Enhancing GLAST Science Through Complementary Radio Observations

Radio astronomical observations with state-of-the-art instrumentation will be critical for achieving the maximum science return from the GLAST mission. Radio nterferometers with baselines of thousands of kilometers, such as the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), will provide sub-milliarcsecond imaging of GLAST blazars. High-frequency VLBA imaging, repeatable at intervals of days to weeks, will image the region where gamma-ray flares occur in blazars and help determine the location of the gamma-ray emission. Multi-frequency arcsecond-scale imaging with interferometers having baselines of one to tens of kilometers, particularly the Very Large Array, will provide efficient discrimination among the candidates for unidentified gamma-ray sources. Pulsar timing with single-dish radio telescopes such as the Green Bank Telescope will enable accurate registration of gamma-ray photons with pulsar ephemerides for studies of the pulsar emission mechanisms. Along with these contemporaneous radio/GLAST observing programs, we will discuss briefly some of the recent radio programs that have been conducted in preparation for GLAST launch.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.