CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science

Technologies for Radio Astronomy

Tasso TzioumisAssistant Director – EngineeringJune 2015

Mark BowenGroup Leader – Front End Technologies

(From last ATUC meeting)

• ASKAP & SKA: Core business of the Engineering Program.• Most of the program’s people and effort at present.

• Development projects for all ATNF facilities. Depends on budgets.

• Strategic developments – develop capabilities.• External contracts help to maintain capabilities.• Broad directions largely unchanged (June 2015)

Directions for ATNF Engineering

ATUC 2 June 2015

Available resources & allocations• After CSIRO restructure (refer last AUC report, Nov 2014)

• Lost: ~9 positions via attrition and redundancies.• ~ 42 FTE total remained in Technologies

• Since Nov 2014:• Lost: 1 senior digital engineer + 1 retirement

• Have permission to replace - underway• Gained: ~2 FTE short-term contracts – ASKAP production

• Some recruitments in progress.

• Overall largely unchanged! But will grow into next FY.

• ASKAP : ~ 22 FTE Ongoing commitment• SKA: ~ 11 FTE Re-structuring after SKA re-baseline

• More digital group effort? CSP-LOW? Active politicking!!

• Still only ~5 FTE (fragmented) for ALL other projects!!

ATUC 2 June 2015

Staffing – Conferences• SKA CSP meeting – Cape Town March 2015

• SKA Preliminary Design Reviews - Manchester• Document submission Nov – Dec 2014 (~30+ documents/consortium)• Australian Site Infrastructure – Feb 2015• Central Signal Processing (CSP) – Dec 2014 • Signal and Data Transport (SaDT) – Jan 2015• Dish – Feb 2015• Assembly Integration and Verification (AIV) – Feb 2015

• Special session on SKA in ICASSP conference (Brisbane April 2015)• ”Signal Processing Challenges for the Square Kilometer Array”• John Bunton presented invited paper on “SKA CORRELATORS AND BEAMFORMERS”• 4 Participants from Digital group Very valuable networking

• SKA-Dish related visits to Manchester

• AT-RASC (URSI regional meeting), May 2015.• ASKAP• SKA Survey

• SKA CSP workshop – Penticton Canada (June 2015)

ATUC 2 June 2015

CABB (unchanged since last ATUC)• Last ATUC: Formal CSIRO commitment ceased Sept 2014

• Now ALL tasks covered by post-retirement fellows!!

BUT

• Personal commitment by staff member to continue work on the 16 MHz mode.

• Possible delivery for 16 MHz end 2015?! still the target• No horizon for 4 MHz mode.

• NO CSIRO commitment possible. Facilitate as far as possible.• Some hope that 16 MHz may be completed.

ATUC 2 June 2015

ASKAP Update

ATUC 2 June 2015

• Aaron Chippendale to update in detail

• Still to do:• Phase closure under TOS control• Test zoom modes under TOS control• Tied-array processor for VLBI• Transient buffer for CRAFT

Ultra-wideband Receiver for Parkes• Observed band 700 - 4000 MHz; Tsys < 20K over most of band

• Science: pulsar timing, polarisation, interstellar scattering, dispersion, spectral lines, Galactic continuum, VLBI

• ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grant• $370k awarded for 2015

• Investigators: Bailes, Gaensler, Wyithe, Bhat, Levin, van Straten, Wen, Melatos, Manchester, Hobbs, Kramer, Han

• Institutions: CSIRO, Curtin, MPIfR, Melbourne, Monash, NAO/CAS, Swinburne, Sydney, Western Australia

• Collaboration agreement in development – sign by July 2015

ATUC 2 June 2015

ATUC 2 June 2015

Parkes RFI Spectrum (Sept. 2014)

UWB Receiver Band

Phone (CDMA/3G)

Phone (GSM/3G)

Aircraft

SatellitePhone (3G)

Credit: Dick Manchester, Paul Roberts, Aidan Hotan, Ron Beresford, Brett Preisig

ATUC 2 June 2015

Parkes UWB Feed Design

Credit: Alex Dunning

• Quad-ridge horn with dielectric insert and outer rings

• Feed/OMT and dielectric cryogenically cooled - outer rings at ambient temperature

• Low cross-polarization (< -15 db)

• Beamwidth and focal position almost frequency-independent

ATUC 2 June 2015

Credit: Alex Dunning

Prototype UWB Feed Progress

• Prototype feed development at CSIRO

• New technology MUST test and “retire risk”

• Proof of concept feed testing in June 2015 – Room temperature

ATUC 2 June 2015

Teflon dielectric

Feed Horn Outer rings

ATUC 2 June 2015

UWB Feed Installed in Antenna Test RangeCredit: Alex Dunning

M. Bourne and A. Dunning Installing UWB FeedCredit: Alex Dunning

Technological Challenges• Cryogenic cooling - Materials• Vacuum window• Wideband LNA development• System integration

Cost of UWB system (ARC proposal)

• Total direct costs: ~$1M• Proposal for 50% from Partners & 50% ARC funds

• Shortfall: ~$100k from ARC

• But new partners committed funds at this level.

• Labour effort (from CASS) at ~$1.5M• ~ 6 FTE years effort. Timescale? (~2-3 years?)

• Need to manage limited CASS resources• Existing commitments – ASKAP, SKA, FAST

• FAST ramp-up will slow progress in the short-medium term

• SKA re-baseline limited scope for reallocation of effort?

• Scope to leverage digital developments from ASKAP/SKA work?

• Implications for single digital back-end for ALL Parkes systems!• Broadly on target to develop – subject to resources!

ATUC 2 June 2015

• Feasibility study accepted by NAOC.• Negotiationg with Chinese for full receiver

system design & construction• Challenging delivery deadline: September 2016 • Fully externally funded.• Detailed costing completed.• Contract negotiations under way.

• Strategic relationship with China!• MUST nurture & develop!?

• Resource requirements & conflicts• Recruit/Collaborate/secondment?

FAST – 19 beam 1.3 GHz receiver

ATUC 2 June 2015

ATUC 2 June 2015

ADE PAF and system for MPIfR• Contract for standard ASKAP PAF for Effelsberg telescope.

• Poor RFI environment at Effelsberg – need mods to PAF filtering

• Also for Parkes: Usable spectrum ~1100-1800 MHz (GSM bands below 1 GHz)

SPECIAL SYSTEM

• Single dish PAF system• PAF filter modifications• Modified beamformer outputs• Ethernet output Advanced

• Modifications externally Funded • Strategic use of PAF….

• Commissioning/Early science: Request from MPIfR for Bonn PAF at Parkes

• Advantages:• Attraction of early PAF science at Parkes (~ 1 year)• Showcasing single-dish PAF – more customers (e.g. Jodrell Bank)• Easier to commission/debug PAF• Resources at Parkes from Bonn & others• Demonstrate need for PAF @ Parkes – future funding?• More collaborations & outside resources

• Costs:• Effort to install at Parkes – 2-3 months FTE?• Disruption of Operations at Parkes• Need to maintain Parkes Pulsar effort Rx changes? (costs?)• Commissioning effort (BUT experience very valuable)

• Recommendation:• Benefits outweigh costs??

Bonn PAF at Parkes - Proposal

ATUC 2 June 2015

• Tentative timelines:• Install/Commission: OCT2015 semester?

• Bonn PAF modifications – by Nov 2015?• Parkes preparations: Early in semester – Complete by end 2015?

• Fibre wiring ~ 2 week shutdown?• Other wiring; Racks install; ….

• Install: Dec 2015 – Jan 2016. 2 weeks. Replace MB system for 1 year.• Engineering Commissioning: Jan-Mar 2016

• Science Commission & Scientific Observations: APR2016 semester?• 2-3 engineers/scientists external support

• Germany and Jodrell Bank• Joint CSIRO/MPIfR post-doc

• OCT2016 semester: PAF to Bonn• Re-install MB system at Parkes??• Develop new PAF system for Parkes??

Bonn PAF at Parkes – Proposed Timelines

ATUC 2 June 2015

• Commissioning expected to continue throughout 2015OCT Semester - It will not be possible for proposers to request observations using the PAF.

• Astronomical observing may be possible 2016APR and/or 2016OCT.

• PAF will not be a National Facility instrument: the control software, documentation and available support will not be to National Facility standard.

• Collaborative projects with MPIfR or CASS are encouraged – Only a limited number of observing modes will have been tested and a significant contribution of resources towards firmware or software development is likely to be required.

• Teams wishing to use the PAF for astronomical observing will be required to submit a proposal to the TAC at the regular proposal deadline for the use of National Facility time, explicitly addressing resourcing issues.

• MPIfR are planning to lead a proposal to use the PAF for FRB detection, and will welcome collaborators who can contribute resources to this project.

• To be discussed at this ATUC meeting

Bonn PAF at Parkes – science collaborations(from discussions with MPIfR)

ATUC 2 June 2015

• SKA re-baseline• No SKA1-survey re-focus CSIRO effort• SKA1-dish involvement reduction• PAF AIP to be setup – continue PAF development• some effort available in group? UWB, FAST,…

• SKAO decision in April 2015:• CSIRO to lead SKA1 CSP-LOW (signal processing) More digital effort?

• Correlator and Beamformer – Hardware and Firmware• Contentious decision within CSP consortium• Technical and political discussions on-going

• Closer collaboration with European partners??• CSP Board meeting – 9 June 2015 Final decision?

SKA re-baseline Implications for Technologies program

ATUC 2 June 2015

• ASKAP & SKA: Core business of the Engineering group.• Most of the group’s people and effort at present.• CSP-LOW lead?

• Development projects for all ATNF facilities. Depends on budgets.• UWB Receiver at Parkes• Single-dish PAF at Bonn/Parkes• FAST 19-beam system

• Strategic developments – develop capabilities.

• External contracts help to maintain capabilities.

Summary

ATUC 2 June 2015

Thank youAstronomy & Space ScienceTasso Tzioumis

t +61 2 9372 4350E Tasso.Tzioumis@csiro.auw www.csiro.au/cass

Astronomy & Space ScienceMark Bowen

t +61 2 9372 4356E Mark.Bowen@csiro.auw www.csiro.au/cass