Fitting a Gaussian Beam to Radio Power Measurements of a Point Source

This book analyzes the beam pattern of the KAT-7 radio telescope, an early precursor to MeerKAT and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Using raster scans of Virgo A (M87) collected in 2010, the study investigates the telescope's beam response and symmetry through data reduction, polynomial baseline fitting, and 2D Gaussian modeling.Processed with Python and stored in HDF5 format, the results confirm a stable, near-Gaussian primary beam suitable for calibration and early imaging tests. The work contributed to understanding KAT-7's performance and laid part of the experimental foundation for future SKA-related instrumentation and analysis.

Autorentext
Dr. Mohammed Elmufti is an astrophysicist specializing in time-domain astronomy, exoplanet discovery, and radio instrumentation. He earned his Ph.D. from George Mason University and has worked with NASA TESS and KAT-7 data. He currently teaches physics and astronomy at George Mason University.