Commensal observing with the Allen Telescope array: software command and control

TL;DR

The paper describes the software command and control system for the Allen Telescope Array, enabling simultaneous operation of multiple science back-ends for diverse radio astronomy and SETI projects.

Contribution

It introduces a flexible software control architecture that supports commensal observing with multiple back-ends on the ATA.

Findings

Successful integration of multiple back-ends for simultaneous observations

Automated scheduling optimizes multi-project science operations

System supports diverse radio astronomy and SETI experiments

Abstract

The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is a Large-Number-Small-Diameter radio telescope array currently with 42 individual antennas and 5 independent back-end science systems (2 imaging FX correlators and 3 time domain beam formers) located at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO). The goal of the ATA is to run multiple back-ends simultaneously, supporting multiple science projects commensally. The primary software control systems are based on a combination of Java, JRuby and Ruby on Rails. The primary control API is simplified to provide easy integration with new back-end systems while the lower layers of the software stack are handled by a master observing system. Scheduling observations for the ATA is based on finding a union between the science needs of multiple projects and automatically determining an efficient path to operating the various sub-components to meet those needs. When completed, the ATA is expected to be a world-class radio telescope, combining dedicated SETI projects with numerous radio astronomy science projects.