This volume is an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the engineering of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a revolutionary instrument which will be the world’s largest radio telescope. Expected to be completed by 2020, the SKA will be a pre-eminent tool in probing the Early Universe and in enhancing greatly the discovery potential of radio astronomy in many other fields. This book, containing 36 refereed papers written by leaders in SKA engineering, has been compiled by the International SKA Project Office and is the only contemporary compendium available. It features papers dealing with pivotal technologies such as antennas, RF systems and data transport. Also overviews of important SKA demonstrator instruments and key system design issues are included. Practising professionals, and students interested in next-generation telescopes, will find this book an invaluable reference.
Author(s): Peter J. Hall
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 408
140203797X......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 4
Foreword......Page 7
Introduction......Page 8
The Square Kilometre Array: An International Engineering Perspective......Page 9
SKA DEMONSTRATORS AND RESULTS......Page 21
The Allen Telescope Array......Page 22
Sky Noise Limited Snapshot Imaging in the Presence of RFI with LOFAR’s Initial Test Station......Page 38
The LOFAR Central Processing Facility Architecture......Page 46
Hemispheric Imaging of Galactic Neutral Hydrogen with a Phased Array Antenna System......Page 62
Electronic Multi-Beam Radio Astronomy Concept: Embrace a Demonstrator for the European SKA Program......Page 68
The Australian SKA New Technology Demonstrator Program......Page 81
ANTENNAS......Page 88
Low Noise Performance Perspectives of Wideband Aperture Phased Arrays......Page 89
Effective Sensitivity of a Non-Uniform Phased Array of Short Dipoles......Page 100
Low Frequency End Performance of a Symmetrical Configuration Antenna for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)......Page 109
Radio Astronomy Antennas by the Thousands......Page 117
A Spherical Lens for the SKA......Page 138
Efficiency Analysis of Focal Plane Arrays in Deep Dishes......Page 146
Model Validation and Performance Evaluation for the Multi-Tethered Aerostat Subsystem of the Large Adaptive Reflector......Page 160
Modeling of a Feed Support System for Fast......Page 173
Cylindrical Reflectors......Page 181
RF SYSTEMS......Page 186
Local Oscillator Distribution Using a Geostationary Satellite......Page 187
RF Design of a Wideband CMOS Integrated Receiver for Phased Array Applications......Page 194
DATA TRANSPORT......Page 204
Fiber Optic Network Technology for Distributed Long Baseline Radio Telescopes......Page 205
ALMA and e-MERLIN Data Transmission Systems: Lessons for SKA......Page 213
SIGNAL PROCESSING......Page 221
Array Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy......Page 222
SKA Correlator Advances......Page 241
RFI Mitigation and the SKA......Page 250
A 256 MHz Bandwidth Baseband Receiver/Spectrometer......Page 257
The Square Kilometre Array Molonglo Prototype (SKAMP) Correlator......Page 266
COTS Correlator Platform......Page 273
DSN Deep-Space Array-Based Network Beamformer......Page 284
DATA PROCESSING AND SOFTWARE......Page 291
Software Development for the Square Kilometre Array......Page 292
A Simple Model of Software Costs for the Square Kilometre Array......Page 299
SKA and EVLA Computing Costs for Wide Field Imaging......Page 310
Efficient Imaging Strategies for Next-Generation Radio Arrays......Page 325
SYSTEM ISSUES AND MISCELLANEOUS......Page 343
System Optimisation of Multi-Beam Aperture Synthesis Arrays for Survey Performance......Page 344
SKA Cost Model for Wide Field-of-View Options......Page 360
Cost Effective Frequency Ranges for Multi-Beam Dishes, Cylinders, Aperture Arrays, and Hybrids......Page 385
Cylinder – Small Dish Hybrid for the SKA......Page 395
RFI Test Observations at a Candidate SKA Site in China......Page 401
