The UTMOST: A Hybrid Digital Signal Processor Transforms the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope. (13th October 2017)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- The UTMOST: A Hybrid Digital Signal Processor Transforms the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope. (13th October 2017)
- Main Title:
- The UTMOST: A Hybrid Digital Signal Processor Transforms the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope
- Authors:
- Bailes, M.
Jameson, A.
Flynn, C.
Bateman, T.
Barr, E. D.
Bhandari, S.
Bunton, J. D.
Caleb, M.
Campbell-Wilson, D.
Farah, W.
Gaensler, B.
Green, A. J.
Hunstead, R. W.
Jankowski, F.
Keane, E. F.
Krishnan, V. Venkatraman
Murphy, Tara
O'Neill, M.
Osłowski, S.
Parthasarathy, A.
Ravi, V.
Rosado, P.
Temby, D. - Abstract:
- Abstract: The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) is an 18000 m 2 radio telescope located 40 km from Canberra, Australia. Its operating band (820–851 MHz) is partly allocated to telecommunications, making radio astronomy challenging. We describe how the deployment of new digital receivers, Field Programmable Gate Array-based filterbanks, and server-class computers equipped with 43 Graphics Processing Units, has transformed the telescope into a versatile new instrument (UTMOST) for studying the radio sky on millisecond timescales. UTMOST has 10 times the bandwidth and double the field of view compared to the MOST, and voltage record and playback capability has facilitated rapid implementaton of many new observing modes, most of which operate commensally. UTMOST can simultaneously excise interference, make maps, coherently dedisperse pulsars, and perform real-time searches of coherent fan-beams for dispersed single pulses. UTMOST operates as a robotic facility, deciding how to efficiently target pulsars and how long to stay on source via real-time pulsar folding, while searching for single pulse events. Regular timing of over 300 pulsars has yielded seven pulsar glitches and three Fast Radio Bursts during commissioning. UTMOST demonstrates that if sufficient signal processing is applied to voltage streams, innovative science remains possible even in hostile radio frequency environments.
- Is Part Of:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Volume 34(2017)
- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
- Issue:
- Volume 34(2017)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 34, Issue 2017 (2017)
- Year:
- 2017
- Volume:
- 34
- Issue:
- 2017
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2017-0034-2017-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2017-10-13
- Subjects:
- instrumentation: interferometers, -- stars: pulsars: general, -- techniques: interferometric
Astronomy -- Periodicals
Southern sky (Astronomy) -- Periodicals
Astrophysics -- Periodicals
Periodicals
520.5 - Journal URLs:
- http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=pas ↗
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?nid=138 ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1017/pasa.2017.39 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1323-3580
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store
- Ingest File:
- 4748.xml