A new method for making maps with unstable radio interferometers

Hybrid maps are made using data from unstable interferometers, based on correcting errors occurring at individual telescopes. The method is more general than previous approaches, allowing for different degrees of instability at each telescope, and varying signal-to-noise ratios in the visibility data on each baseline. Tests show that when visibility phases are highly perturbed, the method will converge from a simple starting model. This approach is intended for analyses of data from a multitelescope radio-linked interferometer (MTRLI), with tests indicating the quality of maps made with the MTRLI, including a hybrid map of the quasar 3C 309.1 made from data at 1666 MHz.