We are thrilled to be able to build on the decades of expertise we have in the University to contribute to the SKA project
- Paul Alexander
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is likely to revolutionise our understanding of the Universe - as it will be able to detect radio waves with unprecedented sensitivity and image fidelity - and could help unravel some of the biggest mysteries in the Universe such as the role of dark energy and dark matter.
Even in its earliest phase (SKA1), the radio telescope will be the fastest and most sensitive in the world.
SKA1 is now entering the “detailed design” stage, in which design work and concept selection will be done. The SKA1 observatory will consist of three world-beating instruments.
A total of 250 dishes will work as one machine in South Africa’s Karoo desert to detect mid-range radio frequencies. A further two instruments will be in the Western Australian desert: one being an array of many hundreds of aerial clusters working at low radio frequencies, the other a range of around 90 dishes - each equipped with a ‘Phase Array Feed’ to expand the field of view.
Construction on all three sites will commence in 2018 with completion aimed for 2023.
Cambridge is leading the 'Science Data Processor' (SDP) consortium for SKA1. The SDP work involves designing the hardware and software for the massive scale of data processing required for the project, building on decades of local expertise.
The University’s High Performance Computing service will house a laboratory to test computer implementations and scalable architectures for the enormous proportions that SKA requires.
“We are thrilled to be able to build on the decades of expertise we have in the University to contribute to the SKA project, which is the exemplar “big data” project of this generation,” said Professor Paul Alexander from the Cavendish Laboratory, who is leading the Cambridge work.
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Image: CGI graphic showing how a cluster of low frequency antennas might look when deployed in the Australian desert
Credit: Swinburne Astronomy Productions/ICRAR/ASTRON
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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