The Life and Times of the Parkes-Tidbinbilla Interferometer

TL;DR

The paper reviews the history, achievements, and significance of the Parkes-Tidbinbilla Interferometer, highlighting its innovative use of real-time radio-link technology and its influence on future radio astronomy instruments.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive account of the interferometer's development, successes, and its role in advancing radio interferometry and future telescope designs.

Findings

Produced 24 journal papers including 3 in Nature

Facilitated development of the Australia Telescope Compact Array

Demonstrated effective real-time interferometry on a minimal budget

Abstract

The Parkes-Tidbinbilla took advantage of a real-time radio-link connecting the Parkes and Tidbinbilla antennas to form the world's longest real-time interferometer. Built on a minuscule budget, it was an extraordinarily successful instrument, generating some 24 journal papers including 3 Nature papers, as well as facilitating the early development of the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Here we describe its origins, construction, successes, and life cycle, and discuss the future use of single-baseline interferometers in the era of SKA and its pathfinders.