Trigger MWA Solar Observations Based on YAMAGAWA

This package uses the near real-time YAMAGAWA solar dynamic spectrum (https://solarobs.nict.go.jp) to trigger the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA, https://www.mwatelescope.org) solar observation.

The code only works on triggering between 20:00 UTC and the next day 10:00 UTC. Once the observations for the day are over, it will calculate the quiet time dynamic spectrum and median bandshape and store them locally.

This will be used for the next day.

N.B.- For security purposes, the following details are not available in the archive

1. Having this code does not allow you to trigger MWA solar observations. You need to have a project approved by the MWA time allocation committee and have a project ID and password for triggering from the MWA operation team. Use replace them in trigger_MWA.py to trigger.
2. For real-time YAMAGAWA data replace yamagawa_url in yama_realtime_trigger.py. Ask the developer for the URL.

Code guidelines

1. This package uses the near real-time YAMAGAWA solar dynamic spectrum to trigger the MWA solar observation.
2. yama_basic_func.py contains all basic functionality for downloading the data, flagging, and detecting solar events from the YAMAGAWA dynamic spectrum.
3. yama_realtime_trigger.py runs all the time collects near real-time YAMAGAWA data and produces triggers.
4. trigger_MWA.py collects the triggers generated by yama_realtime_trigger.py and acts as a backend for triggering the MWA observations.
5. This code uses the previous day's quiet time (determined as the timestamps having band-averaged values lower than the full-day median) median bandshape to normalize the raw observed data.
6. If the previous day's bandshape is not available on disk, it will use the reference bandshape and quiet time dynamic spectrum from 2024-June-28 stored in ref_data.
7. The code will only work on triggering between 20:00 UTC and the next day 10:00 UTC. Once the day is over, it will calculate the quiet time dynamic spectrum and median bandshape and store them.
8. On the next day the previous day's bandshape generated will be used.

How to run?

1. Make a virtual environment (suggested). The code is tested on python3.10
2. Install all required packages python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
3. Run: python3 yama_realtime_trigger.py

Code developers

This code is developed by Deepan Patra (NCRA-TIFR, India) and Devojyoti Kansabanik (CPAESS-UCAR, USA).

Citations

If you use this code, cite it using the zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12596744. Also, provide the following acknowledgments in your publications if this code has been used.

Acknowledgments

1. This scientific work makes use of the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO), operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). We acknowledge the Wajarri Yamatji people as the traditional owners of the Observatory site. Support for the operation of the MWA is provided by the Australian Government's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), under a contract to Curtin University administered by Astronomy Australia Limited.
2. Courtesy of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan, for providing near-real-time data from YAMAGAWA.