SPACE/COSMOS
WVU engineers recalibrate radio telescopes to illuminate dark energy
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Kevin Bandura, an engineer in the West Virginia University Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, designs radio telescope technology to help astronomers understand the expansion of the universe by measuring dark energy.
view moreCredit: WVU Photo/Brian Persinger
Scientists know dark energy makes up about 70% of the universe and is responsible for the universe’s accelerating expansion. Beyond that, little about it is certain, so WVU engineer Kevin Bandura is enhancing the calibration of radio telescopes that can tell astronomers about dark energy by measuring the “neutral hydrogen” in the universe, a simple form of hydrogen with no net electric charge.
An expert on the design of radio astronomy instruments, Bandura is an associate professor in the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and a member of the Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
His research focuses on the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, a custom-built radio telescope known as “ CHIME,” and on the Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector, a radio telescope currently under construction that’s known as “CHORD.”
“We’re developing a new technique to measure the telescopes’ response to the sky and reduce the uncertainties, so we can better measure dark energy,” Bandura said. “We're also trying to get better data from the telescope, and to reanalyze the data we have to try to get a dark energy measurement for the first time.”
He uses advanced signal processing and detector technology to improve the ability of radio telescopes to detect a radio wave produced by neutral hydrogen atoms, called the “21-centimeter signal.”
The information radio telescopes detect about the 21-centimeter signal allows astronomers to understand the patterns and formations of large-scale structures in the universe, such as long threads or dense clusters of galaxies, or voids with no galaxies at all. Together, those enormous structures form a cosmic spiderweb across the universe. Neutral hydrogen collects like dewdrops along its strands, and when astronomers measure the distribution of neutral hydrogen throughout the universe over eons, they see the changing shape of that web and collect evidence about how dark energy is driving the expansion of the universe.
By reducing foreground contamination from nearby sources of radio waves like the Milky Way, Bandura said his team can help CHIME and other radio telescopes detect large-scale structures within the cosmic web using the 21-centimeter signal alone.
To do that, Bandura will deploy a chip he developed on radio telescopes and drones, producing a signal-to-noise ratio strong enough to enable the precise calibration astronomers need to detect and analyze radio waves emitted by neutral hydrogen.
Previously, working with researchers from Yale University and Canadian astronomers, Bandura developed a radio calibrator source using a new, fast chip that can be flown on a drone with a signal-to-noise ratio good enough for precise calibration. He’ll now update this radio calibrator source for wider bandwidth and improved stability, “developing the ability to use multiple of these sources simultaneously and put them on drones to calibrate new telescope arrays,” he said.
His team will also create tools for studying 21-centimeter signals, including more accurate models of how radio telescopes receive signals, improved signal-processing techniques for removing noise from the signal and robust new methods for filtering noise.
The goal, Bandura said, is for CHIME to independently detect patterns in the large-scale structure of the universe, including ‘baryon acoustic oscillation signals,’ which illuminate the pattern of empty spaces between galaxies and hold clues to the secrets of dark energy.
Undergraduate students involved in the research will lead the development of a radio receiver outreach lab that includes an instrument similar to the receivers used at CHIME and CHORD but sturdy enough to hit the road in an educational tour of West Virginia high school and community college classrooms. The team will also develop education-oriented radio receivers for use in undergraduate STEM programs at WVU and Yale.
The research is supported by one National Science Foundation grant for $321,000 and another NSF grant in the amount of $281,000.
Europlanet evaluation shows networking and collaboration pave the way to high impact science
Case study featured in Nature Astronomy
Europlanet
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Visitors from the Netherlands visit the Mars chamber at the Open University, UK, through Europlanet's Transnational Access programme.
view moreCredit: L Roelofs.
Evaluation of the impact of the most recent €10-million Europlanet project funded by the European Commission (EC) has been featured as a case study in the journal Nature Astronomy, published today.
The Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) project, which ran between 1 February 2020 and 31 July 2024, provided access to the world’s largest coordinated collection of planetary simulation and analysis facilities, virtual access to data services and tools, funding for upgrades to facilities and programmes, and a range of activities to support the community though networking, training, professional development and access to a telescope network. The project, which involved over 50 partners, was one of the most complex distributed research infrastructures ever funded by the EC.
From proposal stage, an Impact Evaluation Officer – the social scientist Jen DeWitt – was recruited and embedded in the project to delve into and document its results, outcomes and longer-term impacts.
The comment piece in Nature Astronomy highlights how having robust evaluation built into a project from the beginning leads to high-impact science and an outwards looking ethos that benefits the whole planetary community. Key findings from the evaluation also show that the networking and personal contacts associated with participation in the project’s activities, particularly the Transnational Access visits to laboratories and field sites, lead to better science, new avenues of research and long-lasting collaborations that would not have otherwise occurred.
“It’s never a straightforward pipeline between funding going in and good science coming out. Many things happen in the middle, and it’s important to understand what those factors are and how they affect the quality and longer-term impacts of the science itself, as well as the researchers doing the work and the wider communities around them,” explained DeWitt. “For students and early-career researchers starting out, these impacts are particularly important as they provide opportunities that would otherwise not be available to them and accelerate their careers.”
The evaluation of Europlanet 2024 RI was structured around five impact areas defined in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reference framework for evaluating research infrastructures, including scientific, technological, training and education, economic and societal impacts. Together with the project management team and activity leads, DeWitt defined key performance indicators that were mapped onto strategic objectives within the impact areas, and these were regularly reviewed, refined and updated over the course of the project. As well as quantitative metrics, like numbers of users and publications, DeWitt also gathered qualitative feedback through open-ended questions in surveys and via interviews.
Nigel Mason, the Coordinator of Europlanet 2024 RI and its predecessor RI project said: “This project was the last in a series that have received €28 million funding over 20 years from the EC. Although we had collected the metrics required by the EC for all past projects, this time, we wanted a more in-depth understanding of the results and outcomes, in both the short and longer term. To do that, we needed to bring in someone with the right expertise to work with us right from the start.
“Having a dedicated evaluator who had the time and expertise to gather more in-depth feedback meant that we could see how interactions with users developed over time and how the different strands of the project came together and functioned as a whole to support the community.”
The evaluation – and the management of the project itself – was complicated by the world events of 2020-24, including the pandemic, wars in Ukraine and Ethiopia, and the associated financial and societal challenges. Many activities required temporary or permanent adaptations in response to lockdowns, travel restrictions, health issues and personnel changes. Some barriers to impact remained, particularly with respect to widening participation from parts of the community that are under-represented in planetary science, where face-to-face participation and hosting events locally have been shown to be particularly important.
Nonetheless, the evaluation showed impact in all areas monitored, particularly with respect to scientific and training. The project has resulted in over 250 publications and conference presentations to date, and the mentoring, expert exchanges, training programmes and summer schools were all highlighted as being particularly important for early careers and researchers from under-represented countries during the pandemic. Over 90% of Transnational Access visits have resulted in ongoing research collaborations, and two thirds of participants reported that they followed up new avenues of research as a result of their visit.
Understanding what did and did not work for users and how both users and project partners benefited over time were key to delivering a successful project and defining what should come next.
“This evaluation is not just important in explaining to the European Commission – and the public taxpayers – about how their money has been spent and why the results have been beneficial to science and society. It has also had a vital practical use in helping us to identify where we should prioritise limited resources going forwards,” said Europlanet Vice-President, Anita Heward. “Europlanet is now a self-sustaining non-profit association and, if we are to continue to support the planetary community, we need to know where Europlanet’s activities have the biggest impact and best value for money. The evaluation has helped us do this in a robust, evidence-driven way.”
The importance of collaboration and networking in delivering high-impact planetary science was a key finding, with the evaluation helping to identify exactly how and why they are important.
“These results show that the popular stereotypes of scientists as lone geniuses working in isolation are diametrically opposite to how good science happens in practice. Success in research comes through building networks, talking, listening, learning and collaborating with colleagues – especially when it happens at an international and cross-border level. When we are talking to the next generation about careers in science, or to policy makers, the strength and importance of community is something that we should highlight and be really proud of,” said DeWitt.
An international team of researchers visited Greenland through Europlanet's Transnational Access programme.
Credit
C Rossi
Networking is key to delivering high-impact science, according to evaluation of the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure project.
Credit
J-D Bodenan/Europlanet
Journal
Nature Astronomy
Article Title
Insights into evaluating a research project through an impact case study of a pan-European research infrastructure
Article Publication Date
17-Oct-2025
Quantum networks bring new precision to dark matter searches
Tohoku University
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(Top left) Composition of the universe, showing that dark matter accounts for about 27%. (Top right) Proposed quantum sensor network, where superconducting qubits are connected in different graph structures. (Bottom) Estimation results demonstrating agreement with the true value, along with a comparison against quantum bounds.
view moreCredit: ©Tohoku University
Detecting dark matter - the mysterious substance that holds galaxies together - is one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics. Although it cannot be seen or touched directly, scientists believe dark matter leaves weak signals that could be captured by highly sensitive quantum devices.
In a new study, researchers at Tohoku University propose a way to boost the sensitivity of quantum sensors by connecting them in carefully designed network structures. These quantum sensors use the rules of quantum physics to detect extremely small signals, making them far more sensitive than ordinary sensors. Using these, accurately detecting the faint clues left behind from dark matter could finally become possible.
The study focuses on superconducting qubits, which are tiny electric circuits cooled to very low temperatures. These qubits are normally used as building blocks of quantum computers, but here they act as powerful quantum sensors. Just as a team working together can achieve more than a single person, linking many of these superconducting qubits in an optimized network allows them to detect weak dark matter signals much more effectively than any single sensor could on its own.
The team tested different network patterns, such as ring, line, star, and fully connected graphs, using systems of four and nine qubits. They then applied variational quantum metrology (a method similar to training a machine-learning model) to optimize how the quantum states were prepared and measured. To refine the results, Bayesian estimation was used to filter out noise, much like sharpening a blurry image.
The findings were striking: optimized networks consistently outperformed traditional methods, even when realistic noise was introduced. This shows the approach can work on today's quantum devices.
"Our goal was to figure out how to organize and fine-tune quantum sensors so they can detect dark matter more reliably," said Dr. Le Bin Ho, lead author of the study. "The network structure plays a key role in enhancing sensitivity, and we've shown it can be done using relatively simple circuits."
Beyond dark matter, these quantum sensor networks could advance technologies such as quantum radar, gravitational wave detection, and ultra-precise timekeeping. Furthermore, they may one day improve GPS accuracy, enhance brain imaging with MRI, or help detect hidden underground structures.
"This research shows that carefully designed quantum networks can push the boundaries of what is possible in precision measurement," Dr. Ho added. "It opens the door to using quantum sensors not just in laboratories, but in real-world tools that require extreme sensitivity."
Looking ahead, the team plans to extend this approach to larger networks and explore ways to make the sensors more resistant to noise.
The findings were published in Physical Review D on October 1, 2025.
Journal
Physical Review D
Article Title
Optimized quantum sensor networks for ultralight dark matter detection
Article Publication Date
16-Oct-2025
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