Back-end signal processing and operational status of the FRB Hawaiʻi outrigger station

Abstract

The FRB telescope array, located in Pāhala, Hawaiʻi, serves as an outrigger station for the leading fast radio burst (FRB) detection project: CHIME (the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment) led by the Trottier Space Institute at McGill University. The Hawaiʻi station enhances CHIME’s baseline, providing improved localization precision for transient events. The array will consist of ten 6-meter parabolic dishes and twelve log-periodic antennas, operating across the 400-800 MHz band to match CHIME’s frequency coverage. The back-end system is built on the ICEboard signal processing engine, which digitizes and streams wideband radio signals for correlation and analysis. Data acquisition and control are performed using pyChFPGA, a Python-based framework for configuring FPGA parameters and capturing raw voltage data, while Kotekan provides real-time data management and correlation for transient detection synchronized with CHIME’s field of view. System performance, including antenna signal quality, environmental conditions, and operational stability, is continuously monitored via a Grafana-based platform, enabling rapid detection of anomalies and streamlined operational oversight. The site operates as an off-grid facility, powered by a hybrid solar and propane system supporting continuous 24/7 operation. This paper presents the back-end instrumentation and software of the Hawaiʻi array, along with initial solar fringe measurements on log-periodic dipole antennas (LPDA) and 6-meter dishes. These results demonstrate the system’s stability and readiness to contribute high-quality data to the CHIME FRB network, supporting both scientific discovery and ongoing operational optimization.