Speaker
Description
The highest resolution in radio interferometry is achieved by using very long baseline interferometry at millimetre wavelengths (mm-VLBI) or by using antennas in space. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and the Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) have made significant advances in our understanding of supermassive black holes. German radio astronomy has played a key role in these endeavours. For instance, the 100-metre Effelsberg radio telescope, operated by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, is a key component of the GMVA. All GMVA data and 50% of the EHT data are correlated in Bonn. Apart from that, advances in digital back-ends, calibration procedures and imaging methods, coupled with the advent of multi-band options, are significantly expanding the capabilities of VLBI at the highest resolution. The introduction of frequency phase transfer will significantly improve the sensitivity and positional accuracy of radio interferometry at frequencies above 22 GHz. This technology, first proposed at the MPI for Radio Astronomy, will allow astronomers to study the most compact and powerful objects in the Universe in unprecedented detail. Observations of very high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino interactions will complement radio data in the coming era of multimessenger astronomy. The German community is actively involved in international collaborations to study these phenomena, using the capabilities of telescopes such as the 100-metre Effelsberg radio telescope, and the IceCube and Km3Net neutrino observatories.
| What is your career stage? | Tenured scientist |
|---|---|
| Which telescopes do you use / are you affiliated with? | Effelsberg, EHT, GMVA, VLBA, EVN, Fermi/LAT, Km3Net |
