We are happy to announce that the 8th LOFAR Data School (LDS2026) will take place at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (Dwingeloo, The Netherlands) from 16 to 23 September 2026.

RATIONALE

The goal of the school is to assist the participants in the generation and analysis of LOFAR science ready data. The school will cover the major calibration data techniques for processing interferometric and beamformed observations. Parallel sessions will focus on the analysis of interferometric and tied array data based on the most common science cases addressed by LOFAR data (e.g. wide field imaging and imaging of extended faint sources, extraction of polarized emission, search for exoplanets, analysis of solar emission, ionospheric science, pulsar and high time variability analysis etc). An overview of the LOFAR2.0 upgrade will be presented and attention will be given to the opportunities this new facility opens up.

INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

Presentations and tutorials will be given at a level appropriate for someone new to LOFAR. It is a prerequisite to study the online modules of radio astronomy, radio interferometry and the LOFAR system, which are currently being prepared and will be shared with the participants in the Spring of 2026. This will ensure that time at the school is dedicated to gaining hands-on experience with LOFAR data processing. Minimum requirements include some familiarity with scripting languages and in particular Python.

Participants are expected to bring their own laptops with fairly recent operating systems (Linux or macOS).

This edition of the school will have a slightly different format – running from Wednesday to Wednesday, over a weekend. One day of the weekend is reserved for an excursion. The organizers believe that this will allow for more interaction and flexibility as well as improve the learning experience of the participants.

Attendance will be limited to approximately 50 participants. Remote participation is not offered. All potential LOFAR users are encouraged to apply.

VENUE AND REGISTRATION

The school will be hosted by ASTRON (Dwingeloo). The participants will be accommodated at the nearby Fletcher hotel De Borken, where they should make their own reservation and also pay for the accommodation themselves.  Details on how to make the hotel reservation will be circulated in due course.

The registration fee will be around 200 Euro. This will cover the welcoming reception, coffee/tea and lunches, the School dinner, the visit to the LOFAR core, shuttle bus transport between ASTRON and Hoogeveen train station on the first and last day of the School, and local transport between the hotel and ASTRON (either by bicycle or, if needed, by shuttle bus). The organizers will consider waiving the costs and support travel for a limited number of participants.

Food restrictions and dietary requirements can be specified at the time of the registration.

The school website is under development and will be functional in in early 2026 when we expect to open the registration.

Note that registration to the School is on a first come – first serve basis, however the organizers reserve the right to make the final selection.

For any questions, please contact us at: lofarschool@astron.nl.

See you in Dwingeloo,

Emma van der Wateren

on behalf of the LOC

LOC: A. Shulevski (co-chair), E. van der Wateren (co-chair), A. Ahmadi, N. Peters, V. Kondratiev, E. Orrù, L. Elpenhof