Research

We build analog front ends, FPGA correlators, timing systems and software for wide-field radio telescopes. Our work follows the signal from the antenna feed through the computing that turns raw voltages into astronomical measurements.

Fast radio bursts

A fast radio burst lasts about a millisecond. CHIME surveys much of the northern sky at once, so it detects these bursts often, but a single site cannot say precisely where on the sky a burst originated.

To locate a burst, the outrigger stations at Green Bank, Hat Creek and KKO record it at the same time as CHIME. These stations are thousands of kilometers apart. Their signals are correlated by very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), and the best measurements place a burst in a specific region of its host galaxy.

Our lab builds the analog front ends, timing systems and clock distribution for these stations, which keep the sites coherent. Our software converts the recorded voltages into a sky position.

Neutral hydrogen

Neutral hydrogen traces the large-scale structure of the universe. CHIME and HIRAX measure its faint radio emission to study the accelerated expansion of the universe, a method known as 21 cm intensity mapping. Our work on these telescopes connects sensitive receivers to digital signal processing.

Calibration and interference

Calibration and interference control are used to distinguish astronomical signals from instrument effects and unwanted radio emission. These projects cover electronics, testing and data analysis.

Where we work

Each site below lists the instruments we run or contribute to there. Our collaborators are listed on a page of their own.

Students in the lab build hardware that ends up at these sites. Write to us about undergraduate and graduate research.