| NSF Org: |
AST Division Of Astronomical Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 9, 2013 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 7, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1309815 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Peter Kurczynski
AST Division Of Astronomical Sciences MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2013 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $554,255.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $554,255.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2014 = $146,314.00 FY 2015 = $256,988.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
886 CHESTNUT RIDGE ROAD MORGANTOWN WV US 26505-2742 (304)293-3998 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
135 Willey Street Morgantown WV US 26506-6315 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES & INSTRM |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
The power of a radio telescope, like the power of an optical telescope, is directly related to the region of sky that it can efficiently survey in a "single image". At optical wavelengths the advent of multi-pixel detectors has revolutionized astronomical science. Radio telescopes have lagged behind in this pixel-count, for technical reasons, but now dedicated efforts are underway to close some of this ground. This program aims to continue the development of a closely analogous technical advance for radio wavelengths, which will permit close-packed arrays of radio-wavelength detectors in the telescope focal plane, and thus well-sampled pictures of astrophysical targets in the sky.
The approach used here is to design and construct a high-performance phased array feed (PAF). The project aims to develop, then field and utilize a working system on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), although the technology is of interest at a very wide range of telescopes. The performance of the finished system is anticipated to be the highest in the world, and this will potentially also be a world-leading effort in terms of the timing with which the system could be fielded. A successful system would triple the L-band mapping speed of the GBT. Associated issues, such as interference mitigation and signal processing, will be explored.
This project will help to maintain US leadership in an emerging and important area of radio technology, particularly in signal processing and algorithm development, and thus maintain competitiveness within the phased array community. This effort will include substantial training for the next generation of engineers through involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in mentored research. Student research assistants will spend several weeks or months at NRAO facilities to become familiar with astronomical instrumentation in a "hands-on" fashion, learning skills critical to the US scientific infrastructure.
Funding for this project is being provided by NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Intellectual Merit: Traditional observations on large, single-dish radio telescopes are made using a single, large feed that collects the light at a single position on the sky and provides either total power or spectral information from that position. If astronomers wish to collect information from multiple positions on the sky, they would either have to move their telescope around or build more receivers: radio cameras. Unfortunately, traditional radio cameras are large and do not produce a fully-sampled image in a single observation. Phased array feeds get around these problems by forming the image via interferometry in the focal plane of the telescope. The Focal L-band Array for the GBT (FLAG) is a phased array feed system that has the same sensitivity as the existing 1.4 GHz receiver, but is capable of instantaneously imaging an area seven times larger. This grant supported engineers and astronomers at BYU, WVU, and the Green Bank Observatory during the construction of a backend capable of radio continuum, spectral line, and transient observations over this field of view. This radio camera is capable of speeding up surveys of neutral hydrogen in and around galaxies by a factor of seven and searches for new transient astrophysical phenomena by a factor of three over the existing Green Bank Telescope (GBT) receiver. The instrument is now the most sensitive phased array feed system in the world. It is fully commissioned and available for astronomers in the US and around the world to use for observations.
Broader Impact: Beyond the expanded science capability of the GBT, this grant has supported the training of seven graduate students representing the next generation of scientists and engineers capable of working with this new technology. These students are now making important contributions both in industry and in the world-wide astronomical community, in particular they are working on the commissioning of phased array feed systems for other telescopes in Australia and around the world. This work helps maintain US leadership in this area even with the relatively modest investment.
Last Modified: 11/19/2018
Modified by: Daniel J Pisano
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