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Aperture Arrays for the SKA The optimal solution!. Jan Geralt Bij de Vaate Andrew 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
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Aperture Arrays for the SKAThe optimal solution! Jan Geralt Bij de Vaate Andrew Faulkner, Andre Gunst, Peter Hall
Overview • The SKA • Why Aperture (phased) Arrays • AA pathfinders/pre-cursors • Development path towards SKA
The next step: SKA W20 : Recent Developments in Phased Array Radar Square Kilometre Array 100 times larger in collecting area 10.000 more power full in survey speed Unprecedented instrument!
SKA Phase 1 Implementation Southern Africa Australia 250 Dishes including MeerKAT 0.3-13.8GHz 90 Dishes including ASKAP 0.8-1.7GHz Survey ~280 80m dia. Aperture Array Stations 50-350MHz
SKA Phase 2 Implementation Southern Africa Australia ~ 2700 Dishes 0.3 – 20GHz ~ 250 Aperture Array Stations 350-1450MHz ~280 180m dia. Aperture Array Stations 50-350MHz
Why aperture arrays? ICT based: AAs provide many new opportunities • Low frequency operation • Survey speed • The ability to create multiple beams for a very large Field of View • Extremely flexible in observational parameters • Multiple experimentscan be run concurrently
v LOFAR core LOFAR station LOFAR Lessons
Station-Beam Antenna-Beam Array Station (Tied) Array-Beam LOFAR: Digital Beam Forming Dipole W20 : Recent Developments in Phased Array Radar
Precursor: MWA ICRAR+partners Western Australia 128 tiles
b Realized 16 element proto type array h
SKA-AADC consortium • ASTRON Management, system, processing • ICRAR AustraliaSite, verification systems • INAF ItalyReceiver • University of Cambridge System, antenna+LNA • University of Oxford Signal processing • KLAASA (China) • Associate members: • JIVE • University of Manchester • University of Malta • GLOW (German low frequency consortium) • MIT
EMBRACE @ASTRON EMBRACE @Nançayn
From EMBRACE to SKA-mid • Issues toberesolved; • Power consumption • Cost • Performance, calibratebility, noise • SKA 2 requirementsnotclear • SKA 2 timescale ?
SKA Schedule: AA-mid SKA 2 SKA 1 MFAA AIP 2000m2 AERA3 Pre-Con Stage 1 Stage 2 PDR SRR 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
AERA3African 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 installation AA Test station
MFAA consortium • ASTRON System design, proto-typing, management • Observatoire d’ Paris (Nancay) Front-end chips • University of Bordeaux ADC • University of Cambridge System design • University of Manchester ORA • China: KLAASA Receiver, antenna: 3x3m2 array • Associate members: • Portugal Renewable energy • University of Malta Fractal ORA • South Africa Site support
Conclusion W20 : Recent Developments in Phased Array Radar • 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