Australian Radio Astronomy Facilities

1
Australian Radio Astronomy Facilities

• Tasso Tzioumis
• Australia Telescope National Facility CSIRO
• Spectrum Management Coordinator
• http//www.atnf.csiro.au

2
Overview

• Radio Astronomy Facilities in Australia
  current capabilities
• The Future SKA
• Radio Astronomy an exciting science

3
Oz Radio Astronomy Facilities
4
Summary of Oz RA facilities

• Australia Telescope National Facility
• http//www.atnf.csiro.au/
• - Parkes 64m ATCA 6x22m Mopra 22m
• University of Tasmania
• http//www-ra.phys.utas.edu.au/observatories/
• - Hobart (26m) Ceduna (30m)
• NASAs Tidbinbilla antennas (70m 34m)
• Long Baseline Array (LBA)
• VLBI with all antennas
• University of Sydney
• - MOST cylindrical reflector _at_843 MHz

5
Parkes telescope the Dish

• 64m antenna, more than 40 years operation,
  National Facility
• Receiver bands 70,50,21,18,13,6,5,3,2,1cm (400
  MHz 22 GHz)
• Multibeam (13 beams) at 21cm - Hydrogen gas
  mapping
• Pulsars (1/2 time)
• - most pulsars found (2/3)
• Single dish operation
• VLBI operations
• NASA spacecraft tracking
• Most sensitive
• Most RFI susceptible

6
Australia Telescope Compact Array

• 6 x 22m antennas, near Narrabri, NSW on 6km
  rail-track
• Synthesis array increased sensitivity, better
  RFI immunity
• Receiver bands 20, 13, 6, 3, 1 cm (1 25 GHz)
• 3mm system (80-110 GHz)
• June 2004
• Planned 7mm system
• National Facility
• Oversubscribed x3
• 40 international usage
• Operation 24/7

7
Mopra

• ATNF 22m antenna National Facility
• 110 km from ATCA short VLBI spacings
• Rx 1-22 GHz bands mainly VLBI
• 80-115 GHz (3 mm)
• Single dish VLBI
• VSOP support

8
U Tasmania Hobart (Mt. Pleasant)

• 26m ex-NASA antenna, X-Y mount
• Rx 1-22 GHz range
• Single dish pulsars,
• spectra, students
• VLBI LBA
• VLBI Geodesy
• Near Hobart - RFI

9
U Tasmania Ceduna

• In South Australia
• ex-telecom dish
• 30m beam-waveguide
• Rx 2-25 GHz
• Single-dish - spectra, fluxes
• VLBI

10
NASA Tidbinbilla

• Deep Space Network (DSN) tracking complex
• 70m and 34m antennas
• S/X tracking Rx/Tx
• 1.6 22 GHz astronomy Rx
• Spectroscopy most sensitive
• - mainly at 22 GHz H2O masers
• VLBI LBA Geodesy
• Limited access for astronomy

11
MOST ? SKAMP

• 2 x (778m x 11.6) EW cylindrical reflectors
• 843 MHz (4 MHz bw) Imaging surveys
• SKA demonstrator upgrade 300-1400 MHz
• Multibeaming
• Linear feeds
• RFI mitigation
• No extra protection
• EIS cooperation

12
VLBI Telescopes in Oz
13
The Long Baseline Array LBA

• The ATNF, UTas NASA antennas operate in Very
  Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) mode
• Extremely high resolution (milliarcseconds)
• Recorded data on tapes (S2 system - VCRs)
• Correlated later at LBA correlator in Sydney
• National Facility support
• Operate at all bands 1-22 GHz
• Possible optical fibre network links (eVLBI)
• Less susceptible to RFI

14
National Facility Operations

• ATNF facilities (ATCA, Mopra, Parkes, LBA) open
  to all
• Proposals every 6 months (June 1 Dec 1)
• Statistics 30 ATNF 30 Oz Unis 40
  international
• Web info at http//www.atnf.csiro.au/
• Collaborations and help for new people.
• Encourage to get in touch and propose!!

15
Asia Pacific Telescope - APT

• http//www.vsop.isas.ac.jp/apt/
• VLBI coordination for Asia Pacific
• All telescopes in region (at cm)
• Used in supporting VSOP
• Astronomy and Geodesy
• Collaboration for new entrants
• (Note Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT))

16
RA Protection Measures

• Licenses for main RA allocated bands for Parkes
  and ATCA
• Details of allocations in Australian Spectrum
  Plan
• Footnote AUS87 outlines all bands and telescopes
  for RAS in Australia.
• Productivity Commission recommended radio
  sensitive zones around RA facilities
• Notification and not protection zones
• Experience with ACA, Defence and Industry
• - friendly and collaborative relations

17
Future RA facilities - SKA

• The Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
• 1 km2 of collecting area
• - extremely sensitive
• Cost US1Billion 12 country consortium
• Frequencies 100 MHz - 25 GHz
• Technologically very challenging
• RFI Mitigation built in
• Currently in RD phase

18
SKA Philosophy
19
SKA Concepts
Planar Array Netherlands
Arecibo style reflector China
Large Adaptive Reflector (LAR) Canada
Luneburg Lense Australia
Allen Telescope Array SETI Institute, US
20
Possible SKA Configurations

• Dense core (50) antenna clusters

21
SKA timelines

• Site proposals - Australia, China, South Africa,
  USA, ? 2006 decision
• Require Modern infrastructure Radio quietness
  local support
• Australian advantage radio quietness
• - WA best site?
• Concept decision 2008 ? demonstrator
• 2009 Funding 2012 Construction start
• 2015 Initial ops 2020 Full ops

22
SKA - New Technology Demonstrators

• Funded to build technology demonstrators for many
  of the new ideas (gt10M)
• CSIRO/Universities/Industry/Governments
• 2 GHz BW at ATCA by 2006
• Eager to demonstrate at WA site
• HIFAR instrument for red-shifted H
• - 200-1000 MHz bands?
• NTDs under vigorous discussion and review.

23
SKA - Spectrum implications

• Radio Quiet Zone at SKA site
• Strong Protection of core site
• More protection coordination needed
• Requires Government support at all levels
• - local, State, Federal
• Support from other stakeholders Defence?
• Easier in Australia as all SKA in 1 country

24
Summary

• Australia has many world-class RA facilities with
  international impact
• SKA is the RA future and could be built in
  Australia. Radio quiet zone desired.
• RA other services e.g. Defence, Comms
  industries can work together.
• Radio Astronomy is an exciting science
• - many weird and wonderful objects

25
RA Supernovae

• Supernova SN1987A
• 22 GHz ATCA
• - May 2004
• Large Magellanic cloud
• 170000 light years away
• Can be seen from South
• only

26
RA Pulsars

• Neutron stars
• Lighthouse effect
• Very accurate clocks
• 1st Binary pulsar
• Parkes 2004
• - Periods of
• 23 ms 2.8s
• - 2.4 hr orbit
• - 2000 ly away

27
RA X-ray Binaries
28
RA Active Galactic Nuclei

• ATCA image
• 2356-612
• Radio (red) on
• optical (blue)
• Jets into ISM
• Black-hole in core
• Accretion disk

29
RA Gravitational lenses
30