The Square Kilometre Array and the Australian SKA Pathfinder
by
Brian Boyle(SKA Director, Australia/NZ, CSIRO)
→
Europe/Stockholm
FB55
FB55
Description
The SKA is an ambitious global project to build the world's largest cm-wavelength radio-telescope. It will address fundamental questions in astronomy and physics including the history of hydrogen from the first stars to the present day and tests of fundamental physics using pulsars. Over 300M Euro is currently being expended around the world on pre-cursor and pathfinder telescope efforts leading to the SKA. The Australian SKA Pathfinder, currently under construction at the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory, will be the world's fastest radio survey telescope. When completed in 2013, it will be more than an order of magnitude faster in survey speed than any existing facility in the 0.7-1.5GHz regime at which it will operate.
I will describe both the ASKAP and SKA projects and discuss the survey programs that ASKAP will undertake in its first five years of operation.
