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LOFAR AND AFRICA

LOFAR AND AFRICA. Daan du Toit DST – South Africa. ASTRONOMY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. South African government has significantly increased science and technology funding Prioritized science with a geographical advantage – e.g. astronomy and paleontology

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LOFAR AND AFRICA

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  1. LOFAR AND AFRICA Daan du Toit DST – South Africa

  2. ASTRONOMY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA • South African government has significantly increased science and technology funding • Prioritized science with a geographical advantage – e.g. astronomy and paleontology • Aim is to make Southern Africa a hub for Southern Hemisphere astronomy – HESS, SALT, MeerKAT and hopefully SKA and CTA • DST has allocated R2.3 billion (€228 million) up to 2013 to MeerKAT, SKA site bid and the associated Human Capital Development Programme – Youth into Science and Engineering

  3. ASTRONOMY IN AFRICA • SKA bid is an African bid – South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana • Endorsed by Southern African Development Community • Astronomy courses started at universities of Nairobi, Antanarivo, Mondlane (Maputo) as a direct result • Radio telescope in place for a long time in Mauritius • Africa SKA group looking at building outstations linked to MeerKAT for VLBI in some or all partner states • Nigeria building a dish

  4. RADIO ASTRONOMY RESERVE • RA reserve established in the arid Northern Cape • Protected in terms of the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act • MeerKAT site and proposed SKA site • PAPER and C-BASS being constructed there • First observations with PAPER show very good environment

  5. MeerKAT • Specs developed together with Science Advisory Committee, which includes Director of ASTRON • Aiming at sensitivity, dynamic range and resolution to complement surveys at many wavelengths, including LOFAR • Good for low surface brightness but with good position resolution and polarization • First phase aims for 600MHz – 2.4GHz and possibly 8-15GHz

  6. MEERKAT SCIENCE RFP • Science to start in 2013 • Huge response from international scientific community – may have to group some of the MeerKAT survey proposal teams. • Proposals received from many institutions including from the following countries: • UK, USA , Australia, Germany, France, Netherlands , Canada, Japan, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Russia, Spain, Portugal, India, Mauritius, Sweden, Korea

  7. AFRICAN PARTICIPATION • Proposals will be consolidated into a smaller number • About 40 South African and African astronomers from 8 South African universities and 2 NRF national facilities are members of the MeerKAT survey proposal teams.

  8. MeerKAT and LOFAR • Good opportunities for collaboration on follow-up observations from LOFAR surveys, magnetic field science, HI science, galaxy and radio galaxy science, pulsars and transients • Several instruments exist for exchange programmes between Netherlands (EU) and South Africa • Already very good collaboration between ASTRON and South African astronomers on HI science and other MeerKAT science • LOFAR technology development relevant to MeerKAT and collaboration will be further explored (e.g. data pipelines, calibration)

  9. MeerKAT and VLBI • Will phase MeerKAT antennas to give an equivalent VLBI antenna of about 100m in diameter • This will give great sensitivity on the long baselines to Europe and the EVN • E-connectivity already demonstrated between JIVE and HartRAO. Wide bandwidths will be available to MeerKAT as well • Connect to proposed VLBI / geodesy outstations across Africa

  10. 2009 SKA SARCHI Research Chairs

  11. KAT 7

  12. PAPER DEPLOYMENT

  13. PAPER 16 to 32

  14. PAPER Results

  15. Thank you • Contact details: (South African S&T Representative to the EU) • daan.dutoit@dst.gov.za • http://www.esastap.org.za • +32 2 285 44 74 (T) • +32 47 368 75 14 (M)

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