The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope

Current Status & Plans

T. S. Bastian

NRAO

What?

Why?

How?

Who?

When?

FASR is a solar-dedicated radio telescope designed to perform dynamic broadband imaging spectroscopy.

It will do so with time resolution, frequency resolution, and angular resolution optimized to the physical phenomena of interest.

Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope

What?

The decadal review of the NAS/NRC Solar and Space Science Survey Committee considered priorities for solar, heliospheric, magnetospheric, and ionospheric physics in 2001-2002.

$250-400M (moderate)Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS)

The 4 MMS spacecraft will study the fundamental physical processes that transport, accelerate, and energize plasma in the boundary layers of Earth’s magnetosphere.

<$250M (small)Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR)A multi-frequency (~0.1 - 30 GHz) imaging array composed of ~100 antennas for imaging the Sun with high spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution.

>$400M (large)Solar Probe

Solar Probe will make the first in-situ measurements inside 0.3 AU, the innermost region of the heliosphere and the birthplace of the heliosphere itself.

Nobeyama Radioheliograph

I. Gary

FASR Specifications

Frequency range 30 MHz - 30 GHz

Frequency resolution

A, C: 1%B: 0.1%,

Time resolution A, C: 100 msB: 10 ms

Number antennas A: ~100 (4950 baselines)B: ~80 (3160 )C: ~60 (1770)

Size antennas A: 2 m B: 6 m C: LPDA or similar

Polarization Stokes IV(QU)

Angular resolution 20/9 arcsec

Footprint ~6 km

Field of View >0.5 deg

FASR A: ~3-30 GHz

FASR B: ~0.3-3 GHz

FASR C: ~30-300 MHz

FASR Key Science Nature & Evolution of Coronal Magnetic FieldsNature & Evolution of Coronal Magnetic Fields Measurement of coronal magnetic fields Temporal & spatial evolution of fields Role of electric currents in corona Coronal seismology

Physics of FlaresPhysics of Flares Energy release Plasma heating Electron acceleration and transport Origin of SEPs Drivers of Space WeatherDrivers of Space Weather Birth & acceleration of CMEs Prominence eruptions Origin of SEPs Fast solar wind streams

Why?

FASR Science (cont) The “thermal” solar atmosphereThe “thermal” solar atmosphere Coronal heating - nanoflares Thermodynamic structure & dynamics Formation & structure of filaments

Solar Wind Birth in network Coronal holes Fast/slow wind streams Turbulence and waves

Synoptic studies Radiative inputs to upper atmosphere Global magnetic field/dynamo Flare statistics

How?

FASR Planning and Construction Phases

1. Implement the FASR Design and Development Plan, under the leadership of the NRAO, that will result in a proposal to design, construct, and operate FASR

2. Transition the FASR Project to a new center, institute, or observatory under management of AUI. This new organization would be responsible for implementing the proposal to design, construct, and operate FASR.

A proposal to undertake the FASR Design and Development Plan in April 2005. It is currently under review.

FASR DDP• PI/co-I institutions are NRAO, Univ. of

Michigan, Univ. of California Berkeley, University of Maryland, and New Jersey Institute of Technology

• Also participating in funded effort are Caltech, JPL, NRL, University of New Mexico, University of Applied Science Switzerland, and Minex Engineering.

• Paris Obs. Is participating through separate funding resources

• Unfunded collaborators at many additional institutions. We hope more will join us!

Who?

FASR Design and Development Plan

• Instrument development

• Software and data management

• Science, operations, and site planning

• Project organization and management planning

• Education and public outreach

FASR Funding

• Project size of order $50M – FASR will not be in the MREFC line

• The bulk of FASR funding will come from the Upper Atmospheres section of the Atmospheric division of the Geosiences directorate at the NSF.

• Possible contributions from other domestic sources

• Probable contributions from foreign partners (5%) Paris Obs., AIP, ETH, UAS

Schematic Schedule• FY05 preparation and submission of proposal for the development

plan to NSF/ATM

• FY06 implementation of the design and development plan

• FY07 submission of proposal for design, construction, and operation of FASR; transition to new AUI entity

• FY07 detailed design and prototyping begins; site development

• FY08 construction on site begins

• FY09 first science

• FY11 FASR fully operational

When?

RationaleWhy shouldn’t the NRAO do the FASR project? After all, it is a project consistent with the NRAO mission and the NRAO has already has a significant intellectual stake in the project.

• The NRAO is too busy to take full ownership of another project, preoccupied as it is with ALMA, EVLA, etc.

• Setting the project up under AUI provides a means by which AUI can capitalize on the investment made by the NRAO in this new initiative.

• It also provides a means by which AUI personnel located with the NRAO can continue to participate in the FASR project in a flexible way.

• The source of project funding is different from the NRAO’s or, more generally, radio astronomy. It is expected that the bulk of project funds will come from NSF/ATM.

• The FASR users community – solar and heliospheric physicists, space weather community – is distinct from radio astronomy and has different needs. It represents a new “client base”.

• By setting up a new organization under AUI to design, construct, and operate FASR the AUI will have an organization in place that could design and build other instruments – both on the ground and in space – as part of the larger solar and space physics enterprise.