arXiv subjects

Mark Waterson

Publications and source records attributed to Mark Waterson.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

The Engineering Development Array 2: design, performance and lessons from an SKA-Low prototype station

We present the Engineering Development Array 2, which is one of two instruments built as a second generation prototype station for the future Square Kilometre Array Low Frequency Array. The array is comprised of 256 dual-polarization dipole antennas that can work as a phased array or as a standalone interferometer. We describe the design of the array and the details of design changes from previous generation instruments, as well as the motivation for the changes. Using the array as an imaging interferometer, we measure the sensitivity of the array at five frequencies ranging from 70 to 320 MHz.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Characterization of the SKA1-Low prototype station Aperture Array Verification System 2

The low frequency component of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA1-Low) will be an aperture phased array located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) site in Western Australia. It will be composed of 512 stations, each of them consisting of 256 log-periodic dual polarized antennas, and will operate in the low frequency range (50 MHz - 350 MHz) of the SKA bandwidth. The Aperture Array Verification System 2 (AAVS2), operational since late 2019, is the last full-size engineering prototype station deployed at the MRO site before the start of the SKA1-Low construction phase. The aim of this paper is to characterize the station performance through commissioning observations at six different frequencies (55, 70, 110, 160, 230 and 320 MHz) collected during its first year of activities. We describe the calibration procedure, present the resulting all-sky images and their analysis, and discuss the station calibratability and system stability. Using the difference imaging method, we also derive estimates of the SKA1-Low sensitivity for the same frequencies, and compare them to those obtained through electromagnetic simulations across the entire telescope bandwidth, finding good agreement (within $\leq 13%$). Moreover, our estimates exceed the SKA1-Low requirements at all the considered frequencies, by up to a factor of $\sim$2.3. Our results are very promising and allow an initial validation of the AAVS2 prototype station performance, which is an important step towards the upcoming SKA-Low telescope construction and science.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

Wavelet-Based Characterization of Small-Scale Solar Emission Features at Low Radio Frequencies

Low radio frequency solar observations using the Murchison Widefield Array have recently revealed the presence of numerous weak, short-lived and narrow-band emission features, even during moderately quiet solar conditions. These non-thermal features occur at rates of many thousands per hour in the 30.72 MHz observing bandwidth, and hence, necessarily require an automated approach for their detection and characterization. Here, we employ continuous wavelet transform using a mother Ricker wavelet for feature detection from the dynamic spectrum. We establish the efficacy of this approach and present the first statistically robust characterization of the properties of these features. In particular, we examine distributions of their peak flux densities, spectral spans, temporal spans and peak frequencies. We can reliably detect features weaker than 1 SFU, making them, to the best of our knowledge, the weakest bursts reported in literature. The distribution of their peak flux densities follows a power law with an index of -2.23 in the 12-155 SFU range, implying that they can provide an energetically significant contribution to coronal and chromospheric heating. These features typically last for 1-2 seconds and possess bandwidths of about 4-5 MHz. Their occurrence rate remains fairly flat in the 140-210 MHz frequency range. At the time resolution of the data, they appear as stationary bursts, exhibiting no perceptible frequency drift. These features also appear to ride on a broadband background continuum, hinting at the likelihood of them being weak type-I bursts.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

The impact of the ionosphere on ground-based detection of the global Epoch of Reionisation signal

The redshifted 21cm line of neutral hydrogen (Hi), potentially observable at low radio frequencies (~50-200 MHz), is a promising probe of the physical conditions of the inter-galactic medium during Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR). The sky-averaged Hi signal is expected to be extremely weak (~100 mK) in comparison to the Galactic foreground emission (~$10^4$ K). Moreover, the sky-averaged spectra measured by ground-based instruments are affected by chromatic propagation effects (of the order of tens of Kelvins) originating in the ionosphere. We analyze data collected with the upgraded BIGHORNS system deployed at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory to assess the significance of ionospheric effects (absorption, emission and refraction) on the detection of the global EoR signal. We measure some properties of the ionosphere, such as the electron temperature ($T_e \approx$470 K at nighttime), magnitude, and variability of optical depth ($\tau_{100 MHz} \approx$0.01 and $\delta \tau \approx$0.005 at nighttime). According to the results of a statistical test applied on a large data sample, very long integrations lead to increased signal to noise even in the presence of ionospheric variability. This is further supported by the structure of the power spectrum of the sky temperature fluctuations, which has flicker noise characteristics at frequencies $\gtrsim 10^{-5}$ Hz, but becomes flat below $\approx 10^{-5}$ Hz. We conclude that the stochastic error introduced by the chromatic ionospheric effects tends to zero in an average. Therefore, the ionospheric effects and fluctuations are not fundamental impediments preventing ground-based instruments from integrating down to the precision required by global EoR experiments.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

A Digital-Receiver for the Murchison Widefield Array

An FPGA-based digital-receiver has been developed for a low-frequency imaging radio interferometer, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). The MWA, located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia, consists of 128 dual-polarized aperture-array elements (tiles) operating between 80 and 300\,MHz, with a total processed bandwidth of 30.72 MHz for each polarization. Radio-frequency signals from the tiles are amplified and band limited using analog signal conditioning units; sampled and channelized by digital-receivers. The signals from eight tiles are processed by a single digital-receiver, thus requiring 16 digital-receivers for the MWA. The main function of the digital-receivers is to digitize the broad-band signals from each tile, channelize them to form the sky-band, and transport it through optical fibers to a centrally located correlator for further processing. The digital-receiver firmware also implements functions to measure the signal power, perform power equalization across the band, detect interference-like events, and invoke diagnostic modes. The digital-receiver is controlled by high-level programs running on a single-board-computer. This paper presents the digital-receiver design, implementation, current status, and plans for future enhancements.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2014

Serendipitous discovery of a dying Giant Radio Galaxy associated with NGC 1534, using the Murchison Widefield Array

Recent observations with the Murchison Widefield Array at 185~MHz have serendipitously unveiled a heretofore unknown giant and relatively nearby ($z = 0.0178$) radio galaxy associated with NGC\,1534. The diffuse emission presented here is the first indication that NGC\,1534 is one of a rare class of objects (along with NGC\,5128 and NGC\,612) in which a galaxy with a prominent dust lane hosts radio emission on scales of $\sim$700\,kpc. We present details of the radio emission along with a detailed comparison with other radio galaxies with disks. NGC1534 is the lowest surface brightness radio galaxy known with an estimated scaled 1.4-GHz surface brightness of just 0.2\,mJy\,arcmin$^{-2}$. The radio lobes have one of the steepest spectral indices yet observed: $\alpha=-2.1\pm0.1$, and the core to lobe luminosity ratio is $<0.1$\%. We estimate the space density of this low brightness (dying) phase of radio galaxy evolution as $7\times10^{-7}$\,Mpc$^{-3}$ and argue that normal AGN cannot spend more than 6\% of their lifetime in this phase if they all go through the same cycle.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

The Murchison Widefield Array Commissioning Survey: A Low-Frequency Catalogue of 14,110 Compact Radio Sources over 6,100 Square Degrees

We present the results of an approximately 6,100 square degree 104--196MHz radio sky survey performed with the Murchison Widefield Array during instrument commissioning between 2012 September and 2012 December: the Murchison Widefield Array Commissioning Survey (MWACS). The data were taken as meridian drift scans with two different 32-antenna sub-arrays that were available during the commissioning period. The survey covers approximately 20.5 h < Right Ascension (RA) < 8.5 h, -58 deg < Declination (Dec) < -14 deg over three frequency bands centred on 119, 150 and 180 MHz, with image resolutions of 6--3 arcmin. The catalogue has 3-arcmin angular resolution and a typical noise level of 40 mJy/beam, with reduced sensitivity near the field boundaries and bright sources. We describe the data reduction strategy, based upon mosaiced snapshots, flux density calibration and source-finding method. We present a catalogue of flux density and spectral index measurements for 14,110 sources, extracted from the mosaic, 1,247 of which are sub-components of complexes of sources.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2014

Study of Redshifted HI from the Epoch of Reionization with Drift scan

The detection of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) in the redshifted 21-cm line is a challenging task. Here we formulate the detection of the EoR signal using the drift scan strategy. This method potentially has better instrumental stability as compared to the case where a single patch of sky is tracked. We demonstrate that the correlation time between measured visibilities could extend up to 1-2 hr for an interferometer array such as the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), which has a wide primary beam. We estimate the EoR power based on cross-correlation of visibilities across time and show that the drift scan strategy is capable of the detection of the EoR signal with comparable/better signal-to-noise as compared to the tracking case. We also estimate the visibility correlation for a set of bright point sources and argue that the statistical inhomogeneity of bright point sources might allow their separation from the EoR signal.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

A study of fundamental limitations to statistical detection of redshifted HI from the epoch of reionization

In this paper we explore for the first time the relative magnitudes of three fundamental sources of uncertainty, namely, foreground contamination, thermal noise and sample variance in detecting the HI power spectrum from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). We derive limits on the sensitivity of a Fourier synthesis telescope to detect EoR based on its array configuration and a statistical representation of images made by the instrument. We use the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) configuration for our studies. Using a unified framework for estimating signal and noise components in the HI power spectrum, we derive an expression for and estimate the contamination from extragalactic point-like sources in three-dimensional k-space. Sensitivity for EoR HI power spectrum detection is estimated for different observing modes with MWA. With 1000 hours of observing on a single field using the 128-tile MWA, EoR detection is feasible (S/N > 1 for $k\lesssim 0.8$ Mpc$^{-1}$). Bandpass shaping and refinements to the EoR window are found to be effective in containing foreground contamination, which makes the instrument tolerant to imaging errors. We find that for a given observing time, observing many independent fields of view does not offer an advantage over a single field observation when thermal noise dominates over other uncertainties in the derived power spectrum.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Science with the Murchison Widefield Array

Significant new opportunities for astrophysics and cosmology have been identified at low radio frequencies. The Murchison Widefield Array is the first telescope in the Southern Hemisphere designed specifically to explore the low-frequency astronomical sky between 80 and 300 MHz with arcminute angular resolution and high survey efficiency. The telescope will enable new advances along four key science themes, including searching for redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionisation in the early Universe; Galactic and extragalactic all-sky southern hemisphere surveys; time-domain astrophysics; and solar, heliospheric, and ionospheric science and space weather. The Murchison Widefield Array is located in Western Australia at the site of the planned Square Kilometre Array (SKA) low-band telescope and is the only low-frequency SKA precursor facility. In this paper, we review the performance properties of the Murchison Widefield Array and describe its primary scientific objectives.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

Fast Holographic Deconvolution: a new technique for precision radio interferometry

We introduce the Fast Holographic Deconvolution method for analyzing interferometric radio data. Our new method is an extension of A-projection/software-holography/forward modeling analysis techniques and shares their precision deconvolution and widefield polarimetry, while being significantly faster than current implementations that use full direction-dependent antenna gains. Using data from the MWA 32 antenna prototype, we demonstrate the effectiveness and precision of our new algorithm. Fast Holographic Deconvolution may be particularly important for upcoming 21 cm cosmology observations of the Epoch of Reionization and Dark Energy where foreground subtraction is intimately related to the precision of the data reduction.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

Low Frequency Imaging of Fields at High Galactic Latitude with the Murchison Widefield Array 32-Element Prototype

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a new low-frequency, wide field-of-view radio interferometer under development at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia. We have used a 32-element MWA prototype interferometer (MWA-32T) to observe two 50-degree diameter fields in the southern sky in the 110 MHz to 200 MHz band in order to evaluate the performance of the MWA-32T, to develop techniques for epoch of reionization experiments, and to make measurements of astronomical foregrounds. We developed a calibration and imaging pipeline for the MWA-32T, and used it to produce ~15' angular resolution maps of the two fields. We perform a blind source extraction using these confusion-limited images, and detect 655 sources at high significance with an additional 871 lower significance source candidates. We compare these sources with existing low-frequency radio surveys in order to assess the MWA-32T system performance, wide field analysis algorithms, and catalog quality. Our source catalog is found to agree well with existing low-frequency surveys in these regions of the sky and with statistical distributions of point sources derived from Northern Hemisphere surveys; it represents one of the deepest surveys to date of this sky field in the 110 MHz to 200 MHz band.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

First Spectroscopic Imaging Observations of the Sun at Low Radio Frequencies with the Murchison Widefield Array Prototype

We present the first spectroscopic images of solar radio transients from the prototype for the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), observed on 2010 March 27. Our observations span the instantaneous frequency band 170.9-201.6 MHz. Though our observing period is characterized as a period of `low' to `medium' activity, one broadband emission feature and numerous short-lived, narrowband, non-thermal emission features are evident. Our data represent a significant advance in low radio frequency solar imaging, enabling us to follow the spatial, spectral, and temporal evolution of events simultaneously and in unprecedented detail. The rich variety of features seen here reaffirms the coronal diagnostic capability of low radio frequency emission and provides an early glimpse of the nature of radio observations that will become available as the next generation of low frequency radio interferometers come on-line over the next few years.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

The Murchison Widefield Array: Design Overview

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a dipole-based aperture array synthesis telescope designed to operate in the 80-300 MHz frequency range. It is capable of a wide range of science investigations, but is initially focused on three key science projects. These are detection and characterization of 3-dimensional brightness temperature fluctuations in the 21cm line of neutral hydrogen during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) at redshifts from 6 to 10, solar imaging and remote sensing of the inner heliosphere via propagation effects on signals from distant background sources,and high-sensitivity exploration of the variable radio sky. The array design features 8192 dual-polarization broad-band active dipoles, arranged into 512 tiles comprising 16 dipoles each. The tiles are quasi-randomly distributed over an aperture 1.5km in diameter, with a small number of outliers extending to 3km. All tile-tile baselines are correlated in custom FPGA-based hardware, yielding a Nyquist-sampled instantaneous monochromatic uv coverage and unprecedented point spread function (PSF) quality. The correlated data are calibrated in real time using novel position-dependent self-calibration algorithms. The array is located in the Murchison region of outback Western Australia. This region is characterized by extremely low population density and a superbly radio-quiet environment,allowing full exploitation of the instrumental capabilities.

astro-ph.IM↗