado: Art and Practice
In Class:
- Chi-Square Jupyter Notebook
- Show and Tell
- Least Squares Part 2
Lab 2 Due Mar 7, 11:59p

Lab 3 (Radio Interferometry at X Band), due Apr 11, 11:59pm[edit]

Lab 3 Week 1 (Mar 10): Interferometer[edit]

Theory and Background
- Coordinates
- Basic Interferometry
Source code for SNAP spectrometer/correlator: https://github.com/darbymccauley/snap_spec
- Using the SNAP spectrometer
In Class:
- Tour of Rooftop Interferometer
- Exercise Ball Coordinates
- Interferometry with Strings

Lab 3 Week 2 (Mar 17): Collect and Analyze Data[edit]

Theory and Background
- Measurement Equation
- Telescope Field of View/Resolution
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Controlling the Telescope
- Tracking the Sun
- Scheduling Observations

No class (Mar 24, 26)[edit]

Lab 3 Week 3 (Mar 31): Collect and Analyze Data[edit]

Theory and Background
- Basic Interferometry II
- Least Squares
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Linear Least-Squares in Python
- Minimizing Chi-Square]
- Noise in Observations

Lab 3 Week 4 (Apr 7): Write Lab Report[edit]

Theory and Background
- - Correlators
  - Units of radiation
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- Photon bucket demo
Lab 3 Due Apr 11, 11:59p

Lab 4 (Mapping the HI Line: the Galaxy and Supershells), due May 9, 11:59p[edit]

Useful Links[edit]

Link to Observing Calendar

Leuschner WebCam

Lab 4 Week 1 (Apr 14): Leuschner Dish[edit]

Theory and Background
In Class:
- Trip to Leuschner: Class will go later than usual
- drive mechanism (how the dish moves)
- feed (notice probes) and cables
- IF setup (one channel for OH, one for HI)
- interacting with a CASPER spectrometer
- pointing control
- spatial sampling with dish

Lab 4 Week 2 (Apr 21): Collect and Analyze Data[edit]

Theory and Background
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- spatial sampling with a dish
- interpolation
- projection

Lab 4 Week 3 (Apr 28): Collect and Analyze Data[edit]

Theory and Background
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- close-out plan
- computing doppler width for a line of sight (assuming circular motion)
- calibrating spectra
- converting spectra to hydrogen

Lab 4 Week 4 (May 5): Write Lab Report[edit]

Theory and Background
- Calibrating the Intensity and Shape of Spectral Lines (Carl Heiles)
In Class:
- Show and Tell
- displaying information in image form
Lab 4 Due May 9, 11:59p