Interferometry meets the third and fourth dimensions in galaxies

TL;DR

This paper reviews the evolution of radio interferometry in astronomy, highlighting its key scientific achievements, technological developments, and recent advancements with large paraboloid arrays, including contributions from China.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of how interferometry has advanced radio astronomy, emphasizing recent developments and the role of large paraboloid arrays in the field.

Findings

Interferometry has enabled detailed mapping of radio sources and galaxy structures.

Radio interferometry has contributed to understanding AGN jets and galactic spiral arms.

Large paraboloid arrays have revitalized radio astronomy, especially with China's involvement.

Abstract

Radio astronomy began with one array (Jansky's) and one paraboloid of revolution (Reber's) as collecting areas and has now reached the point where a large number of facilities are arrays of paraboloids, each of which would have looked enormous to Reber in 1932. In the process, interferometry has contributed to the counting of radio sources, establishing superluminal velocities in AGN jets, mapping of sources from the bipolar cow shape on up to full grey-scale and colored images, determining spectral energy distributions requiring non-thermal emission processes, and much else. The process has not been free of competition and controversy, at least partly because it is just a little difficult to understand how earth-rotation, aperture-synthesis interferometry works. Some very important results, for instance the mapping of HI in the Milky Way to reveal spiral arms, warping, and flaring, actually came from single moderate-sized paraboloids. The entry of China into the radio astronomy community has given large (40-110 meter) paraboloids a new lease on life.