====== DRAGNET ======

One sentence summary: //The [[http://www.astron.nl/dragnet|DRAGNET project]] greatly extends LOFAR's detection and localization capabilities for pulsars and fast radio transients.//

DRAGNET stands for **D**ynamic **R**adio **A**stronomy of **G**alactic **N**eutron Stars and **E**xtragalactic **T**ransients.

{{  :dragnet:dragnet_delivery_ajdi.jpg?500  }}

===== Introduction =====

Studying the extreme astrophysics of neutron stars, black holes and other exotica is key to understanding fundamental gravitational and particle physics. Extreme astrophysical phenomena are fleeting, however, and it is a major observational challenge to detect such fast "transients".

DRAGNET extends LOFAR with a high-speed, wide-angle radio camera mode that is capable of detecting and localizing fast radio transients in real time. We will scan the sky for sub-second bursts coming from previously unpredicted or unobserved astrophysical phenomena, while simultaneously observing hundreds of known radio-emitting neutron stars (pulsars).

The DRAGNET project started in Jan 2014 and runs for 5 years. It is funded by an [[https://www.nwo.nl/en/funding/our-funding-instruments/nwo/innovational-research-incentives-scheme/vidi/index.html|NWO VIDI]] and an [[https://erc.europa.eu/funding/starting-grants| ERC Starting Grant]] (+ some funding from [[http://nova-astronomy.nl/| NOVA]]) covering about 8 fte over 3 institutes.

===== Work Packages =====

  * WP1: Wide-field transient searches
  * WP2: Developing DRAGNET++
  * WP3: Neutron star monitoring
  * WP4: Characterizing the transient radio sky
  * WP5: Understanding neutron star magnetospheres

===== Publications =====

  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dragnet/science.html|list of published DRAGNET results]]

  * [[:dragnet:dragnet_description_paper|DRAGNET description paper]]

===== Projects and Partners =====

==== LOTAAS and DRAGNET searches ====

  * [[:dragnet:benchmarks_of_the_lotaas_pipelines|Benchmarks of the LOTAAS pipelines]]
  * [[:dragnet:observing_modes|Observing modes]]
  * [[:dragnet:psrfits2fil|]]

==== ASTRON/LOFAR ====

  * [[http://www.transientskp.org/|LOFAR Transients Key Science Project]]
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/lotaas/|LOTAAS discoveries]]

===== Project Members =====

  * Jason W. T. Hessels (ASTRON, University of Amsterdam) (PI)
  * Vlad Kondratiev (ASTRON) (science postdoc)
  * Cees Bassa (ASTRON) (science postdoc)
  * Alexander S. van Amesfoort (ASTRON) (technical developer (until Oct 2017))
  * Daniele Michilli (University of Amsterdam) (PhD)
  * Amruta Jaodand (University of Amsterdam) (PhD)
  * Sotiris Sanidas (University of Amsterdam) (science postdoc)
  * //TBD//  (Oxford University) (technical developer)
===== Operations Pages =====

  * [[:operator:xml_generator|XML generator]] wiki documentation
  * [[:operator:resourcetool|]] wiki documentation
  * [[:dragnet:observation_dragnet_startup|Observation to DRAGNET startup]] documentation and references
  * [[:cobalt:capture_rsp_raw_station_data|Capturing and Offline Processing of RSP Raw Data]] with COBALT
  * [[:public:important_dates|Important dates]] of stop-days and software releases
  * [[:maintenance:lofar_release_notes|Software release notes]] to assess benefit and impact of using a new LOFAR version

===== Infrastructure =====

  * [[:dragnet:cluster_usage|Cluster Usage]]: login, environment, hostnames, job submission with SLURM, …
  * [[:dragnet:system_software|System Software]]: raw list of non-default system settings and installed applications on top of ansible config
  * [[:dragnet:hardware_specs|Hardware Specifications]]: cluster figure, types of CPUs, memory, disks, GPUs, networks, …
  * [[:dragnet:cluster_benchmark|Cluster benchmark numbers]]: measured performance of various components on synthetic workloads (upper bounds)
  * [[:dragnet:cluster_support|Cluster Support Info]]: support/warranty calls with our vendor
  * [[:dragnet:cluster_tender|GPU Cluster Tendering]] (2015)

===== Presentations =====

The [[https://www.astron.nl/LofarSlides/|LOFAR slides site]] also contains most DRAGNET science and technical presentations (.pdf).

=== Status ===

  * {{:dragnet:hessels_lofar_dragnet_ro_training_170703.pdf|DRAGNET-Observatory operations intro by Jason (3 Jul 2017)}}  and {{:dragnet:dragnet-in-lofar-operations-20170703.pdf|DRAGNET-Observatory operations by Alexander (3 Jul 2017)}}  ({{:dragnet:dragnet-in-lofar-operations-20170703.odp|Alexander's .odp}} )
  * {{:dragnet:hessels_lsm_150819_dragnet.pdf|DRAGNET presentation for LOFAR Status Meeting (LSM) (19 Aug 2015)}}
  * {{:dragnet:hessels_cepwan_141023_lores.pdf|DRAGNET presentation for CEPWAN meeting (23 Oct 2014)}}

=== Grants ===

  * {{:hessels_erc_interview_2013_v4.pdf|Original DRAGNET presentation for ERC Committee (2013)}}  (restricted)

===== Daily Images =====

ASTRON & JIVE daily image (AJDI) submissions (or contributions) by DRAGNET(-paid) project members.

  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20171003|Moonset from La Palma]] (3 October 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20170719|Session on roles and interactions for smooth LOFAR DRAGNET operations]] (19 July 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20170707|Zooming in on the host galaxy of the repeating fast radio burst]] (7 July 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20170703|DRAGNET enters operations to participate in LOFAR observations]] (3 July 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20170621|It's LOFAR Pulsar Observing Time!]] (21 June 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20170208|The Repeating Fast Radio Burst FRB 121102 as Seen on Milliarcsecond Angular Scales]] (8 February 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20170105|The Precise Localization and Host of Fast Radio Burst FRB121102: A Triptych]] (5 January 2017)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20160914|CEP4 Pulsar pipeline is ready!]] (14 September 2016)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20160912|A LOFAR Census of Millisecond Pulsars]] (12 September 2016)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20160909|LOFAR's view on pulsar sky]] (9 September 2016)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20160818|''Super-sequence'': Emission Patches from PSR B0809+74 at the Low Frequencies]] (18 August 2016)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20160617|An extraordinary binary system]] (17 June 2016)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20160419|First LOFAR millisecond pulsar discovery]] (19 April 2016)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20151201|Searching for pulsars with coherent dedispersion]] (1 December 2015)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20150828|The Zoo of Accreting Compact Objects]] (28 August 2015)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20150805|Neutron stars strike back at black holes in jet contest]] (5 August 2015)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20150724|DRAGNET GPU Cluster Delivered]] (24 July 2015)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20150410|LOFAR Discovers its First RRAT]] (10 April 2015)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20150331|Candi2 - LOFAR Discovers a Pulsar in a Targeted Search of the 3C196 EOR Field]] (31 March 2015)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20141003|The first low-frequency limit on Fast Radio Bursts]] (3 October 2014)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20140819|A day in the life of a millisecond pulsar]] (19 August 2014)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20140808|Millisecond Pulsar Scintillation Studies with LOFAR: Initial Results]] (8 August 2014)
  * [[http://www.astron.nl/dailyimage/main.php?date=20130522|Vidi grant for Jason Hessels]] (22 May 2013)