VLBI软件相关处理机研究进展及其在深空探测中的应用

VLBI Software Correlator Progress and Its Applications in Deep Space Exploration

甚长基线干涉测量(VLBI)是重要的射电天文技术,具有极高的空间分辨率,是国际上广泛采用的深空探测器高精度测量手段,相关处理机则是VLBI数据预处理的核心设备。由于VLBI观测数据的相关处理具有数据密集和计算密集的双重特点,目前绝大多数均由专用的大规模高速硬件相关处理机承担。随着通用计算机性能的迅猛发展,基于通用商用计算机的VLBI软件相关处理机的研究逐渐得到重视,并发展迅速,成为VLBI技术领域新的研究热点。软件相关处理机具有制造价低、复制容易、升级简便等特点,有可能在不久的将来,以深空探测领域为切入点,得以普遍应用,并且在常规天文数据相关处理中替代现有的硬件相关处理机。

As a radio astronomical observation technology with very high space resolution, Very Long Baseline Interferornetry （VLBI） has been widely used in the high accuracy deep space probe tracking activities. The correlator is the key data-preprocessing device. Only after being preprocessed by the correlator , do the VLBI data become useful. The VLBI correlation belongs to data and computation intensive applications, and most of such computations are fulfilled by a special high-speed hardware correlator. With the rapid development of the general purpose computer, the software based on the personal computer （PC） becomes the highlight of the VLBI technology and has a dramatic progress. Because software is cheap, easy to be duplicated and updated, it will be applied in the tracking, telemetry and command system of the deep space exploration firstly and then it will replace the existing hardware correlator in the near future.