Radio Heliophysics Key Project Update

J. Kasper

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

15  April  2010  LUNAR  Steering  Commi7ee  Mee9ng  

CfA  

Outline   Team   Goals

  A small low frequency array on the near side of the moon to determine where electrons are accelerated in the corona

  Update on current tasks   Plans for Year 2 work (input solicited)   Array Development Tasks

  Conduct observations with similar array on ground (MWA)   Delayed from first year

  Pathfinder Tasks   Identify pathfinder missions   Technology development and characterization studies (Primiani)

  Science Tasks   Look for evidence of low-frequency radio transients in existing data (Maruca)   Characterize lunar radio frequency interference environment (MacDowall)

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Radio-Heliophysics Team   CfA

  Justin Kasper   Lincoln Greenhill (Collaborator, Array simulation advice)   Jonathan Weintroub (Collaborator,   Bennett Maruca (Kasper graduate student, Harvard University Astronomy Dept, Transients)   Rurik Primiani (Visiting Student, correlator development)   EE, SE, TE, ME support

  GSFC   R. MacDowall   Pen-Shu Yeh (Collaborator, ULP/ULT)   Susan Neff (Collaborator)   EE, ME support

  UC Berkeley   Stuart Bale (Collaborator, RAE observations, DREAM team Co-I)

  NRAO   Tim Bastian (Collaborator, Science case)

  NASA/JSC   John Grunsfeld (collaborator, human-deployment interaction)

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Array Overview   A small low frequency radio array on the

near-side of the moon   Dozens of antennas deployed as an early sortie

science package   Image bright emission from energetic electrons

accelerated at coronal mass ejections   Serves as a pathfinder for far-side array   Radio Observatory for Lunar Sortie Science

(ROLSS)   NLSI/LUNAR Tasks

  Science: characterize lunar radio interference environment and search for transients with existing data

  Array: Refine concept using similar observations, simulations, trade studies

  Pathfinder: technology development for antennas, deployment, electronics

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Status Summary Category   Topic   Goal   Status  

Science   Lunar  Radio  Frequency  Interference  Environment  

Publish  observed  trends  for  far  side  RFI  observa9ons  

Data  being  processed  

Transients   Use  STEREO/WAVES  to  search  for  astrophysical  transients  

STEREO/WAVES  under  analysis  

Array   Traceability   Refine  science-­‐>performance  matrix   Con9nuous  development  

Simula9ons   Adapt  array  simula9on  soWware     People  available  to  work  on  project  –  what  are  priori9es?  

Similar  Observa9ons   Use  Murchison  Widefield  Array  32  9le  prototype  

First  solar  observa9ons  obtained  

Pathfinder   Autonomous  Polyimide  File  Deployer  

Demonstrate  prototype   FY10  start  

Conduct  systems  level  development  

Whitepaper  with  recommenda9ons   FY10  start  

Antenna-­‐PF  inductance   Whitepaper  with  recommenda9ons   FY10  start  

ULP/ULT  and  receiver  development  

Baseline  designs   Virtex  5  FPGA-­‐based  correlelator  implemented  

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ARRAY TASKS Traceability Simulations Similar Observations

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Array: Simulations

  Goal is to revise existing and successful MAPS low frequency array simulation software developed at MIT and CfA for LOFAR, MWA and use it for lunar applications

  Software can:   Run on clusters   Simulate response to diffuse sky and point sources over full sky   Fold in antenna beam patterns, calibration errors, ionosphere (less

of an issue here…)  Software needs to:

  Accept locations on the lunar surface, use lunar rotation rate  Current status:

  Working with CfA MAPS scientists to identify subroutines that will need to be modified

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Array: Similar Observations

  Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) under construction in Western Australia

  80-300 MHz with 8,000 antennas (11,000 m2 collecting area at 150 MHz)

  Currently setting up prototype array of 32 tiles (32T) of 4x4 antennas

  If the Sun will cooperate and provide a burst, look at it with different numbers of antennas

  So far no bursts during data collection periods, but   Working on automation and increased

duty cycle   Sun produced first active regions of new

solar cycle finally

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PATHFINDER TASKS Polyimide film antenna work ULP-ULT work Chandrayaan-2 Performance of a flight radio correlator RadSat Radio CubeSat

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Correlator development

  Motivation   Correlation of signals at the array instead of on the ground could

significantly reduce telemetry and data storage requirements   But, resource requirements of correlator may be insurmountable

  Trades   FPGA implementation reduces power requirements   What will performance be like in a decade?   What will be radiation and temperature tolerant?

  LUNAR work on this topic   Currently based on extrapolation of low power technology   Radio Heliophysics has task of encouraging ULP development   This project: Implement an actual correlator on a Rad Hard chip

and measure power consumption

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Pathfinders in Space

  We need technical demonstrations of novel aspects of the radio arrays before we can propose the full project

 In the same way that the near-side Heliophysics radio array is a pathfinder for the far-side array, we need smaller proofs of concept

  Demonstrate:   Operate a correlator in space   Perform interferometric radio imaging from space   Deployment of antennas on the lunar surface

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RadSat: Solar Radio Imaging Pathfinder CubeSat

PI: J. Kasper (SAO)

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Should we re-propose?

 Last version   Spin up 120 RPM   Deploy pods ~ 4m   Spin up with

thrusters   Pods to 40m   Science   Pods to 400m

 New version   Higher frequency,

single deployment?

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Year 2 Engineering Studies   An autonomous polyimide film (PF) deployer that could be used on a

pathfinder mission   Lead: MacDowall (GSFC)   Year one goal: baseline mechanical design with mass, power, cost estimates

  Systems level study of ROLLS - examine the ROLSS design at a high level to determine if there are additional methods for reducing mass or complexity. This work will include procurement and testing of polyimide film (PF) and investigation of structural and strength requirements of the PF   Lead: Kasper (SAO)   Goal: whitepaper with recommendations for improving design

  Antenna-PF mutual inductance – examine the electrical interactions between the antenna trace and the PF   Lead: MacDowall (GSFC)   Goal: whitepaper of observations potentially leading to publication

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SCIENCE TASKS

Search for low frequency radio transients Characterize lunar RFI environment

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