[ASA] End-of-year update on SKA activities

[Edwards, Phil (S&A, Marsfield)]

One role of the Australian SKA Science Advisory Committee is to keep the Australian astronomical community informed on SKA matters. This has previously been done with on-line SKA Community Briefings – but as the end of the year rapidly approaching, here is a short written update.


End-of-year update on SKA activities in Australia



It was just a year ago that the SKA Observatory (SKAO) held ceremonies in Australia and South Africa to mark the start of on-site construction activities for SKA-Low and SKA-Mid, respectively, and lot has happened since then!



Substantial infrastructure works have taken place at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, where the SKA-Low telescope is being built. This includes the clearing, trenching, and laying of fibre and power for the antenna arrays that comprise AA0.5 – the first six stations – on the telescope’s southern spiral arm. A temporary “fly camp” opened in September for workers while work on the full construction camp progressed. Clearing of the core of the SKA-Low telescope has also taken place, as seen in the image below from mid-November. Four Wajarri companies have been subcontracted by Ventia for on-site infrastructure work for the project, with additional Wajarri people employed as heritage monitors.


[cid:5147b70c-8972-496e-b68c-05e3c3cbea93] Image credit: Sarah Pearce


The SKA-Low team completed installation of Aperture Array Verification System 3 (AAVS3), the final SKA-Low technology demonstrator on site. Representing a single prototype SKA-Low station, AAVS3 is trialling an alternative antenna layout, to determine the layout with the least possible electrical interference between antennas. A “first light” image from AAVS3, produced in collaboration with Curtin University, confirmed the station was working correctly, with plane of our Galaxy, the Sun, and the Centaurus A galaxy all clearly visible.



In September, the Partners Agreement for the Australian SKA Regional Centre (AusSRC)<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/babFCOMKzVTNgrqEJSE179n?domain=aussrc.org> was signed by CSIRO, Curtin University, the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, and the University of Western Australia, marking a key step forward.


The October meeting of the SKAO Council was held in Western Australia and included a visit to the SKA-Low site. These visits enable the Council to physically experience the scale and progress of the construction projects.



Australian teams have participated in all the SKA Science Data Challenges<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/X0zUCP7LAXf02AyJOH04h77?domain=skao.int> to date, although it is probably fair to say that the community generally has devoted more effort towards processing data from SKA precursors and pathfinders. These include the Murchison Widefield Array (which celebrated its tenth year of operations this year), ASKAP (with full Survey Science Projects getting started), and MeerKAT.


The successful design and prototyping of Power and Signal Distribution hardware by ICRAR/Curtin resulted in a manufacturing contract awarded to an Australian company<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/FWlXCQnMBZfXK4zJ8tMOvrn?domain=icrar.org> after a competitive tender process, realising the benefits intended from the Australian Government’s investment into SKA pre-construction activities over the past decade.


The SKAO is hiring! Employment opportunities with SKA-Low in Australia, and SKAO UK and South Africa, can be found on this page<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/LSRjCROND2uGpP7yJIOkPfJ?domain=csiro.au> and links therein.

More detail about SKA activities can be found in the SKAO magazine, <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/3zefCVARKgC2EjOz7UQ2P1H?domain=skao.int> Contact<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/3zefCVARKgC2EjOz7UQ2P1H?domain=skao.int>.<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/3zefCVARKgC2EjOz7UQ2P1H?domain=skao.int> The front cover of the latest issue features a depiction of Nyarluwarri, the Seven Sisters, by Wajarri artist Tania Dudgeon.

Planning is underway for the next online SKA Community Briefing, to be held in the New Year. Until then, best wishes for the festive season!

[cid:199f46b6-d873-4014-879a-fb959f1645b7]


We acknowledge the Wajarri Yamaji as the Traditional Owners and native title holders of the observatory site.


Phil Edwards, for the Australian SKA Science Advisory Committee<https://www.industry.gov.au/science-technology-and-innovation/space-and-astronomy/ska-project-australia/australian-ska-committees>
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