meerkat: an overview

MeerKAT outline

Lindsay

The MeerKAT Programme

• Africa will have a legacy of a large radio telescope.– Irrespective of the outcome of the SKA site

competition.– But not independent of the SKA.– Largest radio telescope in southern hemisphere,

one of the largest in the world.

• MeerKAT is an SKA Precursor.– Engineering prototype and early science (SKA-

mid “Phase 0”).– Drive the establishment of the Karoo Radio

Astronomy Reserve.2

3

High Level SpecificationsMetric KAT-7 MeerKAT

Flow 1.2 GHz 580 MHz

Fhigh 1.95 GHz 15 GHz

Ae/Tsys 16 m2/K 200 m2/K

DRimag 30 dB 60 dB

DRspec 30 dB 50 dB

Xpol -20 dB -25 dB

BW 256 MHz 1 024 MHz

(4 096 MHz)

Nchan 4 096 32 768?

Tint <1 s 0.1 ms

Configuration (64 antennas)

4

8 km

5

MeerKAT Large Surveys

MeerKAT Large Surveys

7

22 countries

MeerKAT Phase 1 (2016)

• 64 x 13.5 m gregorian offset antennas– >> 220 m2/K (300 m2/K goal)

• 8 km maximum baseline– 70 % in < 1km diameter core

• 0.9-1.726 GHz (following ECP) cryogenic single-pixel receiver (L-band)– Multiple feed indexer

• Direct digitization– DFX architecture

Future Phases

• Aspirations (contingent on money and/or technology availability):– 580-1000 MHz (UHF-band) – currently being

designed – 8-14.5 GHz (X/Ku-band)– 20+ km baselines – possibly use initial SKA

dishes– 1.5-3 GHz for NanoGrav– 5-22 GHz wideband receiver

• SKA-mid Phase 1

Commissioning and early science

10

Time Allocated – > 5 years

11

Survey L-Band UHF X/Ku-Band

Deep HI 5 000 5 000

Pulsar Timing 7 860

30 Galaxies 6 000

HI Absorption 2 000 2 000

EoR Molecules 6 500

Fast Transients 3 080 ?

Fornax HI 2 450

X/Ku-band Galaxy 3 300

Deep Continuum 1 950

Slow Transients 3 000 ? ?

TOTAL 31 340 7 000 8 800 1 yr = 8 760 hr

MeerKAT dish concept

12

KAT-7

13

HUDF & NVSS contours

NGC 3109 (neutral hydrogen)

15

16

Single Baseline OH spectrum

Vela Single Pulse Baseband

17

Other things we do…

18

Youth into Science & Engineering• Research chairs• Visiting / joint professorships• University grants – support or

lecturers • Postdoctoral fellowships• Postgraduate bursaries• Undergraduate bursaries• Internships• Technician training – national

diplomas at universities of technology

• FET (artisan) training• Development of astrophysics

and related engineering in Africa partner states

• Mobility grants

A focused and structured programme with a pipeline strategy

Opportunities (Students)

Research chair/group/program University Professor

Electromagnetic Systems and EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) Mitigation 

Stellenbosch Prof. David Davidson

Radio Astronomy Wits Prof. Sergio Colafrancesco

Astrophysics UWC Prof. Roy Maartens

Multi-Wavelength Extragalactic Astronomy

UCT Prof Claude Carignan

Radio Astronomy Techniques Rhodes Prof Oleg Smirnov

NASSP Multiple www.star.ac.za

SKA Multiple http://www.ska.ac.za/students/bursaries.php

Opportunities (Faculty)

• Science Data Processing– Developer MeerKAT

• Archiving, Pipelining, Calibration, HPC

– Developer SKA PEP• Work on developing specifications for SKA

• Commissioning– Senior scientist

• Can lead commissioning teams with a good knowledge of the system from hardware through to publishable science

– Junior/intermediate scientist • Has worked on radio telescope hardware and data

21