GARUDA: Gigahertz Array for Radio Universe Discovery & Analysis

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

GARUDA (Gigahertz Array for Radio Universe Discovery & Analysis) is an instrument-development initiative aimed at opening a complementary observing window on the dynamic radio sky. Its planned 3–8 GHz frequency coverage is intended to support wide-field searches for fast radio bursts (FRBs) and other radio transients.

Scientific motivation

FRBs provide probes of extreme astrophysical environments and the ionized matter between galaxies. Observations across complementary radio-frequency ranges can help characterize burst spectra, propagation effects, and the diversity of transient sources. A dedicated wide-field instrument can contribute to this effort by enabling systematic discovery and follow-up strategies.

Instrumentation and development

The project brings together radio-frequency hardware, antenna systems, signal processing, and digital-backend development. The design and implementation work is intended to connect practical instrumentation research with time-domain astrophysics.

Research goals

Develop a wide-field radio observing capability targeting the 3–8 GHz range.
Explore strategies for detecting and characterizing FRBs and other radio transients.
Integrate antenna, RF, and digital-backend development with science-driven requirements.
Build a platform for student research spanning radio instrumentation, signal processing, and transient astronomy.

GARUDA is under development; specific performance figures and operational capabilities will be added as they are established and validated.

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment / Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB)

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 10:01:06 +0000

CHIME is an interferometric radio telescope that has no moving parts. Originally conceived to map the most abundant element in the universe—hydrogen—over a good fraction of the observable universe, this unusual telescope is optimized to have a high “mapping speed”, which requires a large instantaneous field of view (~200 square degrees) and broad frequency coverage (400–800 MHz). The digitized signals collected by CHIME will be processed to form a three-dimensional map of hydrogen density, which will be used to measure the expansion history of the universe. At the same time, these signals can be searched for fast, transient radio emission, making CHIME a unique telescope for discovering new fast radio bursts and for monitoring many pulsars on a daily basis.