Low-RFI Radio Astronomical Signal Processing for High-Speed Transient Analyses

我们在此建议开发关键的、rfi静音技术，适用于处理射电天文信号，使我们能够实时搜索天空中容易被rfi混淆的快速瞬变事件，即快速射电暴（frb），最终以革命性的精度定位它们的位置。这些事件最近受到了大量的科学关注，精确的定位将有助于通过确定它们的环境来揭示它们的本质：超新星遗迹、银河系中心和其他提议的位置。加拿大在射电天文学方面有着悠久的卓越历史，近年来，该领域与数字技术一起经历了复兴。现代射电望远镜不再使用反射镜和透镜，而是利用现有的巨大计算能力，对光线进行数字化操作和处理，形成图像。不幸的是，在这种新模式中提供所需计算重量的设备也会产生大量的废热和被称为射频干扰（RFI）的伪无线电发射。这些担忧，以及不断增加的操作电力需求，阻碍了远程无线电观测站利用这些新技术的能力。整合行业驱动的异构处理元素，如图形处理单元（gpu）可以显著降低计算成本，而AMD是图形处理单元（gpu）的世界领先制造商，它几乎完美地适合于这项任务。同时，微处理器的液冷已经开始在全球的数据处理中心和个人电脑中找到一个家，CoolIT系统公司是大型微处理器液冷发展的领导者。通过开发一个基于这些技术和现代处理算法的统一系统，我们将为加拿大公司在射电天文学方面取得进展，并将在解决快速射电暴问题方面处于有利地位。

We propose here to develop critical, RFI-quiet technology, suitable for processing radio astronomical signals,to allow us to search the sky in real time for easily-RFI-confused rapid transient events known as Fast RadioBursts (FRBs), ultimately to localize their positions with revolutionary precision. These events have receivedsubstantial scientific interest of late, and a precise localization will help reveal their nature by pinpointing theirenvironment: supernova remnant vs galactic centre vs other proposed locations.Canada a long history of excellence in radio astronomy, and in recent years the field has been experiencing arenaissance alongside digitial technologies. Rather than using mirrors and lenses, modern radio telescopesmanipulate and process light digitally to form images, leveraging the huge computational power now available.Unfortunately, the equipment which provides the computational heft demanded in this new paradigm alsogenerates large quantities of both waste heat and spurious radio emission known as Radio FrequencyInterference (RFI). These concerns, along with the increasing electrical demands of operation, hamstring theability of remote radio observatories to leverage these new technologies.Incorporation of industry-driven heterogenous processing elements such as Graphical Processing Units (GPUs)can dramatically lower the cost of computation, and AMD is a world-leading manufacturer of GraphicsProcessing Units (GPUs), which are near-ideally suited to the task. Liquid cooling of microprocessorsmeanwhile has begun to find a home in data processing centres and PCs worldwide, and CoolIT Systems is aleader in the development of large-scale microprocessor liquid cooling. By developing a unified system basedon these technologies and modern processing algorithms, we will build inroads for Canadian companies inradio astronomy, and will be well positioned to tackle the question of FRBs.