The Jodrell Bank radio-linked interferometer network

Abstract

The Multi Telescope Radio Linked Interferometer (MTRLI) has just been brought into operation at Jodrell Bank and here we introduce the instrument, describe its capabilities, and present some of the first maps to be made with it. MTRLI produces high quality maps of radio sources with resolutions varying from ∼1 arcs to ∼0.02 arc s depending on the frequency of operation. The obvious astronomical use of the instrument is for the mapping of powerful extragalactic radio sources to investigate the physical processes within them, but it will also have the capability to map galactic line as well as galactic continuum sources. The maps presented here were made at 408 MHz and are all of extragalactic sources. They illustrate the ability of MTRLI to map at low frequencies the steep spectrum emission which tends to be overlooked with existing synthesis instruments which have to work at much higher frequencies to obtain the same resolution.