RFI mitigation in radio astronomy
| dc.contributor.advisor | Davidson, D. B. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Thompson, Nicholas Christopher | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-04-16T17:30:51Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2014-04-16T17:30:51Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-04 | en_ZA |
| dc.description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Technical advances in electromagnetics, signal processing and processing power have led to a significant increase in sensitivity and accuracy in radio telescopes. With this increase in sensitivity, radio frequency interference (RFI) has become a much larger problem. The notable growth in wireless communication as well as self generated RFI has further escalated this problem. In order to utilise the full capabilities of modern radio telescopes, RFI mitigation is required on the captured signals. With the enormous data rates of modern radio telescopes, managing RFI has become increasingly difficult, and in order to utilise the full captured radio spectrum, more accurate RFI mitigation strategies will be necessary. The use of different RFI mitigation strategies is studied in the form of online and offline techniques. This includes Spectral Kurtosis, Spectral Flatness and the Var/SumThreshold method. The special case for RFI mitigation in timing pulsars will also be studied. These techniques are well known in the radio astronomy community; here, spectral kurtosis and spectral flatness will be implemented on the raw data as well as the post correlated data. System speed and accuracy will be the deciding factors when testing these methods as possible solutions to this problem. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Toename in die sensitiwiteit van hedendagse radioteleskope kan toegedra word aan die tegniese bevordering in elktromagnetika en seinverwerking. Die toename in sensitiwiteit het egter tot die gevolg dat radiofrekwensiesteuring ‘n groter rol speel in hedendaagse radioteleskope. Die groei in die gebruik van radioverbindings asook die gevolge van self gei¨nduseerde radiofrekwensiesteuring dra ook verder by tot hierdie probleem. Radiofrekwensiesteuring matiging word toegepas op die opgevangde seine, om sodoende gebruik te maak van die volle kapasiteit van moderne radioteleskope. Die bestuur van radiofrekwensiesteuring word bemoeilik deur die groot hoeveelheid intydse data van die radioteleskope. Meer akurate radiofrekwensiesteuring matigingstegnieke word vereis om die bandwydte ten volle te hanteer. Daar word op ‘n aantal verskillende matingstegnieke gefokus. Hierdie tegenieke kan in twee kategorieë verdeel word, naamlik aanlyn- en aflyntegenieke. Onderafdelings van hierdie kategorieë sluit in: spektrale kurtose, spektrale matheid en “Var/SumThreshold”. Daar word ook na ‘n spesiale geval van radiofrekwensiesteuring matiging gekyk, in die opmeeting van tydsberekening-pulsars. Alhoewel hierdie tegnieke bekend is in die radioastronomie gemeenskap, word spektrale kurtose en spektrale matheid egter toegepas op die rou data sowel as postgekorreleerde data. Daar sal op stelsel spoed en akuratheid gefokus word, om vas te stel of hierdie metodes wel moontlike oplossings bied tot die probleem bespreek. | af_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xii, 101 p : ill. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86637 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | RFI | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Radio telescopes | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Radio astronomy | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | SKA | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | MeerKAT | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertations -- Electrical and electronic engineering | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Radio -- Interference | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject.other | Theses -- Electrical and electronic engineering | en_ZA |
| dc.title | RFI mitigation in radio astronomy | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |