Performance Analysis Techniques for Real-time Broadband RFI Filtering System of uGMRT

TL;DR

This paper presents performance analysis techniques for a real-time broadband RFI filtering system implemented at uGMRT, demonstrating methods to evaluate filter effectiveness in different observation modes.

Contribution

It introduces specific analysis methods for testing and commissioning the broadband RFI filter in uGMRT's beamformer and correlator modes.

Findings

Spectrogram and Fourier analysis for beamformer mode

Cross-correlation and visibilities for correlator mode

Effective RFI filtering demonstrated in real observations

Abstract

Electromagnetic radiation from human activities, known as man-made Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), adversely affects radio astronomy observations. In the vicinity of the Upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) array, the sparking on power lines is the major cause of interference at observing frequencies less than 800 MHz. A real-time broadband RFI detection and filtering system is implemented as part of the uGMRT wideband signal processing backend to mitigate the effect of broadband RFI. Performance analysis techniques used for testing and commissioning the system for observations in the beamformer and correlator modes of the uGMRT are presented. The concept and implementation of recording simultaneous unfiltered and filtered data along with data analysis and interpretation is illustrated using an example. For the beamformer mode, spectrogram, single spectral channel, and its Fourier transform is used for performance analysis whereas, in the correlator mode, the cross-correlation function, closure phase, and visibilities from the simultaneously recorded unfiltered and filtered is carried out. These techniques are used for testing the performance of the broadband RFI filter and releasing it for uGMRT users.