A practical preconditioner for wide-field continuum imaging of radio interferometric data

TL;DR

This paper introduces a practical preconditioner that enhances the efficiency of advanced deconvolution algorithms in wide-field radio interferometric imaging, building on the foundational principles of the CLEAN algorithm.

Contribution

It presents a novel preconditioning technique that leverages CLEAN's assumptions to speed up complex deconvolution methods in radio interferometry.

Findings

Preconditioner significantly accelerates deconvolution algorithms.

Improves robustness of imaging in wide-field radio data.

Maintains accuracy while reducing computational time.

Abstract

The celebrated CLEAN algorithm has been the cornerstone of deconvolution algorithms in radio interferometry almost since its conception in the 1970s. For all its faults, CLEAN is remarkably fast, robust to calibration artefacts and in its ability to model point sources. We demonstrate how the same assumptions that afford CLEAN its speed can be used to accelerate more sophisticated deconvolution algorithms.