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The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder: Performance of the Boolardy Engineering Test Array

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Open access
Authors
McConnell, D.
Allison, J.
Bannister, K.
Bell, M.
Bignall, Hayley
Chippendale, A.
Edwards, P.
Harvey-Smith, L.
Hegarty, S.
Heywood, I.
Hotan, A.
Indermuehle, B.
Lenc, E.
Marvil, J.
Popping, A.
Raja, W.
Reynolds, J.
Sault, R.
Serra, P.
Voronkov, M.
Whiting, M.
Amy, S.
Axtens, P.
Ball, L.
Bateman, T.
Bock, D.
Bolton, R.
Brodrick, D.
Brothers, M.
Brown, A.
Bunton, J.
Cheng, W.
Cornwell, T.
DeBoer, D.
Feain, I.
Gough, R.
Gupta, N.
Guzman, J.
Hampson, G.
Hay, S.
Hayman, D.
Hoyle, S.
Humphreys, B.
Jacka, C.
Jackson, Carole
Jackson, S.
Jeganathan, K.
Joseph, J.
Koribalski, B.
Leach, M.
Lensson, E.
MacLeod, A.
Mackay, S.
Marquarding, M.
McClure-Griffiths, N.
Mirtschin, P.
Mitchell, D.
Neuhold, S.
Ng, A.
Norris, R.
Pearce, S.
Qiao, R.
Schinckel, A.
Shields, M.
Shimwell, T.
Storey, M.
Troup, E.
Turner, B.
Tuthill, J.
Tzioumis, A.
Wark, R.
Westmeier, T.
Wilson, C.
Wilson, T.
Date
2016
Type
Journal Article

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Citation
McConnell, D. and Allison, J. and Bannister, K. and Bell, M. and Bignall, H. and Chippendale, A. and Edwards, P. et al. 2016. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder: Performance of the Boolardy Engineering Test Array. Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. 33: e042.
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Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
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Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy (Physics)
Remarks

This article has been published in a revised form in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia at http://doi.org/10.1017/pasa.2016.37. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works.

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Abstract

We describe the performance of the Boolardy Engineering Test Array, the prototype for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope. Boolardy Engineering Test Array is the first aperture synthesis radio telescope to use phased array feed technology, giving it the ability to electronically form up to nine dual-polarisation beams. We report the methods developed for forming and measuring the beams, and the adaptations that have been made to the traditional calibration and imaging procedures in order to allow BETA to function as a multi-beam aperture synthesis telescope. We describe the commissioning of the instrument and present details of Boolardy Engineering Test Array’s performance: sensitivity, beam characteristics, polarimetric properties, and image quality. We summarise the astronomical science that it has produced and draw lessons from operating Boolardy Engineering Test Array that will be relevant to the commissioning and operation of the final Australian Square Kilometre Array Path telescope.