Solving the Corner-Turning Problem for Large Interferometers
  The so-called corner turning problem is a major bottleneck for radio
telescopes with large numbers of antennas. The problem is essentially that of
rapidly transposing a matrix that is too large to store on one single device;
in radio interferometry, it occurs because data from each antenna needs to be
routed to an array of processors that will each handle a limited portion of the
data (a frequency range, say) but requires input from each antenna. We present
a low-cost solution allowing the correlator to transpose its data in real time,
without contending for bandwidth, via a butterfly network requiring neither
additional RAM memory nor expensive general-purpose switching hardware. We
discuss possible implementations of this using FPGA, CMOS, analog logic and
optical technology, and conclude that the corner turner cost can be small even
for upcoming massive radio arrays.
