Monitoring the Sky with the Prototype All-Sky Imager on the LWA1

Abstract

We present a description of the Prototype All-Sky Imager (PASI), a backend correlator and imager of the first station of the Long Wavelength Array (LWA1). PASI cross-correlates a live stream of 260 dual-polarization dipole antennas of the LWA1, creates all-sky images, and uploads them to the LWA-TV website in near real time. PASI has recorded over 13,000[Formula: see text]hr of all-sky images at frequencies between 10 and 88[Formula: see text]MHz creating opportunities for new research and discoveries. We also report rate density and pulse energy density limits on transients at 38, 52, and 74[Formula: see text]MHz, for pulse widths of 5[Formula: see text]s. We limit transients at those frequencies with pulse energy densities of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text], [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]J[Formula: see text]m[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Hz[Formula: see text] to have rate densities [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text], [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text] year[Formula: see text].