GPU-Powered Coherent Beamforming

Magro, Alessio; Adami, Kristian Zarb; Hickish, J.

doi:10.1142/s2251171715500026

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…Alongside the 128 100 Gb/s Ethernet sources feeding the proposed network are 128 outputs required to sink the data into processing nodes. These processors are expected to be standard x86-64 GNU/Linux servers, augmented with graphical processing units (GPUs) which are widely used in radio astronomy to accelerate key operations such as channelization [23], correlation [24,25], and beamforming [26]. 100 Gb/s Ethernet technology is already very mature, and currently switches supporting the standard retail at a cost of approximately $375 per port.…”

Section: Ethernet Networkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commensal, Multi-user Observations with an Ethernet-based Jansky Very Large Array

Hickish,

Beasley,

Bower

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Over the last decade, the continuing decline in the cost of digital computing technology has brought about a dramatic transformation in how digital instrumentation for radio astronomy is developed and operated. In most cases, it is now possible to interface consumer computing hardware, e.g. inexpensive graphics processing units and storage devices, directly to the raw data streams produced by radio telescopes. Such systems bring with them myriad benefits: straightforward upgrade paths, cost savings through leveraging an economy of scale, and a lowered barrier to entry for scientists and engineers seeking to add capabilities or features to a new or existing instrument. Additionally, certain properties of these systems allow fundamentally new ways of looking at the standard operational model of a radio observatory. The typical data-interconnect technology used with general-purpose computing hardware -Ethernetnaturally permits multiple subscribers to a single raw data stream. Taking advantage of this feature, multiple science programs can be conducted in parallel, processing the data stream in very different ways. When combined with broad bandwidths and wide primary fields of view, radio telescopes become capable of achieving many science goals simultaneously. Moreover, because many science programs are not strongly dependent on observing cadence and direction (e.g. searches for extraterrestrial intelligence and radio transient surveys), these so-called "commensal" observing programs can dramatically increase the scientific productivity and discovery potential of an observatory. In this whitepaper, we detail a project to add an Ethernet-based commensal observing mode to the Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), and discuss how this mode could be leveraged to conduct a powerful program to constrain the distribution of advanced life in the universe through a search for radio emission indicative of technology. We also discuss other potential science use-cases for the system, and how the system could be used for technology development towards next-generation processing systems for the Next Generation VLA (ngVLA).

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Section: Ethernet Networkingmentioning

confidence: 99%