Science interest for a

mid-frequency aperture array

in southern Africa

General information

Purpose of the meeting
Mid-frequency aperture array technology is being developed for the Square Kilometre Array within the MFAA consortium, and allows for a wide range of science cases to be explored.  Within the AERAP and FP7-Marie Curie frameworks from the European Union there is an opportunity to invest in  preparations for the mid-frequency aperture array radio telescope in South Africa.

 

The purpose of this workshop is to assess the scientific and engineering interest in South Africa and SKA partner countries for mid-frequency aperture arrays. This should lead to a framework in which more detailed requirements can be identified and agreed. Each science topic will be discussed with reference to realistic technological capabilities of this technology.

The proposed format for the workshop is to have one speaker per main science or engineering topic, in order to leave ample time for discussion. This meeting will be an important first step towards generating a requirements document, which can serve as input for the instrument design phase. It can provide a potential focal point for the continued development of MFAA in South Africa.

 

The workshop will be informal, and small scale, to enable plenty of discussion. Participation is by invitation only, with room for a few additional interested people. The focus will be on science content, with participation balanced between science and engineers. The science representatives can have a strong focus on the African continent.

 

Date and location
Saturday February 22, 2014
Venue: STIAS in Stellenbosch (same venue as the SKA science meeting)

 

Contact information
You can reach the organizers at this e-mail: mfaa2014@astron.nl