FRATs: Searching for Fast Radio Transients in Real Time with LOFAR

The aim of the FRATs project is to detect single dispersed pulses from Fast Radio Transients with LOFAR in real time. The pulses can originate from pulsars, RRATS and other classes of known or unknown objects. To detect the pulses a trigger algorithm is run on an incoherent beam from the different LOFAR stations. The beam has a wide field of view and can be formed parallel to other observations. A precise localisation is achieved by storing and processing off-line the data from each dipole, giving all-sky coverage with a spatial resolution of the order of arc-seconds. The source is identified by making high-time-resolution images. The method has been tested by detecting and identifying a giant pulse from the Crab pulsar.