The MPIfR–MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey – I. System set-up and early results

Abstract

Galactic plane radio surveys play a key role in improving our understandingof a wide range of astrophysical phenomena. Performing such a survey using thelatest interferometric telescopes produces large data rates necessitating ashift towards fully or quasi-real-time data analysis with data being stored foronly the time required to process them. We present here the overview and setupfor the 3000 hour Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie (MPIfR) MeerKATGalactic Plane survey (MMGPS). The survey is unique by operating in a commensalmode, addressing key science objectives of the survey including the discoveryof new pulsars and transients as well as studies of Galactic magnetism, theinterstellar medium and star formation rates. We explain the strategy coupledwith the necessary hardware and software infrastructure needed for datareduction in the imaging, spectral and time domains. We have so far discovered78 new pulsars including 17 confirmed binary systems of which two are potentialdouble neutron star systems. We have also developed an imaging pipelinesensitive to the order of a few tens of micro-Jansky with a spatial resolutionof a few arcseconds. Further science operations with an in-house built S-Bandreceiver operating between 1.7-3.5 GHz are about to commence. Early spectralline commissioning observations conducted at S-Band, targeting transitions ofthe key molecular gas tracer CH at 3.3 GHz already illustrate the spectroscopiccapabilities of this instrument. These results lay a strong foundation forfuture surveys with telescopes like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).<br