CRAFT

The Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients Survey

Principal investigators

CRAFT is the high-time resolution survey for fast radio transients on the 36-element, 30 deg2 field of view Australian SKA Pathfinder.  Its aim is to survey the Universe for impulsive astrophysical phenomena at radio frequencies between about 700 and 1500 MHz.  A particular target of interest is the newly-discovered class of highly-luminous Fast Radio Bursts.  The cause of FRB emission is a topic of hot debate, as are their progenitor objects.  FRBs occur at cosmological distances , and their radiation, which is subject to dispersion by the tenuous matter in the ionized Inter-Galactic Medium, hold the potential to probe the structure, physical properties and evolution of the IGM in a manner that has not previously been possible.

ASKAP undertaking CRAFT observations in Fly’s Eye mode. Image credit: Rob Hollow (CASS)

Technical specifications

  • 1 ms time resolution
  • 1 MHz spectral resolution across 336 MHz
  • Total powers are searched from each of the phased array feed (PAF) beams from each telescope.  The telescopes can be operated in either fly’s eye mode (to achieve a total field of view of N x 30 sq.deg. with N antennas), or a collimated incoherent mode in which all antennas target a common pointing centre
  • Buffers within the PAF beamformers implement a voltage capture mode for all bursts detected in real time.  This feeds the interferometric localisation pipeline.

CRAFT ATels

Useful related papers about the survey

Recent CRAFT results

CRAFT-related or incorporated CRAFT data

Active CRAFT members

Number of CRAFT FRBs detected to date: 35