Ska and Evla Computing Costs for Wide Field Imaging

I investigate the problem of high dynamic range continuum synthesis imaging in the presence of confusing sources, using scaling arguments and simulations. I derive a quantified cost equation for the computer hardware needed to support such observations for the EVLA and the SKA. This cost has two main components – from the data volume, scaling as D⁻⁶ (where D is the antenna diameter), and from the non-coplanar baselines effect, scaling as D⁻², for a total scaling of D⁻⁸. A factor of two in antenna diameter thus corresponds to 12 years of Moore’s law (18 month doubling time) cost reduction in computing hardware. For a SKA built with 12.5 m antennas observing with 1 arcsecond at 1.4 GHz, I find the computing load to be about 150 Petaflops (costing about $500 million in 2015). For 25 m antennas, the load is about 256 times lower, costing $2 million in 2015. This new cost equation differs from that of Perley and Clark (2003), which has scaling as D⁻⁶. This is because I find that the excellent Fourier plane coverage of the small antenna design does not significantly change the convergence rate of the Clean algorithm, which is already satisfactory in this regime.The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is operated by Associated Universities, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.     

A Spherical Lens For The Ska

Spherical refracting lenses based upon the Luneburg lens offer unique capabilities for radioastronomy, but the large diameter of lens required for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) means that traditional lens materials are either too dense or too lossy. We are investigating a composite dielectric that theoretically offers extremely low loss and low density, and is suitable for low-cost mass production. We describe our progress towards realising this material and demonstrating the manufacturing concept, via the manufacture and testing of a small (0.9 m) spherical lens.     

A Simple Model Of Software Costs For The Square Kilometre Array

Software costs for radio telescopes have nearly always been underestimated. Since the Square Kilometre Array is often called a software telescope, repeating the usual error would be particularly egregious. We estimate software costs by scaling from the reasonably well-known costs for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. The resulting model has sharp dependency on the complexity of the SKA, suggesting the obvious – that software costs can most easily be limited by constraining the scientific and operational requirements. A bottom-up costing will not be possible until SKA is much more clearly defined. For the moment, we recommend that 20% of the SKA budget be allocated to software development.     

Software Development For The Square Kilometre Array

Software development costs for the Square Kilometre Array are likely to be very large – in the range of 1000–2000 person-year a total. This level of software effort is unprecedented in radio astronomy. Consequently the risk associated with software development is very large. This is common to many large science projects and so we can learn from such projects how to best mitigate against the risk. We present a shopping list of suggestions drawn from the experience in other projects.     

The Australian Ska New Technology Demonstrator Program

I present a brief overview of the SKA projects conducted under the Australian Major National Research Facilities program, and describe the largest of these projects – the SKA New Technology Demonstrator. The goal of this project is to construct an SKA technology demonstrator which will explore and evaluate a number of SKA technologies in a remote radio-quiet environment, while also achieving a restricted set of key science goals. Infrastructure and access to back-end facilities will also be provided for other international SKA groups who wish to evaluate or demonstrate technologies, or conduct science experiments, in a remote, radio-quiet, environment.     

Dish Verification Antenna China for the SKA:design,verification and status

The Square Kilometre Array(SKA) will be the world’s largest synthesis radio telescope, which is designed to answer major scientific questions such as those relating to the cosmic origin and fundamental forces in the universe. With the SKA entering into the phase of pre-construction, more than 100 institutes in about 20 countries including China have been involved in the associated key technology development.The Dish Verification Antenna China(DVA-C) is a concept prototype which has been built to meet the requirements of the SKA’s scientific goals. It utilizes a unique skin-and-rib structure with single-piece panel reflectors. This paper presents details on the design and measured performances of DVA-C, as well as the preliminary observational results. Current applications of the DVA-C are also introduced.     

Low Frequency End Performance of a Symmetrical Configuration Antenna for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)

The frequency specifications of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) call for an optimum operation of the antenna elements from 25 down to 100 MHz. The current 12 m diameter US-SKA design is specified from 500 up to 25 GHz, with an upper goal of 35 GHz. At the low frequency end of the band (i.e., 100 MHz), a 12 m reflector antenna is about four wavelengths in diameter. Then, the question is: how well can you do, at this low frequency end of the specified band of operation for the SKA, with a symmetric reflector configuration using an ultra-wide-band prime focus feed? This paper presents the analysis of the antenna performance, in terms of A _eff/T _A, of three symmetric configurations of the 12 m US-SKA antenna design between 100 and 200 MHz.     

Ska Correlator Advances

When the SKA was proposed, a major technical obstacle to its feasibility was the cost of the correlator. Significant advances made in correlator design since then are described. These advances have made SKA correlator possible within reasonable cost constrains. At the same time performance issues with the proposed FX architecture have been addressed.     

RFI Test Observations at a Candidate Ska Site in China

Radio frequency interference (RFI) test observations were carried out at one of the candidate Square Kilometre Array (SKA) sites in Guizhou province, following the “RFI Measurement Protocol for Candidate SKA Sites” (hereafter RFI protocol). All data (raw and calibrated) are preserved in some suitable format, such as that set by the international RFI working group of the Site Evaluation and Selection Committee (SESC). An RFI test in December 2003 was performed according to Mode 1 of the RFI Protocol, in order to identify technical difficulties which might arise during a co-ordinated RFI measurement campaign over a period of 1 year. In this paper we describe the current equipment, observational technique and data presentation. The preliminary results demonstrate that the RFI situation at Dawodang depression in Guizhou province makes it quite a promising location for the proposed SKA. Furthermore, the first session of the RFI monitoring program, which was made in May 2004, showed that a complete RFI measurement including both modes 1 and 2 of the RFI Protocol would take about 2 weeks. The possible ways to minimize some limitations of the current equipment are also discussed, which will enable us to meet the RFI protocol.     

RF Design of a Wideband CMOS Integrated Receiver for Phased Array Applications

New silicon CMOS processes developed primarily for the burgeoning wireless networking market offer significant promise as a vehicle for the implementation of highly integrated receivers, especially at the lower end of the frequency range proposed for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). An RF-CMOS ‘Receiver-on-a-Chip’ is being developed as part of an Australia Telescope program looking at technologies associated with the SKA. The receiver covers the frequency range 500–1700 MHz, with instantaneous IF bandwidth of 500 MHz and, on simulation, yields an input noise temperature of < 50 K at mid-band. The receiver will contain all active circuitry (LNA, bandpass filter, quadrature mixer, anti-aliasing filter, digitiser and serialiser) on one 0.18 μm RF-CMOS integrated circuit. This paper outlines receiver front-end development work undertaken to date, including design and simulation of an LNA using noise cancelling techniques to achieve a wideband input-power-match with little noise penalty.     

Alma and E-merlin Data Transmission Systems: Lessons for Ska

ALMA, EVLA and e-MERLIN use high data rate optical fibre links based on commercially available 10 Gbps opto-electronics. This paper describes the systems designed by NRAO and JBO staff to be used in ALMA and e-MERLIN. ALMA has a requirement for a 120 Gbps data rate per telescope, requiring the use of 12 lasers in the 1550 nm telecommunication band, with maximum link lengths around 20 km. e-MERLIN has a lower bandwidth and requires 30 Gbps links per telescope and therefore three lasers per telescope; however, the link lengths reach up to around 400 km, and amplification, de-dispersion and regeneration are required. Dense wavelength division multiplexing is used to avoid fibre management problems and save fibre costs. The design criteria and experience gained in these projects is very relevant to SKA as the proposed configuration of the antenna elements maps well to the link lengths used here. The chosen data rate will be a major cost driver.     

快速射电暴观测数据干扰缓解方法研究

从海量的天文观测数据中快速搜寻罕见的快速射电暴(Fast Radio Burst, FRB)事件, 干扰缓解是其中一项关键而具有挑战的工作. 射频干扰(Radio Frequency Interference, RFI)会淹没真实的天文事件, 还会导致搜寻管线输出大量的假阳性候选体. 由于干扰来源及其种类的复杂性, 目前并没有一种通用的方法可以解决这个问题. 为了降低干扰对FRB观测搜寻的影响, 分析和研究了南山26m射电望远镜L波段观测数据中的干扰情况, 针对主要的窄带干扰和宽带干扰建立了3层次的干扰缓解处理流程, 从而有效缓解了观测数据的干扰污染情况. 将该流程嵌入到FRB色散动态谱搜寻(Dispersed Dynamic Spectra Search, DDSS)管线中, 实验结果表明, 搜寻管线的检测率和检测精度得到了进一步的提高. 该方法为FRB观测数据干扰缓解处理提供了有价值的参考.     

Array Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy forms an interesting application area for array signal processing techniques. Current synthesis imaging telescopes consist of a small number of identical dishes, which track a fixed patch in the sky and produce estimates of the time-varying spatial covariance matrix. The observations sometimes are distorted by interference, e.g., from radio, TV, radar or satellite transmissions. We describe some of the tools that array signal processing offers to filter out the interference, based on eigenvalue decompositions and factor analysis, which is a more general technique applicable to partially calibrated arrays. We consider detection of interference, spatial filtering techniques using projections, and discuss how a reference antenna pointed at the interferer can improve the performance. We also consider image formation and its relation to beamforming.     

The development of radio astronomy

Following the detection of extraterrestrial radio waves in 1932 by Karl Jansky, radio astronomy developed quickly after World War II. It established itself soon as a new branch of astronomy with today's outstanding record in the detection of new phenomena in space. These have been honoured by a number of Nobel prizes. Radio astronomy largely depends on technical developments in receiver technology, antenna systems, electronics and computing power. Ever shorter wavelengths down to the submm‐wavelength range became accessible, resulting in new exciting discoveries. However, now and in future care must be taken, in particular for the lower frequency range, of harmful man‐made interferences, which might mask the weak signals from space. New international facilities with orders‐of‐magnitude higher sensitivity like ALMA and SKA are planned or under construction. Space‐borne observatories like PLANCK will detect weak fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background, which will constrain cosmological models with an unprecedented accuracy.     

基于小波变换的射频干扰消除方法的研究

在射电天文观测中,射频干扰(Radio Frequency Interference, RFI)会以多种形式混入望远镜接收系统,给观测带来误判或者降低观测信噪比.近年来国内国际射电天文快速发展,国内国际大型射电望远镜和阵列先后建设,观测灵敏度大为提高,射频干扰的影响尤为突出.随着科技发展和人类活动的加剧,射频干扰日益严重且不可逆转.提出利用2维离散小波变换的方法分析射电天文观测的数据,对望远镜系统输出的时间频率序列进行小波变换,根据小波系数分离出原始信号中各分量,每个分量统计得到相应的阈值,将各分量与阈值相比较识别干扰成分并标记去除.利用该方法对实际观测数据进行了处理,结果表明该方法能够很好地标记并消减干扰信号,且提高了观测的信噪比.     

用50m射电望远镜作脉冲星观测与研究

国家天文台正在研制的50m射电望远镜将投入脉冲星观测与研究，推动我国的脉冲星工作。本文回顾了自第1颗脉冲星发现后35年来脉冲星观测取得的成果，和理论研究获得的重大进展，并讨论我国脉冲星工作可能开展的观测与研究。当今世界脉冲星观测与研究虽然还有许多遗留问题，但是作为中子星基本观测事实已被确认。脉冲星的应用也已经走上了历史舞台。如果利用50m射电望远镜对脉冲星的特殊活动现象进行观测与研究，可能获得突破性的进展。     

Hemispheric Imaging of Galactic Neutral Hydrogen with a Phased Array Antenna System

The thousand element array (THEA) system is a phased array system consisting of 1 m² tiles having 64 Vivaldi elements each, arranged on a regular 8-by-8 grid, which has been developed as a demonstrator of technology and applicability for SKA. In this paper we present imaging results of Galactic neutral hydrogen with THEA. Measurements have been taken using a dense 2-by-2 array of four tiles as a four tile adder. The results are compared with results from the Leiden-Dwingeloo Survey, showing qualitative agreement, but also indicating that further studies are needed on the instrumental characteristics.     

星载氢钟VLBI观测实验及分析

中国计划于2025年左右建立月球轨道VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometer)测站,将会搭载被动型星载氢钟作为时间频率标准.由于是首次在VLBI观测中使用星载氢钟,需要研究和验证其可行性.因此,利用星载氢钟作为频率基准开展了VLBI观测.实验时,分别使用主动型地面氢钟和被动型星载氢钟作为频率基准,利用上海天文台佘山25 m射电望远镜和其他测站对我国火星探测器天问一号进行了交替VLBI观测.数据处理分析结果表明,基于地面氢钟与星载氢钟的VLBI残余群时延标准差均在0.5 ns以内,表明星载氢钟可满足深空探测VLBI测定轨的精度要求,验证了其作为月球VLBI测站频率基准的可行性.     

An RFI investigation for setting up a VLBI station below 2.8 GHz in Malaysia

In this paper, we investigated the radio frequency interference (RFI) that future Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) observations in Malaysia may encounter. Four frequency windows below 2.8 GHz were chosen for this study and their spectra were measured at four sites. The frequency windows are 322-328 MHz, 608-614 MHz, 1660-1660.5 MHz and 1660.5-1668.4 MHz. The measured averaged RFI floor noise levels in these windows are −99.992 (±0.570) dBm, −99.907 (±0.639) dBm, −100.220 (±0.4941) dBm and −100.359 (±0.110) dBm, respectively. We found that only two bands below 2.8 GHz are permitted for the purpose of radio astronomy in Malaysia. They are 608-614 MHz and 1660-1660.5 MHz. The RFI levels in these permissible bands at the best site (Langkawi) were also measured and concluded to be relatively low. Main sources of RFI in these bands in Malaysia were identified. We also reviewed several current VLBI observations in these two bands.