The Aperture Array Verification System 1: System overview and early commissioning results

TL;DR

This paper presents the system overview and early commissioning results of AAVS1, a prototype low-frequency radio telescope for the SKA, including calibration, stability, and sensitivity tests.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive system description and initial performance results of AAVS1, a prototype for the SKA Low Frequency Aperture Array.

Findings

Successful array calibration and stability testing

Initial beam-forming and sensitivity validation achieved

Lessons learned for future SKA developments

Abstract

The design and development process for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, the Low Frequency Aperture Array component, was progressed during the SKA pre-construction phase by an international consortium, with the goal of meeting requirements for a critical design review. As part of the development process a full-sized prototype SKA Low station was deployed, the Aperture Array Verification System 1 (AAVS1). We provide a system overview and describe the commissioning results of AAVS1, which is a low frequency radio telescope with 256 dual-polarisation log-periodic dipole antennas working as a phased array. A detailed system description is provided, including an in-depth overview of relevant sub-systems, ranging from hardware, firmware, software, calibration,and control sub-systems. Early commissioning results cover initial bootstrapping, array calibration, stability testing, beam-forming,and on-sky sensitivity validation. Lessons learned are presented, along with future developments.