SETIBURST: A Robotic, Commensal, Realtime Multi-Science Backend for the Arecibo Telescope

Abstract

Radio astronomy has traditionally depended on observatories allocating time to observers for exclusive use of their telescopes. The disadvantage of this scheme is that the data thus collected is rarely used for other astronomy applications, and in many cases, is unsuitable. For example, properly calibrated pulsar search data can, with some reduction, be used for spectral line surveys. A backend that supports plugging in multiple applications to a telescope to perform commensal data analysis will vastly increase the science throughput of the facility. In this paper, we present 'SETIBURST', a robotic, commensal, realtime multi-science backend for the 305-m Arecibo Telescope. The system uses the 1.4 GHz, seven-beam Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) receiver whenever it is operated. SETIBURST currently supports two applications: SERENDIP VI, a SETI spectrometer that is conducting a search for signs of technological life, and ALFABURST, a fast transient search system that is conducting a survey of fast radio bursts (FRBs). Based on the FRB event rate and the expected usage of ALFA, we expect 0-5 FRB detections over the coming year. SETIBURST also provides the option of plugging in more applications. We outline the motivation for our instrumentation scheme and the scientific motivation of the two surveys, along with their descriptions and related discussions.

arXiv comment13 pages; Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• The Breakthrough Listen Search for Intelligent Life: A Wideband Data Recorder System for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope
• First SETI Observations with China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST)
• Initial results from a realtime FRB search with the GBT
• Possible Photometric Signatures of Moderately Advanced Civilizations: The Clarke Exobelt
• ALFABURST: A commensal search for Fast Radio Bursts with Arecibo
• Verifying and Reporting Fast Radio Bursts
• GREENBURST: a commensal fast radio burst search back-end for the Green Bank Telescope
• Intermittent Signals and Planetary Days in SETI
• SETI@home: Data Analysis and Findings
• SETI@home: Data Acquisition and Front-End Processing
• Initial Results from the ALFABURST Survey