CHIME/FRB Outriggers: KKO Station System and Commissioning Results

Autor: Adam E. Lanman, Shion Andrew, Mattias Lazda, Vishwangi Shah, Mandana Amiri, Arvind Balasubramanian, Kevin Bandura, P. J. Boyle, Charanjot Brar, Mark Carlson, Jean-François Cliche, Nina Gusinskaia, Ian T. Hendricksen, J. F. Kaczmarek, Tom Landecker, Calvin Leung, Ryan Mckinven, Juan Mena-Parra, Nikola Milutinovic, Kenzie Nimmo, Aaron B. Pearlman, Andre Renard, Mubdi Rahman, J. Richard Shaw, Seth R. Siegel, Rick J. Smegal, Tomas Cassanelli, Shami Chatterjee, Alice P. Curtin, Matt Dobbs, Fengqiu Adam Dong, Mark Halpern, Hans Hopkins, Victoria M. Kaspi, Kholoud Khairy, Kiyoshi W. Masui, Bradley W. Meyers, Daniele Michilli, Emily Petroff, Tristan Pinsonneault-Marotte, Ziggy Pleunis, Masoud Rafiei-Ravandi, Kaitlyn Shin, Kendrick Smith, Keith Vanderlinde, Tarik J. Zegmott
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Astronomical Journal, Vol 168, Iss 2, p 87 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1538-3881
DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad5838
Popis: Localizing fast radio bursts (FRBs) to their host galaxies is an essential step to better understanding their origins and using them as cosmic probes. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)/FRB Outriggers program aims to add very long baseline interferometry localization capabilities to CHIME, such that FRBs may be localized to tens of milliarcsecond precision at the time of their discovery, more than sufficient for host galaxy identification. The first-built outrigger telescope is the Outrigger (KKO), located 66 km west of CHIME. Cross-correlating KKO with CHIME can achieve arcsecond precision along the baseline axis while avoiding the worst effects of the ionosphere. Since the CHIME–KKO baseline is mostly east/west, this improvement is mostly in right ascension. This paper presents measurements of KKO’s performance throughout its commissioning phase, as well as a summary of its design and function. We demonstrate KKO’s capabilities as a standalone instrument by producing full-sky images, mapping the angular and frequency structure of the primary beam, and measuring feed positions. To demonstrate the localization capabilities of the CHIME–KKO baseline, we collected five separate observations each, for a set of 20 bright pulsars, and aimed to measure their positions to within 5″. All of these pulses were successfully localized to within this specification. The next two outriggers are expected to be commissioned in 2024 and will enable subarcsecond localizations for approximately hundreds of FRBs each year.
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