Daily Image
09-10-2009
MCCT SKADS Workshop Nancay: Towards 3rd Generation Calibration
| Submitter: | Steve Torchinsky |
| Description: | At this moment, a small vanguard of the next generation of radio astronomers is undergoing a rather intense SKADS/MCCT workshop on future calibration methods in radio astronomy. The workshop is organised by ASTRON, Oxford and Cambridge, with local help from staff of the Nancay radio astronomy facility. A strong emphasis is placed on the two most urgent questions of 3rd Generation Calibration: the restless ionosphere, and variable station beamshapes. These effects are particularly strong in the next generation of giant radio telescopes, from LOFAR to SKA. But they are also increasingly important in the calibration of existing telescopes like WSRT and VLA. The workshop is different in various ways: First of all, the participants are unusually well-prepared, because they have had to qualify over the summer, using exercises provided by the "SKADS Set of Standard Challenges" (SSSC) website. Secondly, the workshop is unusually long (2 weeks), and is held in an isolated spot. And thirdly, the participants are expected to continue their collaboration after the workshop. Much attention is given to the Common Language and Common Tools that are needed to make that possible. If successful, this will be a model for some future MCCT workshops. Here we are in front of the radome housing the next generation of radio astronomy technology: The aperture plane phased array called EMBRACE, developed by ASTRON in partnership with Nancay, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, and the INAF-IRA of Italy. Although there is no direct connection between this project and the workshop, one of the byproducts was an invigoration of the EMBRACE testing program, and better communication between Nancay and Dwingeloo on this subject. Significant funding for this workshop and for EMBRACE was provided by the EC Framework Programme 6 (contract 011938) |
| Copyright: | Steve Torchinsky http://satorchi.net released under Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-ND |
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