From the Director
As part of CSIRO's science investment process, the CSIRO Executive recently published a document setting out broad directions for future research. I am delighted to reproduce the text on radio astronomy in full below.
The importance of radio astronomy as a leading science initiative in Australia was recognised. Support of the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) as a research facility, and the world class research that CSIRO undertakes using the ATNF, are intimately interlinked.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and its forerunner the xNTD, are seen as key planks of Australia's determination to remain at the forefront of radio astronomy. It was noted that progressing the SKA proposal will require significant input from existing resources, and if ultimately successful, additional investment.
These recommendations will form the basis for CSIRO's investment decisions in radio astronomy over coming years and augur well not only for the continued support of our existing facilities, but also for the support of strategies outlined in the SKA roadmap produced by the Australian SKA consortium last year. The recommendations are also well aligned with priorities for radio astronomy mapped in early exposure drafts of New Horizons: The Australian Astronomy Decadal Plan 2006 – 15.
It is precisely because of the ongoing scientific impact of ATNF's telescopes and the remarkable coherence of the Australian astronomy community exemplified by the Decadal Planning process, that CSIRO is able to re-affirm its commitment to radio astronomy with confidence in the outcomes.
A number of significant upgrades of the existing facilities will occur over the next few years and the ATNF is committed to ensuring that sufficient resources are dedicated to supporting these upgrades to ensure their scientific impact is maximised. During the past few weeks, the Engineering Group have successfully installed the 3-mm Mopra receiver and spectrometer (MOPS). First observations made with the new system look magnificent. Other upgrades on the way include the 6-GHz multibeam receiver and the polyphase digital filterbank for Parkes, and the 7-mm system and Compact Array Broadband Backend for the Compact Array.
CSIRO's support for the xNTD, Australia's SKA science prototype, builds further the significant international momentum that now exists towards the SKA. This includes the recently announced success of the EU SKA design study (SKADS) program via the Sixth Framework protocol and the significant support for SKA prototype work in South Africa. In the context of both the xNTD and the current New Technology Demonstrator, ATNF remains committed to working with all its SKA partners to deliver science and technology solutions in the SKA domain that are truly international in both concept and delivery.
Maintaining this momentum towards the SKA, while continuing to support the existing telescopes will not be without its challenges. Following publication of the Decadal Plan in November, the ATNF looks forward to working with its users and other stakeholders, to develop an implementation plan which will successfully implement the strategies outlined in the Plan. With the appropriate levels of support, the ATNF is confident that it can both sustain existing telescopes and deliver new facilities at performance levels required by the community to achieve its aspirations in radio astronomy over the coming decade.
Brian Boyle
ATNF Director and Australian SKA Director
(Brian.Boyle@csiro.au)