Progress and Early Science of the Thai National Radio Observatory

Progress and Early
                                              Science of the Thai
                                              National Radio
National Astronomical Institute of Thailand
           (Public Organisation)
   Ministry of Science and Technology
                                              Observatory

          On behalf of RANGD project & Radio
        Astronomy Group and S. Koichiro (NAOJ)

                           Dr.Kitiyanee Asanok (NARIT)
                          EAVN2018, Pyeong Chang, South Korea, Sep. 4-7, 2018

Radio Astronomy Network and Geodesy
      for Development (RANGD)
             2017-2021
        “Capacity Building Through Radio Astronomy”

 •   Thai National Radio Observatory (TNRO)
       • 40m Thai Radio Telescope (TNRT)
       • 13m VGOS Telescope
       • Visitor Centre
 •   Receiver and Electronics Laboratories

                   Human Expertise
 •   Workshops & Seminars
 •   Trainings & Staff exchange

Background of TNRT
  •   Multipurpose ~40m RT — with flexibility
  •   (preferably) Existing Design — limited experience
  •   Frequency ~ UHF - ~115 GHz — determined by Science area,
                                  Radio Frequency Interference,
                                  Weather conditions

  Key attributes
     • Extensive observing frequency : 300 MHz - 115 GHz
     • Ideal latitude location : +18 N

  Single Dish Applications focus on Time Domain astronomy, such as pulsars and
  radio transients and variability of masers and extra-galactic sources.

RANGD International Technical Advisory Committee

         (1st Meeting; March ’18)
           2nd Meeting will be ~Nov. 2018

RANGD Phase I (2017-2018)

 Timeline       2018        2019   2020

  Sitework

  40m TNRT
 Installation

  L-, K-band

  Backend

    SAT

   Science
Commissioning

40m Thai National Radio Telescope
                                         40m Yebes, Spain
•   `Updated’ version of IGN’s 40m
    Yebes Radio Telescope
•   40m Paraboloid Antenna,
    Cassegrain-Nasmyth optics
•   300 MHz - 115 GHz
•   Multi-propose Antenna
•   Geodesy & Time standards
•   Strategic location for VLBI
    observation
•   Generates demand for R&D on
    State-of-the-art technology

     40m RT Contract Signing March ‘17

L-band          K-band
 Sensitivity
Location                 Primary Focus   Nasmyth Focus
Frequency range (GHz)       1.0-1.8        18.0-26.5
Centre wavelength (cm)       21.4            1.36
Beam width (arcmin)           22              1.4
Polarisation                Linear          Circular
Cross polarisation          -25 dB          -25 dB
RF BW                      800 MHz          8 GHz
sampler                     3 Gsps          >4 Gsps
Packetizer BW              1.5 GHz          >2 GHz
digitisation bits           < 12 bit        < 12 bit
Total efficiency              0.7             0.5
Gain (K/Jy)                  0.32            0.23
Trx (K)                       13              20
Tsky (K)                      12              50
Tsys (K)                      25              70
SEFD (Jy)                     78              304

System Diagram
Develop a single           unit
capable of
    •   pulsar mode; coherent
        dedispersion, full-stokes
        filterbank files, transient
        search
    •   spectral-line mode; CLASS
        format (GILDAS)
    •   write vdif to mark6

Pros
• expandability; flexibility; real-time
  RFI excision; COTS components
Cons
• low performance per watt (not a
  problem for single pixel Rx)

Participating in VLBI networks

                e-VLBI?

6m foundation excavation
       +6m piles

RANGD Phase I+II
 Timeline       2018   2019   2020   2021

  Sitework

  40m TNRT
 Installation

  L-, K-band

  Backend

    SAT

   Science
Commissioning
  C-band Rx
    (TBC)

Q+W Rx (TBC)

  13m VGOS
   (SHAO)

Time-domain Astronomy
(S. Koichiro, NAOJ)
Key advantages Extensive observing frequency : 300 MHz - 115 GHz
Ideal latitude location : +18 N

•   Maser & Molecular thermal lines (L & K bands)
    •   Flux variability in star-forming regions
    •   Flux variability in late-type (evolved) stars
    •   Radial velocity drift in mega-masers

•   Pulsars & Transients
    •   Pulsar timing, millisecond pulsars, etc
    •   Fast Radio Bursts

•   The Milky Way & Active Galactic Nuclei

How important the TNRT40m
    (S. Koichiro, NAOJ)
•   Great contribution for better uv-coverage
    •   Fill in the southernmost location in the EAVN
    •   One of the longest baselines in the EAVN
•   High sensitivity with one of larger diameters
    •   The third largest telescope of 40-m in the current EAVN
•   Enable us to conduct VLBI at L-band
    •   One of a few telescopes usable at L-band in the EAVN

☞Providing   us great opportunity for collaborations and
    unprecedented scientific results!

ขอบคุณคะ่   KOB KOON KA
    대단히 감사합니다.

Highlights on pulsar                               ligo.org

 Fast rotating neutron stars
 Unique properties
    mass (canonical) ~ 1.4 solar masses
    radius (canonical) ~ 10 km
    rotational period ~ 0.0014 - 8.5 s
    magnetic filed ~ 10^(8-14) gauss
    highly polarised emission
 Over 2,600 discovered so far (ATNF)
 (some) optical/X-/gamma-rays

 (some) of them are extremely stable (e.g. PSR
 0437-4715 @1 part in 1015) -> Gravitational
 Waves detection

                                                 astrobites

Highlights on pulsar :Timescales Physics

                                108    Intermittent pulsars                magnetosphere
                                106
           timescale (second)

                                       Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs)
                                104
                                102    nulling, moding, drifting
                                100
                                10-2   Pulse-to-pulse variations

                                10-4
                                       micro-structure
                                10-6
                                10-8   nano-structure                      emission physics

modified from Kramer et al. 2006

13m VGOS

Utility

  40m TNRT

S

Location

                Huai Hongkhrai Royal
              Development Study Center

                         13m VGOS

             Utility

           40m TNRT

KVN
                       CVN                                   VERA

                  TNRT40

2019A semester (Sep 1, 2018 – Jan 15, 2019)

                                              (EAVN)
                                        from EAVN web-site

UV-coverage : EAVN + TNRT40
  Declination +40°   Declination −29°

EAVN + TNRT40 + Nanshan 26-
m
  Declination +40°   Declination −29°