The Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector (CHORD) is a next-generation radio telescope designed to transform our understanding of the Universe through precision cosmology and the study of fast radio bursts (FRBs). Building on the remarkable success of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), CHORD will provide substantially greater sensitivity and frequency coverage, opening new windows on the evolution of the Universe and the transient radio sky.
CHORD’s main array, currently under construction at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) near Penticton, British Columbia, will consist of 512 six-metre radio dishes equipped with ultra-wideband receivers operating from approximately 300 to 1500 MHz. Two additional 64-dish outrigger arrays will provide very-long-baseline measurements capable of precisely localizing thousands of FRBs to their host galaxies.
The telescope will address a broad range of astrophysics and cosmology. CHORD will map the distribution of neutral hydrogen across cosmic time using 21-cm intensity mapping, providing powerful measurements of the expansion history of the Universe and the nature of dark energy. At the same time, its exceptional sensitivity to radio transients will enable detailed studies of FRBs, pulsars, cosmic magnetism, galaxies, and other radio phenomena.
The Dunlap Institute and University of Toronto play a major leadership role in CHORD’s development. Dunlap Professor Keith Vanderlinde is a CHORD co-Principal Investigator and Telescope Architect and Professor Juan Mena-Parra is a senior science group member for the instrument, with the Dunlap team leading or contributing to critical technologies including CHORD’s ultra-wideband feeds, analog signal chain, digital backend and spatial correlator.
CHORD brings together researchers and engineers from institutions across Canada and internationally and represents one of the most ambitious astronomical instrumentation projects ever undertaken in Canada. By combining innovative radio-frequency hardware, low-noise electronics and state-of-the-art digital signal processing, CHORD will extend Canada’s leadership in radio astronomy and provide a powerful new facility for exploring the Universe.
More information can be found on their website.