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S. Bhatnagar

Publications and source records attributed to S. Bhatnagar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

WAsp: The Wideband (W) Adaptive-Scale Pixel (Asp) Deconvolution Algorithm for Interferometric Imaging

This paper introduces the Wide-band Asp-Clean (\texttt{WAsp}) algorithm, a novel scale-sensitive image reconstruction method tailored for wide-band imaging applications. This algorithm is particularly beneficial for thermal noise-limited imaging with aperture synthesis telescopes, where joint spatio-frequency modeling of the sky brightness distribution is critical. The \texttt{WAsp} algorithm replaces the use of the MS-Clean algorithm in the MS-MFS algorithm with the {\tt Asp} algorithm \citep{Asp_Clean}, which itself has been improved for both imaging and runtime performance. With the high sensitivity of current and next-generation telescopes, spatio-frequency modeling in a scale-sensitive basis becomes crucial for ensuring that residuals align with the noise model across the frequency band. Although existing wide-band scale-sensitive algorithms have demonstrated superior performance over scale-insensitive counterparts, they often suffer from well-documented deficiencies, leading to significant wide-scale residuals in Stokes-I at low levels and consequently significant relative errors in spectral index maps. The \texttt{WAsp} algorithm addresses these limitations while maintaining computational efficiency. The implementation can be configured to support narrow-band and wide-band scale-sensitive imaging, spectral-cube imaging applications and joint single-dish and interferometer imaging. To demonstrate improved imaging performance, we show comparison with existing algorithms via carefully developed simulations for stress-testing the algorithms. We also present results from its application to real-world wide-band data, underscoring its effectiveness in practical imaging scenarios.

astro-ph.IM

An Algorithm Architecture for Radio Interferometric Data Processing

We present a foundational, scalable algorithm architecture for processing data from aperture synthesis radio telescopes. The analysis leading to the architecture is rooted in the theory of aperture synthesis, signal processing and numerical optimization keeping it scalable for variations in computing load, algorithmic complexity, and accommodate the continuing evolution of algorithms. It also adheres to scientific software design principles and use of modern performance engineering techniques providing a stable foundation for long-term scalability, performance, and development cost. We first show that algorithms for both calibration and imaging algorithms share a common mathematical foundation and can be expressed as numerical optimization problems. We then decompose the resulting mathematical framework into fundamental conceptual architectural components, and assemble calibration and imaging algorithms from these foundational components. For a physical architectural view, we used a library of algorithms implemented in the LibRA software for the various architectural components, and used the Kokkos framework in the compute-intensive components for performance portable implementation. This was deployed on hardware ranging from desktop-class computers to multiple super-computer class high-performance computing (HPC) and high-throughput computing (HTC) platforms with a variety of CPU and GPU architectures, and job schedulers (HTCondor and Slurm). As a test, we imaged archival data from the NSF's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) telescope in the A-array configuration for the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Using over 100 GPUs we achieve a processing rate of ~2 Terabyte per hour to make one of the deepest images in the 2 -- 4 GHz band with an RMS noise of ~1 microJy/beam.

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CORALIE radial-velocity search for companions around evolved stars (CASCADES) IV: New planetary systems around HD 87816, HD 94890, and HD 102888 and an update on HD 121056

With around 200 detections of exoplanets around giant stars to date, our knowledge of the population of exoplanets orbiting evolved hosts more massive than the Sun remains limited. The CORALIE radial-velocity search for companions around evolved stars (CASCADES) was launched in 2006 with the aim of improving our understanding of the demographics of exoplanets around intermediate-mass stars, by studying them once they have evolved off the main sequence. We intend to refine the current sample of known exoplanets orbiting intermediate-mass (1.5 - 5 M$_\odot$) giant stars of spectral types G and early K. We searched for exoplanets orbiting the four stars HD 87816, HD 94890, HD 102888, and HD 121056. We used data obtained with the CORALIE spectrograph, mounted on the Leonhard Euler Swiss telescope located at La Silla Observatory in Chile. We gathered high-precision radial-velocity measurements over more than ten years for each of the aforementioned targets. We started by performing a search for periodic signals in the radial-velocity time series of the four targets by using periodograms. Following this, we fit for a Keplerian model using the significant peak with the highest power of the periodogram as the starting guess for the period. We then subtracted this model and repeated the procedure iteratively on the residuals until no significant peaks were found. Finally, to explore the posterior distribution of our models, the final solution was determined using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. We report the discovery of five new massive planets around HD 87816, HD 94890, and HD 102888 as well as the presence of a distant, potentially substellar, companion around HD 102888. We confirm the presence of a previously announced exoplanet orbiting the HD 121056 multi-object system with a period of 89 days and propose an update to the period of the outer companion.

astro-ph.EP

The Relationship between Image Dynamic Range and Antenna-based Gain Errors

The ngVLA science requirements call for continuum image dynamic ranges of 45 dB and 35 dB at 8 and 27 GHz respectively. In interferometric aperture synthesis imaging, visibility amplitude and phase errors result in errors in the final images, limiting the dynamic range attained. In order to achieve the ngVLA dynamic range requirements it is necessary to limit the amplitude and phase errors to within appropriate levels. The relationship between the number of antennas N in an interferometric aperture synthesis array and the error in the constructed image has been previously derived and conventionally adopted to be a scaling of \approx N. In this short memo, we argue that this relationship may not hold everywhere in an image and derive the relationship in a more stringent limit. We derive a more stringent \sqrt N dependence as opposed to the previous, generally adopted N scaling and compare with existing simulations. This relationship is at the root of allowable amplitude and phase errors arising from practically every corrupting effect, e.g. antenna pointing, primary beam characteristics, tropospheric and ionospheric phase fluctuations and polarimetric imperfections, among others. Thus, it is central to ngVLA calibration requirements and strategies. We recommend the adoption of a conservative \sqrt N dependence as the basis to derive the requirements and to identify applicable strategies.

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Feasibility of Self-Calibration for ngVLA Dynamic Range Requirements

The ngVLA is a new interferometric radio astronomy facility with transformative capabilities, being developed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. It combines two orders of magnitude in frequency coverage, over 1.2 - 116 GHz, with unprecedented sensitivity, spatial resolution and spatial frequency coverage, opening up new discovery space, impacting nearly every area of astrophysics. The high sensitivity that enables the path breaking science goals, which in turn lead to stringent instrument requirements, also open up new approaches to meeting them, previously only possible in limited contexts. Chief among the requirements are the image dynamic range specifications of 45 dB and 35 dB at 8 GHz and 27 GHz in single pointing and mosaiced observations. As the baseline calibration strategy to meet these requirements, we leverage the high ngVLA sensitivity through routine use of self-calibration on short time scales to counter atmospheric delay fluctuations. We recognize the broader nature of the problem - requiring a certain dynamic range, DR, at a targeted science noise level {\sigma}_science presupposes the presence of bright emission in the field at a corresponding level of detected interferometric flux of \sim DR \times {\sigma}_science, by definition. With the problem posed broadly in this way, one can derive a general limit without recourse to background source counts and the attendant Poisson fluctuations of their occurrence, and which depends only on the number of antennas in the array and the science noise level of the observation, independent of the observing band, primary beam size and antenna SEFDs. This memo formally explores these ideas as the main strategy to achieve the ngVLA image dynamic range requirements.

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Approaches to High Dynamic Range Imaging - Application to the ngVLA

The ngVLA is a new interferometric radio astronomy facility with transformative capabilities, being developed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. It combines two orders of magnitude in frequency coverage, over 1.2 - 116 GHz, with unprecedented sensitivity, spatial resolution and spatial frequency coverage, opening up new discovery space, impacting nearly every area of astrophysics. The high sensitivity that enables the path breaking science goals, which in turn lead to stringent instrument requirements, also open up new approaches to meeting them, previously only possible in limited contexts. Chief among the requirements are the image dynamic range specifications of 45 dB and 35 dB at 8 GHz and 27 GHz in single pointing and mosaiced observations. As the baseline calibration strategy to meet these requirements, we leverage the high ngVLA sensitivity through routine use of self-calibration on short time scales to counter atmospheric delay fluctuations and pointing self-calibration to correct for pointing errors. A key benefit of leveraging self-calibration techniques, where possible, is the a reduction in system complexity of a range of subsystems, which in turn improves system reliability. Self-calibration also promises the possibility of attaining thermal noise limited dynamic range performance in some cases. This presentation provides the bases for these approaches, illustrating them to make the case for their application to the ngVLA in parallel.

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The MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS) data release I: Stokes I image catalogs at 1-1.4 GHz

The MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS) has observed 391 telescope pointings at L-band (900 - 1670 MHz) at $\delta\lesssim$ $+20\deg$. We present radio continuum images and a catalog of 495,325 (240,321) radio sources detected at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) $>$5 over an area of 2289 deg$^2$ (1132 deg$^2$) at 1006 MHz (1381 MHz). Every MALS pointing contains a central bright radio source ($S_{1\,\mathrm{GHz}} \gtrsim 0.2$ Jy). The median spatial resolution is $12^{\prime\prime}$ ($8^{\prime\prime}$). The median rms noise away from the pointing center is 25 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ (22 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$) and is within $\sim$ 15% of the achievable theoretical sensitivity. The flux density scale ratio and astrometric accuracy deduced from multiply observed sources in MALS are less than 1% (8% scatter) and $1^{\prime\prime}$, respectively. Through comparisons with NVSS and FIRST at 1.4 GHz, we establish the catalog's accuracy in the flux density scale and astrometry to be better than 6% (15% scatter) and $0.8^{\prime\prime}$, respectively. The median flux density offset is higher (9%) for an alternate beam model based on holographic measurements. The MALS radio source counts at 1.4 GHz are in agreement with literature. We estimate spectral indices ($\alpha$) of a subset of 125,621 sources (SNR$>$8), confirm the flattening of spectral indices with decreasing flux density and identify 140 ultra steep-spectrum ($\alpha<-1.3$) sources as prospective high-$z$ radio galaxies ($z>2$). We have identified 1308 variable and 122 transient radio sources comprising primarily of AGN that demonstrate long-term (26 years) variability in their observed flux densities. The MALS catalogs and images are publicly available at https://mals.iucaa.in.

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Resolving the bow shock and tail of the cannonball pulsar PSR J0002+6216

We present X-ray and radio observations of the recently-discovered bow shock pulsar wind nebula associated with PSR J0002+6216, characterizing the PWN morphology, which was unresolved in previous studies. The multi-frequency, multi-epoch Very Large Array radio observations reveal a cometary tail trailing the pulsar and extending up to 5.3', with multiple kinks along the emission. The presented radio continuum images from multi-configuration broadband VLA observations are one of the first results from the application of multi-term multi-frequency synthesis deconvolution in combination with the awproject gridder implemented in the Common Astronomy Software Applications package (CASA). The X-ray emission observed with Chandra extends to only 21'', fades quickly, and has some hot spots present along the extended radio emission. These kinks could indicate the presence of density variation in the local ISM or turbulence. The bow shock standoff distance estimates a small bow shock region with a size 0.003-0.009 pc, consistent with the pulsar spin-down power of Edot=1.51x10^35 ergs/s estimated from timing. The high-resolution radio image reveals the presence of an asymmetry in the bow shock region which is also present in the X-ray image. The broadband radio image shows an unusually steep spectrum along with a flat-spectrum sheath, which could indicate varying opacity or energy injection into the region. Spatially-resolved X-ray spectra provide marginal evidence of synchrotron cooling along the extended tail. Our analysis of the X-ray data also shows that this pulsar has a low spin-down power and one of the lowest X-ray efficiencies observed in these objects.

astro-ph.HE

Blind HI and OH absorption line search: first results with MALS and uGMRT processed using ARTIP

We present details of the Automated Radio Telescope Imaging Pipeline (ARTIP) and results of a sensitive blind search for HI and OH absorbers at $z<0.4$ and $z<0.7$, respectively. ARTIP is written in Python 3.6, extensively uses the Common Astronomy Software Application (CASA) tools and tasks, and is designed to enable the geographically-distributed MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS) team to collaboratively process large volumes of radio interferometric data. We apply it to the first MALS dataset obtained using the 64-dish MeerKAT radio telescope and 32K channel mode of the correlator. With merely 40 minutes on target, we present the most sensitive spectrum of PKS1830-211 ever obtained and characterize the known HI ($z=0.19$) and OH ($z=0.89$) absorbers. We further demonstrate ARTIP's capabilities to handle realistic observing scenarios by applying it to a sample of 72 bright radio sources observed with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to blindly search for HI and OH absorbers. We estimate the numbers of HI and OH absorbers per unit redshift to be $n_{21}(z\sim0.18)<$0.14 and $n_{\rm OH}(z\sim0.40)<$0.12, respectively, and constrain the cold gas covering factor of galaxies at large impact parameters (50 kpc $<\rho<$ 150 kpc) to be less than 0.022. Due to the small redshift path, $\Delta z\sim$13 for HI with column density$>5.4\times10^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$, the survey has probed only the outskirts of star-forming galaxies at $\rho>30$ kpc. MALS with the expected $\Delta z\sim10^{3-4}$ will overcome this limitation and provide stringent constraints on the cold gas fraction of galaxies in diverse environments over $0<z<1.5$.

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The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). Science case and survey design

The Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) is a synoptic, all-sky radio sky survey with a unique combination of high angular resolution ($\approx$2.5"), sensitivity (a 1$σ$ goal of 70 $μ$Jy/beam in the coadded data), full linear Stokes polarimetry, time domain coverage, and wide bandwidth (2-4 GHz). The first observations began in September 2017, and observing for the survey will finish in 2024. VLASS will use approximately 5500 hours of time on the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to cover the whole sky visible to the VLA (Declination $>-40^{\circ}$), a total of 33,885 deg$^2$. The data will be taken in three epochs to allow the discovery of variable and transient radio sources. The survey is designed to engage radio astronomy experts, multi-wavelength astronomers, and citizen scientists alike. By utilizing an "on the fly" interferometry mode, the observing overheads are much reduced compared to a conventional pointed survey. In this paper, we present the science case and observational strategy for the survey, and also results from early survey observations.

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The CASA software for radio astronomy: status update from ADASS 2019

CASA, the Common Astronomy Software Applications package, is the primary data processing software for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and NSF's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), and is frequently used also for other radio telescopes. The CASA software can process data from both single-dish and aperture-synthesis telescopes, and one of its core functionalities is to support the data reduction and imaging pipelines for ALMA, VLA and the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS). CASA has recently undergone several exciting new developments, including an increased flexibility in Python (CASA 6), support of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), performance gains through parallel imaging, data visualization with the new Cube Analysis Rendering Tool for Astronomy (CARTA), enhanced reliability and testing, and modernized documentation. These proceedings of the 2019 Astronomical Data Analysis Software & Systems (ADASS) conference give an update of the CASA project, and detail how these new developments will enhance user experience of CASA.

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The DSA-2000 -- A Radio Survey Camera

We present the DSA-2000: a world-leading radio survey telescope and multi-messenger discovery engine for the next decade. The array will be the first true radio camera, outputting science-ready image data over the 0.7 - 2 GHz frequency range with a spatial resolution of 3.5 arcsec. With 2000 x 5 m dishes, the DSA-2000 will have an equivalent point-source sensitivity to SKA1-mid, but with ten times the survey speed. The DSA-2000 is envisaged as an all-sky survey instrument complementary to the ngVLA, and as a counterpart to the LSST (optical), SPHEREx (near-infrared) and SRG/eROSITA (X-ray) all-sky surveys. Over a five-year prime phase, the DSA-2000 will image the entire sky above declination -30 degrees every four months, detecting > 1 unique billion radio sources in a combined full-Stokes sky map with 500 nJy/beam rms noise. This all-sky survey will be complemented by intermediate and deep surveys, as well as spectral and polarization image cubes. The array will be a cornerstone for multi-messenger science, serving as the principal instrument for the US pulsar timing array community, and by searching for radio afterglows of compact object mergers detected by LIGO and Virgo. The array will simultaneously detect and localize ~10,000 fast radio bursts each year, realizing their ultimate use as a cosmological tool. The DSA-2000 will be proposed to the NSF Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure-2 program with a view to first light in 2026

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The Tail of PSR J0002+6216 and the Supernova Remnant CTB 1

We have carried out VLA imaging and a Fermi timing analysis of the 115 ms gamma-ray and radio pulsar PSR J0002+6216. We found that the pulsar lies at the apex of a narrowly collimated cometary-like 7 arcmin tail of non-thermal radio emission which we identify as a bow-shock pulsar wind nebula. The tail of the nebula points back toward the geometric center of the supernova remnant CTB 1 (G116.9+0.2) 28 arcmin away, at a position angle $θ_μ=113^\circ$. We measure a proper motion with 2.9$σ$ significance from a Fermi timing analysis giving $μ$=115$\pm$33 mas yr$^{-1}$ and $θ_μ=121^\circ\pm{13}^\circ$, corresponding to a large transverse pulsar velocity of 1100 km s$^{-1}$ at a distance of 2 kpc. This proper motion is of the right magnitude and direction to support the claim that PSR J0002+6216 was born from the same supernova that produced CTB 1. We explore the implications for pulsar birth periods, asymmetric supernova explosions, and mechanisms for pulsar natal kick velocities.

astro-ph.HE

Efficient implementation of the adaptive scale pixel decomposition algorithm

Context. Most popular algorithms in use to remove the effects of a telescope's point spread function (PSF) in radio astronomy are variants of the CLEAN algorithm. Most of these algorithms model the sky brightness using the delta-function basis, which results in undesired artefacts when used on image extended emission. The adaptive scale pixel decomposition (Asp-Clean) algorithm models the sky brightness on a scale-sensitive basis and thus gives a significantly better imaging performance when imaging fields that contain both resolved and unresolved emission. Aims. However, the runtime cost of Asp-Clean is higher than that of scale-insensitive algorithms. In this paper, we identify the most expensive step in the original Asp-Clean algorithm and present an efficient implementation of it, which significantly reduces the computational cost while keeping the imaging performance comparable to the original algorithm. The PSF sidelobe levels of modern wide-band telescopes are significantly reduced, allowing us to make approximations to reduce the computing cost, which in turn allows for the deconvolution of larger images on reasonable timescales. Methods. As in the original algorithm, scales in the image are estimated through function fitting. Here we introduce an analytical method to model extended emission, and a modified method for estimating the initial values used for the fitting procedure, which ultimately leads to a lower computational cost. Results.The new implementation was tested with simulated EVLA data and the imaging performance compared well with the original Asp-Clean algorithm. Tests show that the current algorithm can recover features at different scales with lower computational cost.

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Direction Dependent Corrections in Polarimetric Radio Imaging II: A-Solver Methodology A low-order solver for the A-Term of the A-Projection algorithm

The effects of the antenna far-field power pattern limits the imaging performance of modern wide-bandwidth, high-sensitivity interferometric radio telescopes. Given a model for the aperture illumination pattern (AIP) of the antenna, referred to as the A-term, the wide-band (WB) A-Projection algorithm corrects for the effects of its time, frequency, and polarization structure. The level to which this correction is possible depends on how accurately the A-term, represents the true AIP. In this paper, we describe the A-Solver methodology that combines physical modeling with optimization to holographic measurements to build an accurate model for the AIP. Using a parametrized ray-tracing code as the predictor, we solve for the frequency dependence of the antenna optics and show that the resulting low-order model for the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) antenna captures the dominant frequency-dependent terms. The A-Solver methodology described here is generic and can be adapted for other types of antennas as well. The parameterization is based on the physical characteristics of the antenna structure and optics and is therefore arguably a compact representation (minimized degrees of freedom) of the frequency-dependent structure of the antenna A-term. In this paper, we also show that the parameters derived from A-Solver methodology are expected to improve sensitivity and imaging performance out to the first side-lobe of the antenna.

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The Pointing Self Calibration algorithm for aperture synthesis radio telescopes

This paper is concerned with algorithms for calibration of direction dependent effects (DDE) in aperture synthesis radio telescopes (ASRT). After correction of Direction Independent Effects (DIE) using self-calibration, imaging performance can be limited by the imprecise knowledge of the forward gain of the elements in the array. In general, the forward gain pattern is directionally dependent and varies with time due to a number of reasons. Some factors, such as rotation of the primary beam with Parallactic Angle for Azimuth-Elevation mount antennas are known a priori. Some, such as antenna pointing errors and structural deformation/projection effects for aperture-array elements cannot be measured {\em a priori}. Thus, in addition to algorithms to correct for DD effects known a priori, algorithms to solve for DD gains are required for high dynamic range imaging. Here, we discuss a mathematical framework for antenna-based DDE calibration algorithms and show that this framework leads to computationally efficient optimal algorithms which scale well in a parallel computing environment. As an example of an antenna-based DD calibration algorithm, we demonstrate the Pointing SelfCal algorithm to solve for the antenna pointing errors. Our analysis show that the sensitivity of modern ASRT is sufficient to solve for antenna pointing errors and other DD effects. We also discuss the use of the Pointing SelfCal algorithm in real-time calibration systems and extensions for antenna Shape SelfCal algorithm for real-time tracking and corrections for pointing offsets and changes in antenna shape.

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The MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS)

Deep galaxy surveys have revealed that the global star formation rate (SFR) density in the Universe peaks at 1 < z < 2 and sharply declines towards z = 0. But a clear picture of the underlying processes, in particular the evolution of cold atomic (~100 K) and molecular gas phases, that drive such a strong evolution is yet to emerge. MALS is designed to use MeerKAT's L- and UHF-band receivers to carry out the most sensitive (N(HI)>10$^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$) dust-unbiased search of intervening HI 21-cm and OH 18-cm absorption lines at 0 < z < 2. This will provide reliable measurements of the evolution of cold atomic and molecular gas cross-sections of galaxies, and unravel the processes driving the steep evolution in the SFR density. The large sample of HI and OH absorbers obtained from the survey will (i) lead to tightest constraints on the fundamental constants of physics, and (ii) be ideally suited to probe the evolution of magnetic fields in disks of galaxies via Zeeman Splitting or Rotation Measure synthesis. The survey will also provide an unbiased census of HI and OH absorbers, i.e. cold gas associated with powerful AGNs (>10$^{24}$ W Hz$^{-1}$) at 0 < z < 2, and will simultaneously deliver a blind HI and OH emission line survey, and radio continuum survey. Here, we describe the MALS survey design, observing plan and the science issues to be addressed under various science themes.

astro-ph.GA

Direction Dependent Corrections in Polarimetric Radio Imaging I : Characterizing the effects of the primary beam on full Stokes imaging

Next generation radio telescope arrays are being designed and commissioned to accurately measure polarized intensity and rotation measures across the entire sky through deep, wide-field radio interferometric surveys. Radio interferometer dish antenna arrays are affected by direction-dependent (DD) gains due to both instrumental and atmospheric effects. In this paper we demonstrate the effect of DD errors for parabolic dish antenna array on the measured polarized intensities of radio sources in interferometric images. We characterize the extent of polarimetric image degradation due to the DD gains through wide-band VLA simulations of representative point source simulations of the radio sky at L-Band(1-2GHz). We show that at the 0.5 gain level of the primary beam (PB) there is significant flux leakage from Stokes $I$ to $Q$, $U$ amounting to 10\% of the total intensity. We further demonstrate that while the instrumental response averages down for observations over large parallactic angle intervals, full-polarization DD correction is required to remove the effects of DD leakage. We also explore the effect of the DD beam on the Rotation Measure(RM) signals and show that while the instrumental effect is primarily centered around 0 rad-m$^{-2}$, the effect is significant over a broad range of RM requiring full polarization DD correction to accurately reconstruct RM synthesis signal.

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