Observations of the Sun with the 32 Element MWA Prototype

Details Observations of the Sun with the 32 Element MWA Prototype Observations of the Sun with the 32 Element MWA Prototype

Jan 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21542209r&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215, #422.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.292

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The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a low frequency (80-300 MHz) interferometric radio array currently under construction in the remote and radio quiet Western Australian outback. A prototype array comprising 32 elements, known as the 32 tile system (32T), has been built on site as an end-to-end test-bed for integration and performance testing of the hardware, firmware and software components. The 32T system also provides an opportunity to obtain early scientific observations.
We present the first calibrated brightness temperature synthesis images of the quiet Sun at 5 frequencies between 85 and 235 MHz using MWA 32T. This frequency range is expected to correspond to emission from the 1 million Kelvin plasma in the lower corona. The MWA design is well suited for observations of the large scale coronal structure, and the unexpectedly deep and long lived solar minimum during which these observations were taken make them especially interesting.
We compare our observations with expectations from the generally accepted coronal models and flux densities obtained from other sources and conclude that, despite there being broad agreement between the observations and predictions, closer examination shows some differences. Further observations are planned in order to understand this in greater detail and to continue to characterize the large scale temperature structure of the corona at regular intervals as activity begins in the new solar cycle. This research was part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Haystack Observatory.

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