A contingent from South Africa's RATT group

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Clik here to view.© Iniyan Natarajan

Since May, four members of the Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies group(*) of Rhodes University (South Africa) have been based at ASTRON(**), working on various projects related to calibration, modeling, and simulation.

• Dr Trienko Grobler (Rhodes, SKA-SA) has developed the mathematical framework to describe the infamous 'ghost' sources in WSRT images.

• Sphesihle Makhathini (Rhodes) has developed a number of simulations which are being used to help define the SKA1-mid antenna layout.

• Iniyan Natarajan (UCT) is working on a Bayesian approach to interferometric calibration, and involved with the development of the generalized aw-imager

• Dr Griffin Foster (Rhodes, SKA-SA) has been working to develop a polarization calibration method for low-frequency elements such as the LBA, HBA, and PAPER dipoles.

Today, three of them will offer brief presentations about their work at a special edition of the TechnoLunch (12:30, Hooghoudt Room).

Photo: On a brief trip to the LOFAR superterp Griffin, Trienko, and Iniyan (left to right) discuss the anomalous radio source Sphe-A (top left). This exchange has been part of the MIDPREP collaboration between South Africa, ASTRON, and Chalmers University (Sweden).

(*) The Centre for Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies (RATT) is based around the SKA Research Chair of prof Oleg Smirnov (Rhodes University, South Africa).

(**) Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Both sides greatly value the special relationship.