Holographic beam mapping of the CHIME pathfinder array

2016/07/06 by Philippe Berger, Laura B. Newburgh, Laura Newburgh +49
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Beam (structure) #Computer science #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Holography #Optics #Pathfinder #Physics #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology #World Wide Web #astro-ph.CO #astro-ph.IM

paper · pdf · doi:10.1117/12.2233782

16 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to Proc. SPIE, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation (2016)

arxiv created 2016/07/06 · openalex publication_date 2016/08/18 · arxiv updated 2016/09/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) Pathfinder radio telescope is currently surveying the northern hemisphere between 400 and 800 MHz. By mapping the large scale structure of neutral hydrogen through its redshifted 21 cm line emission between <i>z</i>&sim;0.8-2.5 CHIME will contribute to our understanding of Dark Energy. Bright astrophysical foregrounds must be separated from the neutral hydrogen signal, a task which requires precise characterization of the polarized telescope beams. Using the DRAO John A. Galt 26 m telescope, we have developed a holography instrument and technique for mapping the CHIME Pathfinder beams. We report the status of the instrument and initial results of this effort.

Citations

• The NRAO VLA Sky Survey
• Cosmology at Low Frequencies: The 21 cm Transition and the High-Redshift Universe
• Primary Beam and Dish Surface Characterization at the Allen Telescope Array by Radio Holography
• Precision calibration of radio interferometers using redundant baselines
• Reionization and Cosmology with 21-cm Fluctuations
• The VLA Low-Frequency Sky Survey