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Signal Processing Tools for Radio Astronomy

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Handbook of Signal Processing Systems

Abstract

Radio astronomy is known for its very large telescope dishes, but is currently making a transition towards the use of large numbers of small elements. For example, the Low Frequency Array, commissioned in 2010, uses about 50 stations, each consisting of at least 96 low band antennas and 768 high band antennas. For the Square Kilometre Array, planned for 2024, the numbers will be even larger. These instruments pose interesting array signal processing challenges. To present some aspects, we start by describing how the measured correlation data is traditionally converted into an image, and translate this into an array signal processing framework. This paves the way for a number of alternative image reconstruction techniques, such as a Weighted Least Squares approach. Self-calibration of the instrument is required to handle instrumental effects such as the unknown, possibly direction dependent, response of the receiving elements, as well a unknown propagation conditions through the Earth’s troposphere and ionosphere. Array signal processing techniques seem well suited to handle these challenges. The fact that the noise power at each antenna element may be different motivates the use of Factor Analysis, as a more appropriate alternative to the eigenvalue decomposition that is commonly used in array processing. Factor Analysis also proves to be very useful for interference mitigation. Interestingly, image reconstruction, calibration and interference mitigation are often intertwined in radio astronomy, turning this into an area with very challenging signal processing problems.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    With abuse of notation, as m, n are not related to the time variables used earlier.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. TU Delft, Fac. EEMCS, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD, Delft, The Netherlands

    Alle-Jan van der Veen

  2. Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands

    Stefan J. Wijnholds

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  1. Alle-Jan van der Veen
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  2. Stefan J. Wijnholds
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Correspondence to Alle-Jan van der Veen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Dept. of Electrical and, University of Maryland, A. V. Williams Bldg. 2311, College Park, 20742, Maryland, USA

    Shuvra S. Bhattacharyya

  2. Leiden Inst. Advanced Computer Science, Leiden Embedded Research Center, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 1, Leiden, 2333 CA, Netherlands

    Ed F. Deprettere

  3. Software for Systems on Silicon, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, Aachen, 52056, Germany

    Rainer Leupers

  4. , Department of Pervasive Computing, Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 1, Tampere, 33720, Finland

    Jarmo Takala

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van der Veen, AJ., Wijnholds, S.J. (2013). Signal Processing Tools for Radio Astronomy. In: Bhattacharyya, S., Deprettere, E., Leupers, R., Takala, J. (eds) Handbook of Signal Processing Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6859-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6859-2_14

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