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27-04-2009
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MeqTrees version 1.0 released

Submitter: Jan Noordam for the MeqTrees team
Description: We recently released version 1.0 of this 3rd generation simulation and calibration package for radio astronomical data processing. It may be got at via the MeqTrees wikipage:

http://www.astron.nl/meqwiki/MeqTrees

At this moment, only the Ubuntu (Linux) operating system is supported, but Debian, Suse, Red Hat and Mac will soon follow. A paralellized version is supported in special cases.

The calibration of the new generation of giant radio telescopes (e.g. LOFAR, or SKA) will require a more complex Measurement Equation (M.E. or Meq) than existing instruments like the famous WSRT. The main difference is the prevalence of direction-dependent instrumental effects (DDE) caused by the ionosphere, or the uncertain shape(s) of the station primary beams. DDE's require many more M.E. parameters, which greatly increases the burden of processing.

The MeqTrees module is designed to implement an arbitrary M.E. in the form of a tree-like structure, and to solve for arbitrary subsets of its parameters. One of the most powerful features is the very short turn-around time (less than a day) for experimentation with new ideas. This should greatly increase the "rate of evolution" of the urgently needed calibration and imaging algorithms.

Eventually, MeqTrees will be sufficiently polished to be used routinely for data reduction by the average radio astronomer. Quite possibly this will be part of some kind of "re-convergence" of software that is developed all over the world for SKA and its precursors. In its present state, MeqTrees is more suited to those who need the extra flexibility to blaze (or rather stumble along) the rocky trail towards the future. The idea is that these gifted pioneers (stemcells, we call them) will help our tiny team to develop more functionality, which may then be shared. Of course, such a policy can only work because there is a desperate need for 3rd generation software.

As to the MeqTrees logo, it is multi-interpretable. For instance, note that the wolf looks more apprehensive than Little Red Riding Hood, as he guides her through the trees towards an uncertain fate.
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