Role of VLBI in Astrophysics, Astrometry and Geodesy

Franco Mantovani, Andrzej Kus1402018754, 9781402018756, 9781402024061

A masterly survey of the last 13 years of Very Long Baseline Interferometry, reviewed in light of the most advanced astronomical observations. Topics covered include: Nonthermal emission from extragalactic radio sources; Principles of synchrotron emission in relation to astrophysics; Theory of relativistic jets; Young, powerful radio sources and their evolution; Scintillation in extragalactic radio sources; Radio and optical interferometry; Radio polarimetry; Unified schemes; Deep fields; Tropospheric and ionospheric phase calibration; Supernovae; VLBI for geodesy and geodynamics.

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Table of contents :
Preliminaries……Page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS……Page 6
Acknowledgements……Page 10
List of Participants……Page 12
1. Radio astronomy. A short historical introduction……Page 18
2. Principles of synchrotron emission in an astrophysical context……Page 30
3. Non-thermal emission from extragalactic radio sources……Page 46
4. The observational properties of blazars……Page 100
5. Observing blazars with VLBI……Page 110
6. Theory of relativistic jets: basic concepts……Page 124
7. Parsec-scale morphologies and properties of radio sources……Page 146
8. Supermassive black holes in the universe……Page 160
9. Young powerful radio sources and their evolution……Page 174
10. AGN unification; past, present and future……Page 192
11. Radio polarimetry……Page 208
12. Gravitational lensing with radio bias……Page 222
13. VLBI Observations of gravitational lenses……Page 236
14. Scintillation in extragalactic radio sources……Page 250
15. Supernovae……Page 260
16. Astrophysical Masers……Page 274
17. Radio and optical interferometry……Page 306
18. Optical interferometry: astronomical application……Page 324
19. Data analysis……Page 336
20. Deep fields: the faint sub-mJy and microJy radio sky……Page 354
21. Space VLBI……Page 366
22. VLBI for geodesy and geodynamics……Page 376
23. Tropospheric and ionospheric phase calibration……Page 400
24. Ground based VLBI facilities: the european and global……Page 420