Dear LOFAR Users,

We are happy to announce that the 7th LOFAR Data School (LDS2024) will take place at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (The Netherlands) in the week of 15-19 April, 2024.

Rationale

The goal of the school is to assist the participants in the generation and analysis of LOFAR science ready data. It is a prerequisite to study the online modules of radio astronomy, radio interferometry and the LOFAR system. This will enable participants to get the most out of the school.
The school will present the major calibration data techniques for processing interferometry and beamformed observations. Parallel sessions will focus on the analysis of interferometry and beamformed data based on the most common science cases addressed by LOFAR data (e.g. wide filed imaging and imaging of extended faint sources, extraction of polarized emission, search for exoplanets, analysis Solar emission, ionospheric science, pulsar and high time variability analysis etc). Attention will be given to the LOFAR 2.0 development and the opportunities this new facility will bring.

Information for participants

Presentations and tutorials will be given at a level appropriate for someone new to LOFAR – please note the prerequisite to study the online material and have some experience with radio data. Minimum requirements should include some familiarity with scripting languages, and in particular Python.

Participants are expected to bring fairly recent Linux or MAC o/s laptops. Attendance will be limited to approximately 75 people. 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. Due to the limitation of the number of available rooms, participants are recommended to share rooms. Details on how to make the hotel reservation will be circulated at a later stage. We expect the participants to arrive on Sunday 14 April and depart on Friday 19 April.

A registration fee of 150 Euro is requested, which will cover a welcoming reception, coffee/tea/lunches during the 5 days of the school, the School dinner, the visit to the LOFAR core, and a shuttle bus service between ASTRON and the railway station nearby, Hoogeveen train station, on 14 and 19 April. Food restrictions and dietary requirements can be specified at the moment of the registration.

The registration will open in September 2023.

Note that registration to the School is on a first come – first serve basis and limited to approximately 75 participants.

For more details, you can visit the official school website and for any questions please contact us.

Please forward to anyone who may be interested in attending, and please let me know if you have any questions.

See you in Dwingeloo,

Emanuela Orrù
on behalf of the LOC

Aim of school

The aim of the School is to introduce the LOFAR system to new members of the LOFAR community who will analyse both interferometric and high time resolution beamformed LOFAR data. Students, postdocs, and staff are all encouraged to attend. The School will cover the many aspects of the LOFAR system from the capabilities of the basic station hardware to the software pipelines and their science products. Lectures and demos will be presented by members of the LOFAR project team as well as staff from the many institutions involved in the collaboration. Participants will have the choice of following demos on beamformed or interferometric data reduction. Online material will also be provided for offline hands-on data processing sessions. Interaction and networking between participants and lecturers will be promoted via Q&A sessions as well as team building activities.

Minimum requirements for participants

Presentations will be given at a level appropriate for someone new to LOFAR. Familiarity with standard data processing software such as CASA will be useful, but not required. Minimum requirements should include some familiarity with the concepts of radio interferometry and with scripting languages, in particular Python. Parallel sessions covering more advanced topics are also planned.

More information about (joining) the event can be found here.