Distributed Control System for the Test Interferometer of the ALMA Project

Title: Distributed Control System for the Test Interferometer of the ALMA Project

Research Question: How can a distributed control system be designed and implemented for a test interferometer to support the development of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)?

Methodology: The researchers used the ALMA Common Software (ACS), a CORBA-based service and device management framework, to develop the Distributed Control System (TICS) for the Test Interferometer (TI). TICS was designed to run on single board computers located at each antenna, with complex, compound device controllers running on centrally located computers. The system used timestamps synchronized to a timing pulse, which was regulated by a central reference generator and distributed to all hardware devices in the array. Monitoring was provided through a publish/subscribe CORBA-based service.

Results: The researchers successfully implemented TICS on the TI, a test bed for the development of technologies to be used by the ALMA array. The system demonstrated its ability to provide real-time control and monitoring of the antennas, and to manage the devices and properties of the array.

Implications: The implementation of TICS on the TI has significant implications for the development of the ALMA array. It serves as a prototype for the final ALMA array, providing a test for the distributed control system under development. Additionally, the use of ACS and the CORBA-based services and device management framework has potential applications in other large-scale scientific projects requiring real-time control and monitoring of distributed systems.

Link to Article: https://arxiv.org/abs/0111023v2 Authors: arXiv ID: 0111023v2