Abstract
Single antenna small radio telescopes, 30-m diameter and smaller, are often overshadowed by the few large dishes and multiple antennae arrays. Contemporary emphasis in radio astronomy is the construction of large antennae and multiple antennae arrays. Of course, the obvious reasons include greater flux sensitivity and improvement of spatial resolution. However, the relative youth of radio astronomy suggests that the usefulness of small radio telescopes have not yet been fully explored.
In this chapter several key challenges of observational and astrophysical interest are made to small radio telescope astronomers. The challenges include improvement in receiver technology, monitoring brown dwarfs, masers, and gamma ray bursts, surveys using low density interstellar medium indicator molecules, water maser surveys, and pulsar research. Also, as important as the astrophysics, is the continued education of future radio astronomers, and general public outreach. Hopefully, this chapter will inspire ideas for discovery using small radio telescopes.
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Castelaz, M.W., Cline, J.D., Osborne, C., Moffett, D.A. (2003). Small Radio Telescopes. In: Oswalt, T.D. (eds) The Future of Small Telescopes in the New Millennium. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 287/8/9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0253-0_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0253-0_22
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