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Title

Radio astronomical polarimetry and the Lorentz group

Author(s)

Britton, Matthew C.

Abstract

In radio astronomy, the polarimetric properties of radiation are often modified during propagation and reception. Effects such as Faraday rotation, receiver cross talk, and differential amplification act to change the state of polarized radiation. A general description of such transformations is useful for the investigation of these effects and for the interpretation and calibration of polarimetric observations. Such a description is provided by the Lorentz group, which is intimately related to the transformation properties of polarized radiation. In this paper, the transformations that commonly arise in radio astronomy are analyzed in the context of this group. This analysis is then used to construct a model for the propagation and reception of radio waves. The implications of this model for radio astronomical polarimetry are discussed.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. School of Biophysical Sciences and Electrical Engineering. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Astrophysical journal, Vol. 532, no. 2 (2000), pp. 1240-1244

Publication year

2000

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Format

pp. 1240-1244

ISSN

0004-637X

Publisher URL

Astrophysical journal

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/308595

Copyright

© 2000 The American Astronomical Society. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed