STARFIRE: An algorithm for estimating radio frequency interference in orbits around Earth
arXiv:2302.03799 · doi:10.1016/j.ascom.2023.100727
Abstract
Ground-based 21-cm experiments targeting the global signal from the periods of Cosmic Dawn (CD) and Epoch of Reionization (EoR) are susceptible to adverse effects presented by i) the ionosphere ii) antenna chromaticity induced by objects in its vicinity iii) terrestrial radio frequency interference (RFI). Terrestrial RFI is particularly challenging as the FM radio band spanning over 88-108 MHz lies entirely within the frequency range of the CD/EoR experiments ( MHz). Multiple space-based experiments have been proposed to operate in the radio-quiet zone on the lunar farside. An intermediate option in cost and complexity is an experiment operating in space in an orbit around Earth, which readily alleviates the first two challenges. However, the effect of RFI in Earth's orbit on the detection of global signal needs to be quantitatively evaluated. We present STARFIRE -- Simulation of TerrestriAl Radio Frequency Interference in oRbits around Earth -- an algorithm that provides an expectation of FM seeded RFI at different altitudes over Earth. Using a limited set of publicly available FM transmitter databases, which can be extended by the user community, we demonstrate the use of the STARFIRE framework to generate a three-dimensional spatio-spectral cube of RFI as would be measured in Earth orbit. Applications of STARFIRE include identifying minimum RFI orbits around Earth, producing RFI spectra over a particular location, and generating RFI heatmaps at specific frequencies for a range of altitudes. STARFIRE can be easily adapted for different frequencies, altitudes, antenna properties, RFI databases, and combined with astrophysical sky-models. This can be used to estimate the effect of RFI on the detection of global 21-cm signal from Earth-orbit, and hence for sensitivity estimates and experiment design of an Earth orbiting CD/EoR detection experiment.
15 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables. Accepted version: Published in Astronomy and Computing
References in corpus (18)
- Cosmology at Low Frequencies: The 21 cm Transition and the High-Redshift Universe
- Observational constraints on Cosmic Reionization
- Testing for calibration systematics in the EDGES low-band data using Bayesian model selection
- BIGHORNS - Broadband Instrument for Global HydrOgen ReioNisation Signal
- Foreground Model and Antenna Calibration Errors in the Measurement of the Sky-Averaged λ21 cm Signal at z~20
- The subtlety of Ly-a photons: changing the expected range of the 21-cm signal
- Discovering the Sky at the Longest wavelengths with a lunar orbit array
- SARAS 3 CD/EoR Radiometer: Design and Performance of the Receiver
- Quantifying Ionospheric Effects on Global 21-cm Observations
- GMOSS: All-sky model of spectral radio brightness based on physical components and associated radiative processes
- Antenna beam characterisation for the global 21cm experiment LEDA and its impact on signal model parameter reconstruction
- Informing antenna design for sky-averaged 21-cm experiments using a simulated Bayesian data analysis pipeline
- Lunar Orbit Measurement of Cosmic Dawn 21 cm Global Spectrum
- Characterizing the Radio Quiet Region Behind the Lunar Farside for Low Radio Frequency Experiments
- Lost Horizon: Quantifying the Effect of Local Topography on Global 21-cm Cosmology Data Analysis
- A Bayesian approach to modelling spectrometer data chromaticity corrected using beam factors -- I. Mathematical formalism
- Analytic approximations of scattering effects on beam chromaticity in 21-cm global experiments
- FARSIDE: A Low Radio Frequency Interferometric Array on the Lunar Farside