arXiv subjects

A. G. de Bruyn

Publications and source records attributed to A. G. de Bruyn.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Post-correlation filtering techniques for off-axis source and RFI removal

Techniques to improve the data quality of interferometric radio observations are considered. Fundaments of fringe frequencies in the uv-plane are discussed and filters are used to attenuate radio-frequency interference (RFI) and off-axis sources. Several new applications of filters are introduced and tested. A low-pass filter in time and frequency direction on single baseline data is successfully used to lower the noise in the area of interest and to remove sidelobes coming from unmodelled off-axis sources and RFI. Related side effects of data integration, averaging and gridding are analysed, and shown to be able to cause ghosts and an increase in noise, especially when using long baselines or interferometric elements that have a large field of view. A novel projected fringe low-pass filter is shown to be potentially useful for first order source separation. Initial tests show that the filters can be several factors faster compared to common source separation techniques such as peeling and a variant of peeling that is currently being tested on LOFAR observations called "demixed peeling". Further testing is required to support the performance of the filters.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Early radio and X-ray observations of the youngest nearby type Ia supernova PTF11kly (SN 2011fe)

On August 24 (UT) the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) discovered PTF11kly (SN 2011fe), the youngest and most nearby type Ia supernova (SN Ia) in decades. We followed this event up in the radio (centimeter and millimeter bands) and X-ray bands, starting about a day after the estimated explosion time. We present our analysis of the radio and X-ray observations, yielding the tightest constraints yet placed on the pre-explosion mass-loss rate from the progenitor system of this supernova. We find a robust limit of dM/dt<10^-8 (w/100 km/s) [M_solar/yr] from sensitive X-ray non-detections, as well as a similar limit from radio data, which depends, however, on assumptions about microphysical parameters. We discuss our results in the context of single-degenerate models for SNe Ia and find that our observations modestly disfavor symbiotic progenitor models involving a red giant donor, but cannot constrain systems accreting from main-sequence or sub-giant stars, including the popular supersoft channel. In view of the proximity of PTF11kly and the sensitivity of our prompt observations we would have to wait for a long time (decade or longer) in order to more meaningfully probe the circumstellar matter of Ia supernovae.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

MeqTrees and direction-dependent effects

Direction-dependent effects (DDEs) represent a major challenge both for calibration of new radio telescopes, and for advancing the state of the art of existing ones. Various approaches to the problem are currently in development. This paper describes several WSRT observations where a pointing error -- commonly thought to be a major contributor to DDEs at higher frequencies -- was deliberately introduced. These observations were reduced using the MeqTrees package, using two different approaches to correct for DDEs: differential gain solutions, and a direct solution for pointing errors. The results of this are analysed and compared.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Observing pulsars and fast transients with LOFAR

Low frequency radio waves, while challenging to observe, are a rich source of information about pulsars. The LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) is a new radio interferometer operating in the lowest 4 octaves of the ionospheric "radio window": 10-240MHz, that will greatly facilitate observing pulsars at low radio frequencies. Through the huge collecting area, long baselines, and flexible digital hardware, it is expected that LOFAR will revolutionize radio astronomy at the lowest frequencies visible from Earth. LOFAR is a next-generation radio telescope and a pathfinder to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), in that it incorporates advanced multi-beaming techniques between thousands of individual elements. We discuss the motivation for low-frequency pulsar observations in general and the potential of LOFAR in addressing these science goals. We present LOFAR as it is designed to perform high-time-resolution observations of pulsars and other fast transients, and outline the various relevant observing modes and data reduction pipelines that are already or will soon be implemented to facilitate these observations. A number of results obtained from commissioning observations are presented to demonstrate the exciting potential of the telescope. This paper outlines the case for low frequency pulsar observations and is also intended to serve as a reference for upcoming pulsar/fast transient science papers with LOFAR.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Radio Interferometric Calibration Using The SAGE Algorithm

The aim of the new generation of radio synthesis arrays such as LOFAR and SKA is to achieve much higher sensitivity, resolution and frequency coverage than what is available now, especially at low frequencies. To accomplish this goal, the accuracy of the calibration techniques used is of considerable importance. Moreover, since these telescopes produce huge amounts of data, speed of convergence of calibration is a major bottleneck. The errors in calibration are due to system noise (sky and instrumental) as well as the estimation errors introduced by the calibration technique itself, which we call solver noise. We define solver noise as the distance between the optimal solution (the true value of the unknowns, uncorrupted by the system noise) and the solution obtained by calibration. We present the Space Alternating Generalized Expectation Maximization (SAGE) calibration technique, which is a modification of the Expectation Maximization algorithm, and compare its performance with the traditional Least Squares calibration based on the level of solver noise introduced by each technique. For this purpose, we develop statistical methods that use the calibrated solutions to estimate the level of solver noise. The SAGE calibration algorithm yields very promising results both in terms of accuracy and speed of convergence. The comparison approaches we adopt introduce a new framework for assessing the performance of different calibration schemes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

Deep multi-frequency rotation measure tomography of the galaxy cluster A2255

We aim to unveil their 3-dimensional geometry of Abell 2255 through WSRT observations at 18, 21, 25, 85, and 200 cm. The polarization images of the cluster were processed through rotation measure (RM) synthesis, producing three final RM cubes. The radio galaxies and the filaments at the edges of the halo are detected in the high-frequency RM cube, obtained by combining the data at 18, 21, and 25 cm. Their Faraday spectra show different levels of complexity. The radio galaxies lying near by the cluster center have Faraday spectra with multiple peaks, while those at large distances show only one peak, as do the filaments. Similar RM distributions are observed for the external radio galaxies and for the filaments, with much lower average RM values and RM variance than those found in previous works for the central radio galaxies. The 85 cm RM cube is dominated by the Galactic foreground emission, but it also shows features associated with the cluster. At 2 m, no polarized emission from A2255 nor our Galaxy is detected. The radial trend observed in the RM distributions of the radio galaxies and in the complexity of their Faraday spectra favors the interpretation that the external Faraday screen for all the sources in A2255 is the ICM. Its differential contribution depends on the amount of medium that the radio signal crosses along the line of sight. The filaments should therefore be located at the periphery of the cluster, and their apparent central location comes from projection effects. Their high fractional polarization and morphology suggest that they are relics rather than part of a genuine radio halo. Their inferred large distance from the cluster center and their geometry could argue for an association with large-scale structure (LSS) shocks.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Foregrounds for observations of the cosmological 21 cm line: II. Westerbork observations of the fields around 3C196 and the North Celestial Pole

In the coming years a new insight into galaxy formation and the thermal history of the Universe is expected to come from the detection of the highly redshifted cosmological 21 cm line. The cosmological 21 cm line signal is buried under Galactic and extragalactic foregrounds which are likely to be a few orders of magnitude brighter. Strategies and techniques for effective subtraction of these foreground sources require a detailed knowledge of their structure in both intensity and polarization on the relevant angular scales of 1-30 arcmin. We present results from observations conducted with the Westerbork telescope in the 140-160 MHz range with 2 arcmin resolution in two fields located at intermediate Galactic latitude, centred around the bright quasar 3C196 and the North Celestial Pole. They were observed with the purpose of characterizing the foreground properties in sky areas where actual observations of the cosmological 21 cm line could be carried out. The polarization data were analysed through the rotation measure synthesis technique. We have computed total intensity and polarization angular power spectra. Total intensity maps were carefully calibrated, reaching a high dynamic range, 150000:1 in the case of the 3C196 field. [abridged]

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

A LOFAR RFI detection pipeline and its first results

Radio astronomy is entering a new era with new and future radio observatories such as the Low Frequency Array and the Square Kilometer Array. We describe in detail an automated flagging pipeline and evaluate its performance. With only a fraction of the computational cost of correlation and its use of the previously introduced SumThreshold method, it is found to be both fast and unrivalled in its high accuracy. The LOFAR radio environment is analysed with the help of this pipeline. The high time and spectral resolution of LOFAR have resulted in an observatory where only a few percent of the data is lost due to RFI.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

Constraints on the flux of Ultra-High Energy neutrinos from WSRT observations

Ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos and cosmic rays initiate particle cascades underneath the Moon's surface. These cascades have a negative charge excess and radiate Cherenkov radio emission in a process known as the Askaryan effect. The optimal frequency window for observation of these pulses with radio telescopes on the Earth is around 150 MHz. By observing the Moon with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope array we are able to set a new limit on the UHE neutrino flux. The PuMa II backend is used to monitor the Moon in 4 frequency bands between 113 and 175 MHz with a sampling frequency of 40 MHz. The narrowband radio interference is digitally filtered out and the dispersive effect of the Earth's ionosphere is compensated for. A trigger system is implemented to search for short pulses. By inserting simulated pulses in the raw data, the detection efficiency for pulses of various strength is calculated. With 47.6 hours of observation time, we are able to set a limit on the UHE neutrino flux. This new limit is an order of magnitude lower than existing limits. In the near future, the digital radio array LOFAR will be used to achieve an even lower limit.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Power spectrum extraction for redshifted 21-cm epoch of reionization experiments: the LOFAR case

One of the aims of the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Epoch of Reionization (EoR) project is to measure the power spectrum of variations in the intensity of redshifted 21-cm radiation from the EoR. The sensitivity with which this power spectrum can be estimated depends on the level of thermal noise and sample variance, and also on the systematic errors arising from the extraction process, in particular from the subtraction of foreground contamination. We model the extraction process using realistic simulations of the cosmological signal, the foregrounds and noise, and so estimate the sensitivity of the LOFAR EoR experiment to the redshifted 21-cm power spectrum. Detection of emission from the EoR should be possible within 360 hours of observation with a single station beam. Integrating for longer, and synthesizing multiple station beams within the primary (tile) beam, then enables us to extract progressively more accurate estimates of the power at a greater range of scales and redshifts. We discuss different observational strategies which compromise between depth of observation, sky coverage and frequency coverage. A plan in which lower frequencies receive a larger fraction of the time appears to be promising. We also study the nature of the bias which foreground fitting errors induce on the inferred power spectrum, and discuss how to reduce and correct for this bias. The angular and line-of-sight power spectra have different merits in this respect, and we suggest considering them separately in the analysis of LOFAR data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Post-correlation radio frequency interference classification methods

We describe and compare several post-correlation radio frequency interference classification methods. As data sizes of observations grow with new and improved telescopes, the need for completely automated, robust methods for radio frequency interference mitigation is pressing. We investigated several classification methods and find that, for the data sets we used, the most accurate among them is the SumThreshold method. This is a new method formed from a combination of existing techniques, including a new way of thresholding. This iterative method estimates the astronomical signal by carrying out a surface fit in the time-frequency plane. With a theoretical accuracy of 95% recognition and an approximately 0.1% false probability rate in simple simulated cases, the method is in practice as good as the human eye in finding RFI. In addition it is fast, robust, does not need a data model before it can be executed and works in almost all configurations with its default parameters. The method has been compared using simulated data with several other mitigation techniques, including one based upon the singular value decomposition of the time-frequency matrix, and has shown better results than the rest.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Improved flux limits for neutrinos with energies above 10$^{22}$ eV from observations with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

Particle cascades initiated by ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos in the lunar regolith will emit an electromagnetic pulse with a time duration of the order of nano seconds through a process known as the Askaryan effect. It has been shown that in an observing window around 150 MHz there is a maximum chance for detecting this radiation with radio telescopes commonly used in astronomy. In 50 hours of observation time with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope array we have set a new limit on the flux of neutrinos, summed over all flavors, with energies in excess of $4\times10^{22}$ eV.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Radio spectral study of the cluster of galaxies Abell 2255

Spectral index studies of halos, relics, and radio galaxies provide useful information on their origin and connection with merger processes. We present WSRT multi-wavelength observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 2255 at 25 cm, 85 cm, and 2 m. The spectral index images allowed us to study the integrated spectrum of halo and relic and to investigate the physical properties of the Beaver head-tail radio galaxy belonging to the cluster. In the radio halo, the spectral index is steeper at the center and flatter at the locations of the radio filaments, clearly detected at 25 cm. In the relics, the spectral index flattens, moving away from the cluster center. For the Beaver radio galaxy, the spectrum severely steepens from the head towards the end of the tail, because of the energy losses suffered by the relativistic particles. In the 2 m map, which is the first high-sensitivity image presented in the literature at such a long wavelength, a new Mpc-size emission region is detected between the known radio halo and the NW relic. Not detecting this feature in the more sensitive 85 cm observations implies that it must have a very steep spectrum (alpha <= -2.6). The observational properties of the radio halo suggest that either we are looking at a superposition of different structures (filaments in the foreground plus real halo in the background) seen in projection across the cluster center or that the halo is intrinsically peculiar. The newly detected extended region to the NW of the halo could be considered as an asymmetric extension of the halo itself. However, since radio halos are known in the literature as structures showing a regular morphology, the new feature could represent the first example of steep Mpc-size diffuse structures (MDS), detected around clusters at very low frequencies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Foregrounds for observations of the cosmological 21 cm line: I. First Westerbork measurements of Galactic emission at 150 MHz in a low latitude field

We present the first results from a series of observations conducted with the Westerbork telescope in the 140--160 MHz range with a 2 arcmin resolution aimed at characterizing the properties of the foregrounds for epoch of reionization experiments. For the first time we have detected fluctuations in the Galactic diffuse emission on scales greater than 13 arcmin at 150 MHz, in the low Galactic latitude area known as Fan region. Those fluctuations have an $rms$ of 14 K. The total intensity power spectrum shows a power--law behaviour down to $\ell \sim 900$ with slope $β^I_\ell = -2.2 \pm 0.3$. The detection of diffuse emission at smaller angular scales is limited by residual point sources. We measured an $rms$ confusion noise of $\sim$3 mJy beam$^{-1}$. Diffuse polarized emission was also detected for the first time at this frequency. The polarized signal shows complex structure both spatially and along the line of sight. The polarization power spectrum shows a power--law behaviour down to $\ell \sim 2700$ with slope $β^P_\ell = -1.65 \pm 0.15$. The $rms$ of polarization fluctuations is 7.2 K on 4 arcmin scales. By extrapolating the measured spectrum of total intensity emission, we find a contamination on the cosmological signal of $δT= \sqrt{\ell (\ell+1) C^I_\ell / 2π} \sim 5.7$ K on 5 arcmin scales and a corresponding $rms$ value of $\sim$18.3 K at the same angular scale. The level of the polarization power spectrum is $δT \sim 3.3$ K on 5 arcmin scales. Given its exceptionally bright polarized signal, the Fan region is likely to represent an upper limit on the sky brightness at moderate and high Galactic latitude.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Non-parametric foreground subtraction for 21cm epoch of reionization experiments

An obstacle to the detection of redshifted 21cm emission from the epoch of reionization (EoR) is the presence of foregrounds which exceed the cosmological signal in intensity by orders of magnitude. We argue that in principle it would be better to fit the foregrounds non-parametrically - allowing the data to determine their shape - rather than selecting some functional form in advance and then fitting its parameters. Non-parametric fits often suffer from other problems, however. We discuss these before suggesting a non-parametric method, Wp smoothing, which seems to avoid some of them. After outlining the principles of Wp smoothing we describe an algorithm used to implement it. We then apply Wp smoothing to a synthetic data cube for the LOFAR EoR experiment. The performance of Wp smoothing, measured by the extent to which it is able to recover the variance of the cosmological signal and to which it avoids leakage of power from the foregrounds, is compared to that of a parametric fit, and to another non-parametric method (smoothing splines). We find that Wp smoothing is superior to smoothing splines for our application, and is competitive with parametric methods even though in the latter case we may choose the functional form of the fit with advance knowledge of the simulated foregrounds. Finally, we discuss how the quality of the fit is affected by the frequency resolution and range, by the characteristics of the cosmological signal and by edge effects.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Detection and extraction of signals from the epoch of reionization using higher order one-point statistics

Detecting redshifted 21cm emission from neutral hydrogen in the early Universe promises to give direct constraints on the epoch of reionization (EoR). It will, though, be very challenging to extract the cosmological signal (CS) from foregrounds and noise which are orders of magnitude larger. Fortunately, the signal has some characteristics which differentiate it from the foregrounds and noise, and we suggest that using the correct statistics may tease out signatures of reionization. We generate mock datacubes simulating the output of the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) EoR experiment. These cubes combine realistic models for Galactic and extragalactic foregrounds and the noise with three different simulations of the CS. We fit out the foregrounds, which are smooth in the frequency direction, to produce residual images in each frequency band. We denoise these images and study the skewness of the one-point distribution in the images as a function of frequency. We find that, under sufficiently optimistic assumptions, we can recover the main features of the redshift evolution of the skewness in the 21cm signal. We argue that some of these features - such as a dip at the onset of reionization, followed by a rise towards its later stages - may be generic, and give us a promising route to a statistical detection of reionization.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

WSRT Faraday tomography of the Galactic ISM at λ~ 0.86 m

We investigate the properties of the Galactic ISM by applying Faraday tomography to a radio polarization data set in the direction of the Galactic anti-centre. We address the problem of missing large-scale structure in our data, and show that this does not play an important role for the results we present. The main peak of the Faraday depth spectra in our data set is not measurably resolved for about 8% of the lines of sight. An unresolved peak indicates a separation between the regions with Faraday rotation and synchrotron emission. However, cosmic rays pervade the ISM, and synchrotron emission would therefore also be produced where there is Faraday rotation. We suggest that the orientation of the magnetic field can separate the two effects. By modelling the thermal electron contribution to the Faraday depth, we map the strength of the magnetic field component along the line of sight. Polarized point sources in our data set have rotation measures that are comparable to the Faraday depths of the diffuse emission in our data. Our Faraday depth maps show narrow canals of low polarized intensity. We conclude that depolarization over the telescope beam produces at least some of these canals. Finally, we investigate the properties of one conspicuous region in this data set and argue that it is created by a decrease in line-of-sight depolarization compared to its surroundings.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Status report of the NuMoon experiment

We show that at wavelengths comparable to the length of the shower produced by an Ultra-High Energy cosmic ray or neutrino, radio signals are an extremely efficient way to detect these particles. First results are presented of an analysis of 20 hours of observation data for NuMoon project using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope to search for short radio pulses from the Moon. A limit on the neutrino flux is set that is a factor four better than the current one (based on FORTE).

astro-ph↗