3.8 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder | 2/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Square_Kilometre_Array_Pathfinder | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:23:56.638081+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Boolardy Engineering Test Array === Once six antennas were completed and equipped with phased-array feeds, and backend electronics, the array was named the Boolardy Engineering Test Array (BETA). BETA operated from March 2014 to February 2016. It was the first aperture synthesis radio telescope to use phased array feed technology, enabling the formation of up to nine dual-polarisation beams. A series of astronomical observations were made with BETA to test the operation of the phased array feeds, and to help the commissioning and operation of the final ASKAP telescope.
=== Design enhancement === The first prototype phased-array feeds (PAF) proved the concept worked, but their performance was not optimal. In 2013–2014, while the BETA array was operational, significant sections of ASKAP were redesigned to improve performance in a process known as the ASKAP design enhancement (ADE). The main changes were:
Improve the receiver design to provide a lower system temperature that would be roughly constant across the bandwidth of the receivers Replace the FPGA chips in the digital processor to faster chips with lower power consumption Replace the water cooling system in the PAF by a more reliable Peltier temperature stabilisation system Replace the coaxial signal transmission between the antennas and the central site by a system in which the radio frequency signals were directly modulated onto optical signals to be transmitted over optical fibre Replace the complex radio-frequency signal conversion system by a direct sampling system Although the ADE delayed the completion of ASKAP, this was felt to be justified as the resulting system had better performance, was lower cost, and more reliable. The first ADE PAF was installed in August 2014. By April 2016, nine ADE PAFs were installed, together with the new ADE correlator, and more PAFs were progressively installed on the remaining antennas over the next few years.
=== Early science === From 2015 until 2019, a series of ASKAP Early Science Projects were observed on behalf of the astronomical community, across all areas of astrophysics, with the primary goals of demonstrating the capabilities of ASKAP, providing data to the astronomy community to facilitate development of techniques, and evaluating the performance and characteristics of the system. The early science program resulted in several science papers published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as helping to commission the instrument, and guiding the planning of the main survey projects.
=== Pilot surveys === Each of the ten Science Survey projects were invited to submit a proposal for a pilot survey to test observing strategies. These pilot survey observations took place in 2019-2020 and have resulted in significant astrophysical results, including the discovery of Odd Radio Circles.
=== Full survey operations === The ten Science Survey projects started observing in 2020, and are exepcted to be complete by 2030.
=== Discoveries === In May 2020, astronomers announced a measurement of the intergalactic medium using six fast radio bursts observed with ASKAP; their results confirm existing measurements of the missing baryon problem. In 2021, during the ASKAP EMU Pilot Survey, a new class of astronomical object called Odd radio circles (ORCs) were discovered at ASKAP.
== See also ==
List of radio telescopes AARNet LOFAR MeerKAT
== References ==
== External links == Official website CSIRO homepage Australia and New Zealand SKA (anzSKA) project website International SKA website The Pawsey Centre