Radio Array of Portable Interferometric Detectors (RAPID): Design and applications

The Radio Array of Portable Interferometric Detectors (RAPID) is a spatially diverse sparse radio array. It has been designed to be deployed and reconfigured easily for scientific applications. These applications include both geospace and astronomy experiments where a relatively small and sparse aperture is sufficient in size. Examples include the study of ionospheric turbulence using active and passive radar imaging, astronomical observations of galactic synchrotron emission, and localization of bright radio emissions such as those from the Sun and Jupiter. The high degree of mobility afforded by the system enables interferometric configurations that are tailored to specific experiments and can be changed in the field. RAPID can also be deployed to locations that are optimal for specific scientific objectives or that complement other existing facilities by adding baselines or serving as a separate imaging receiver array.