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| HIRAX | |
|---|---|
| Name | HIRAX |
| Type | Radio interferometer |
| Location | Karoo, South Africa |
| Status | Under construction |
| Wavelength | 400–800 MHz (21 cm) |
| Builders | MeerKAT Consortium; University of Toronto; University of KwaZulu-Natal; Carnegie Institution for Science |
HIRAX
HIRAX is a radio interferometer project aimed at mapping large-scale structure using 21 cm intensity mapping. The project brings together institutions such as the University of Toronto, Carnegie Institution for Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Auburn University, and the National Research Foundation (South Africa) with engineering contributions from groups linked to MIT, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Oxford University. HIRAX interfaces with legacy and contemporary programs including Green Bank Telescope, MeerKAT, Square Kilometre Array, CHIME, and LOFAR.
HIRAX is designed as a compact array of dish antennas to survey the radio sky across the 400–800 MHz band, targeting redshifted 21 cm emission from neutral hydrogen to probe cosmology. The initiative intersects institutions and observatories such as the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, Perimeter Institute, California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and Stony Brook University. The array concept builds on techniques developed by projects including Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, Dark Energy Survey, Euclid, DESI, and Planck to measure baryon acoustic oscillations and redshift-space distortions. HIRAX engagement includes partnerships with University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and international collaborators like McGill University and University of British Columbia.
Primary science objectives include measurement of baryon acoustic oscillations to constrain dark energy parameters, mapping large-scale structure to study growth of structure, and cross-correlation with optical and infrared surveys such as LSST, DES, Euclid, and WFIRST. HIRAX targets constraints on the dark energy equation of state invoked by work from teams at Stanford University and University of Chicago, as well as testing models inspired by Planck Collaboration results and extensions like modified gravity scenarios explored at Cambridge University and Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris. Secondary goals include fast radio burst localization and census, working alongside detection efforts from CHIME/FRB and follow-up facilities including Parkes Observatory, Arecibo Observatory, and MeerKAT. Tertiary objectives span studies of reionization-era remnants compared with simulations by groups at Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and Los Alamos National Laboratory and synergy with theoretical frameworks from Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and Perimeter Institute.
The instrument comprises a dense, hexagonal-packed layout of 6-meter dishes, low-noise amplifiers, and digital backends inspired by architectures deployed for CHIME, PAPER, and HERA. The front-end electronics incorporate components developed in coordination with National Radio Astronomy Observatory engineers and radio-frequency techniques used at MIT Haystack Observatory, Jodrell Bank Observatory, and CSIRO. The correlator leverages GPU and FPGA processing concepts employed by NRAO correlators, ALMA, and the Very Large Array upgrade path. Mechanical and materials design draws on manufacturing experience from CERN collaborations and antenna projects at Caltech and Johns Hopkins University.
HIRAX is sited in the radio-quiet Karoo region near Carnarvon, Northern Cape to minimize interference similar to site choices for MeerKAT, SKA South Africa, and ASKAP projects. The observing plan emphasizes drift-scan and targeted tracking modes to maximize sky coverage consistent with methods used in BOSS and eBOSS spectroscopic programs. Survey cadence and footprint design were modeled in comparison to strategies from Pan-STARRS, GALEX, and WISE to enable cross-correlation with optical and infrared maps from SDSS and 2MASS. Radio-frequency interference mitigation borrows practices from Green Bank Observatory and policy frameworks influenced by the International Telecommunication Union and regional regulators.
Data processing pipelines adopt calibration, foreground removal, and map-making techniques developed by teams behind CHIME, HERA, LOFAR, and MWA. Analysis frameworks use software tools and libraries associated with Astropy, HEALPix, CASA, and numerical methods popularized by groups at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Foreground mitigation strategies reference algorithms used in Planck Collaboration analyses and component separation methods tested with simulations from Illustris and Millennium Simulation teams. Statistical inference and parameter estimation utilize codes inspired by CosmoMC, CAMB, and Bayesian pipelines maintained at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
The collaboration involves academic partners across North America, Africa, Europe, and Australia, including University of Toronto, Carnegie Institution for Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, McGill University, Auburn University, MIT, Harvard University, Oxford University, and University of Cape Town. Funding and support are provided by agencies such as the National Science Foundation, South African National Research Foundation, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, UK Research and Innovation, and institutional grants comparable to awards from Simons Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Industrial partnerships and procurement engage firms with experience supporting ALMA and SKA construction.
Early commissioning tests focus on system temperature characterization, beam mapping, and pilot surveys, akin to pathfinder results from CHIME, HERA, and MeerKAT. Projected constraints on cosmological parameters promise competitive measurements relative to forecasts from DESI, Euclid, and LSST, while transient science aims to complement catalogs from CHIME/FRB, Parkes, and ASKAP/CRAFT. Future prospects include scaling toward larger arrays, integration with SKA Phase 1 activities, and enabling multi-wavelength synergy with observatories such as James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based instruments at Cerro Paranal and Mauna Kea. Operational outcomes will inform theoretical work at institutions such as Perimeter Institute, Kavli Institute, and Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.
Category:Radio telescopes Category:Cosmology experiments