Illustration by © Nicholas Forder
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The data is sent by optical cable to the GPU-based X-Engine housed in two shielded 40-foot (12-m) shipping containers. It’s a 1,000-processor high-performance cluster that can figure out where the signals are coming from and create an accurate sky map.
Each microsecond of data results in 2,048 amplified analog samples being processed by an electronic system called the F-Engine, which is safely housed inside two shielded 20-foot (6 m) shipping containers. The signals are digitized and then converted into a 1,024-element frequency spectrum.
Radiation is received by 256 dual-polarization antennas that are lined up above the reflectors and spaced 12 inches (30 centimeters) apart. They are sensitive from 400 to 800 MHz in both linear polarizations.
5. Spatial correlation
4. Processing the data
3. Focal assembly
The radio waves are collected by four semi-cylindrical parabolic reflectors aligned north to south, each one measuring 66 feet (20 meters) (by 328 feet (100 m) and lined up in a row. With the northern sky scanned east to west every 24 hours, this gives a 200-square-degree field of view.
2. Cylindrical reflectors
There are no moving parts in the CHIME radio telescope. Instead, as Earth turns, radio waves that are emitted by celestial objects are received from a narrow stretch of sky that runs from the northern to southern horizon.
1. Collecting radio signals