Related papers: The LOFAR Beam Former: Implementation and Performa…
(Abridged) Context: In the previous paper in this series, we identified that a pentagonal arrangement of five telescopes, using a kernel-nulling beam combiner, shows notable advantages for some important performance metrics for a…
Optical fibers have altered astronomical instrument design by allowing for a complex, often large instrument to be mounted in a remote and stable location with respect to the telescope. The fibers also enable the possibility to rearrange…
We propose an all-digital telescope for 21 cm tomography, which combines key advantages of both single dishes and interferometers. The electric field is digitized by antennas on a rectangular grid, after which a series of Fast Fourier…
Advances in astronomy are intimately linked to advances in digital signal processing (DSP). This special issue is focused upon advances in DSP within radio astronomy. The trend within that community is to use off-the-shelf digital hardware…
Laser guide stars with adaptive optics allow astronomical image correction in the absence of a natural guide star. Single guide star systems with a star created in the earth's sodium layer can be used to correct the wavefront in the near…
Radio observations of stars trace the plasma conditions and magnetic field properties of stellar magnetospheres and coronae. Depending on the plasma conditions at the emitter site, radio emission in the metre- and decimetre-wave bands is…
Radio astronomy observations in the coming decade will require new levels of sensitivity while mapping large regions of space with much greater efficiency than is achieved with current telescopes. This requires new instrumentation with the…
We describe the software requirement and design specifications for all-sky panoramic astronomical pipelines. The described software aims to meet the specific needs of super-wide angle optics, and includes cosmic-ray hit rejection, image…
Observational astrophysics uses sophisticated technology to collect and measure electromagnetic and other radiation from beyond the Earth. Modern observatories produce large, complex datasets and extracting the maximum possible information…
Current and future continuum surveys being undertaken by the new generation of radio telescopes are now poised to address many important science questions, ranging from the earliest galaxies, to the physics of nearby AGN, as well as…
High-energy cosmic rays impinging onto the atmosphere of the Earth initiate extensive air showers. With the LOFAR radio telescope and the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) at the Pierre Auger Observatory radio emission from air showers…
The VST Telescope Control Software logs continuously detailed information about the telescope and instrument operations. Commands, telemetries, errors, weather conditions and anything may be relevant for the instrument maintenance and the…
Line intensity mapping (LIM) is a new technique for tracing the global properties of galaxies over cosmic time. Detection of the very faint signals from redshifted carbon monoxide (CO), a tracer of star formation, pushes the limits of what…
The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) is an 18,000 square meter radio telescope situated some 40 km from the city of Canberra, Australia. Its operating band (820-850 MHz) is now partly allocated to mobile phone communications,…
The extreme variability of blazars, in both timescale and amplitude, is generally explained as the effect of a relativistic jet closely aligned to the observer's line-of-sight. Due to causality arguments, variability characteristics…
The Tianlai project is a 21cm intensity mapping experiment aimed at detecting dark energy by measuring the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) features in the large scale structure power spectrum. This experiment provides an opportunity to…
Low-frequency spectral studies of radio pulsars represent a key method for uncovering their emission mechanisms, magnetospheric structure, and signal interactions with the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). In recent years, more…
Pulsars are among the prime targets for the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the recently launched Fermi observatory. The LAT will study the gamma-ray Universe between 20 MeV and 300 GeV with unprecedented detail. Increasing numbers of…
The Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is a sensitive, high-resolution 120-168 MHz survey split across multiple tiers over the northern sky. The first LoTSS Deep Fields data release consists of deep radio continuum…
With LOFAR beginning operation in 2008 there is huge potential for studying pulsars with high signal to noise at low frequencies. We present results of observations made with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope to revisit, with modern…