CHIME/FRB Outriggers: KKO Station System and Commissioning Results
Abstract
Localizing fast radio bursts (FRBs) to their host galaxies is an essential step to better understanding their origins and using them as cosmic probes. The CHIME/FRB Outrigger program aims to add VLBI-localization capabilities to CHIME, such that FRBs may be localized to tens of milliarcsecond precision at the time of their discovery, more than sufficient for host galaxy identification. The first-built outrigger telescope is KKO, located 66 kilometers west of CHIME. Cross-correlating KKO with CHIME can achieve arcsecond-scale localization in right ascension while avoiding the worst effects of the ionosphere. This paper presents measurements of KKO's performance throughout its commissioning phase, as well as a summary of its design and function. We demonstrate KKO's capabilities as a standalone instrument by producing full-sky images, mapping the angular and frequency structure of the primary beam, and measuring feed positions. To demonstrate the localization capabilities of the CHIME -- KKO baseline, we collected five separate observations each for a set of twenty bright pulsars, and aimed to measure their positions to within 5~arcseconds. All of these pulses were successfully localized to within this specification. The next two outriggers are expected to be commissioned in 2024, and will enable subarcsecond localizations for approximately hundreds of FRBs each year.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2402.07898,
title = {CHIME/FRB Outriggers: KKO Station System and Commissioning Results},
author = {Adam E. Lanman and Shion Andrew and Mattias Lazda and Vishwangi Shah and Mandana Amiri and Arvind Balasubramanian and Kevin Bandura and P. J. Boyle and Charanjot Brar and Mark Carlson and Jean-François Cliche and Nina Gusinskaia and Ian T. Hendricksen and J. F. Kaczmarek and Tom Landecker and Calvin Leung and Ryan Mckinven and Juan Mena-Parra and Nikola Milutinovic and Kenzie Nimmo and Aaron B. Pearlman and Andre Renard and Mubdi Rahman and J. Richard Shaw and Seth R. Siegel and Rick J. Smegal and Tomas Cassanelli and Shami Chatterjee and Alice P. Curtin and Matt Dobbs and Fengqiu Adam Dong and Mark Halpern and Hans Hopkins and Victoria M. Kaspi and Kholoud Khairy and Kiyoshi W. Masui and Bradley W. Meyers and Daniele Michilli and Emily Petroff and Tristan Pinsonneault-Marotte and Ziggy Pleunis and Masoud Rafiei-Ravandi and Kaitlyn Shin and Kendrick Smith and Keith Vanderlinde and Tarik J. Zegmott},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.07898},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
41 pages, 17 figures