Wednesday 30 June 2010

Kilpisjärvi Atmospheric Imaging Receiver Array

Welcome to KAIRA! This is the weblog of the Kilpisjärvi Atmospheric Imaging Receiver Array (KAIRA). This is a project of the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, principally funded by the University of Oulu in Finland. KAIRA is a dual array of omni-directional VHF radio antennas. It makes extensive use of the proven LOFAR antenna and digital signal-processing hardware, and can act as either a stand-alone passive receiver, as a radar receiver for the VHF transmitter in Tromsø, or for use in conjunction with other Fenno-Scandinavian VHF experiments. It will be used for engineering experiments as well as conducting scientific observations of atmospheric and astrophysical phenomena. In additional to being a powerful observing instrument in its own right, KAIRA will act as a pathfinder for technologies to be used in the proposed EISCAT-3D system.