PEACC -- Precision Emitter for 21 cm Array Coherent Calibration
Kalyani Bhopi, Morgan Cole, Mallory Helfenbein, Will Tyndall, Audrey Whitmer, Kevin Bandura, and Laura Newburgh

TL;DR
PEACC is a digitally synthesized, drone-deployable calibration source for 21 cm intensity mapping, enabling precise, wideband, synchronized calibration to improve foreground mitigation and beam calibration.
Contribution
This work introduces PEACC, a novel aerial calibration system with dual-source architecture, validated through chamber tests and drone deployment, advancing calibration techniques for 21 cm experiments.
Findings
Correlated channel outperforms auto-correlation across all SNR regimes.
PEACC successfully deployed on a drone, demonstrating free-space coherent calibration.
First demonstration of a clock-synchronized, drone-mounted calibration source for 21 cm arrays.
Abstract
Foreground mitigation remains a central challenge for 21 cm intensity mapping experiments, which require precise, wideband calibration of telescope beams and gains. We present the Precision Emitter for 21 cm Array Coherent Calibration (PEACC), a digitally synthesized calibration source that generates Gaussian noise across a 1.2 GHz bandwidth, time-synchronized to a 1 pulse-per-second output from a GPS-disciplined oscillator, and optimized for aerial deployment. PEACC uses a dual-source architecture with one unit mounted on an aerial platform and a second reference unit connected directly to the radio data acquisition system; this configuration enables improved sensitivity in the low-SNR regime and direct phase measurement. The system further supports configurable band selection, allowing adaptation to various 21 cm intensity mapping telescopes. We validated PEACC through anechoic…
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