Post Your Answer
2 years ago in Data Presentation , Radio Astronomy By Nisha Ali
How does CASA software support MEERKAT operations?
I'm starting a postdoc working with MEERKAT data, and everyone says I need to learn CASA. I understand it's for interferometric data reduction, but the pipeline seems vast. Could you outline its core functionalities in the MEERKAT workflow? What are the main tasks like calibration or imaging that I'll be spending most of my time on within this software?
Â
All Answers (1 Answers In All)
By Riya N Answered 1 year ago
Having reduced data from several interferometers, I can tell you CASA is your digital workshop for MEERKAT data. You'll spend most of your time in three core areas. First is calibration: using CASA to solve for complex antenna gains, bandpass shapes, and polarization leakage against known calibrator sources. Second is flagging: interactively identifying and removing radio frequency interference (RFI) and other bad data. Finally, the heaviest lift is imaging: using the tclean task to iteratively deconvolve the dirty beam from your visibilities to create a clean, publishable radio map. Everything else, like spectral extraction, builds on these foundational steps.
Â
Reply to Riya N
Related Questions