EXPReS Annual Review: Creating a Real-time e-VLBI Service for Radio Telescopes

1. EXPReS Annual Review

2. EXPReS Annual Review- 2007 April 17 EXPReS Project Team JIVE, Coordinating Institution

3. Agenda 09:00-09:30 Introductions / Overview 10 mins Introductions, Huib Jan van Langevelde, Coordinator 20 mins EXPReS Overview, Ari Mujunen, Chairman 09:30-11:00 EXPReS Summary for Past 12 Months 11:00-11:15 Break 11:15-11:45 External User: Benefits and capabilities of e-VLBI 11:45-12:30 Comments from E.C. on morning 12:30-13:15 Lunch 13:15-14:00 Financial Overview for Past 12 Months 14:00-15:15 Overview of project next 18 Months 15:15-16:00 Open Discussion 16:00-16:20 Reviewer Internal Meeting 16:20-16:30 First Feedback to the team 16:30 Conclusion / End of First Year Review EXPReS Annual Review

4. Overview What is EXPReS? • EXPReS = Express Production Real-time e-VLBI Service • Three year project, started March 2006, funded by the European Commission (DG-INFSO), Sixth Framework Programme, Contract #026642. • Objective: to create a distributed, large-scale astronomical instrument of continental and inter-continental dimensions. • Means: high-speed communication networks operating in real-time and connecting some of the largest and most sensitive radio telescopes on the planet. EXPReS Annual Review

5. Overview EXPReS’ Goal The overall objective of EXPReS is to create a production-level, real-time, “electronic” VLBI (e-VLBI) service, in which the radio telescopes are reliably connected to the central supercomputer at JIVE in the Netherlands, via a high-speed optical-fibre communication network... - or - Make e-VLBI routine, reliable and realistic for astronomers. EXPReS Annual Review

6. Overview Why e-VLBI? • To get more and potentially better scientific results much faster than with traditional VLBI. • e-VLBI: • Dramatically shortens the delay between observations and the resulting images. • From months to days or hours. • Can offer more frequent and reliable observations with potentially more bandwidth * observation time. • Ensures data quality already during observations,relaxes storage requirements for raw noise data. • Enables a new class of fast response and reactive observations. EXPReS Annual Review

7. Introduction Activities # Description Leader PC Project Coordinator Huib Jan van Langevelde, JIVE NA1 Management of I3 T. Charles Yun, JIVE NA2 EVN-NREN Forum John Chevers, DANTE NA3 eVLBI Science Forum John Conway, Chalmers NA4 Public outreach Kristine Yun, JIVE SA1 Production Services Arpad Szomoru, JIVE SA2 Network provisioning Francisco Colomer, CNIG-IGN JRA1 FABRIC Huib Jan van Langevelde, JIVE EXPReS Annual Review

8. Introduction Management Organogram EXPReS Annual Review

9. Overview EXPReS Partners • Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (coordinator) • AARNET Pty Ltd., Australia • ASTRON, the Netherlands • Centro Nacional de Informacion Geografica, Spain • Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola Aktiebolag, Sweden • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia • Cornell University, USA • Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe Ltd. (DANTE), UK • Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Italy • Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej PAN, Poland • Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften e.V., Germany • National Research Foundation, South Africa • Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China • SURFNet b.v., The Netherlands • Teknillinen Korkeakoulu, Finland • The University of Manchester, UK • Universidad de Concepcion, Chile • Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, Poland • Ventspils Augstskola, Latvia EXPReS Annual Review

10. Overview Telescopes participating in EXPReS EXPReS Annual Review

11. Overview e-VLBI, VLBI, Radio Astronomy • A radio telescope looks at an object in the sky and collects data to create an “image” of the source. • Multiple telescopes can view the same object. The distance between the telescopes is the baseline. The baseline can be compared to building a single telescope with the diameter comparable to this distance. • Correlation is the process by which data from multiple telescopes is collected and combined to create a more accurate image. The correlator is a super computer, extracting interferometry information from the raw radio noise data. • The level of detail in images increases with the data collection rate. Higher data rates are better; higher resolution is better. EXPReS Annual Review

12. Introduction Aperture Synthesis Imaging • A technique that uses a number of telescopes to simulate a much larger one. A larger dish, real or simulated, improves image clarity and brightness. This requires coordination between the telescopes and a supercomputer. Consider the examples displaying aperture size, aperture distribution and image quality. EXPReS Annual Review

13. Introduction Correlation EXPReS Annual Review

14. Soon Today Results Today Today Past Overview Data Flow EXPReS Annual Review

15. Overview Benefits of e-VLBI • Improved Science • Speed of analysis • From months to days or hours • Operational reliability • Test data quality during observation • Targets of Opportunity (ToO) and transients • Responsiveness is only available with the immediate analysis provided by e-VLBI • Intellectual collaboration across disciplines • Shared investment in infrastructure vs. new dishes • International cooperation EXPReS Annual Review

16. Introduction EVN Proposals Received EXPReS Annual Review

17. 4-5 slides that summarize the “green” EXPReS Annual Review

18. Fulfilling Objectives Operational e-VLBI network • Results: • Monthly e-VLBI sessions • Publication of peer reviewed, scientific papers • JIVE connectivity in place (7 x 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps and additional connectivity plans in place with SURFnet) • Improvements in data processing time • Providing initial analysis before observation is complete EXPReS Annual Review

19. Fulfilling Objectives Additional European telescopes • Previously connected: • Arecibo, Jodrell Bank, Westerbork, Onsala, Torun, Cambridge • Newly Connected: • Medicina, Metsahovi • Soon to be connected: • Yebes, Effelsberg, Shanghai EXPReS Annual Review

20. Fulfilling Objectives Connect telescopes outside Europe • Arecibo • Connectivity from the island to mainland remains a hurdle. Some progress via new capacity. • Australia • Local connections and hardware are in place. • China • Lightpath is in place, currently testing the connection. • Chile • The international link supported the SMART-1 observation, but additional optimizations necessary. EXPReS Annual Review

21. Fulfilling Objectives Rapid Response Science • Currently advertising and routinely performing 256 Mbps from 6 stations. • Possible to obtain 512 Mbps from these stations, but not yet operationally advertised. • Addressing the 1024 Mbps vs. 1 Gbps issue (the “octave” problem) with 10 Gbps lightpaths and experimenting how to achieve 896 Mbps. • Current offer of 2 day rapid turnaround observations, existing 24 hour turnaround. • Current discussion on the ToO acceptance by the EVN. EXPReS Annual Review

22. Fulfilling Objectives Network and compute technologies • Getting real VLBI fringes with experimental technologies: • ”Month 7” Demo • Onsala, Jodrell, Metsähovi, JIVE • Grid correlator software • JIVE and PSNC • Next-generation hardware architectures and networking protocols have been identified and design is progressing. EXPReS Annual Review

23. Agenda 09:00-09:30 Introductions / Overview 09:30-11:00 EXPReS Summary for Past 12 Months 20 NA1/NA2/NA3/NA4- Network Activities and Management 20 SA1- Production e-VLBI Service 20 SA2- Network Provision for a Global e-VLBI Array 20 JRA1- Future Arrays of Broadband Radio Telescop on Internet Computing 11:00-11:15 Break 11:15-11:45 External User: Benefits and capabilities of e-VLBI 11:45-12:30 Comments from E.C. on morning 12:30-13:15 Lunch 13:15-14:00 Financial Overview for Past 12 Months 14:00-15:15 Overview of project next 18 Months 15:15-16:00 Open Discussion 16:00-16:20 Reviewer Internal Meeting 16:20-16:30 First Feedback to the team 16:30 Conclusion / End of First Year Review EXPReS Annual Review