1 Sardinia Radio Telescope, the VLBA and the HSA Luigina Feretti INAF Istituto di Radioastronomia Bologna, Italy

2 The Sardinia Radio Telescope - Fully steerable dish, alt-azimuth mounting, Diameter: 64 m, 3000 tons -Frequency range : 300 MHz – 100 GHz -Actively controlled surface : 1008 panels, 1116 mechanical actuators - Multiple focal positions : P, G, BWG - Frequency agility - State-of-art receivers (multi-beam) - Digital back-ends - Fiber optic connection -Transmitting capability

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4 Quality of the site: Low rain Low atm opacity Low RFI Low wind S. Basilio

5 22 May 2010 Big Lift : 500 tons 30 May 2010 Quadrupode Lift

July 2010 January 2011

7 Digital Spectrometer Pulsars 1 GHz BW, 1024 channels Spectrometer 60 MHz BW Dual Band Total Power Analogic Back-end 7x2 outputs, 2 GHz BW RECEIVERS MHz GHz Primary focus GHz Mono-feed BWG focus GHz Multi-feed 7 pixels Gregorian focus BACK-ENDS First light: 4 BANDs

8 Observing time (in %) with an expected atmospheric opacity τ< GHz 31.4 GHz 100 GHz (Ambrosini et al.) (23.8 and 31.4 GHz measured, 100 GHz extrapolated)

9 Radio Astronomy Science ● VLBI – eVLBI : x2 sensitivity up to 22 GHz x5 at higher freq mm-VLBI  43 GHz (7 mm)  86 GHz (3 mm) [GMVA, ALMA] ● Italian VLBI ● Single dish Space Science ASI (20%) ● Data down link ● Space science : Radio science, Deep Space Network

10 VLBA + SRT Several Groups use VLBA in Italy: Bologna - low lum RS, young RS, RS with gamma emission Fi (Arcetri ) – Galactic Masers Ca and Megamasers

12 Sensitivity improvement DEC= 30 o 22 GHz : 27% 5 GHz : 45% 1.6 GHz : 45%

13 HSA + SRT

14 Full tracks

15 Sensitivity improvement 22 GHz : 10 % 5 GHz : 10 %  16 % (no Arecibo) 1.6 GHz : 8 %  15 % “

16 Future receiver : 43 GHz, dual feed (?) Use of SRT : ASI : 20 % VLBI - eVLBI : EVN, Space VLBI, … Single dish

17 Thank you

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