The Australia Telescope Compact Array Broadband Backend (CABB)
Warwick E. Wilson (1), R.H. Ferris (1), P. Axtens (1), A. Brown (1),, E. Davis (1), G. Hampson (1), M. Leach (1), P. Roberts (1), S. Saunders (1),, B.S. Koribalski (1), J.L. Caswell (1), E. Lenc (1), J. Stevens (1), M.A., Voronkov (1), M.H. Wieringa (1), K. Brooks (1)

TL;DR
The paper introduces the upgraded Australia Telescope Compact Array with a new broadband backend system that significantly enhances observational capabilities, enabling new scientific projects and improved data quality.
Contribution
It details the design and first results of the CABB system, which greatly increases bandwidth, sensitivity, and spectral resolution of the ATCA.
Findings
Enhanced radio continuum and polarization sensitivity.
Improved spectral line detection over large velocity ranges.
Successful initial science results demonstrating increased capability.
Abstract
Here we describe the Compact Array Broadband Backend (CABB) and present first results obtained with the upgraded Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). The 16-fold increase in observing bandwidth, from 2 x 128 MHz to 2 x 2048 MHz, high bit sampling, and addition of 16 zoom windows (each divided into a further 2048 channels) provide major improvements for all ATCA observations. The benefits of the new system are: (1) hugely increased radio continuum and polarization sensitivity as well as image fidelity, (2) substantially improved capability to search for and map emission and absorption lines over large velocity ranges, (3) simultaneous multi-line and continuum observations, (4) increased sensitivity, survey speed and dynamic range due to high-bit sampling, and (5) high velocity resolution, while maintaining full polarization output. The new CABB system encourages all observers to…
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