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AA signal processing. Andrew Faulkner. Discussion. Signal processing is at the heart of SKA Aperture Arrays Ingredients: Distribution The core Digitisation Communications Data rates Beam precision Noise insertion?. UNIBOARDx CASPER AAVSx processing Scaleability RF over fibre
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AA signal processing Andrew Faulkner
Discussion Signal processing is at the heart of SKA Aperture Arrays • Ingredients: • Distribution • The core • Digitisation • Communications • Data rates • Beam precision • Noise insertion? • UNIBOARDx • CASPER • AAVSx processing • Scaleability • RF over fibre • Algorithm development • Programming tools
“Advanced”AA-low Station Cooling Stand-alone Elements Self powered element Fibre Station Processing RFI shielded Station Beams Control & Monitoring ...... Element Data ….... ...... C & M Clock ...... System clock Single or multiple fibres To Correlator & Services Power Grid
Core Design Core for SKA1AA-low becomes virtually fully filled. More so for SKA2. Core “stations” are not separated – there is a “sea” of elements Design options/considerations to be made: Implies interconnected “station processing”, especially for SKA2 • Non-circular “stations” easier? e.g. Square or hexagonal? • Maximising the sensitivity from each element: • overlapping “stations”? • smaller “stations” (how small) with more correlation? • Apodising element density within areas of the core: • Benefit? Save money? Correlation goes up as n2, post processing nx … Incoming data rate is constant
Standalone SKA-low element(option) Elements: 70-450MHz Solar panel ADC: 1GS/s Processing 50-100m all optical e/o Data e/o Control Power conditioning Analogue Energy storage Sync. e/o Benefits: Integrated single unit No copper connection Easy to deploy Minimum RFI Lightning “immunity” Challenges: Low total power Integration Manufacturability Packaging No need for digitisation boxes
AA-low element: RF on Fibre Elements: 70-450MHz e/o Data Pol1 e/o Power conditioning Data Pol 2 Analogue Still no need for digitisation boxes! Power over copper
Beamforming Processing 1st stage beamformer size: No. of elements to combine 1st stage o/p data rate: precision of station beams Digitisation resolution: From RFI environment Technology: AAVSx →SKA1→SKA2 Level of programmability: How much is “fixed” RFI excision: Algorithms and where Flexibility: Bandwidth/beams/bits etc. Inter-station comms: Variable station “sizes”, core Is Analogue beamforming a sensible consideration?
AA-mid signal path Front-end Tile Processing Station Processing ADC – Processor comms Analog Cond. ADC Antenna Tile Digital Processing Primary Station Processing Secondary Station Processing RF Beamforming To Correlator Gain Block LNA Signal Transport Clock Distribution Tile – station processor optical comms optical interconnect Wide area optical comms
Possible AA-mid construction ...... ...... ...... ...... Top View ...... ...... Non-conducting Guideframe Membrane Guideframe Beamformer Beamformer Ground plane The join! Tile support Ground
Station processing Similar for AA-low and AA-mid: • Station level beamforming on all the tiles • Distributes the clock information for all the tiles • Station calibration calculations and corrections (using the tile processors) • Transmits observation beams to the correlator • Station monitoring and control functions
Station processor Requirements: • High bandwidth in • High bandwidth out • Largely cross connected • Scaleable at various levels • Programmable beamforming
Two stage beamforming Filling “Tile beams” with station beams leads to discontinuities in the beamforming for off-centre beams Can be resolved with higher data rate Tile to station processor
AA Demonstrators Simple processing UNIBOARD? UNIBOARD2?
Discussion Signal processing is at the heart of SKA Aperture Arrays • Ingredients: • Distribution • The core • Digitisation • Communications • Data rates • Beam precision • Noise insertion? • UNIBOARDx • CASPER • AAVSx processing • Scaleability • RF over fibre • Algorithm development • Programming tools