APSYNSIM: An Interactive Tool To Learn Interferometry

TL;DR

APSYNSIM is an interactive educational tool that visualizes aperture synthesis in astronomical interferometry, allowing users to manipulate parameters and observe real-time effects to enhance learning.

Contribution

It introduces a user-friendly, real-time interactive simulator for teaching aperture synthesis, integrating multiple interferometer models and data manipulation features.

Findings

Used successfully in educational settings.

Received positive feedback from students.

Enhances understanding of interferometry concepts.

Abstract

The APerture SYNthesis SIMulator is a simple interactive tool to help the students visualize and understand the basics of the Aperture Synthesis technique, applied to astronomical interferometers. The users can load many different interferometers and source models (and also create their own), change the observing parameters (e.g., source coordinates, observing wavelength, antenna location, integration time, etc.), and even deconvolve the interferometric images and corrupt the data with gain errors (amplitude and phase). The program is fully interactive and all the figures are updated in real time. APSYNSIM has already been used in several interferometry schools and has got very positive feedback from the students.