First Spectroscopic Imaging Observations of the Sun at Low Radio Frequencies With the Murchison Widefield Array Prototype

Oberoi, D.; Matthews, L. D.; Cairns, Iver H.; Emrich, D.; Lobzin, V. V.; Lonsdale, Colin J.; Morgan, E.; Prabu, T.; Vedantham, H. K.; Wayth, R. B.; Williams, A.; Williams, Christopher; White, S. M.; Allen, G.; Arcus, W.; Barnes, David G.; Benkevitch, L. V.; Bernardi, G.; Bowman, Judd D.; Briggs, F.; Bunton, John D.; Burns, S.; Cappallo, Roger C.; Clark, Michael A.; Corey, B. E.; Dawson, Murray; DeBoer, David R.; Gans, A. De; deSouza, L.; Derome, M.; Edgar, Richard G.; Elton, T.; Goeke, R.; Gopalakrishna, M. R.; Greenhill, L. J.; Hazelton, B. J.; Herne, D.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Kamini, P. A.; Kaplan, D. L.; Kasper, J. C.; Kennedy, Rachel; Kincaid, B. B.; Kocz, J.; Koeing, R.; Kowald, E.; Lynch, M. J.; Srinivasan, Madhavi; McWhirter, S. R.; Mitchell, D. A.; Morales, M. F.; Ng, A.; Ord, S. M.; Pathikulangara, J.; Rogers, A. E. E.; Roshi, A.; Salah, J. E.; Sault, R. J.; Schinckel, Antony; Shankar, N. Udaya; Srivani, K. S.; Stevens, J.; Subrahmanyan, R.; Thakkar, D. D.; Tingay, S. J.; Tuthill, J.; Vaccarella, Annino; Waterson, M.; Webster, R. L.; Whitney, A. R.

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/728/2/l27

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…For the quiet Sun, the MWA will be able to provide information about large scale electron density and temperature distribution in the corona, the line-of-sight coronal magnetic field component, evidence of coronal heating via non-thermal emission features and constraint coronal turbulence characteristics. Recent work using the data from an engineering prototype provides an example of the nature of MWA solar imaging capabilities and substantiates our expectations [2]. In addition there is a strong possibility that some of the MWA elements will be equipped to provide dynamic spectra spanning the entire 80-300 MHz band with a temporal cadence below 1 ms.…”

Section: Solar Sciencesupporting

confidence: 64%

Murchison Widefield Array: Tracing solar disturbances from the Sun to the Earth

Oberoi¹,

Lonsdale²,

Benkevitch³

et al. 2011

2011 XXXth URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium

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The unique and powerful diagnostic capabilities of low radio frequencies for solar, heliospheric, and ionospheric science have long been recognized, but the challenges associated with high-fidelity low frequency radio imaging have limited their exploitation. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a pioneering new interferometer, currently under construction in the radio-quiet Western Australian outback, which exploits the recent advances in digital signal processing to rise to this challenge. We present an overview of the exciting new solar, heliospheric, and ionospheric science which this instrument will enable, along with early results from a prototype array.

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Section: Solar Sciencesupporting

confidence: 64%

Murchison Widefield Array: Tracing solar disturbances from the Sun to the Earth

Oberoi¹,

Lonsdale²,

Benkevitch³

et al. 2011

2011 XXXth URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium

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“…The LWA, LOFAR, and MWA frequency ranges (10 -90, 30 -240, and 80 -300 MHz, respectively) make them ideal for observing both the quiet Sun and solar transients such as coronal mass ejections, but with the available spectroscopy (Oberoi et al, 2011) also general plasma processes in the solar corona can be studied. We should note, however, that imaging at very low frequencies presents a significant challenge due to ionospheric effects.…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radio Emission of the Quiet Sun and Active Regions (Invited Review)

2011

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Solar radio emission provides valuable information on the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere above the temperature minimum. We review the background and most recent observational and theoretical results on the quiet Sun and active region studies, covering the entire radio range from millimeter to decameter wavelengths. We examine small-and large-scale structures, at short and long time scales, as well as synoptic aspects. Open questions and challenges for the future are also identified.

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“…Low frequency mapping observations of the Sun have been performed in the past by arrays such as the Culgoora Radioheliograph (43, 80, 160, and 327 MHz) and the Clark Lake Radio Observatory , and continue at present with the Nancay Radioheliograph (150-450 MHz). Studies using the latest generation of low frequency astronomical arrays such as MWA and LOFAR have generated significant new results [14] from an early stage [15]. Solar radio emission in the nominal frequency range of RAPID originates from the low corona up into the outer corona where solar wind acceleration occurs.…”

Section: ) Geospacementioning

confidence: 99%

Radio array of portable interferometric detectors (RAPID)

Lind¹,

Lonsdale²,

Faulkner

et al. 2013

2013 IEEE International Symposium on Phased Array Systems and Technology

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The Radio Array of Portable Interferometric Detectors (RAPID) is a new radio array with a flexible architecture. The instrument uses per element software defined radios and a software signal processing architecture to enable the flexible study of a wide range of natural phenomena using radio imaging techniques. The array will be used for investigations of ionospheric phenomena, solar radio emission, the Galactic synchrotron background, and ultra-high energy cosmic rays via air-shower emission. The array will consist of ∼100 small, low gain antennas operating over a frequency range of 48 to 450 MHz. RAPID is designed to make flexible and coherent radio observations, capturing the amplitude and phase of the electric field across a user-defined aperture with easily reconfigurable spatial sampling. Key technical elements include a novel absolute broadband antenna calibration method, elimination of a clock distribution network with a compact, low power chip scale atomic clock in each unit, state-of-the-art high performance voltage data recording, and low power consumption, via use of the latest low-power A/D converters and digital processing chips. By minimizing the power per element the RAPID system will be able to use compact, portable solar panels and batteries. Unlike existing arrays, RAPID will be operated without any cabling between the antennas and a central location, and can be shipped, deployed and physically reconfigured quickly and easily with zero site infrastructure. This creates a unique capability to locate and configure an imaging radio interferometer array, highly customized to the specific science goal of any given field campaign, thereby supporting science investigations that have not before been feasible. When used in conjunction with existing incoherent scatter radar transmitters or other transmitters of opportunity the array will provide a flexible capability for radar imaging of coherent and enhanced backscatter (e.g. E and F-region irregularities ; naturally or artificially enhanced ion acoustic lines). The RAPID system architecture is based on voltage data capture with all processing performed in software, simplifying field operations and reducing equipment complexity. Data and work-flow management for the system will exploit distributed messaging, cloud technologies for scalable processing, and be implemented using open source Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) software.

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First Spectroscopic Imaging Observations of the Sun at Low Radio Frequencies With the Murchison Widefield Array Prototype

Cited by 41 publications

References 16 publications

Murchison Widefield Array: Tracing solar disturbances from the Sun to the Earth

Murchison Widefield Array: Tracing solar disturbances from the Sun to the Earth

Radio Emission of the Quiet Sun and Active Regions (Invited Review)

Radio array of portable interferometric detectors (RAPID)

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