Oral Presentation

Implementation of Very Large Baseline Interferometry with Outrigger station at RRI, India

Author(s): Somnath Dutta (ASIAA)

Presenter: Somnath Dutta (Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics/ASIAA)

Detection and localization of the origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been a challenge due to the observational difficulties. Recently the Taiwanese FRB community launched a new FRB telescope project in Taiwan: the Bustling Universe Radio Survey Telescope in Taiwan (BURSTT). A few outrigger stations have been planned for the very large baselines, eventually to achieve more precise localization of FRBs. One of the largest baseline outrigger stations is at Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore, India. The station is ~ 5000 km away from the main station FUSHAN. So far the site at RRI observatory has been selected. A few antennas of BURSTT have been installed in the observatory. Initial RFI surveys have been performed. The features suggest interference from TV and mobile signals, although a relatively radio quiet band than other BURSTT stations. Software installation and other antenna preparations are ongoing. Phase I will comprise 16 elements operated off a single RFSOC, which will be eventually expanded to 64 elements. Being at one of the largest baselines, this station will allow milliarcsecond localization.