1. SKA New Technology Demonstrator Ray Norris CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility

2. What is the NTD? New Technology Demonstrator An MNRF-funded project: –$2.535m MNRF –$3.05m CSIRO –$5.585m TOTAL Of which, $3.8m remains

3. What are we demonstrating? 1.SKA technology in which Australia can play a key role (not just antennas!) 2.Credibility of Australia as an SKA host site 3.If possible, some key science outcomes.

4. Original NTD goals Explore SKA technologies, especially –phased array –Luneburg Lens Build two SKA mini-stations at Narrabri –Augment capability of ATCA

5. NTD outcomes so far Luneburg lens project (see J Kot talk) –Potential commercial applications Some phased array work –Now overtaken by Faraday, Pharos, etc. System development –See white papers, etc.

6. Why refocus NTD? Luneburg lenses no longer attractive for SKA –see ASKACC report Within the budget, NTD cannot significantly enhance ATCA science capability while demonstrating SKA technology –CABB, MMIC are doing this Opportunity to demonstrate the best (i.e. Australian) site for SKA Recognition that SKA is not just about antennas –e.g. signal processing, data transport, calibration, software, RQZ

7. Recent NTD history 2003: LOFAR showed that –WA is best site of those examined, at low frequencies –Such a site strongly influences technology (e.g. # of bits of sampling) –Growing international interest in WA as an SKA site Early 2004: Australia withdrew from LOFAR March 2004: ASKACC suggest a review of NTD April 2004: Vision Paper supported by ASKACC sub-committee and AT Steering Committee Now: proposal for implementation of that Vision Paper

8. NTD refocused: Build a technology demonstrator at Mileura, WA Demonstrate the feasibility of remote operation of a radio astronomy facility in a very radio- quiet site Demonstrate technology enabling a very wide field of view at low SKA frequencies Pave the way for key science outcomes

9. Eventual goal: a facility demonstrating Wide (>50°) FOV Antennas –Cylinders covering 700-1400 MHz –EOR phased-array tiles covering 80-200 MHz Radio-quiet Zone Infrastructure Correlator Software Signal transport Energy provision A radio-quiet facility for testing other SKA technologies Key science outcomes

10. Technologies examined Antenna: –Review wide-field antenna technologies –Cylinder with >50° FOV at 700-1400 MHz –Small (~3m?) parabolas with same specs, as fall-back MIT EOR/transient tiles: 80-200 MHz Fibre data transmission Beamformer/filterbank/correlator Algorithms & software

11. Sample configuration studied 2000 dual-polarisation feeds 4000 LNAs 1000 first beamformers Analogue coax to correlator building 1000 filterbanks, each 1024 chan * 256 MHz 125 inputs to each beamformer 8 second beamformers 125 outputs from each beamformer 125 2 correlators, each 125 beams* 12 baselines *1024 channels 4 cylindrical reflectors, each 50m * 15m FOV 2° * 33° (after beamforming) Plus: Software, Energy supply, Data Transport, control system, RQZ, other facilities, etc.

12. The Proposal

13. NTD Phase 1: July 2004 – April 2005 Development (with SKAMP) of a line feed (700-1400 MHz) Feasibility study & prelim design of cylinder antennas Design of low-frequency antenna tiles (8-250 MHz) Development of fallback options Overall system design & costing Ends with Preliminary Design Review (PDR) (MIT NSF grant outcome also announced ~ March 2005)

14. NTD Phase 2: May 2005 – June 2006 Architecture and configuration selected Detailed design and costing Prototype subsystems Establish site Start installing EOR tile antennas Ends with Critical Design Review (CDR)

15. NTD Phase 3: July 2006 – June 2007 Construct small-scale demonstrator of cylindrical antenna? Establish facility with EOR tiles Paves way (subject to additional funding) for either: –Construction of SKA Phase 1 –Construction of HYFAR

16. Risk mitigation Cylinder/line feed fails –Prototype line feed on SKAMP –Use small off-the-shelf parabolas MIT/WA funding fails –Concentrate on cylinder/parabola –Build at Narrabri instead

17. Proposed budget (i.e. not yet allocated) MNRF NTD$3.8m (plus in-kind from MMIC, CABB) MIT NSF Grant$4m WA Govt$1.5m TOTAL$9.3m Additional University partners may also participate & contribute

18. Timeline (Draft) August 2004 December 2004 Start of feasibility study Measurement gear & first MIT tiles installed April 2005End of feasibility study Prelim Design review, MIT funding announced Late 2005Road to site constructed First construction at site Prototype MIT tiles tested at Mileura, tile manufacture starts June 2006Critical Design Review June 2007Completion of NTD Funding application for SKA pathfinder