Dr. Jill Tarter & Dr. John Dreher (SETI Institute)

The Allen Telescope Array - Dr. Jill Tarter & Dr. John Dreher Colloquium

ATNF Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Abstract

The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is a joint project between the SETI Institute (http://www.seti.org) and the University of California at Berkeley Radio Astronomy Lab (RAL) (http://astron.berkeley.edu/ral/).

The ATA will consist of approximately 350 6.1-meter offset Gregorian dishes arrayed at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory site. Given the number of antennas and large size of the primary beam (approximately 4 degrees at 21 cm wavelength), this array will have an unprecedented amount of flexibility in observing. Several individual users may simultaneously use the array to observe a different part of the sky at an independent frequency, or image the sky at one or more frequencies. The ATA will also serve as a prototype for Square Kilometre Array (SKA) station technology.

Dr. Jill Tarter will first explain where the ATA came from, what it will do, design choices that have been made, and the current status of the project. Dr. John Dreher will follow with a discussion of the areas in which performance may still be improved, areas where further cost reductions may be possible, recent innovations arising from the project, different techonolgy routes that could be followed if the project was restarted now, and possibly a tentative construction plan.