MeerKAT & MIGHTEE - Lorentz Center€¦ · MeerKAT & MIGHTEE Kurt van der Heyden (UCT) and the SKA-SA/KAT & MIGHTEE teams Monday ... (rms); possible fields Elais-S1 (0037-43), XMMLSS

MeerKAT & MIGHTEEKurt van der Heyden (UCT)

and the SKA-SA/KAT & MIGHTEE teams

Monday 21 February 2011

Outline

• MeerKAT overview• MIGHTEE overview• KAT-7 status & The (new) MeerKAT

design


THE SKA IN AFRICAA major component of the SKA telescope will be an extensive array of approximately 3 000 antennas. Half of these will be concentrated in a 5 km diameter centralregion, and the rest will be distributed out to 3 000 kmfrom this central concentration. South Africa’s bid proposes that the core of the telescope be located in an arid area of the Northern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa, with about three antenna stations in Namibia, four in Botswana and one each inMozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya and Zambia.Each antenna station will consist of about 30 individualantennas.

These antennas will all be connected via a data communications network to a very large and powerfuldata processing facility on the core SKA site in theNorthern Cape Province. The combined collecting areaof all these antennas will add up to one square kilometre.The telescope will be operated and monitored remotely from Cape Town, where the operations and science centre will be located.

The SKA will be one of the largest scientific research facilities in the world and will consolidate Southern Africaas a major hub for astronomy in the world. It will attractthe best scientists and engineers to work in Africa andwill provide unrivalled opportunities for scientists and engineers from African countries to engage with trans-formational science and cutting edge instrumentation andto collaborate in joint projects with the most renowneduniversities and research institutions in the world.

Hosting the SKA would be a major accomplishment for the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Programme(AGAP), an initiative by the South African government toestablish a hub of world-class astronomy facilities inSouthern Africa. Other major astronomy facilities in theregion include the Southern African Large Telescope(SALT) in the Karoo, and the HESS gamma ray telescopein Namibia.

What is MeerKAT?

• Countries shortlisted to host the SKA: South Africa and Australia

• Both countries are building Pathfinders

• South Africa’s Pathfinder is called MeerKAT and will be located in the Karoo desert

Candidate South African SKA site (along with some locals)



Amsterdam

Rome


MeerKAT• 64 dishes

• 13.5m diameter

• Single pixel receivers

• Tsys = 30 K

• Located in the Karoo

• Observations by 2015/6


MeerKAT• 64 dishes

• 13.5m diameter

• Single pixel receivers

• Tsys = 30 K

• Located in the Karoo

• Observations by 2015/6

KAT-7• 7 dishes • 12m diameter• Single pixel receivers• Tsys = 35 K• Science/Engineering

prototype• Under construction now


• South Africa’s SKA Pathfinder is called MeerKAT

What is MeerKAT?


KAT


What is MeerKAT?


KAT


What is MeerKAT?

Meer KAT


KAT


What is MeerKAT?

Meer KAT

MeerKAT


The site


2

Karoo Radio Astronomy Reserve


Karoo Radio Astronomy Reserve

• The Karoo site is a multi-facility site• Facilities provided for ‘outside’ experiments• Currently:

• C-BASS• PAPER



Karoo Site: PAPERThe Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Re-ionization


Site Complex at Losberg


Site Complex – new buildings

Dish shed extension

Pedestal integration building

Array processor building (bunkered)

Power facility (bunkered)


KAT-7 Site


1 km

8 km diameter

5 km diameter1 km

shortest baseline 20mlongest baseline of central array 8 km


• central Gaussian core:

• dispersion 300 m, max baseline ~1 km

• Gaussian outer component:

• dispersion 2.5 km, max baseline ~8 km

• Both components random 2D

MeerKAT Array Configuration


9

Meysdam

Losberg

RFI Measurement

Site

Central Site

Facility

KAT-7

MeerKAT Core

one of the SKA cores (5 km diameter)


9


49


49


49


49


• Aim for ~constant point source sensitivity over resolution range

• No “natural” resolution, use weighting/tapering to control beam size

Array Configuration


15m

2h

Setting 6

deg-50 0 50

deg

-5

00

50

hours-6 -4 -2 0 2 4

GH

z1

.21

.41

.61

.8

80 antenna layout

deg20.94 20.95 20.96 20.97 20.98 20.99 21 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07

deg

-3

1.1

2-3

1.1

1-3

1.1

-3

1.0

9-3

1.0

8-3

1.0

7

Instruction 4

Ideal UV

km-5 0 5

km

0

%5

0

Ideal PSF

PSF residual

Performance

km-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8

km

-8

-6

-4

-2

02

46

8

Natural UV coverageNatural UV coverage

baseline ubaseline ubaseline v

baseline v

Setting 6

deg-50 0 50

deg

-50

050

hours-6 -4 -2 0 2 4

GHz

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

80 antenna layout

deg20.94 20.95 20.96 20.97 20.98 20.99 21 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07

deg

-31.12

-31.11

-31.1

-31.09

-31.08

-31.07

Instruction 4

Ideal UV

Ideal PSF

arcsec-80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60

arcsec

-20

0

%0

50

PSF residual

Performance

arcsec-80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60

arcsec

-80

-60

-40

-20

020

40

60

Dirty beamDirty beam

RARADEC

DEC

Setting 5

deg-50 0 50

deg

-50

050

hours-6 -4 -2 0 2

GHz

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

80 antenna layout

deg20.94 20.95 20.96 20.97 20.98 20.99 21 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07

deg

-31.12

-31.11

-31.1

-31.09

-31.08

-31.07

Instruction 4

Ideal UV

Ideal PSF

arcsec-100 -50 0 50

arcsec

-50

0

%0

50

PSF residual

Performance

arcsec-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80

arcsec

-100

-80

-60

-40

-20

020

40

60

Dirty beamDirty beam

RARADEC

DEC

Setting 5

deg-50 0 50

deg

-5

00

50

hours-6 -4 -2 0 2

GH

z1

.21

.41

.61

.8

80 antenna layout

deg20.94 20.95 20.96 20.97 20.98 20.99 21 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07

deg

-3

1.1

2-3

1.1

1-3

1.1

-3

1.0

9-3

1.0

8-3

1.0

7

Instruction 4

Ideal UV

km-5 0 5

km

0

%5

0

Ideal PSF

PSF residual

Performance

km-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8

km

-8

-6

-4

-2

02

46

8

Natural UV coverageNatural UV coverage

baseline ubaseline ubaseline v

baseline v

uv distributions + dirty beamsfor δ = -30°


MeerKAT UV plot8 hour observation, DEC = -30°


Array Configuration

• Optimized for 6” – 80”

B. Frank


Poin

t sou

rce

sens

itivi

ty Sensitivities other telescopesaccording to their exposure

calculators

MeerKAT


Poin

t sou

rce

sens

itivi


calculators

MeerKAT


Poin

t sou

rce

sens

itivi


calculators

MeerKAT


Poin

t sou

rce

sens

itivi


calculators

MeerKAT


Poin

t sou

rce

sens

itivi


calculators

MeerKAT


Colu

mn

dens

ity s

ensi

tivity

Sensitivities other telescopesaccording to their exposure

calculators

MeerKAT


Call for Large Proposals

•Observing time split between the Key Projects (~75%) and “normal” proposals (~25%)

•Open access

•Call for Key Project proposals : 15 March 2010

•TAC 21-22 September 2010

•Key Project teams expected to contribute to pipelines, simulations etc


MeerKAT Key Science Projects

Priority 1:

• Radio pulsar timing (PI: Bailes)➡~7900 hrs

• Deep HI field ‘LADUMA’ (PI: Blythe, Holwerda, Baker)➡~5000 hrs



Priority 2:• MESMER (PI: Heywood)

• MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (PI: Gupta, Srianand) • MHONGOOSE (PI: de Block)

• TRAPUM (PI: Stappers & Kramer)

• A MeerKAT HI Survey of Fornax (PI: Serra)

• MeerGAL (PI: Thompson & Goedhart)

• MIGHTEE (PI: Van der Heyden & Jarvis)

• ThunderKAT (PI: Woudt & Fender)



Of further importance:• VLBI with MeerKAT (PI: Bietenholz)

• SETI• NASA: deep space probes

… as well as 25% time for PI proposals (probably after early science stage)


Continuum Proposal MeerKAT International GigaHertz Tiered Exploration

(MIGHTEE) Survey

Co-Pi’s K. vd Heyden & M. Jarvis


Tier-1: 1000 square degrees to 5µJy (rms) ; possible fields VISTA-VIKING and KIDS fields. large-scale structure of the Universe at z ~1; Possibly combine UV data with EMU. Time estimate: 1250 hours

Tier-2: 35 square degrees to 1µJy (rms); possible fields Elais-S1 (0037-43), XMMLSS (0218-05), ECDFS (0332-27) and COSMOS (1000+02). sensitive to starbursts of 100 M yr−1 at z ~4 and SCUBA-type galaxies with > 500 M yr−1 up to z > 7. Time estimate: 1050 hours

Tier-3: A single pointing to 0.1µJy (rms), possibly over Chandra-Deep-Field South - push the telescope to its limit and studies of star-formation and AGN activity to levels

Continuum Proposal

Tier-4: 0.25 square degrees @ 12 GHz to 1µJy (rms), Study AGN/Starburst morphology

Tier-5: 0.01 square degrees @ 12 GHz to 0.2µJy (rms), Study AGN/Starburst morphology


Sensitivity

WODAN

I Prandoni via R Norris


Sensitivity

MIGHTEE T1/WODAN

MIGHTEE T2

MIGHTEE T3

WODAN

I Prandoni via R Norris


AGN & EOR

•Relationship between AGN & Star Formation activity in galaxies

•Evolution of low power AGN

•AGN feedback in galaxy evolution

•Finding high redshift radio sources - SKA follow-up 21cm forest to study EOR


Cosmology & LSS

•Clustering properties of radio galaxies - how are these related to the underlying DM distribution•Evolution of clustering with redshift

•Weak lensing: leap in survey area - generate DM maps from the radio


Galaxy Clusters

•Detection of Clusters (1000’s)

•Non-thermal components of Clusters - how do they relate to merger activity

•How do non-thermal components affect the thermodynamical evolution and mass of clusters


Survey Summary

MeerKAT RFP


Survey Summary

Tier 1 - Not competitive with ASKAP EMUTier 4 - inadequate resolution to seperate AGN & SBGTier 3 - obtained in parallel with the deep HI surveyTier 5 - obtained in parallel with MESMER


MeerKAT/KAT-7 status


KAT-7 status

On site:• 7 Antennas • 3 cold receivers• 2 warm receivers• 4-element correlator (“FringeFinder”)• 16-element correlator (“KAT-7”)


March 2010

Start commissioning:• one scientist on site per week (Mon up, Fri

back; now Wed – Wed)

• plus software support (now CT based)

• plus technical support (Karoo-based from Mar 2011)

Continued engineering and software work


Map of Centaurus A KAT-1 1836 MHz


Commissioning tasks

• Tipping curves• Beam map• Pointing model• Gain curve• Stability test• …


Results (warm receivers)Ant 1

HH

Ant2

VV

Ant 2

HH

Ant2

VV

Ant 3

HHAnt 3 VV

Ant 4

HHAnt 4 VV

Aperture efficiency 54.9% 59.8% 63.4% 63.5% 54.1% 58.7% 46.7% 47.0%

stdev 5.1 4.5 5.5 5.5 6.0 4.4 4.3 3.4

T_sys 74.7 K 80.5 K 77.7 K 76.7 K 74.7 K 80.5 K 74.6 K 72.3 K

stdev 3.6 3.5 4.3 3.7 3.6 3.5 7.4 6.8

All-sky pointing rms

0.’760.’76 0.’760.’76 0.’790.’79 0.’910.’91


Single dish VLBI

Dec 2010: fringes with HartRAO• 3C 273

This year: fringes with ASKAPMonday 21 February 2011

Outlook

Cold receivers• Mid Feb on Ant’s 2 & 7• Investigation on some sensor problems• Final installations on Ant’s 1 & 4 in May

KAT-7 correlator (4-bit, 16-element)• Currently tested (stopped fringes), ready end Feb• Spectral line mode ready in June


MeerKAT Outlook


Dish design• Gregorian offset• 13.5m equivalent diameter• Elevation limit ~15°


MeerKAT design• Frequency bands:

• 580 – 1750 MHz (goal 3000 MHz) • 1000 – 1750 MHz (Phase 1)

• 580 – 1010 MHz (Phase 2)

• 8 – 14 GHz (Phase 2)

• 220 m2/K at 1.4 GHz

• Dynamic range at 1.4 GHz (after self-calibration):• Continuum (peak-to-rms): 106 : 1

• Line-to-continuum: 106 : 1

• Line-to-line: 104 : 1

• Spectral line resolution:• 0.5 km/s – 10 km/s depending on BW


MeerKAT time line

• Design phase: 2011 - 2013• Antenna prototype: 2013• Testing ~6 months• Construction for A2-20: 2013-2014• Construction for A21-64: 2014-2016• Commissioning in parallel• First science with first subarray: 2015


• 64 antennas• Baselines: ~30m - ~8000m• Longer baselines (‘spur’): currently not budgeted for• Large single dish (to cover zero baselines): not currently planned but future upgrade/ connectivity possible

MeerKAT layout


Need for longer BL


Need for longer BL


Thanks!!



MeerKAT & MIGHTEE - Lorentz Center€¦ · MeerKAT & MIGHTEE Kurt van der Heyden (UCT) and the SKA-SA/KAT & MIGHTEE teams Monday ... (rms); possible fields Elais-S1 (0037-43), XMMLSS

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