ALPACA: Advanced Cryogenic L-band Phased Array Camera for the Arecibo Radio Telescope

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The objective of the program is to develop and deploy an Advanced Cryogenic L-Band Phased Array Camera for Arecibo (ALPACA) for the Arecibo Observatory 305 m radio telescope. With 40 beams, ALPACA will supersede the successful ALFA 7-beam receiver installed at Arecibo in 2004, increasing the survey speed by a factor of five. Major scientific objectives of the program include discovery of new pulsars, especially millisecond pulsars (MSPs) with stable periods suitable for inclusion in the program to detect gravitation radiation (NANOGrav), the detection and study of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), a census of gas-bearing low mass dark matter haloes in the local universe to test the validity of the Lambda/CDM cosmological model on small scales, and searches for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI). Broader impacts of the work include training of three graduate students in construction and commissioning of the instrument, and involvement of a potentially large number of undergraduates in planned large scale surveys (following the example of ALFA). These surveys will also be a vehicle for engaging interested citizen scientists in astronomy research. ALPACA will help maintain the Arecibo Observatory as a modern, cutting edge facility with numerous benefits for Puerto Rico, including advancing STEM training on the island. Unlike all other deployed phased array feed (PAF) receivers at other telescopes around the world, the ALPACA instrument will be cryogenically cooled. The design is based on the successful development at Cornell University, and testing on the Arecibo telescope, of a prototype 19 dual polarization dipole cryogenic PAF. Brigham Young University (BYU) participated in these tests by providing a narrowband digital beamformer back end and is developing a 150 MHz beamformer to be used with a 7-beam L-band PAF on the Green Bank 100m telescope.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.