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RFI and Pulsar Data. Rai Yuen QTT, 18 December 2014. The omni-presence RFI. A look at database revealed pulsar profiles are inconsistent. Common to find 5-6 out of 10 observation data that are heavily contaminated with RFI. Worse, don’t know the characteristic of the RFI -> removal is hard.
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RFI and Pulsar Data Rai Yuen QTT, 18 December 2014
The omni-presence RFI • A look at database revealed pulsar profiles are inconsistent. • Common to find 5-6 out of 10 observation data that are heavily contaminated with RFI. • Worse, don’t know the characteristic of the RFI -> removal is hard. • A discount of 10 yr data – but still good.
Some RFI information • RFI originates from many sources: • 3G signal can be up to million Jy, while pulsar signals are in the order of mJy. • from satellites, mobile phones and car sparks. • Characteristics: • narrowband: communication systems and TV, can be anywhere within the bandpass; lasts for < 1 to > few hundreds of second; power up to +50 dB. • wideband • pulse bursts: power line; 1- ~50 pulses each bursts; power up to +50 dB. • single pulse: ignition (car sparks); lasts from microsecond to hours; power up to +50 dB. • Ways to deal with them but we need to know their nature.
Pulse profile for PSR J0837+0610 (B0834+06) • There may be moderate to high RFI, but we do see the pulse. • speculate on the pulse width. • unsure of the pulse components. • hard for statistical studies. • Fit for pulsar timing, centre of pulse. • If RFI, probably need to discard it as it is too close to the real signal.
The same pulsar • Stockert 25m radio telescope. • Now we are talking! • But how to remove the RFI?
RFI Mitigation plan • Our telescope has stepped up to 26m, and need a long-term effective RFI mitigation plan. • Local: • potentially controllable. • regulatory protocols; • identify the signatures of RFI from our equipments. • External: • little we can do. • regularly monitoring of the changes in RFI. • again, identify their signatures and occurrences. • Best - establish a radio quiet zone.
Conclusions • RFI is everywhere! • What makes a telescope famous is not only for the dish size but equally due to having an effective plan for dealing with RFI. • RFI investigations have begun at XAO with several results. • Required equipments are in place. • We have the required expertises. • It is just a matter of time and collaboration before we have an effective RFI mitigation plan.