Learning paths

The course is 41 chapters plus a six-part Maths Lab. You don't have to read them in order — most chapters need only a couple of earlier ones. This page shows the whole map, the prerequisites, and a few themed routes so you can chart a path that fits your goal and your hardware.

New here? The quickest start is still Part I in order (Chapters 1 → 2 → 3); everything else branches off that foundation.

The whole course at a glance

Arrows mean "builds on". Dashed arrows point to the Maths Lab appendix that does the worked maths behind a chapter.

flowchart TD
  %% ---- Part I: Foundations ----
  C1[1 · What is radio astronomy]
  C2[2 · Radio emission]
  C3[3 · Noise & radiometer]
  C43[43 · Synchrotron radiation]
  C44[44 · Free-free & HII regions]
  C50[50 · ERA worked problem sets]
  C1 --> C2 --> C3
  C2 --> C43
  C2 --> C44
  C43 --> C50
  C44 --> C50
  C2 --> C50
  LA -.-> C50

  %% ---- Part II: Instrumentation & hardware ----
  C4[4 · Antennas & receivers]
  C5[5 · SDR basics]
  C6[6 · Hydrogen line]
  C26[26 · Meteor scatter]
  C27[27 · VLF & ionosphere]
  C28[28 · GNU Radio]
  C29[29 · No-hardware HI: VIRGO/PICTOR]
  C30[30 · RASDR & Radio-Sky]
  C40[40 · Lightning & sferics]
  C48[48 · Observing planning: sidereal time, transit, beam]
  C3 --> C4 --> C5 --> C6
  C4 --> C48
  C3 --> C48
  C5 --> C28 --> C30
  C5 --> C26
  C5 --> C27 --> C40
  C6 --> C29
  LD -.-> C48

  %% ---- Part III: Interferometry & imaging ----
  C7[7 · Why interferometry]
  C8[8 · Aperture synthesis]
  C9[9 · Deconvolution & CLEAN]
  C41[41 · Practical calibration]
  C17[17 · Coherent interferometry · KrakenSDR]
  C19[19 · EHT & VLBI]
  C25[25 · Intensity interferometry · HBT]
  C37[37 · Polarisation & Faraday rotation]
  C3 --> C7 --> C8 --> C9
  C9 --> C41
  C8 --> C17
  C9 --> C19
  C7 --> C25
  C8 --> C37
  C2 --> C37

  %% ---- Part IV: Real data & research ----
  C10[10 · Open archives]
  C11[11 · HI rotation curve]
  C12[12 · VLA imaging]
  C13[13 · Pulsars]
  C14[14 · Multi-wavelength]
  C16[16 · Data formats]
  C18[18 · Fast radio bursts]
  C47[47 · Long-period radio transients]
  C20[20 · Pulsar timing arrays]
  C21[21 · SETI]
  C22[22 · CMB]
  C23[23 · Solar & Jupiter]
  C24[24 · Molecular & masers]
  C38[38 · Machine learning]
  C39[39 · RFI mitigation]
  C42[42 · Cosmic dawn & EoR]
  C45[45 · Radio galaxies & source counts]
  C46[46 · The art of radio images]
  C15[15 · Capstone]
  C9 --> C10 --> C11
  C10 --> C12
  C10 --> C13
  C10 --> C14
  C13 --> C18
  C13 --> C20
  C13 --> C47
  C18 --> C47
  C18 --> C38
  C3 --> C38
  C3 --> C39
  C3 --> C21
  C2 --> C22
  C2 --> C23
  C2 --> C24
  C6 --> C42
  C22 --> C42
  C10 --> C45
  C43 --> C45
  C11 --> C15
  C12 --> C15
  C12 --> C46
  C13 --> C15
  C14 --> C15

  %% ---- Maths Lab (appendix) ----
  LA([Lab A · Fourier & convolution])
  LB([Lab B · Matched filtering])
  LC([Lab C · Noise & RFI])
  LD([Lab D · Coordinates & time])
  LE([Lab E · Calibration])
  LF([Lab F · Special functions])
  C8 -.-> LA
  C37 -.-> LA
  C18 -.-> LB
  C38 -.-> LB
  C3 -.-> LC
  C39 -.-> LC
  C10 -.-> LD
  C9 -.-> LE
  C4 -.-> LF

Themed routes

Pick the track that matches your goal. Each is an ordered list — follow it top to bottom.

🛋️ Laptop-only (no hardware, fully offline)

Every chapter runs on synthetic or archival data, so this is the complete course minus the capture steps. 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11 → 12 → 13 → 14 → 18 → 20 → 22 → 24 → 15. The Maths Lab (A–F) supports any of these whenever the maths gets dense.

📡 I have an RTL-SDR (hands-on hardware)

Build up to capturing real signals, then branch into the amateur projects. 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 29 → 28 → 30 → 26 → 27. (Chapters 5–6 are the capture core; 26–30 are the project chapters.)

🛰️ Interferometry & imaging

The aperture-synthesis spine and where it leads. 3 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 17 → 19 → 25 → 37 → 12. Pair with Lab A (Fourier) and Lab E (calibration). Chapter 37 (polarisation & Faraday rotation) reuses the same Fourier machinery in \(\lambda^2\) space.

⏱️ Pulsars, transients & the nanohertz sky

Time-domain radio astronomy end to end. 3 → 10 → 13 → 18 → 20 → 38. Pair with Lab B (matched filtering / detection) and Lab D (coordinates & time). Chapter 38 pits a learned classifier against the Lab B matched filter on the FRBs from Chapter 18.

🔭 Just the physics & maths

Skip the instruments; concentrate on the science and the derivations. 1 → 2 → 3 → 22 → 24 → 21, threaded with the whole Maths Lab (A → B → C → D → E → F).

Maths Lab — which lab serves which chapter

The six appendices are the worked maths behind the course. Reach for one when a chapter leans on a technique you'd like to see derived from scratch.

Maths Lab	Worked technique	Most useful for
A · Fourier & convolution	FT pairs, convolution theorem, sampling	Ch 8 (uv-plane), Ch 9 (CLEAN), Ch 37 (RM synthesis), Ch 42 (21 cm power spectrum), Ch 3, Ch 50 (ERA problem sets)
B · Matched filtering	Detection theory, the matched filter	Ch 18 (FRBs), Ch 13 (pulsars), Ch 38 (ML baseline), Ch 3
C · Noise & RFI	Noise statistics, robust RFI excision	Ch 3 (radiometer), Ch 39 (RFI flagging), Ch 5 (SDR)
D · Coordinates & time	Sky coordinates, time systems	Ch 10 (archives), Ch 11, Ch 13, Ch 48 (observing planning)
E · Calibration	Linear algebra for gain/closure	Ch 41 (practical calibration), Ch 9 (CLEAN), Ch 12 (VLA imaging)
F · Special functions & beams	Bessel/sinc, beam patterns	Ch 4 (antennas), Ch 8

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Prefer pictures? The Visual Tour walks the same material as diagrams, plots, photographs, and videos. When you're ready, head to Setup and open Chapter 1.