Wide-field VLBI imaging of M31 - first results
  One of our closest neighbours, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) has been the
subject of numerous large area studies across the entire spectrum, but so far
full-disk radio surveys have been conducted only at low resolution. The new
wide-field capabilities of the DiFX software correlator present the possibility
of imaging the entire primary beam of a VLBI array, thus enabling a high
resolution wide-field study of the entire galaxy. Using the VLBA and EVN, pilot
observations of M31 have been carried out with the aim of using these new
wide-field techniques to characterise the population of compact components at
VLBI resolution both within and behind one of our nearest neighbours. This
contribution describes the observations carried out, the preliminary processing
and first results.
