DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator
Software correlation, where a correlation algorithm written in a high-level language such as C++ is run on commodity computer hardware, has become increasingly attractive for small-to medium-sized and/or bandwidth-constrained radio interferometers. In particular, many long-baseline arrays (which typ...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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University of Chicago Press
2011
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32383 |
| _version_ | 1848753648350265344 |
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| author | Deller, A. T. Brisken, W. F. Phillips, C. J. Morgan, John Alef, W. Cappallo, R. Middelberg, E. Romney, J. Rottmann, H. Tingay, Steven Wayth, Randall |
| author_facet | Deller, A. T. Brisken, W. F. Phillips, C. J. Morgan, John Alef, W. Cappallo, R. Middelberg, E. Romney, J. Rottmann, H. Tingay, Steven Wayth, Randall |
| author_sort | Deller, A. T. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Software correlation, where a correlation algorithm written in a high-level language such as C++ is run on commodity computer hardware, has become increasingly attractive for small-to medium-sized and/or bandwidth-constrained radio interferometers. In particular, many long-baseline arrays (which typically have fewer than 20 elements and are restricted in observing bandwidth by costly recording hardware and media) have utilized software correlators for rapid, cost-effective, correlator upgrades to allow compatibility with new, wider-bandwidth, recording systems and to improve correlator flexibility. The DiFX correlator, made publicly available in 2007, has been a popular choice in such upgrades and is now used for production correlation by a number of observatories and research groups worldwide. Here, we describe the evolution in the capabilities of the DiFX correlator over the past three years, including a number of new capabilities, substantial performance improvements, and a large amount of supporting infrastructure to ease use of the code. New capabilities include the ability to correlate a large number of phase centers in a single correlation pass, the extraction of phase-calibration tones, correlation of disparate but overlapping sub-bands, the production of rapidly sampled filter-bank and kurtosis data at minimal cost, and many more. The latest version of the code is at least 15% faster than the original (and in certain situations, many times this value). Finally, we also present detailed test results validating the correctness of the new code. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:27:51Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-32383 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:27:51Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-323832017-09-13T15:24:47Z DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator Deller, A. T. Brisken, W. F. Phillips, C. J. Morgan, John Alef, W. Cappallo, R. Middelberg, E. Romney, J. Rottmann, H. Tingay, Steven Wayth, Randall Astronomical Instrumentation Software correlation, where a correlation algorithm written in a high-level language such as C++ is run on commodity computer hardware, has become increasingly attractive for small-to medium-sized and/or bandwidth-constrained radio interferometers. In particular, many long-baseline arrays (which typically have fewer than 20 elements and are restricted in observing bandwidth by costly recording hardware and media) have utilized software correlators for rapid, cost-effective, correlator upgrades to allow compatibility with new, wider-bandwidth, recording systems and to improve correlator flexibility. The DiFX correlator, made publicly available in 2007, has been a popular choice in such upgrades and is now used for production correlation by a number of observatories and research groups worldwide. Here, we describe the evolution in the capabilities of the DiFX correlator over the past three years, including a number of new capabilities, substantial performance improvements, and a large amount of supporting infrastructure to ease use of the code. New capabilities include the ability to correlate a large number of phase centers in a single correlation pass, the extraction of phase-calibration tones, correlation of disparate but overlapping sub-bands, the production of rapidly sampled filter-bank and kurtosis data at minimal cost, and many more. The latest version of the code is at least 15% faster than the original (and in certain situations, many times this value). Finally, we also present detailed test results validating the correctness of the new code. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32383 10.1086/658907 University of Chicago Press fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Astronomical Instrumentation Deller, A. T. Brisken, W. F. Phillips, C. J. Morgan, John Alef, W. Cappallo, R. Middelberg, E. Romney, J. Rottmann, H. Tingay, Steven Wayth, Randall DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator |
| title | DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator |
| title_full | DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator |
| title_fullStr | DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator |
| title_full_unstemmed | DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator |
| title_short | DiFX-2: A More Flexible, Efficient, Robust, and Powerful Software Correlator |
| title_sort | difx-2: a more flexible, efficient, robust, and powerful software correlator |
| topic | Astronomical Instrumentation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32383 |