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Phillips, Chris

Publications and source records attributed to Phillips, Chris.

The Second LBA Calibrator Survey of Southern Compact Extragalactic Radio Sources – LCS2

We present the second catalogue of accurate positions and correlated flux densities for 1100 compact extragalactic radio sources that were not observed before 2008 at high angular resolution. The catalogue spans the declination range [-90◦, -30◦] and was constructed from 19 24-h VLBI observing sessions with the Australian Long Baseline Array at 8.3 GHz. The catalogue presents the final part of the program that was started in 2008. The goals of that campaign were (1) to extend the number of compact radio sources with precise coordinates and measure their correlated flux densities, which can be used for phase referencing very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations, geodetic VLBI, search for sources with significant offsets with respect to Gaia positions, and space navigation; (2) to extend the complete flux-limited sample of compact extragalactic sources to the Southern hemisphere; and (3) to investigate the parsec-scale properties of sources from the high-frequency AT20G survey. The median uncertainty of the source positions is 3.5 mas. As a result of this VLBI campaign, the number of compact radio sources south of declination -40◦ that have measured VLBI-correlated flux densities and positions known to milliarcsecond accuracy has increased by over a factor of 6.

Petrov, Leonid

Alabama Ground Operations during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Experiment

The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign investigates the impact of deep, midlatitude convective clouds, including their dynamical, physical and lighting processes, on upper tropospheric composition and chemistry. DC3 science operations took place from 14 May to 30 June 2012. The DC3 field campaign utilized instrumented aircraft and ground ]based observations. The NCAR Gulfstream ]V (GV) observed a variety of gas ]phase species, radiation and cloud particle characteristics in the high ]altitude outflow of storms while the NASA DC ]8 characterized the convective inflow. Groundbased radar networks were used to document the kinematic and microphysical characteristics of storms. In order to study the impact of lightning on convective outflow composition, VHF ]based lightning mapping arrays (LMAs) provided detailed three ]dimensional measurements of flashes. Mobile soundings were utilized to characterize the meteorological environment of the convection. Radar, sounding and lightning observations were also used in real ]time to provide forecasting and mission guidance to the aircraft operations. Combined aircraft and ground ]based observations were conducted at three locations, 1) northeastern Colorado, 2) Oklahoma/Texas and 3) northern Alabama, to study different modes of deep convection in a variety of meteorological and chemical environments. The objective of this paper is to summarize the Alabama ground operations and provide a preliminary assessment of the ground ]based observations collected over northern Alabama during DC3. The multi ] Doppler, dual ]polarization radar network consisted of the UAHuntsville Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR), the UAHuntsville Mobile Alabama X ]band (MAX) radar and the Hytop (KHTX) Weather Surveillance Radar 88 Doppler (WSR ]88D). Lightning frequency and structure were observed in near real ]time by the NASA MSFC Northern Alabama LMA (NALMA). Pre ]storm and inflow proximity soundings were obtained with the UAHuntsville mobile sounding unit and the Redstone Arsenal (QAG) morning sounding.

Carey, Lawrence

The LBA Calibrator Survey of Southern Compact Extragalactic Radio Sources - LCS1

We present a catalogue of accurate positions and correlated flux densities for 410 flat-spectrum, compact extragalactic radio sources previously detected in the Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) survey. The catalogue spans the declination range [-90deg, -40deg] and was constructed from four 24-h very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observing sessions with the Australian Long Baseline Array at 8.3 GHz. The VLBI detection rate in these experiments is 97 per cent, the median uncertainty of the source positions is 2.6 mas and the median correlated flux density on projected baselines longer than 1000 km is 0.14 Jy. The goals of this work are (1) to provide a pool of southern sources with positions accurate to a few milliarcsec, which can be used for phase-referencing observations, geodetic VLBI and space navigation; (2) to extend the complete flux-limited sample of compact extragalactic sources to the Southern hemisphere; and (3) to investigate the parsec-scale properties of high-frequency selected sources from the AT20G survey. As a result of this VLBI campaign, the number of compact radio sources south of declination -40deg which have measured VLBI correlated flux densities and positions known to milliarcsec accuracy has increased by a factor of 3.5.

Petrov, Leonid

VLBI Data Interchange Format (VDIF)

One important outcome of the 7th International e-VLBI Workshop in Shanghai in June 2008 was the creation of a task force to study and recommend a universal VLBI data format that is suitable for both on-the-wire e-VLBI data transfer, as well as direct disk storage. This task force, called the VLBI Data Interchange Format (VDIF) Task Force, is the first part of a two-part effort, the second of which will address standardization of e-VLBI data-transmission-protocols. The formation of the VDIF Task Force was prompted particularly by increased e-VLBI activity and the difficulties encountered when data arrive at a correlator in different formats from various instruments in various parts of the world. The task force created a streaming packetized data format that may be used for real-time and non-realtime e-VLBI, as well as direct disk storage. The data may contain multiple channels of time-sampled data with an arbitrary number of channels, arbitrary #bits/sample up to 32, and real or complex data; data rates in excess of 100 Gbps are supported. Each data packet is completely self-identifying via a short header, and data may be decoded without reference to any external information. The VDIF task force has completed its work, and the VDIF standard was ratified at the 2009 e-VLBI workshop in Madrid.

Whitney, Alan