SKA Introduction Jan Geralt Bij de Vaate Andrew Faulkner, Andre Gunst, Peter Hall
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SKA Introduction
Jan Geralt Bij de VaateAndrew Faulkner, Andre Gunst, Peter Hall
Overview
• The SKA
• Why Aperture (phased) Arrays
• AA pathfinders/pre-cursors
• Development path towards SKA
The next step: SKA
• Square Kilometre Array• 100 times larger in collecting area• 10.000 more power full in survey speed
• Unprecedented instrument!
W20 : Recent Developments in Phased Array Radar
AustraliaAustraliaSouthern AfricaSouthern Africa
SKA Phase 1 Implementation
250 Dishes including MeerKAT 0.3-13.8GHz
~280 80m dia. Aperture Array Stations 50-350MHz
90 Dishes includingASKAP 0.8-1.7GHz
Survey
Southern AfricaSouthern Africa
SKA Phase 2 Implementation
~ 2700 Dishes0.3 – 20GHz
~ 250 Aperture Array Stations 350-1450MHz
~280 180m dia. Aperture Array Stations 50-350MHz
AustraliaAustralia
Why aperture arrays?
• Low frequency operation
• Survey speed
• The ability to create multiple beams for a very large Field of View
• Extremely flexible in observational parameters
• Multiple experiments can be run concurrently
ICT based: AAs provide many new opportunities
v
URSI GA Istanbul 2011LOFAR Lessons 7
LOFAR core
LOFAR station
LOFAR: Digital Beam Forming
W20 : Recent Developments in Phased Array Radar
Antenna-Beam
Station-Beam
Station
Dipole
(Tie
d) A
rray
-Bea
m
Array
Precursor: MWA
• ICRAR+partners• Western Australia• 128 tiles
SKA-low implementation
b
• h
Realized 16 element proto type array
SKA-AADC consortium
1. ASTRON Management, system, processing
2. ICRAR Australia Site, verification systems
3. INAF Italy Receiver
4. University of Cambridge System, antenna+LNA
5. University of Oxford Signal processing
6. KLAASA (China)
7. Associate members:
– JIVE
– University of Manchester
– University of Malta– GLOW (German low frequency consortium)
– MIT
AA-mid
EMBRACE at Westerbork (NL)
EMBRACE @ASTRONEMBRACE @Nançayn
Dual Beam Demonstration
From EMBRACE to SKA-mid
• Issues to be resolved;– Power consumption– Cost – Performance, calibratebility, noise
• SKA 2 requirements not clear• SKA 2 timescale ?
SKA Schedule: AA-mid
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
SKA 1
SKA 2
Stage 1Pre-ConPre-Con
Stage 2
SRR PDR
AERA3
African European Radio Astronomy Aperture Array
• 2000-5000m2
• 14 stations• ~80 deg2 per Field of View• baseline 300-1000m
• Science– BAO– Pulsar search– Polarization– HI absorption– RRL
Status
• Selected environmental test site – At the KAT7/meerKAT
construction site
Status
• Ground anchor tests Karoo– August 2013
Status, Moura, Portugal
Renewable energy installationAA Test station
MFAA consortium
1. ASTRON System design, proto-typing, management
2. Observatoire d’ Paris (Nancay) Front-end chips
3. University of Bordeaux ADC
4. University of Cambridge System design
5. University of Manchester ORA
6. China: KLAASA Receiver, antenna: 3x3m2 array
7. Associate members:
– Portugal Renewable energy
– University of Malta Fractal ORA
– South Africa Site support
Conclusion
• Phased arrays open a new era in radio astronomy• Surveys limited only by computing power
– Very much an IT telescope
• Cost and power to be reduced in order to realize 100 million element system
W20 : Recent Developments in Phased Array Radar
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