Tobia Carozzi

Utilization of Photon Orbital Angular Momentum in the Low-Frequency Radio Domain

We show numerically that vector antenna arrays can generate radio beams that exhibit spin and orbital angular momentum characteristics similar to those of helical Laguerre-Gauss laser beams in paraxial optics. For low frequencies (< or = 1 GHz), digital techniques can be used to coherently measure the instantaneous, local field vectors and to manipulate them in software. This enables new types of experiments that go beyond what is possible in optics. It allows information-rich radio astronomy and paves the way for novel wireless communication concepts.

Orbital Angular Momentum in Radio—A System Study

Recent discoveries concerning rotating (helical) phase fronts and orbital angular momentum (OAM) of laser beams are applied to radio frequencies and comprehensive simulations of a radio OAM system are performed. We find that with the use of vector field-sensing electric and magnetic triaxial antennas, it is possible to unambiguously estimate the OAM in radio beams by local measurements at a single point, assuming ideal (noiseless) conditions and that the beam axis is known. Furthermore, we show that conventional antenna pattern optimization methods can be applied to OAM-generating circular arrays to enhance their directivity.

Orbital angular momentum in radio: Measurement methods

Novel measurement and approximation methodologies for studying orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in radio beams, i.e., electromagnetic beam modes having helical phase fronts, are presented. We s ...

A Fundamental Figure of Merit for Radio Polarimeters

Many modern radio applications, such as astronomy and remote sensing, require high-precision polarimetry. These applications put exacting demands on radio polarimeters (antenna systems that can measure the state of polarization of radio sources), and in order to assess their polarimetric performance, a figure of merit (FoM) would be desirable. Unfortunately, we find that the parameter commonly used for this purpose, the cross-polarization ratio, is not suitable as a polarimetry FoM unless it is given in an appropriate coordinate system. This is because although the cross-polarization ratio is relevant for raw, uncalibrated polarimetry, in general it is not relevant to the quality of the polarimetry after polarimetric calibration. However, a cross-polarization ratio can be constructed from invariants of the Jones matrix (the matrix that describes the polarimetric response of a polarimeter) that quantifies polarimetric performance even after calibration. We call this cross-polarization ratio the intrinsic cross-polarization ratio (IXR) and conclude that it is a fundamental FoM for polarimeters. We then extend the IXR concept from the Jones calculus to the Mueller calculus and also to interferometers, and we give numerical examples of these parameters applied to the Parkes radio telescope, the Westerbork synthesis radio telescope, and the Effelsberg telescope.

A generalized measurement equation and van Cittert-Zernike theorem for wide-field radio astronomical interferometry

We derive a generalized van Cittert-Zernike (vC-Z) theorem for radio astronomy that is valid for partially polarized sources over an arbitrarily wide field of view (FoV). The classical vC-Z theorem is the theoretical foundation of radio astronomical interferometry, and its application is the basis of interferometric imaging. Existing generalized vC-Z theorems in radio astronomy assume, however, either paraxiality (narrow FoV) or scalar (unpolarized) sources. Our theorem uses neither of these assumptions, which are seldom fulfiled in practice in radio astronomy, and treats the full electromagnetic field. To handle wide, partially polarized fields, we extend the two-dimensional (2D) electric field (Jones vector) formalism of the standard ‘Measurement Equation’ (ME) of radio astronomical interferometry to the full three-dimensional (3D) formalism developed in optical coherence theory. The resulting vC-Z theorem enables full-sky imaging in a single telescope pointing, and imaging based not only on standard dual-polarized interferometers (that measure 2D electric fields) but also electric tripoles and electromagnetic vector-sensor interferometers. We show that the standard 2D ME is easily obtained from our formalism in the case of dual-polarized antenna element interferometers. We also exploit an extended 2D ME to determine that dual-polarized interferometers can have polarimetric aberrations at the edges of a wide FoV. Our vC-Z theorem is particularly relevant to proposed, and recently developed, wide FoV interferometers such as Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and Square Kilometer Array (SKA), for which direction-dependent effects will be important.

Subarcsecond international LOFAR radio images of the M82 nucleus at 118 MHz and 154 MHz

Context. The nuclear starburst in the nearby galaxy M82 provides an excellent laboratory for understanding the physics of star formation. This galaxy has been extensively observed in the past, revealing tens of radio-bright compact objects embedded in a di use free-free absorbing medium. Our understanding of the structure and physics of this medium in M82 can be greatly improved by high-resolution images at low frequencies where the e ects of free-free absorption are most prominent. Aims. The aims of this study are, firstly, to demonstrate imaging using international baselines of the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), and secondly, to constrain low-frequency spectra of compact and di use emission in the central starburst region of M82 via highresolution radio imaging at low frequencies. Methods. The international LOFAR telescope was used to observe M82 at 110 126 MHz and 146 162 MHz. Images were obtained using standard techniques from very long baseline interferometry. images were obtained at each frequency range: one only using international baselines, and one only using the longest Dutch (remote) baselines. Results. The 154 MHz image obtained using international baselines is a new imaging record in terms of combined image resolution (0.3 00 ) and sensitivity ( = 0:15 mJy/beam) at low frequencies (<327 MHz). We detected 16 objects at 154 MHz, six of these also at 118 MHz. Seven objects detected at 154 MHz have not been catalogued previously. For the nine objects previously detected, we obtained spectral indices and emission measures by fitting models to spectra (combining LOFAR with literature data). Four weaker but resolved features are also found: a linear (50 pc) filament and three other resolved objects, of which two show a clear shell structure. We do not detect any emission from either supernova 2008iz or from the radio transient source 43.78+59.3. The images obtained using remote baselines show di use emission, associated with the outflow in M82, with reduced brightness in the region of the edge-on star-forming disk.

Reconfigurable FPGA-Based Unit for Singular Value Decomposition of Large m x n Matrices

Singular value decomposition (SVD) allows the factorization of real or complex matrices providing quantitative information with fewer dimensions along which data points exhibit more variation. These days SVD computation is being used in numerous applications, and because of its importance, different approaches for SVD hardware computation have been proposed, however, their application is limited by the inherent SVD calculation complexity making it possible to analyze up to 8 x 8 matrices until now, complying certain constrains like symmetry. This paper presents a generic and novel FPGA-based hardware architecture for SVD computation on large m × n matrices utilizing Hestenes approach and one-side Jacobi rotations. Four different study cases (2 x 2, 8 x 7, 16 x 32, and 32 x 127 matrices) validate the performance of the FPGA-based computation unit reaching a maximum estimation error of 3.3718 % in the SVD estimation of a large matrix.

The LOFAR long baseline snapshot calibrator survey

Aims. An efficient means of locating calibrator sources for International LOFAR is developed and used to determine the average density of usable calibrator sources on the sky for subarcsecond observations at 140 MHz. Methods. We used the multi-beaming capability of LOFAR to conduct a fast and computationally inexpensive survey with the full International LOFAR array. Sources were pre-selected on the basis of 325 MHz arcminute-scale flux density using existing catalogues. By observing 30 different sources in each of the 12 sets of pointings per hour, we were able to inspect 630 sources in two hours to determine if they possess a sufficiently bright compact component to be usable as LOFAR delay calibrators. Results. Over 40% of the observed sources are detected on multiple baselines between international stations and 86 are classified as satisfactory calibrators. We show that a flat low-frequency spectrum (from 74 to 325 MHz) is the best predictor of compactness at 140 MHz. We extrapolate from our sample to show that the density of calibrators on the sky that are sufficiently bright to calibrate dispersive and non-dispersive delays for the International LOFAR using existing methods is 1.0 per square degree. Conclusions. The observed density of satisfactory delay calibrator sources means that observations with International LOFAR should be possible at virtually any point in the sky, provided that a fast and efficient search using the methodology described here is conducted prior to the observation to identify the best calibrator.

Subarcsecond international LOFAR radio images of Arp 220 at 150 MHz: A kpc-scale star forming disk surrounding nuclei with shocked outflows

Context. Arp 220 is the prototypical ultra luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG). Despite extensive studies, the structure at MHz-frequencies has remained unknown because of limits in spatial resolution. Aims: This work aims to constrain the flux and shape of radio emission from Arp 220 at MHz frequencies. Methods: We analyse new observations with the International Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope, and archival data from the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). We model the spatially resolved radio spectrum of Arp 220 from 150 MHz to 33 GHz. Results: We present an image of Arp 220 at 150 MHz with resolution 0.65 × 0.35, sensitivity 0.15 mJy beam-1, and integrated flux density 394 ± 59 mJy. More than 80% of the detected flux comes from extended (6≈ 2.2 kpc) steep spectrum (α = -0.7) emission, likely from star formation in the molecular disk surrounding the two nuclei. We find elongated features extending 0.3 (110 pc) and 0.9 (330 pc) from the eastern and western nucleus respectively, which we interpret as evidence for outflows. The extent of radio emission requires acceleration of cosmic rays far outside the nuclei. We find that a simple three component model can explain most of the observed radio spectrum of the galaxy. When accounting for absorption at 1.4 GHz, Arp 220 follows the FIR/radio correlation with q = 2.36, and we estimate a star formation rate of 220 M⊙ yr-1. We derive thermal fractions at 1 GHz of less than 1% for the nuclei, which indicates that a major part of the UV-photons are absorbed by dust. Conclusions: International LOFAR observations shows great promise to detect steep spectrum outflows and probe regions of thermal absorption. However, in LIRGs the emission detected at 150 MHz does not necessarily come from the main regions of star formation. This implies that high spatial resolution is crucial for accurate estimates of star formation rates for such galaxies at 150 MHz.

FPGA-based system for frequency detection of the main periodic component in time series information

This paper presents a novel algorithm, called the DFSWT, and its FPGA-based hardware processing unit for frequency estimation of a time series main periodic component. Since the DFSWT uses just additions and subtractions, it is simpler to compute than the FFT, and since its spectrum is a frequency function, it is more intuitive than the Walsh transform. The results show that the proposed algorithm is very efficient in detecting the frequency of the main periodic component, even in low SNR. The proposed hardware processing unit is 3 orders of magnitude faster than its respective software implementation and presents advantages regarding to power consumption, footprint, and computation speed against highly optimized commercially available FFT cores.