1-bit raw voltage recording system for dedicated observations of transients at low radio frequencies

TL;DR

This paper presents a 1-bit raw voltage recording system for low-frequency radio transient observations, enabling simultaneous multi-directional observations, reduced data volume, and efficient archival for pulsar studies.

Contribution

Introduction of a 1-bit raw voltage recording system (GAPS) that enhances low-frequency pulsar observations with multiple offline beams and efficient data management.

Findings

System allows simultaneous observations in multiple sky directions.

Reduces data volume and storage requirements.

Enables flexible re-analysis of archived data.

Abstract

Recently we had reported commissioning of a prototype for pulsar observations at low radio frequencies (<100 MHz) using log-periodic dipole antennas (LPDAs) in the Gauribidanur Radio Observatory near Bangalore in India. The aforementioned system (GAuribidanur Pulsar System, GAPS) is currently being augmented to directly digitize the radio frequency signals from the individual antennas in the array. Our initial results using 1-bit raw voltage recording system indicates that such a back-end receiver offers distinct advantages like, (i) simultaneous observations of any set of desired directions in the sky with multiple offline beams and smaller data rate/volume, (ii) archival of the observed data with minimal resources for re-analysis in the future, either in the same or different set of directions in the sky.