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Square Kilometre: Square Kilometre Array
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The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is the future centimeter- and meter-wavelength telescope with a sensitivity about 50 times higher than present instruments. Its Key Science Projects are (a) Astrobiology including planetary formation within protoplanetary disks; (b) Testing theories of gravitation using an array of pulsars to search for gravitational waves and relativistic binaries to probe the strong-field regime; (c) The origin and evolution of cosmic magnetism, both within the Galaxy and in intergalactic space, via an all-sky grid of magnetic field measurements; (d) The end of the Dark Ages, involving searches for a neutral hydrogen signature, the first supermassive black holes, and the first metal-rich systems; and (e) A hydrogen census to a redshift z greater than or equal to 1 from which to study the evolution of galaxies, dark matter, and dark energy. The SKA will operate at wavelengths from 1.2 cm to 3 m (0.1-25 GHz), providing milliarcsecond resolution at the shortest wavelengths. Its instantaneous field of view will be about 1° (20 cm wavelength), with many simultaneous beams on the sky. The Reference Design is composed of a large number of small dish antennas, building upon an original US proposal. In order to obtain these capabilities at a reasonable cost, significant engineering investments are being made in antennas, wideband feeds and receivers, and signal processing; aperture arrays (phased feeds) are ... being investigated in Europe for the lower frequencies.
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The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international project to develop the world's "next generation" radiotelescope. Information about he project can be found at the SKA website. Australia is on a shortlist of two countries to host the SKA, and is ... a major contributor to SKA science and technology. The ICT Centre's involvement is via two technology demonstrator projects: the New Technology Demonstrator (NTD), and MIRANdA.
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The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will constitute a milestone in astronomical research and instrumental development. To achieve its ambitious goals, regardless of what its final technical design implementation will be, it is essential that the area hosting this instrument has a very low level of electromagnetic pollution. Furthermore, in the foreseeable future this condition should not deteriorate. More information about this international project can be found at the official SKA site.
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South Africa's profile within the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project stepped up a significant notch as a result of the SKA meetings that were hosted in Cape Town in January. Thirty five of the world's leading radio astronomers from five continents were drawn to Cape Town to participate in these meetings.
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The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a global project to design and build a new generation radio telescope at metre to centimetre wavelengths. It will have a collecting area of order one million square metres, a sensitivity 100 times higher than the VLA, an instantaneous field of view (FOV) of at least 1 square degree and, in some designs, more than one FOV allowing multiple simultaneous use. It will be an extremely powerful survey telescope with the capability to follow up individual objects with high angular and time resolution. The SKA will reach a point source sensitivity of 10 nano-Jy in 8 hours of integration, and a maximum resolution of 1 milli arcsec at 20 GHz with excellent imaging capability at all resolutions and frequencies. The SKA science impact will be felt in astro-particle physics and cosmology, fundamental physics, galactic and extragalactic astronomy, and solar system science. Technological innovation, closely paralleling commercial IT developments, is key to the design concepts under investigation and to the cost goal of USD1000/m2.
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The Minister for Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena, said today that South Africa's shortlisting as one of two possible sites for the Square Kilometre Array telescope is a great step for science in South Africa. The final decision on where to site the SKA will be taken by the major international science funding agencies by 2008.
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