1. Joint Project UCB RAL SETI Institute
1/13/2019
Update on ATA 11/17/08
Joint Project UCB RAL
SETI Institute

2. ATA-42
1/13/2019

3. A Lot Has Happened Since May
1/13/2019
Don Backer new Director of RAL, Interim Director of ATA
Selected 14/24 External proposals for 450 hours of time on array during 2008 Q3&4
Retrofit program on feeds/Rx underway

4. Dewar/Cryo
12”
Dewar
Refrigerator
LNAs
1/13/2019

5. A Lot Has Happened Since May
1/13/2019
Don Backer new Director of RAL, Interim Director of ATA
Selected 14/24 External proposals for 450 hours of time on array during 2008 Q3&4
Retrofit program on feeds/Rx underway
Contract between SI-SRI to explore usefulness of ATA for SSA – Task 1 determination of precise orbital ephemerides with correlator and Prelude
NSF-URO Reverse Site Visit in August
Unfortunately, annual operating funds remains flat at $200K/yr (-10% in 09)
Inadequate to support external science program

6. Calibrating for GPS
1/13/2019
Astronomical calibration is at the same frequency as the observation
Antenna main lobe “selects” desired source
GPS dominates received signal – even in side lobes
Need some way to calibrate
Change frequencies? (Uncertainty)
On GPS itself? (Chicken and egg)

7. Calibration in Neighboring Spectrum
1/13/2019
Measure calibrator in clear L-band spectrum to avoid interference
Interpolate coefficients to GPS observing frequency
(Coefficients must be well behaved)
Challenge: Instrumental Delay and Phase vary as a function of frequency
Frequency
Phase

8. Predictability with Small Frequency Changes
1/13/2019
Use all available clear spectrum in the same tuning as the desired downlink
Reduced calibrator SNR but higher confidence in system characteristics
ATA calibration values are well-behaved on 20-MHz scale
Currently the best calibration method with minimal error
Frequency
Phase

9. A Lot Has Happened Since May
1/13/2019
Don Backer new Director of RAL, Interim Director of ATA
Selected 14/24 External proposals for 450 hours of time on array during 2008 Q3&4
Retrofit program on feeds/Rx underway
Contract between SI-SRI to explore usefulness of ATA for SSA – Task 1 determination of precise orbital ephemerides with correlator and Prelude
NSF-URO Reverse Site Visit in August
Unfortunately, annual operating funds remains flat at $200K/yr (-10% in 09)
Inadequate to support external science program

10. There’s More Fly’s Eye Experiment Continuing development of backends
1/13/2019
Fly’s Eye Experiment
Data taking concluded
Data analysis almost concluded
Continuing development of backends
100 MHz BW Correlator – 64 inputs
Being duplicated as we speak
2 independently tunable Beamformers
Beamformer #3 by May 09
Real-time fringe rotation
Fast data dumping
REU summer program at SI – 3 student projects

11. Fly’s Eye Pulse Search
2008 October 29
Goal: Detect the most luminous, rare events in the Universe
Concept to hardware install: Oct-Dec ‘07
500 Hours of observing – Feb-Apr ‘08
Supercomputer processing (50 khours)
Publication: soon

12. There’s More Fly’s Eye Experiment Continuing development of backends
1/13/2019
Fly’s Eye Experiment
Data taking concluded
Data analysis almost concluded
Continuing development of backends
100 MHz BW Correlator – 64 inputs
Being duplicated as we speak
2 independently tunable Beamformers
Beamformer #3 by May 09
Real-time fringe rotation
Fast data dumping
REU summer program at SI – 3 student projects

13. Signal Processing Room
1/13/2019

14. The Reality Is Even Worse!
1/13/2019

15. There’s More Fly’s Eye Experiment Continuing development of backends
1/13/2019
Fly’s Eye Experiment
Data taking concluded
Data analysis almost concluded
Continuing development of backends
100 MHz BW Correlator – 64 inputs
Being duplicated as we speak
2 independently tunable Beamformers
Beamformer #3 by May 09
Real-time fringe rotation
Fast data dumping
REU summer program at SI – 3 student projects

16. 1/13/2019

17. 1% Reproducibility Antenna to Antenna!!
1/13/2019

18. Phase 1 Science
1/13/2019
Transient Sky

19. Transient Radio Sky Exploration of the high-energy universe
2008 October 29
Exploration of the
high-energy universe
Massive Black Holes
Neutron stars
Magnetic fields
Accretion and outflows
The Unknown
20 cm 800 sq Degrees 12 Epochs 19

20. Phase 1 Science
1/13/2019
Transient Sky
Hydrogen surveys

21. Hydrogen in Galaxies Surveys
Survey 10 nearby galaxy groups for intergalactic neutral hydrogen.
Dark galaxies (no stars), may be found.
Survey internal hydrogen content in all ~160 unmapped local galaxies.
Local volume study informs studies of distant Universe.
2008 October 29
Sloan Digital Sky Survey 21

22. M81 Group Interaction
1/13/2019
DSS
VLA
ATA

23. Commensal SETI Demo
1/13/2019
DSS
VLA
ATA

24. Phase 1 Science Transient Sky Hydrogen surveys
1/13/2019
Transient Sky
Hydrogen surveys
Beamformer Calibration and Nulling

25. Beamformers Work –Really Well!
1/13/2019
New Horizons X-band
1 Antenna
11 Antennas

26. SETI: Detection of the Most Distant Man-made Object
1/13/2019
December 15, 94 AU

27. SETI: Detection of the Most Distant Man-made Object
1/13/2019
Voyager 1 EIRP ~10 KW
 High frequency  Beamformer
 SETI signal detect
December 15, 94 AU

28. Use Degrees of Freedom On-Axis: Off-Axis: 10dB down Nulled: 28dB down
1/13/2019
On-Axis:
Off-Axis: 10dB down
Nulled: 28dB down
1 part in 108 of transmission
Projection Nulls from 11.4’ – 12.6’

29. Phase 1 Science Transient Sky Hydrogen surveys
1/13/2019
Transient Sky
Hydrogen surveys
Beamformer Calibration and Nulling
Real-time Imaging

30. Welcome to RAPID Rapid Automated Processing and Imaging of Data.
1/13/2019
Rapid Automated Processing and Imaging of Data.
Flag, Calibrate, Image, Repeat. 30 30

31. Gains Solution Building
ARTIS
1/13/2019
ARTIS
PROTOTYPE
Calibrator
Source
RFI Filtering
RFI Data
Vital Signs
RFI Filtering
RFI Phase-up
Bad Antennas
Bad Baselines
Gains Solution Building
Phase Solution
Amp Solution
PB Solution
Mapping
Self-cal Sol'n
Calibrator Mapping
Flagging
Calibration
Map
Beam
Averaging/Accumulating 31 31

32. Financial Status
1/13/2019
Additional interactions with SRI and USAF may lead to enhanced investigations on use of ATA as a contributing sensor for SSN ~30% time
$375K equipment grant
May provide ops funding needed for next few years
Requested additional construction funding from PGAFF
→ 128 ($18M or $200K per antenna → 256 ($ 38.5M or $175K per antenna)
With construction funding, we can operate successfully operate ATA-42, and grow

33. Survey Telescope Ranking
2008 October 29
ATA-256: “Best in the World” for forseeable future
ATA-128: “World Class” as compared with EVLA
ATA-42: where we are today

34. What’s Next For ATA Beamformer #3 Higher spectral resolution
1/13/2019
Beamformer #3
Higher spectral resolution
Δf = 100MHz/(1024*2N)
Increased BW ~600 MHz
ADC in collaboration with MeerKat
Funded by SDRT

35. SoftwareDefinedRadioTelescope 1.0
1/13/2019
Year 1
SonATA Demo
Years 2&3
Initial commitment $1.5M over 3 years --- looking for $9M over 3 years

36. And Not Too Far In Future
1/13/2019
1-25 GHz feed in vacuum
Simple coax-connections