The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope Current Status & Plans

1. The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope Current Status & Plans T. S. Bastian NRAO

2. What? Why? How? Who? When?

3. FASR is a solar-dedicated radio telescope designed to perform dynamic broadband imaging spectroscopy. It will do so with time resolution, frequency resolution, and angular resolution optimized to the physical phenomena of interest. What? Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope

4. The decadal review of theNAS/NRC Solar and Space Science Survey Committee considered priorities for solar, heliospheric, magnetospheric, and ionospheric physics in 2001-2002.

5. >$400M (large) Solar Probe Solar Probe will make the first in-situ measurements inside 0.3 AU, the innermost region of the heliosphere and the birthplace of the heliosphere itself. $250-400M (moderate) Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) The 4 MMS spacecraft will study the fundamental physical processes that transport, accelerate, and energize plasma in the boundary layers of Earth’s magnetosphere. <$250M (small) Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) A multi-frequency (~0.1 - 30 GHz) imaging array composed of ~100 antennas for imaging the Sun with high spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution.

6. Nobeyama Radioheliograph I. Gary

7. FASR Specifications FASR A: ~3-30 GHz FASR B: ~0.3-3 GHz FASR C: ~30-300 MHz

8. Why? FASR Key Science • Nature & Evolution of Coronal Magnetic Fields Measurement of coronal magnetic fields Temporal & spatial evolution of fields Role of electric currents in corona Coronal seismology • Physics of Flares Energy release Plasma heating Electron acceleration and transport Origin of SEPs • Drivers of Space Weather Birth & acceleration of CMEs Prominence eruptions Origin of SEPs Fast solar wind streams

9. FASR Science (cont) • The “thermal” solar atmosphere Coronal heating - nanoflares Thermodynamic structure & dynamics Formation & structure of filaments • Solar Wind Birth in network Coronal holes Fast/slow wind streams Turbulence and waves • Synoptic studies Radiative inputs to upper atmosphere Global magnetic field/dynamo Flare statistics

10. How?

11. FASR Planning and Construction Phases • Implement the FASR Design and Development Plan, under the leadership of the NRAO, that will result in a proposal to design, construct, and operate FASR • Transition the FASR Project to a new center, institute, or observatory under management of AUI. This new organization would be responsible for implementing the proposal to design, construct, and operate FASR. A proposal to undertake the FASR Design and Development Plan in April 2005. It is currently under review.

12. Who? FASR DDP • PI/co-I institutions are NRAO, Univ. of Michigan, Univ. of California Berkeley, University of Maryland, and New Jersey Institute of Technology • Also participating in funded effort are Caltech, JPL, NRL, University of New Mexico, University of Applied Science Switzerland, and Minex Engineering. • Paris Obs. Is participating through separate funding resources • Unfunded collaborators at many additional institutions. We hope more will join us!

13. FASR Design and Development Plan • Instrument development • Software and data management • Science, operations, and site planning • Project organization and management planning • Education and public outreach

18. FASR Funding • Project size of order $50M – FASR will not be in the MREFC line • The bulk of FASR funding will come from the Upper Atmospheres section of the Atmospheric division of the Geosiences directorate at the NSF. • Possible contributions from other domestic sources • Probable contributions from foreign partners (5%) Paris Obs., AIP, ETH, UAS

19. When? Schematic Schedule • FY05preparation and submission of proposal for the development plan to NSF/ATM • FY06implementation of the design and development plan • FY07submission of proposal for design, construction, and operation of FASR; transition to new AUI entity • FY07detailed design and prototyping begins; site development • FY08construction on site begins • FY09first science • FY11FASR fully operational

21. Rationale Why shouldn’t the NRAO do the FASR project? After all, it is a project consistent with the NRAO mission and the NRAO has already has a significant intellectual stake in the project. • The NRAO is too busy to take full ownership of another project, preoccupied as it is with ALMA, EVLA, etc. • Setting the project up under AUI provides a means by which AUI can capitalize on the investment made by the NRAO in this new initiative. • It also provides a means by which AUI personnel located with the NRAO can continue to participate in the FASR project in a flexible way.

22. The source of project funding is different from the NRAO’s or, more generally, radio astronomy. It is expected that the bulk of project funds will come from NSF/ATM. • The FASR users community – solar and heliospheric physicists, space weather community – is distinct from radio astronomy and has different needs. It represents a new “client base”. • By setting up a new organization under AUI to design, construct, and operate FASR the AUI will have an organization in place that could design and build other instruments – both on the ground and in space – as part of the larger solar and space physics enterprise.