SKA New Technology Demonstrator
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Transcript of SKA New Technology Demonstrator
SKA New Technology Demonstrator
Ray Norris
CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility
What is the NTD?
• New Technology Demonstrator
• An MNRF-funded project:– $2.535m MNRF– $3.05m CSIRO– $5.585m TOTAL
• Of which, $3.8m remains
What are we demonstrating?
1. SKA technology in which Australia can play a key role (not just antennas!)
2. Credibility of Australia as an SKA host site
3. If possible, some key science outcomes.
Original NTD goals
• Explore SKA technologies, especially– phased array– Luneburg Lens
• Build two SKA mini-stations at Narrabri– Augment capability of ATCA
NTD outcomes so far
• Luneburg lens project (see J Kot talk)– Potential commercial applications
• Some phased array work – Now overtaken by Faraday, Pharos, etc.
• System development – See white papers, etc.
Why refocus NTD?• Luneburg lenses no longer attractive for SKA
– see ASKACC report
• Within the budget, NTD cannot significantly enhance ATCA science capability while demonstrating SKA technology
– CABB, MMIC are doing this
• Opportunity to demonstrate the best (i.e. Australian) site for SKA
• Recognition that SKA is not just about antennas
– e.g. signal processing, data transport, calibration, software, RQZ
Recent NTD history• 2003: LOFAR showed that
– WA is best site of those examined, at low frequencies– Such a site strongly influences technology
(e.g. # of bits of sampling)– Growing international interest in WA as an SKA site
• Early 2004: Australia withdrew from LOFAR• March 2004: ASKACC suggest a review of NTD• April 2004: “Vision Paper” supported by ASKACC
sub-committee and AT Steering Committee• Now: proposal for implementation of that Vision Paper
NTD refocused:Build a technology demonstrator at
Mileura, WA
• Demonstrate the feasibility of remote operation of a radio astronomy facility in a very radio-quiet site
• Demonstrate technology enabling a very wide field of view at low SKA frequencies
• Pave the way for key science outcomes
Eventual goal: a facility demonstrating
• Wide (>50°) FOV Antennas– Cylinders covering 700-1400 MHz– EOR phased-array tiles covering 80-200 MHz
• Radio-quiet Zone• Infrastructure• Correlator• Software• Signal transport• Energy provision• A radio-quiet facility for testing other SKA technologies• Key science outcomes
Technologies examined
• Antenna:– Review wide-field antenna technologies– Cylinder with >50° FOV at 700-1400 MHz– Small (~3m?) parabolas with same specs, as fall-back
• MIT EOR/transient tiles: 80-200 MHz• Fibre data transmission• Beamformer/filterbank/correlator• Algorithms & software
Sample configuration studied
2000 dual-polarisation feeds4000 LNAs
1000 first beamformers
Analogue coax to correlator building
1000 filterbanks, each 1024 chan * 256 MHz
125 inputs to each beamformer
8 second beamformers
125 outputs from each beamformer
125
125
2 correlators, each 125 beams*12 baselines *1024 channels
4 cylindrical reflectors, each 50m * 15mFOV 2° * 33° (after beamforming)
Plus: Software, Energy supply, Data Transport, control system, RQZ, other facilities, etc.
The Proposal
NTD Phase 1: July 2004 – April 2005
• Development (with SKAMP) of a line feed (700-1400 MHz)
• Feasibility study & prelim design of cylinder antennas• Design of low-frequency antenna tiles (8-250 MHz)• Development of fallback options • Overall system design & costing• Ends with Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
(MIT NSF grant outcome also announced ~ March 2005)
NTD Phase 2: May 2005 – June 2006
• Architecture and configuration selected
• Detailed design and costing
• Prototype subsystems
• Establish site
• Start installing EOR tile antennas
• Ends with Critical Design Review (CDR)
NTD Phase 3: July 2006 – June 2007
• Construct small-scale demonstrator of cylindrical antenna?
• Establish facility with EOR tiles
• Paves way (subject to additional funding) for either:– Construction of SKA Phase 1– Construction of HYFAR
Risk mitigation
• Cylinder/line feed fails– Prototype line feed on SKAMP– Use small off-the-shelf parabolas
• MIT/WA funding fails– Concentrate on cylinder/parabola– Build at Narrabri instead
Proposed budget (i.e. not yet allocated)
MNRF NTD $3.8m (plus in-kind from MMIC, CABB)
MIT NSF Grant $4m
WA Govt $1.5m
TOTAL $9.3m
Additional University partners may also participate & contribute
Timeline (Draft)August 2004
December 2004
Start of feasibility study
Measurement gear & first MIT tiles installed
April 2005 End of feasibility study
Prelim Design review, MIT funding announced
Late 2005 Road to site constructed
First construction at site
Prototype MIT tiles tested at Mileura, tile manufacture starts
June 2006 Critical Design Review
June 2007 Completion of NTD
Funding application for SKA pathfinder