A First for LFAA

© Andre van Es

On Thursday January 23rd 2014 the Aperture Array Design Consortium (AADC), designing the Low Frequency Aperture Array element in SKA phase 1 was the first to have the MoU with SKA Organisation signed. The AADC is a truly global consortium with partners from the United Kingdom (Universities of Cambridge and Oxford), Italy (INAF), Australia (ICRAR) and China (KLAASA). The consortium is completed with contributions from JIVE, the German Glow consortium, University of Malta and MIT. ASTRON is leading the consortium that will invest around 20 Million euro in the design of the Low Frequency telescope in the next three years.

The Low Frequency Element of the SKA Phase 1 will cover the lowest frequency band of the SKA. It will consist of almost 260.000 antennae that will be stationed in the desert of Western Australia. The current design proposes log periodic antennae. The configuration places 75% of the antennae in a 2 km diameter core with three spiral arms out to a radius of 50 km. The combined system will have a data-rate of 10 Tb/s. The phased array concept, already in use by LOFAR, will provide great flexiblity  and optimisation for very different experiments.

The first major goal for the AADC team is to pass a succesful  Preliminary Design Review by the end of 2014, leading up to a Critical Design Review in 2016.

For more information on the consortium’s activities and the partners involved on the map you can have look at: (https://www.skatelescope.org/skadesign/wp/lfaa/