Oct 24, 2022
Jane Kacamarek, DRAO - CHIME/FRB Outriggers
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are enigmatic bursts of light of cosmic origin. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope has detected more than 1,000 of these bursts with its dedicated transient-search backend (CHIME/FRB). As transformational as CHIME has been in expanding this area of research, the telescope can only localise the FRBs with a precision equivalent to a quarter of the full moon. With the goal of localising 1,000 FRBs to their host galaxy in less than two years, CHIME/FRB is now expanding to include a dedicated very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) array of transcontinental outrigger stations. In this talk, I will motivate the Outrigger project and its goals, discuss how we are overcoming the challenges of low-frequency VLBI, and give a project update and timeline.
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are enigmatic bursts of light of cosmic origin. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope has detected more than 1,000 of these bursts with its dedicated transient-search backend (CHIME/FRB). As transformational as CHIME has been in expanding this area of research, the telescope can only localise the FRBs with a precision equivalent to a quarter of the full moon. With the goal of localising 1,000 FRBs to their host galaxy in less than two years, CHIME/FRB is now expanding to include a dedicated very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) array of transcontinental outrigger stations. In this talk, I will motivate the Outrigger project and its goals, discuss how we are overcoming the challenges of low-frequency VLBI, and give a project update and timeline.