Real-time station monitor and stationtest pipelines for LOFAR 2.0

Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) is distributed across several European countries. Each LOFAR station contains thousands of antennas and associated electronics, making monitoring and thorough testing of those components essential to ensure station reliability. We discuss various anomalies that may arise in LOFAR antennas, tile elements, modems, and summators. We also introduce two diagnostic pipelines designed to detect these anomalies: a real-time station monitor system and an offline stationtest system. These pipelines provide valuable insights into the operational status of each antenna, issuing alerts to minimize observational disruptions while maximizing station uptime, reliability, and sensitivity. By enhancing the efficiency and stability of LOFAR stations, they also serve as a foundation for future large-scale arrays such as square kilometre array (SKA)-Low. The experience gained from their development and deployment will contribute to the construction and maintenance of SKA-Low, improving monitoring and diagnostic capabilities for large-scale antenna networks. Ultimately, these systems play a crucial role in ensuring continuous observations and maintaining data integrity.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems
Published
2025-03-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jatis.11.1.017002
Primary Topic
Inertial Sensor and Navigation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Real-time station monitor and stationtest pipelines for LOFAR 2.0

M. J. Norden, P. Donker, J. Wang
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems
Inertial Sensor and Navigation
article

Real-time station monitor and stationtest pipelines for LOFAR 2.0

M. J. Norden, P. Donker, J. Wang
article en

Abstract

Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) is distributed across several European countries. Each LOFAR station contains thousands of antennas and associated electronics, making monitoring and thorough testing of those components essential to ensure station reliability. We discuss various anomalies that may arise in LOFAR antennas, tile elements, modems, and summators. We also introduce two diagnostic pipelines designed to detect these anomalies: a real-time station monitor system and an offline stationtest system. These pipelines provide valuable insights into the operational status of each antenna, issuing alerts to minimize observational disruptions while maximizing station uptime, reliability, and sensitivity. By enhancing the efficiency and stability of LOFAR stations, they also serve as a foundation for future large-scale arrays such as square kilometre array (SKA)-Low. The experience gained from their development and deployment will contribute to the construction and maintenance of SKA-Low, improving monitoring and diagnostic capabilities for large-scale antenna networks. Ultimately, these systems play a crucial role in ensuring continuous observations and maintaining data integrity.

Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and SystemsVol. 11(01)
Ruhr University Bochum (DE), Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL)
Openalex Percentile: Top 93%
Inertial Sensor and Navigation
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