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| Paper: |
Conceptual Design for the Square Kilometer Array |
| Volume: |
295, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XII |
| Page: |
125 |
| Authors: |
Ekers, R. D. |
| Abstract: |
New technologies have made it possible to construct an affordable radio telescope with collecting area of one square km: the SKA. Such a telescope would be so powerful that we could expand our knowledge of the universe from the earliest stages of its formation through to planetary exploration with greatly enhanced spacecraft communications. The SKA will join the new generation of telescopes at other wavebands with the sensitivity and resolution to image the earliest phases of galaxy formation, as well as greatly extending the range of unique science accessible at radio wavelengths. We already know how to build an SKA, the issue is how to build the most cost effective SKA, and how to maximize the science we can do with it. This project was born International and a number of countries are now comparing conceptual designs. All implementations call on Moore's law to satisfy the computationally demanding requirements. Some are more demanding than others and involve technologies and operational procedures never previously implemented in an astronomical facility. |
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