New Wide-band Digital Technology and Interference Excision for Radio Astronomy

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Radio astronomy lets us see an otherwise invisible side of the Universe, and in doing so allows us to study topics as diverse as the birthplaces of stars and planets, black holes and Einstein's theories, and the very fate of the Universe. Research in these areas is becoming increasingly difficult, however, because so much of the technology that we rely on in our daily lives, like cell phones and wireless internet, also emit radio waves. These can overwhelm weak cosmic signals. This project will make use of cutting edge digital technology to develop the next generation of sensitive detectors for radio telescopes. It will also improve our ability to share the radio spectrum with non-astronomers by differentiating between human-made and cosmic radio signals. This project will provide an educational experience for first-generation college students. It will give them a hands-on research experience and the skills needed for future success in technical fields.New analog and digital technology is making it feasible to process ever larger radio bandwidths; but this comes as the radio spectrum is seeing increasing commercial, civil, and private use. This project will develop the next generation of digital technology for radio astronomy. It will lay the foundation for more stable and sensitive wide-bandwidth, high data-rate instruments on the world's most sensitive radio telescopes. At the same time, the project will develop new techniques for identifying and removing human-made radio signals while preserving scientific data. The project includes a summer internship for first-generation college students. Students will help to build a catalog of human-made radio signals while learning valuable professional and technical skills.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.