SKA (Square Kilometre Array) Project - Alistair Mc Pherson 13 December @ 18.30

SKA (Square Kilometre Array) Project -  Alistair Mc Pherson 13 December @ 18.30

SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY (SKA) PROJECT

Members of the Club waited expectantly to hear about the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Project – the intriguing subject of Alistair McPherson’s talk.  When given an initial outline of the Project, they were fascinated to learn about how the objectives of the programme would be tackled, and about the scientific and engineering challenges to be overcome.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope, with eventually over a square kilometre (one million square metres) to be used to collect radio signals from space. There will be two sites, one in Australia, the other in South Africa.  The Australian site will collect signals in the low frequency band (50 to 350 megahertz); the South African site will operate at higher frequencies.  Both locations have been chosen because of the lack of population and the absence of any radio frequency signals. The detailed design and preparation is now well under way with 24 dishes already in operation, with that number being increased to 2,500 in the second phase. The SKA will eventually use thousands of radio signal receivers that will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in unprecedented detail and survey the entire sky much faster than any system currently in existence

Alistair explained that conventional telescopes explore the universe in the relatively limited area of the visual spectrum.  Historically, the development of the telescope gave unparalleled ability to explore the movement of the planets.  As the technology developed over the centuries, the capability to see deeply into space has provided amazing insights into the universe.  However, on either side of this visual spectrum are electro-magnetic signals that can provide an otherwise inaccessible range of information on aspects such as the growth of the universe after the Big Bang, gravitational waves and dark energy, and help in the examination of pulsars. It is to this information that the SKA will give much greater  access.  While there are already major radio telescope projects in operation, the scale of the SKA will provide a very significantly increased ability to reach deeper into space; and it will provide a step change in the level of resolution of the signals received.

A significant challenge for the Project is, and will be, the ability to process the massive amount of information coming from the two sites.  Already, there is a need for data handling equivalent to that required for Facebook.  In time, as the Project develops, the need will exceed the current capacity of the existing worldwide internet. 

The Project is currently managed as a limited company based in the UK  with funding from 13 countries.  That will shortly change to it being established as an intergovernmental funded organisation, reflecting the significant international commitment to the Project’s future.