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Journal ArticleDOI

Gigabit Digital Filter Bank: Digital Backend Subsystem in the VERA Data-Acquisition System

25 Feb 2005-Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan (Oxford University Press)-Vol. 57, Iss: 1, pp 259-271
TL;DR: The Gigabit Digital Filter Bank (GDFB) as discussed by the authors was developed for the VERA project, which is a project to construct a new Japanese VLBI array dedicated to make a 3D map of our Milky Way Galaxy in terms of high precision astrometry.
Abstract: The VERA terminal is a new data-acquisition system developed for the VERA project, which is a project to construct a new Japanese VLBI array dedicated to make a 3-D map of our Milky Way Galaxy in terms of highprecision astrometry. New technology, a gigabit digital filter, was introduced in the development. The importance and advantages of a digital filter for radio astronomy have been studied as follows: (1) the digital filter can realize a variety of observation modes and maintain compatibility with different data-acquisition systems (Kiuchi et al. 1997 and Iguchi et al. 2000a), (2) the folding noise occurring in the sampling process can be reduced by combination with a higher-order sampling technique (Iguchi, Kawaguchi 2002), (3) and an ideal sharp cut-off bandedge and a flat amplitude/phase responses are approached by using a large number of taps available to use LSI of a large number of logic cells (Iguchi et al. 2000a). We developed the custom Finite Impulse Response filter chips and manufactured the Gigabit Digital Filter Banks (GDFBs) as a digital backend subsystem in the VERA terminal. In this paper, the design and development of the GDFB are presented in detail, and the performances and demonstrations of the developed GDFB are shown.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed the Filter and FX (FFX) correlator, which consists of a 1st-stage Fourier transform as a filter and a 2nd-stage transform for spectroscopy.
Abstract: We established a new algorithm for a correlation process in radio astronomy. This scheme consists of a 1st-stage Fourier transform as a filter and a 2nd-stage Fourier transform for spectroscopy. The “FFX” correlator stands for Filter and FX architecture, since the 1st-stage Fourier transform is performed as a digital filter, and the 2nd-stage Fourier transform is performed as a conventional FX scheme. We developed FFX correlator hardware not only for verifying the FFX scheme algorithm, but also for applying to the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) telescope toward high-dispersion and wideband radio observations at submillimeter wavelengths. In this paper, we present the principle of the FFX correlator and its properties, as well as evaluation results with the production version.

13 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the first catalog from the Japanese VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometer) project VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry).
Abstract: We present the first astrometry catalog from the Japanese VLBI (very long baseline interferometer) project VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). We have compiled all the astrometry results from VERA, providing accurate trigonometric annual parallax and proper motion measurements. In total, 99 maser sources are listed in the VERA catalog. Among them, 21 maser sources are newly reported while the rest of 78 sources are referred to previously published results or those in preparation for forthcoming papers. The accuracy in the VERA astrometry are revisited and compared with those from the other VLBI astrometry projects such as BeSSeL (The Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy) Survey and GOBELINS (the Gould's Belt Distances Survey) with the VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array). We have confirmed that most of the astrometry results are consistent with each other, and the largest error sources are due to source structure of the maser features and their rapid variation, along with the systematic calibration errors and different analysis methods. Combined with the BeSSeL results, we estimate the up-to-date fundamental Galactic parameter of $R_{0}=7.92\pm0.16_{\rm{stat.}}\pm0.3_{\rm{sys.}}$~kpc and $\Omega_{\odot}=30.17\pm0.27_{\rm{stat.}}\pm0.3_{\rm{sys.}}$~km~s$^{-1}$~kpc$^{-1}$, where $R_{0}$ and $\Omega_{\odot}$ are the distance from the Sun to the Galactic center and the Sun's angular velocity of the Galactic circular rotation, respectively.

12 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of 22 GHz H2O masers in the high-mass star-forming region of W75N, carried out with VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) for three epochs in 2007 with an angular resolution of ~1.
Abstract: We present Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of 22 GHz H2O masers in the high-mass star-forming region of W75N, carried out with VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) for three epochs in 2007 with an angular resolution of ~1 mas. We detected H2O maser emission toward the radio jet in VLA 1 and the expanding shell-like structure in VLA 2. The spatial distribution of the H2O masers detected with VERA and measured proper motions around VLA 1 and VLA 2 are similar to those found with previous VLBI observations in epochs 1999 and 2005, with the masers in VLA 1 mainly distributed along a linear structure parallel to the radio jet and, on the other hand, forming a shell-like structure around VLA 2. We have made elliptical fits to the VLA 2 H2O maser shell-like structure observed in the different epochs (1999, 2005, and 2007), and found that the shell is still expanding eight years after its discovery. From the difference in the size of the semi-major axes of the fitted ellipses in epochs 1999 (71 ± 1 mas), 2005 (97 ± 3 mas), and 2007 (111 ± 1 mas), we estimate an average expanding velocity of ~5 mas yr–1, similar to the proper motions measured in the individual H2O maser features. A kinematic age of ~20 yr is derived for this structure. In addition, our VERA observations indicate an increase in the ellipticity of the expanding shell around VLA 2 from epochs 1999 to 2007. In fact, the elliptical fit of the VERA data shows a ratio of the minor and major axes of ~0.6, in contrast with an almost circular shape for the shell detected in 1999 and 2005 (b/a ~ 0.9). This suggests that we are probably observing the formation of a jet-driven H2O maser structure in VLA2, evolving from a non-collimated pulsed-outflow event during the first stages of evolution of a massive young stellar object (YSO). This may support predictions made earlier by other authors on this issue, consistent with recent magnetohydrodynamical simulations. We discuss possible implications of our results in the study of the first stages of evolution of massive YSOs.

12 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of 22 GHz H$_2$O masers in the high-mass star-forming region of W75N, carried out with VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) for three-epochs in 2007 with an angular resolution of $sim$ 1 mas.
Abstract: We present Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of 22 GHz H$_2$O masers in the high-mass star-forming region of \objectname{W75N}, carried out with VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) for three-epochs in 2007 with an angular resolution of $\sim$ 1 mas. We detected H$_2$O maser emission toward the radio jet in VLA 1 and the expanding shell-like structure in VLA 2. We have made elliptical fits to the VLA 2 H$_2$O maser shell-like structure observed in the different epochs (1999, 2005, and 2007), and found that the shell is still expanding eight years after its discovery. From the difference in the size of the semi-major axes of the fitted ellipses in the epochs 1999 ($\simeq$ 71$\pm$1 mas), 2005 ($\simeq$ 97$\pm$3 mas), and 2007 ($\simeq$ 111$\pm$1 mas), we estimate an average expanding velocity of $\sim$ 5 mas yr$^{-1}$, similar to the proper motions measured in the individual H$_2$O maser features. A kinematic age of $\sim$ 20 yr is derived for this structure. In addition, our VERA observations indicate an increase in the ellipticity of the expanding shell around VLA 2 from epochs 1999 to 2007. In fact, the elliptical fit of the VERA data shows a ratio between the minor and major axes of $\sim$ 0.6, in contrast with a most circular shape for the shell detected in 1999 and 2005 (b/a $\sim$ 0.9). This suggests that we are probably observing the formation of a jet-driven H$_2$O maser structure in VLA2, evolving from a non-collimated pulsed-outflow event during the first stages of evolution of a massive young stellar object (YSO). This may support predictions made earlier by other authors on this issue, consistent with recent magnetohydrodynamical simulations. We discuss possible implications of our results in the study of the first stages of evolution of massive YSOs.

11 citations


Cites methods from "Gigabit Digital Filter Bank: Digita..."

  • ...Left-handed circular polarization was received and sampled with 2-bit quantization, and filtered using the VERA digital filter unit (Iguchi et al. 2005)....

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References
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Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: In this paper, a theory of interferometry and synthesis imaging analysis of the Interferometer Response Geometric Relationships and Polarimetry Antennas and Arrays Response of the receiving system Design of the Analog Receiving System Digital Signal Processing Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry Calibration and Fourier Transformation of Visibility Data Deconvolution, Adaptive Calibrration, and Applications Interferometers Techniques for Astrometry and Geodesy Propagation Effects Van Cittert-Zernike Theorem, Spatial Coherence, and
Abstract: Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Introduction and Historical Review Introductory Theory of Interferometry and Synthesis Imaging Analysis of the Interferometer Response Geometric Relationships and Polarimetry Antennas and Arrays Response of the Receiving System Design of the Analog Receiving System Digital Signal Processing Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry Calibration and Fourier Transformation of Visibility Data Deconvolution, Adaptive Calibration, and Applications Interferometer Techniques for Astrometry and Geodesy Propagation Effects Van Cittert-Zernike Theorem, Spatial Coherence, and Scattering Radio Interference Related Techniques Principal Symbols Author Index Subject Index

2,025 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
23 May 2003-Science
TL;DR: Using the very-long-baseline interferometer, it is found that the unresolved radio core of 3C 66B shows well-defined elliptical motions with a period of 1.05 ± 0.03 years, which provides a direct detection of a supermassive black hole binary.
Abstract: Supermassive black hole binaries may exist in the centers of active galactic nuclei such as quasars and radio galaxies, and mergers between galaxies may result in the formation of supermassive binaries during the course of galactic evolution. Using the very-long-baseline interferometer, we imaged the radio galaxy 3C 66B at radio frequencies and found that the unresolved radio core of 3C 66B shows well-defined elliptical motions with a period of 1.05 ± 0.03 years, which provides a direct detection of a supermassive black hole binary.

147 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...This IF configuration is available and effective in the high-precision astrometric observation toward investigating the motion and position of radio sources; e.g. the detection of the Kepler orbital motion of some emission component close to black holes (Sudou et al. 2003)....

    [...]

Proceedings ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a commercial digital oscilloscope is used as a digitizer for the 25-BEam Array Receiver System (BEARS) of the Nobeyama 45m telescope.
Abstract: New digital spectrometers for the 25-BEam Array Receiver System (BEARS) of the Nobeyama 45-m telescope are described. A commercial digital oscilloscope is used as a digitizer. The digitizer samples analogue data with 2 bits (4 levels). Data of 512 MHz bandwidth are processed for four beams at the same time. The data-formatting unit demultiplexes 2 bits 8 data in parallel to 32 parallels and sends outputs to LSIs. General purpose LSIs for autocorrelation read the digital data with a clock rate of 32 MHz. Thirty-two LSIs of 32 lags connected in cascades calculate 1024-lag autocorrelation, and output a 1024-channel power spectrum of 512 MHz bandwidth. The bandwidth of 32 MHz is achieved by picking up the data in a rate of 1/16 in the front part of the autocorrelator module. The total performances have been demonstrated by long-term integration of noise signals from receivers and observations of the Galactic star-forming region W51 in CO line.

118 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the SIS 25-BEam Array Receiver System (BEARS) is described, which is a large focal plane array receiver system for the NRO 45 m telescope.
Abstract: A large focal plane array receiver system for the NRO 45 m telescope (SIS 25-BEam Array Receiver System, or BEARS) is described. This new array receiver uses SIS junctions and has 25 elements. It can operate at the frequency range of 82 - 116 GHz. The development of this new system is almost complete. We describe about the whole system in detail, which includes the receiver, the IF systems, the new spectrometers and the remote control systems. We also describe about the performances and the uniformity of the system and show the astronomical result.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

107 citations


"Gigabit Digital Filter Bank: Digita..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...The ADCs were fabricated by improving a digital oscilloscope made by Sony/Tektronix Company (as developed in the BEARS project: Sunada et al. 2000)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the results of the first dual-beam observations with VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry) were presented, and the results demonstrate the high capability of phase referencing, indicating that it is a promising tool for phase-referencing VLBI astrometry at 10 µas-level accuracy.
Abstract: We present the results of the first dual-beam observations with VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). The observations of a pair of H2O maser sources, W 49N and OH 43.8−0.1, were carried out on 2002 May 29 and July 23, and fringes of the H2O maser lines at 22GHz were successfully detected. While the residual fringe phases of both sources showed rapid variations over 360 ◦ due to the atmospheric fluctuation, the differential phase between the two sources remained constant for 1 hour with an r.m.s. of 8 ◦ , demonstrating that the atmospheric phase fluctuation was effectively removed by dual-beam phase referencing. An analysis based on the Allan standard deviation reveals that the differential phase is mostly dominated by white phase noise, and the coherence function calculated from the differential phase shows that after phase referencing the fringe visibility can be integrated for an arbitrarily long time. These results demonstrate VERA’s high capability of phase referencing, indicating that it is a promising tool for phase-referencing VLBI astrometry at 10 µas-level accuracy.

67 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...The results of the first dual-beam observations with our developed VERA GDFB were presented by Honma et al. (2003), demonstrating that the atmospheric phase fluctuation was effectively removed by dual-beam phase referencing....

    [...]