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The Karoo Array Telescope

The Karoo Array Telescope. v1.0, v1.1, v2.0, v2.1 …. Adrian Tiplady atiplady@ska.ac.za. The Northern Cape. Karoo Array Telescope (KAT v1.0). 27 K. 5.1 x (15m/D) 2 x (1420MHz/ n ) 2 deg 2. Funding. South African Treasury has announced additional funding “towards a 10% SKA demonstrator”.

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The Karoo Array Telescope

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  1. The Karoo Array Telescope v1.0, v1.1, v2.0, v2.1 … Adrian Tiplady atiplady@ska.ac.za

  2. The Northern Cape

  3. Karoo Array Telescope (KAT v1.0) 27 K 5.1 x (15m/D)2 x (1420MHz/n)2deg2

  4. Funding • South African Treasury has announced additional funding “towards a 10% SKA demonstrator”. • Top-down funding: ZA government desires to create a hub for Southern Hemisphere astronomy. • Total ZA investment of R1b at present. • US$140M • Includes infrastructure at about 25% of total. • This will be enough for “few percent” SKA • Additional ZA investment will require co-investment from outside • ZA government will match additional funding (or in kind contributions), up to the scale of Big KAT

  5. KAT Meer a More KAT

  6. MeerKAT Partnerships • Internationalisation a precondition of new funding. • Direct/in-kind/FTE/IP contributions very welcome. • Existing technology partnerships continue. • e.g. CONRAD (AU) & Berkeley (CASPER). • Links with SKADS very important. • Particularly DS2 (T1/T2) and DS4 (2-PAD). • Science and technology workshops mooted for 2007 • EU, US & ZA in addition to AU MIRANDA meetings. • Open and transparent participation process.

  7. Includes planning for mid/low frequency aperture array Maximum baseline not yet settled – imaging vs. point sources Dish diameter not yet settled – cost function dependent on more than just science MeerKAT

  8. KAT to MeerKAT

  9. KAT to MeerKAT

  10. Cost versus performance • Identify and determine coefficients and exponents in cost equation • Dish cost = A  DiamB  freqC • Receiver cost (incl. F) = C  FoV • Correlator cost (X) = D  Nant2 x FoV • Infrastructure cost = f(Nsta, Filling factor, Baseline, Diam… ) • Lifetime cost = ??? • 10% of total capital investment per annum is unreasonable, especially for the SKA • System engineering is producing logistics models that will be optimised to reduce lifetime costs • Performance metrics • Survey speed • Point source sensitivity • Dynamic range = 5 x = 1 x Savings = 1.5E3 x

  11. MeerKAT Timeline

  12. Science goals for MeerKAT • Transients & Pulsars • Transient survey • Fast transient real-time detection system • Slow transients • Pulsar monitoring/searching • Hetrogeneous distribution • HI • 0<z<1 • Molecules • Redshifted CO • Cosmic magnetism

  13. MeerKAT… work in progress FPA, Test range Little Blue, Cape Town PED, Cape Town SA SKA Project Office, Johannesburg KAT Team, Cape Town

  14. MeerKAT… work in progress November 2005 May 2006 June 2006 September 2006 November 2006

  15. MeerKAT… work in progress 28 Jan 2007 15 Nov 2006 10 Jan 2007 12 Jan 2007 20 February 2007 28 Jan 2007 6 Feb 2007 27 February 2007 19 March 2007 16 March 2007 24 March 2007 28 March 2007

  16. MeerKAT… work in progress • www.hartrao.ac.za/xdm

  17. Feed

  18. Software - CONRAD • http://www.conradsoftware.org/katos

  19. Future Future Karoo KAT Karoo Future Pre-production model (PPM) HartRAO Advanced development model (ADM) HartRAO Future HartRAO Experimental development model (XDM) Current SAAO, Cape Town Production Equivalent demonstrator (PED) Current 4x3x2 FPA Making MeerKAT happen – implementation through prototypes meerKAT Completed

  20. Legislation: Astronomy Geographical Advantage Act • Empowers the Minister for Science and Technology to declare protected areas around strategic astronomy sites by publication in the Government Gazette. • The Act empowers the Minister to prohibit over-flights • The Act covers both radio and optical astronomy • Three tiers of protected areas: • Core area – the physical area of the observatory / instrument • Central area – surrounds the core area. Minister prohibits certain activities / categories of activities in this area • Coordination area –Minister sets standards which activities must comply with • Protected areas apply to existing and new activities

  21. The Northern Cape

  22. RFI Campaign: Reciprocal Sensitivity Prediction

  23. Radio Astronomy Reserve

  24. SA SKA Project Director: Bernie Fanaroff (bfanaroff@fanaroff.co.za) SA SKA Project Scientist: Justin Jonas (j.jonas@ru.ac.za) KAT Project Manager: Anita Loots (aloots@ska.ac.za) SA SKA Project Office Tel: +27 11 442 2434 www.ska.ac.za www.kat.ac.za

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