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01-07-2019
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Apertif surveys starting today!

Submitter: Betsey Adams, Vanessa Moss, Emanuela Orru
Description: Today, Apertif will enter full operations with the beginning of imaging and time-domain surveys. The surveys will last for 18 months.

Over the last two years, it has been extremely rewarding to see how far the system has come for both imaging survey science and ARTS time-domain science. We have seen huge jumps in Apertif across the system, including sensitivity, capability, stability, automation and operability, all of which combine to greatly increase the science quality of the resulting data.

From the operations perspective, we have also seen the importance of great ASTRON-developed tools such as the Apertif Task DataBase (ATDB) and Apertif Long Term Archive (ALTA) in allowing us to streamline as much of the data flow as possible. The combination of “shakedowns” and the Science Verification Campaign helped bring together the latest system with operational tools and data processing with excellent results for both imaging and time-domain. The formation of the Apertif Calibration Task Force (ACTF), including input from Aidan Hotan (CASS, ASKAP) across the seas, has helped to optimise the scientific data quality of Apertif and will continue to do so into the coming months.

The Apertif imaging surveys will provide sensitive radio continuum, polarisation, and neutral hydrogen images over large regions of sky in the Northern Hemisphere. The time domain surveys will be looking at FRBs and neutron stars. We are looking forward to an exciting 18 months!

Copyright: ASTRON
 
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