Road to MeerKAT KAT-7 DBE Alan Langman
Feb 24, 2016
Road to MeerKATKAT-7 DBE
Alan Langman
meerKAT
Overview
• Objectives of meerKAT• Location Location Location• MeerKAT Engineering Specification• Prototypes to MeerKAT• KAT-7• Mention Control Interface• Other research• Questions?
Build a world class radio telescope (up to 80 dishes)Choose a frequency range that is likely to have high science impact. Commission a 7 dish system from end of 2009, engineering risk mitigation and do some early science.Train a new generation of scientists and engineers who are capable to participate in large international projects, such as the SKA. Provide an excellent facility for local and international scientists.Implement mission-driven innovation to mobilise industry, academia and research fraternity.SKA pathfinder
KAT/MeerKAT Objectives
SKA Bid - Remote site
The SKA & KAT site
South African Radio Frequency Measurement Campaign
Radio Frequency Environment HartRAO
MeerKAT SpecificationsParameter Minimum scenario Goal scenario
Frequency range 0.5-2.5 GHz 0.5 - 3 GHz
Expandable to include bands >8 GHz
Ae/Tsys 200 m2/K 300 m2/K
Feed & FoV Single-pixel wideband feed giving natural
primary beam FoV
Dish diameter 12 m
Number of dishes 80 100
Tsys 30 K 25 K
Array configuration 70% core array with 500m max. baseline.
30% extended array with 10km max.
baseline.
Instantaneous bandwidth 512 MHz 1024 MHz
Number of channels 16 k 64 k
Polarisation purity -25dB -25dB
Dynamic Range 50 dB
Phased array beams 5 > 5
MeerKAT DBE Functions
• Imaging (continuum + spectral line)• Beamforming(continuum + spectral line)• Pulsar Timing• Transient Detection• Baseband recording• VLBI• (and more … scope is still under revision)
Operations Centre(Cape Town)
Station Controller (Karoo)
Internet access
Front end station processor
Digital Receiver
Back end station processor
User (Scientist)
Optical RF links:80 x 2 optical links (80 dishes, 2 polarisations)
Station data:High speed, large data volume, long distance data transfer Karoo Station to off-site data processing facility.
Station data:Distribution internationally, typically over TCP/IP.
Key interfaces
Dishes and Feeds:80 x 12 m dishes, each equipped with a single pixel prime focus feed
What is the KAT/MeerKAT?
The prototyping phases
KAT-7 construction & commissioning
Experimental development model (XDM)
Phased Experimental Demonstrator (PED) 4x3x2 FPA
Completed
Current – at HartRAO
Current – at SAAO
On the proposed SKA site in Karoo – 2008 onwards
MeerKAT roll-out & commissioning
Same site in the Karoo – 2009 onwards
11 April 2007
Drift scan across Cygnus A
First extra-galactic object recorded by XDM – 17/07/2007
KAT-7
7
KAT-7 SpecificationsParameter Spec
Dish diameter 12 m
Number of dishes 7
Tsys 30 K
Frequency range 0.5-3 GHz
Array configuration < 100 m
Feed configuration Single pixel
feed, prime
focus
Instantaneous
bandwidth
256 MHz
Number of channels 16 k
MeerKAT DBE Functions
• Imaging (continuum + spectral line)• Beamforming(continuum + spectral line)• Pulsar Timing• Baseband recording• VLBI
KAT-7 Functional View
System health state displays
Radio sources
Task execution control
Task signal displays
Task definition
Task data products
Telescope
Data capturing machine
Task planning
tool
Post-processing
Task parameters
Raw data:(a i) Dish baseband(a ii) Tied-array baseband(a iii) Tied-array auto-correlation(b) Visibilities
Task instruction set
Task execution & resource
management
Modes:(a) Tied-array(b) Correlator
Task types:Single-dish tasks:- Single-dish tipping curve- Single-dish gain curve
Single-dish/tied-array tasks:- Tied-array operator control- Tied-array raw data capture- Tied-array spectroscopy- Tied-array pulsar monitoring- Tied-array pointing & gain measurement
Correlator tasks:- Gain&phase stability- Correlator operator control- Correlator raw data capture- Baseline calibration- Pointing calibration- Holography- Imaging
Operator
Observer
Operator
Task list
Raw data
Raw data Operator
Observer
- Tied-array displays- Correlator displays
Generate signal
displays
Operator
Task instruction set
Operator control(for manual tasks)
Task instruction set
Real-time (scan level) control
Contextual information
Generate system health
displays
Operator
Maintainer
RF in
Maintainer
Maintainer
KAT-7 Physical Architecure
ANTENNA SERVICES CONTAINER
Antenna Assembly (1 of 7)
Trench Trench
COMPUTING CONTAINER
CONTROL & MONITORING CONTAINER
Fibre
SITE COMPLEX
SW – LAN Switch n – (Antennas 1 to 7)VOIP – Voice Over IP terminalTRF – Time & Frequency ReferenceC&M – Monitor & Control PC – Personal Computer RF – Radio Frequency
Installation Interfaces
Key: Responsibilities
Telescope
Telescope
Ancillaries
Ancillaries
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
System Engineering Diagram seriesDiagram 3f: Installation Interfaces: Telescope to Ancillaries/Infrastructure25 June 2008
Fire SystemIntrusion SensorVOIP Point
Ancillary Equipment
C&M Network SW
C&M PC
Power System
Telescope Cabinet
C&M Network SW
Telescope Cabinet
Data Network SW
Fire System Intrusion SensorVOIP Point
Ancillary Equipment
Power System
TransformersUPS/DC SystemDiesel GeneratorPower Monitor
Fire Sensor
POWER ROOM
Shed
Network SW
Patch Panel
Fire SystemIntrusion SensorVOIP PointCCTV
Telescope Cabinet
Ancillary Equipment
Power SystemCooling Plant
Weather StationInterface Unit
Network SW
Antenna Drives
Antenna Controller
RF Stage 5
Heat Exchanger
Cooling Sensor
Ancillary Equipment
Power System
Telescope Cabinet
Cooling Splitter
Fibre
Accommodation
/3
/3
/3
Cooling Plant
ICD-M-01
ICD-M-05ICD-M-06
ICD-M-07
ICD-M-04
ICD-M-03
ICD-M-02
ICD-M-09
ICD-M-08
ICD-M-13
ICD-M-12
ICD-M-14
FEED ASSEMBLY
ICD-M-11
ICD-M-10
Operator Panel
Operator Panel
Cape Town Support Base
Carnavon Support Base
ICD-M-16
Air
Con
ditio
ner
Com
pres
sor
Air
Con
ditio
ner
Com
pres
sor
Network SW
Long distance Fibre Terminal Unit
SITE COMPLEX CONTAINER
DBE & RF Subsystem
Fire SystemIntrusion SensorVOIP Point
Ancillary Cabinet
ICD-M-15
BMS PC
Ancillary Equipment
TBD
DBE Architecture for KAT-7
Mechanical
Roach
katADC Requirements
• The katADC shall include an E2PROM to store configuration information.
• The katADC shall operate from 50MHz to 1GHz (goal 1.5GHz).
• The katADC shall sample data with more than 6.5 ENOB over the full operating frequency range.
• The katADC shall have a 50 ohm termination on the input, switchable via a suitable RF switch.
• The katADC shall have 30dB RF gain control• The katADC shall have an onboard PLL clock generator. • The katADC shall have RFI shielding.
katADC
Gateware/Firmware
• 100% CASPER tools• Developed Board Support Package for
ROACH• Integrated into toolchain• U-boot port on board• Ready for ROACH
Control / Monitoring
• Control interface are lines of text– Similar to tinysh, but with two differences:
• Syntax somewhat more formal, more amenable to machine parsing
• Not only set and get commands – commands defined for application domain (eg: start a data capture)
• In concept similar to a shell, but also SMTP, IMAP, POP, FTP
Implementation
• Runs out of FPGA blockrams on PPC• Control protocol runs over serial port• Multiple simultaneous data products over
network interfaces (100Mbit, 10Gbit):– Histograms (2 * 256 bins)– Radiometers (2 * integrated power value)– Spectrometer (1024 channels, IQUV
integrated)– Raw (2 * 1024 complex values)
Datastream control
• Create and destroy streams• Set up parameters for data products• Start and stop data streams• Data transfer
– High speed data products emitted autonomously by gateware over 10Gbit
– Lower bandwidth data products transferred by processor via 100Mbit interface
Example Command
• Broadcast histogram data for 15 seconds:• ?capture-create stream1• ?capture-source stream1 hist• ?capture-destination stream1
xdp1:192.168.20.255:7002• ?channel-dump-rate stream1 4• ?capture-start stream1 1194508376• ?capture-stop stream1 1194508391• ?capture-destroy stream1
Other control and monitoring
• Set time• Configure network interfaces• Dump and restore settings to survive
reprogramming• Report log events• ...
hiBOB (M. Aitken)
hubbleADC (J. Salkinder)
www.ska.ac.zawww.kat.ac.za
www.hartrao.ac.za