Radio Array Research Articles

GRANDlib: A simulation pipeline for the Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND)

The operation of upcoming ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray, gamma-ray, and neutrino radio-detection experiments, like the Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND), poses significant computational challenges involving the production of numerous simulations of particle showers and their detection, and a high data throughput. GRANDlib is an open-source software tool designed to meet these challenges. Its primary goal is to perform end-to-end simulations of the detector operation, from the interaction of ultra-high-energy particles, through—by interfacing with external air-shower simulations—the ensuing particle shower development and its radio emission, to its detection by antenna arrays and its processing by data-acquisition systems. Additionally, GRANDlib manages the visualization, storage, and retrieval of experimental and simulated data. We present an overview of GRANDlib to serve as the basis of future GRAND analyses.

Parkes Radio and NuSTAR X-Ray Observations of the Composite Supernova Remnant B0453–685 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Gamma-ray emission is observed coincident in position to the evolved, composite supernova remnant (SNR) B0453–685. Prior multiwavelength investigations of the region indicate that the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) within the SNR is the most likely origin for the observed gamma rays, with a possible pulsar contribution that becomes significant at energies below E ∼ 5 GeV. Constraints on the PWN hard X-ray spectrum are important for the most accurate broadband representation of PWN emission and determining the presence of a gamma-ray pulsar component. The results of Parkes radio and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) X-ray observations are presented on PWN B0453–685. We perform a search for the central pulsar in the new Parkes radio data, finding an upper limit of 12 μJy. A pulsation search in the new NuSTAR observations additionally provides a 3σ upper limit on the hard X-ray pulsed fraction of 56%. The PWN is best characterized with a photon index ΓX = 1.91 ± 0.20 in the 3–78 keV NuSTAR data, and the results are incorporated into existing broadband models. Last, we characterize a serendipitous source detected by Chandra and NuSTAR that is considered a new high-mass X-ray binary candidate.

Mitigating calibration errors from mutual coupling with time-domain filtering of 21 cm cosmological radio observations

Abstract The 21 cm transition from neutral Hydrogen promises to be the best observational probe of the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR). This has led to the construction of low-frequency radio interferometric arrays, such as the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), aimed at systematically mapping this emission for the first time. Precision calibration, however, is a requirement in 21 cm radio observations. Due to the spatial compactness of HERA, the array is prone to the effects of mutual coupling, which inevitably lead to non-smooth calibration errors that contaminate the data. When unsmooth gains are used in calibration, intrinsically spectrally-smooth foreground emission begins to contaminate the data in a way that can prohibit a clean detection of the cosmological EoR signal. In this paper, we show that the effects of mutual coupling on calibration quality can be reduced by applying custom time-domain filters to the data prior to calibration. We find that more robust calibration solutions are derived when filtering in this way, which reduces the observed foreground power leakage. Specifically, we find a reduction of foreground power leakage by 2 orders of magnitude at k∥ ≈ 0.5 h Mpc−1.

Design of the tertiary optical system for the Large Latin American Millimeter Array radio telescope

Design of the tertiary optical system for the Large Latin American Millimeter Array radio telescope

Reionization Parameter Inference from 3D Minkowski Functionals of the 21 cm Signals

The Minkowski functionals (MFs), a set of topological summary statistics, have emerged as a powerful tool for extracting non-Gaussian information. We investigate the prospect of constraining the reionization parameters using the MFs of the 21 cm brightness temperature field from the epoch of reionization (EOR). Realistic effects, including thermal noise, synthesized beam, and foreground avoidance, are applied to the mock observations from radio interferometric array experiments such as the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). We demonstrate that the MFs of the 21 cm signal measured with SKA-Low can be used to distinguish different reionization models, whereas the MF measurement with a HERA-like array cannot be made accurately enough. We further forecast the accuracies with which the MF measurements can place constraints on reionization parameters, using the standard Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis for parameter inference based on forward modeling. We find that for SKA-Low observation, MFs provide unbiased estimations of the reionization parameters with accuracies comparable to the power spectrum (PS) analysis. Furthermore, joint constraints using both MFs and PS can improve the constraint accuracies by up to 30% compared to those with the PS alone. Nevertheless, the constraint accuracies can be degraded if the EOR window is shrunk with strong foreground avoidance. Our analysis demonstrates the promise of MFs as a set of summary statistics that extract complementary information from the 21 cm EOR field to the two-point statistics, which suggests a strong motivation for incorporating the MFs into the data analysis of future 21 cm observations.

Digital Beamforming Demonstration of a Microstrip Antenna Phased Array Feeds (PAF) at 1.25 GHz

We introduce the structure of a radio astronomy phased array feeds (PAF) beamforming demonstrator. In a laboratory environment, we have demonstrated beamforming on a received 1.25 GHz sinusoidal signal and used digital weighting techniques to plot the 2D pattern of the PAF. The radio frequency part of the demonstrator includes a 4 × 4 linearly polarized microstrip antenna array, all of which is connected in series with a low-noise amplifier. The signals from the central 4 × 2 array elements are injected into a radio frequency system-on-chip digital board, which can receive eight inputs with a bandwidth of 512 MHz. Combining the principle of undersampling, the beamforming is completed at a frequency of 1.25 GHz for the offline data, and a 2D image of the beam is plotted using beam scanning technology.

Results of the follow-up of ANTARES neutrino alerts

High-energy neutrinos could be produced in the interaction of charged cosmic rays with matter or radiation surrounding astrophysical sources. To look for transient sources associated with neutrino emission, a follow-up program of neutrino alerts has been operating within the ANTARES collaboration since 2009. This program, named TAToO, has triggered robotic optical telescopes (MASTER, TAROT, ROTSE and the SVOM ground based telescopes) immediately after the detection of any relevant neutrino candidate and scheduled several observations in the weeks following the detection. A subset of ANTARES events with highest probabilities of being of cosmic origin has also been followed by the Swift and the INTEGRAL satellites, the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope and the H.E.S.S. high-energy gamma-ray telescope. The results of twelve years of observations are reported. In September 2015, ANTARES issued a neutrino alert and during the follow-up, a potential transient counterpart was identified by Swift and MASTER. A multi-wavelength follow-up campaign has allowed to identify the nature of this source and has proven its fortuitous association with the neutrino. No other optical and X-ray counterpart has been significantly associated with an ANTARES candidate neutrino signal. Constraints on transient neutrino emission have been set. The return of experience is particularly important for the design of the alert system of KM3NeT, the next generation neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea.

Radio U-Net: a convolutional neural network to detect diffuse radio sources in galaxy clusters and beyond

ABSTRACT The forthcoming generation of radio telescope arrays promises significant advancements in sensitivity and resolution, enabling the identification and characterization of many new faint and diffuse radio sources. Conventional manual cataloguing methodologies are anticipated to be insufficient to exploit the capabilities of new radio surveys. Radio interferometric images of diffuse sources present a challenge for image segmentation tasks due to noise, artifacts, and embedded radio sources. In response to these challenges, we introduce Radio U-Net, a fully convolutional neural network based on the U-Net architecture. Radio U-Net is designed to detect faint and extended sources in radio surveys, such as radio haloes, relics, and cosmic web filaments. Radio U-Net was trained on synthetic radio observations built upon cosmological simulations and then tested on a sample of galaxy clusters, where the detection of cluster diffuse radio sources relied on customized data reduction and visual inspection of Low-Frequency Array Two metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) data. The 83 per cent of clusters exhibiting diffuse radio emission were accurately identified, and the segmentation successfully recovered the morphology of the sources even in low-quality images. In a test sample comprising 246 galaxy clusters, we achieved a 73 per cent accuracy rate in distinguishing between clusters with and without diffuse radio emission. Our results establish the applicability of Radio U-Net to extensive radio survey data sets, probing its efficiency on cutting-edge high-performance computing systems. This approach represents an advancement in optimizing the exploitation of forthcoming large radio surveys for scientific exploration.

The FRB-searching Pipeline of the Tianlai Cylinder Pathfinder Array

This paper presents the design, calibration, and survey strategy of the Fast Radio Burst (FRB) digital backend and its real-time data processing pipeline employed in the Tianlai Cylinder Pathfinder Array. The array, consisting of three parallel cylindrical reflectors and equipped with 96 dual-polarization feeds, is a radio interferometer array designed for conducting drift scans of the northern celestial semi-sphere. The FRB digital backend enables the formation of 96 digital beams, effectively covering an area of approximately 40 square degrees with the 3 dB beam. Our pipeline demonstrates the capability to conduct an automatic search of FRBs, detecting at quasi-real-time and classifying FRB candidates automatically. The current FRB searching pipeline has an overall recall rate of 88%. During the commissioning phase, we successfully detected signals emitted by four well-known pulsars: PSR B0329+54, B2021+51, B0823+26, and B2020+28. We report the first discovery of an FRB by our array, designated as FRB 20220414A. We also investigate the optimal arrangement for the digitally formed beams to achieve maximum detection rate by numerical simulation.

Design and implementation of a scalable correlator based on ROACH2 + GPU cluster for tianlai 96-dual-polarization antenna array

The digital correlator is one of the most crucial data processing components of a radio telescope array. With the scale of radio interferometeric array growing, many efforts have been devoted to developing a cost-effective and scalable correlator in the field of radio astronomy. In this paper, a 192-input digital correlator with six CASPER ROACH2 boards and seven GPU servers has been deployed as the digital signal processing system for Tianlai cylinder pathfinder located in Hongliuxia observatory. The correlator consists of 192 input signals (96 dual-polarization), 125-MHz bandwidth, and full-Stokes output. The correlator inherits the advantages of the CASPER system, for example, low cost, high performance, modular scalability, and a heterogeneous computing architecture. With a rapidly deployable ROACH2 digital sampling system, a commercially expandable 10 Gigabit switching network system, and a flexible upgradable GPU computing system, the correlator forms a low-cost and easily-upgradable system, poised to support scalable large-scale interferometeric array in the future.

A Real-Time Adaptive Station Beamforming Strategy for Next Generation Phased Array Radio Telescopes.

The next generation phased array radio telescopes, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) low frequency aperture array, suffer from RF interference (RFI) because of the large field of view of antenna element. The classical station beamformer used in SKA-low is resource efficient but cannot deal with the unknown sidelobe RFI. A real-time adaptive beamforming strategy is proposed for SKA-low station, which trades the capability of adaptive RFI nulling at an acceptably cost, it doesn't require hardware redesign but only modifies the firmware accordingly. The proposed strategy uses a Parallel Least Mean Square (PLMS) algorithm, which has a computational complexity of 4N+2 and can be performed in parallel. Beam pattern and output SINR simulation results show deeply nulling performance to sidelobe RFI, as well as good mainlobe response similar to the classical beamformer. The convergence performance depends on the signal-and-interference environments and step size, wherein too large a step size leads to a non-optimal output SINR and too small a step size leads to slow convergence speed. FPGA implementation demonstrations are implemented and tested on a NI FPGA module, and test results demonstrate good real-time performance and low slice resource consumption.

Experimental investigation of PDI bifurcation of lower hybrid waves during electron density ramp-up in EAST

The effect of parametric decay instability (PDI) on the current drive efficiency of 4.6 GHz lower hybrid (LH) waves in EAST is investigated experimentally, showing the PDI channel bifurcation of LH waves for the first time in EAST. First, experiments with three platforms of LH power were performed, achieving the LH power required for the PDI occurrence. Second, PDI bifurcation experiments were further carried out by ramping up the plasma electron density. The loop voltage increases with an increase in density, implying a decrease in the current driven by the LH wave. PDI bifurcation during electron density ramp-up was studied by analyzing the parallel refractive index ( n∥ ) and the frequency spectrum broadening, which is measured with a radio frequency magnetic probe array recently installed close to the LH antenna. It is observed for the first time that they both first increase with density, then there is not much variation and a clear sideband in the frequency spectrum is also observed when the density is up to 4×1019 m−3 , suggesting a change in the PDI channel. Calculation of the mode growth rate driven by PDI shows that when the edge electron density is up to 1.9×1018 m−3 , the growth rate of the ion cyclotron quasi-mode (ICQM) will exceed that of the ion sound quasi-mode (ISQM), quantitively explaining that with an increase in density, the PDI channel partly transits from the ISQM to the ICQM channel. Studies provide a possible way to reduce the power deposition in the edge region and improve drive capability by means of mitigating PDI behavior.

Disentangling the anisotropic radio sky: Fisher forecasts for 21 cm arrays

ABSTRACT The existence of a radio synchrotron background (RSB) excess is implied by a number of measurements, including excess emission seen by the Absolute Radiometer for Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Diffuse Emission (ARCADE 2) and Long Wavelength Array (LWA) experiments. Highly sensitive wideband radio arrays, of the kind used to measure the cosmic 21 cm signal, provide a promising way to further constrain the RSB excess through its anisotropy, providing additional insight into its origin. We present a framework for evaluating the potential of 21 cm arrays to disentangle different components of the diffuse radio sky based on the combination of their frequency spectrum and angular power spectrum. The formalism is designed to calculate uncertainties due to the intrinsic cosmic variance alone or together with instrumental noise. In particular, we predict the potential for measuring the anisotropy of a broad generalized class of excess radio background models using the low-frequency Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) as an example. We find that a HERA-like array can distinguish an RSB excess from other sky components based on its angular clustering and spectral dependence, even if these are quite similar to one or more of the other components – but only in the case that the RSB excess is relatively bright.

FarView: An in-situ manufactured lunar far side radio array concept for 21-cm Dark Ages cosmology

FarView is an early-stage concept for a large, low-frequency radio observatory, manufactured in-situ on the lunar far side using metals extracted from the lunar regolith. It consists of 100,000 dipole antennas in compact subarrays distributed over a large area but with empty space between subarrays in a core-halo structure. FarView covers a total area of ∼200 km2, has a dense core within the inner ∼36 km2, and a ∼power-law falloff of antenna density out to ∼14 km from the center. With this design, it is relatively easy to identify multiple viable build sites on the lunar far side. The science case for FarView emphasizes the unique capabilities to probe the unexplored Cosmic Dark Ages – identified by the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey as the discovery area for cosmology. FarView will deliver power spectra and tomographic maps tracing the evolution of the Universe from before the birth of the first stars to the beginning of Cosmic Dawn, and potentially provide unique insights into dark matter, early dark energy, neutrino masses, and the physics of inflation. What makes FarView feasible and affordable in the timeframe of the 2030s is that it is manufactured in-situ, utilizing space industrial technologies. This in-situ manufacturing architecture utilizes Earth-built equipment that is transported to the lunar surface to extract metals from the regolith and will use those metals to manufacture most of the array components: dipole antennas, power lines, and silicon solar cell power systems. This approach also enables a long functional lifetime, by permitting servicing and repair of the observatory. The full 100,000 dipole FarView observatory will take 4–8 years to build, depending on the realized performance of the manufacturing elements and the lunar delivery scenario.

Modes of the Dark Ages 21 cm field accessible to a lunar radio interferometer.

At redshifts beyond [Formula: see text], the 21 cm line from neutral hydrogen is expected to be essentially the only viable probe of the three-dimensional matter distribution. The lunar far-side is an extremely appealing site for future radio arrays that target this signal, as it is protected from terrestrial radio frequency interference, and has no ionosphere to attenuate and absorb radio emission at low frequencies (tens of MHz and below). We forecast the sensitivity of low-frequency lunar radio arrays to the bispectrum of the 21 cm brightness temperature field, which can in turn be used to probe primordial non-Gaussianity generated by particular early universe models. We account for the loss of particular regions of Fourier space due to instrumental limitations and systematic effects, and predict the sensitivity of different representative array designs to local-type non-Gaussianity in the bispectrum, parametrized by [Formula: see text]. Under the most optimistic assumption of sample variance-limited observations, we find that [Formula: see text] could be achieved for several broad redshift bins at [Formula: see text] if foregrounds can be removed effectively. These values degrade to between [Formula: see text] and 0.7 for [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], respectively, when a large foreground wedge region is excluded. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Astronomy from the Moon: the next decades (part 2)'.

An updated catalog of IPS radio sources observed by MEXART at 140 MHz for space weather studies

The Mexican Array Radio Telescope (MEXART) is an instrument dedicated to performing interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations at 140 MHz. After the MEXART backend’s digitization, the array’s technical capabilities have improved substantially, and we observe new IPS sources. By analyzing observations recorded from June 2020 to June 2022, we present an updated catalog of radio sources observed with an IPS signature by MEXART. First, we implemented an algorithm to treat the noise presented by some channels in the frequency. Next, we obtained the spectra of the observations to get the frequency of the Fresnel’s knee and determine whether each radio source exhibited IPS. We then estimated the source’s flux at 140 MHz by interpolating flux density data to different frequencies using the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Finally, we present a list of 38 radio sources showing IPS signatures. The source list presents declination, right ascension, and flux at 140 MHz. This updated catalog will allow studies of solar wind properties in the inner heliosphere using MEXART data.

Dark ages, a window on the dark sector. Hunting for ultra-light axions

Measurements of 21 cm intensity mapping (IM) during the dark ages can potentially provide us with an unprecedented window on high redshifts and small scales. One of the main advantages this can bring involves the possibility to probe the nature of dark matter. Tests of dark matter models with the large-scale structure of the Universe are limited by non-linearities and astrophysical effects, which are not present for IM measurements during the dark ages. In this paper we focus on constraining the model in which dark matter is comprised, totally or in part, by ultra-light axion-like particles around the 10-18– 10-22 eV mass scale. For this model, the angular power spectrum of 21 cm brightness temperature fluctuations will exhibit a small-scale suppression. However, this effect is intertwined with the imprint of baryon-dark matter relative velocity at recombination, causing at the same time an enhancement at large-scales, which is affected by the mass and abundance of axion dark matter. In this work we forecast how future radio arrays will be able to constrain ultra-light axion mass through both these effects on the angular power spectrum.

Array Radio Imaging Based on Heterodyne Detection with Application of the Continuous-Wave Radar Technique

Array Radio Imaging Based on Heterodyne Detection with Application of the Continuous-Wave Radar Technique

Results for the London investigation into dielectric scanning of lesions study of the MARIA® M6 breast imaging system.

Determine the proportion of breast cancers for which MARIA® findings correspond to the cancer, with stratification by breast density and histological type. Investigate performance in symptomatic lesions. Gain patient feedback on experience with MARIA®. MARIA® uses a radio frequency antennae array to measure signal attenuation and back scatter to build up a 3D map of tissue dielectric values. The study was a prospective, single-centre, interventional, post-approval device study. Patients were eligible if they were attending symptomatic breast clinic or had confirmed or suspected breast cancer from any referral source. Recruitment between May 2018 and March 2020. Regions of higher signal compared to background or distinct by shape were considered candidates for lesion correspondence. Up to 4 candidate regions per breast were annotated in likelihood order for representing a true lesion. 389 patients were recruited, and 6 excluded. 114 patients recruited with breast cancers (2 bilateral, 5 multicentric). 57 (47%) malignant lesions showed correspondence between the MARIA® signal and the cancer. Higher correspondence was seen in invasive (50%) than in situ (29%) disease. There was no reduction in correspondence at higher breast density. Reduced signal correspondence in the central scan volume and for small lesions. MARIA® scanning was well tolerated. We believe that MARIA® signal corresponds to a malignant lesion in 47% of breast cancers examined. Our study, the largest to date for this type of technology, demonstrates successes and limitations of this MARIA® M6 version.

Design and Deployment of the Askaryan Radio Array South Pole Autonomous Renewable Power Stations (AARPS)

Research was initiated in 2009 to determine the feasibility of constructing 300W autonomous renewable energy power stations at the South Pole. In January 2011, a test power station was constructed at the South Pole using three small scale wind turbines that included a system health monitor, meteorology and power instruments and remote communications pipeline. Significant testing and development was performed to prepare the hardware and electronics for the sub -40C environment. During December 2011, additional wind turbines and equipment were deployed at the South Pole to upgrade existing systems and perform additional testing. Results of field testing are presented.