NB: This is the full text of the original MNRF proposal (converted automatically from Microsoft Word using MS Internet Assistant), and is recommended only for those with plenty of stamina! The following attachments are given as separate WWW pages:
- Attachment A: MNRF budget schedule,
- Attachment B: Glossary,
- Attachment C: Background: Radio astronomy, VLBI, and short wavelengths,
- Attachment D: Operational arrangements for the management of the Australia Telescope as a National Facility,
1. Title (<10 words): Australia Telescope Upgrade
2. Mission Statement:
To provide a world-class national radio astronomy facility with short-wavelength high-resolution imaging capability, which will enable Australian scientists to remain at the forefront in studies of the universe, and to become key players in space radio astronomy. We will also provide outstanding facilities for showcasing Australian technology, providing training in science and engineering, and transferring technology to industry.
3. Research Fields:
Astrophysics, radio astronomy, microwave engineering
4. Research Outcomes:
Radio astronomy at short wavelengths and high angular resolution will exploit the unique southern location of the Australia Telescope to provide significant new insight into the fundamental cosmic constituents - radio stars, molecular clouds, masers, X- and -ray sources, supernovae, galaxies, and quasars located out of the edge of the universe.
We will pursue strategic research into antenna, microwave and cryogenic engineering techniques.
We will develop enhanced imaging software using mosaicing techniques.
5. Proponent Organisations:
Proposal Coordinator
Dr. R. P. Norris (Head of Astrophysics), email: rnorris@atnf.csiro.au,
Australia Telescope National Facility CSIRO, PO Box 7, Epping NSW 2121, Ph (02) 372 4100 Fax (02) 372 4310
Proponent Organisations:
Australia Telescope National Facility CSIRO
Prof R. D. Ekers (Director), email rekers@atnf.csiro.au
J. W. Brooks (Assistant Director and Engineering Manager), email jbrooks@atnf.csiro.au
Division of Radiophysics CSIRO
, Dr J. D. O'Sullivan (Deputy Chief and Manager R & D), email: josullivan@rp.csiro.au
Dept. of Physics, University of Tasmania
, Prof. P. M. McCulloch (Professor of Physics), email: pmcc@physvax.phys.utas.edu.au
NB: A glossary of technical terms and acronyms in this proposal is given as attachment B, and an overview of the science is given as attachment C.
6. Summary of Proposed Facility:
Title: Australia Telescope Upgrade
Locations: The upgrade involves the ATNF's Compact Array at Narrabri (NSW), the 64 m antenna at Parkes (NSW), the 22 m (Mopra) antenna at Coonabarabran (NSW), together with antennas for use in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) at Hobart, run by the University of Tasmania, and the 30 m Telstra antenna at Ceduna (SA).
Proposer: Prof. R. D. Ekers, Director, Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO.
Description:
We propose to upgrade the Australia Telescope, currently designated as a National Facility, by extending both the wavelength (and frequency) range and angular resolution by a factor of 10. These extensions will be achieved by:
- outfitting all telescopes with low-noise receivers for operation in the 1 cm wavelength band (12 - 25 GHz),
- for VLBI, upgrading the Telstra Ceduna antenna for radio astronomy operations,
- outfitting telescopes for operation in the 3 mm wavelength band (85 - 116 GHz): and
- for the Mopra antenna, upgrading the reflecting surface and developing a focal-plane array.
Contribution to Australian science and technology:
The upgraded facility will enable Australian scientists to maintain the international standing already achieved in radio astronomy and to extend their studies of the universe to those phenomena with radio emission at short-wavelengths. The enhanced VLBI capability will enable Australia to become a key player in international space VLBI, and will also provide an accurate fiducial reference for precision geodesy.
Contribution to Australian industry:
The construction of the Australia Telescope demonstrated our commitment to supporting industry through innovation, design, training and technology transfer, and this commitment will continue. One example from this proposal is the required technical development needed for state-of-the-art short-wavelength receivers. We expect to obtain a contract with Australian industry to produce these systems, and to provide prototypes and engineers to transfer to industry expertise in short-wavelength technology. This is a rapidly expanding field in telecommunications.
Contribution to the advancement of knowledge, education and training:
Astronomy has always stimulated new science, new technologies and new industries, and continues to capture the imagination of the general public. The principal goal of the new facility is to contribute substantially to the advancement of knowledge, and it will also provide new opportunities for educating and training graduate students in science and technology.
Contribution for Australia internationally:
Astronomy is one of the fields in which Australia has maintained a high international reputation. The upgrade to short wavelengths is essential to maintain this reputation. Overseas scientists will be attracted to Australia by the new capabilities and this will keep open reciprocal opportunities for Australian scientists to use complementary overseas facilities. The new capabilities will allow Australia to maintain its leadership role in radio astronomy in the Asia-Pacific region and, in particular, will let Australia play a key role in space VLBI with the Japanese VSOP satellite.
Capital cost:
The capital cost of $9.74M comprises:
For a 1 cm operational capability: $3.34M for the Compact Array, and $2.51M for a VLBI network, which includes the Telstra Ceduna antenna.
For a 3 mm operational capability: $1.49M for the Compact Array, and $2.4M for the Mopra antenna.
Annual operating cost:
The incremental increase to the ATNF antennas will be about $200K. An additional cost of $150K for operating the VLBI network will be borne by the University of Tasmania through existing programs supplemented by Government support as a Key Centre for Radio Interferometry and Imaging.
Funding sources:
Capital cost: MNRF, CSIRO (human resources), University of Tasmania (human resources)
Operating costs: CSIRO (ATNF facilities); University of Tasmania (VLBI); ARC (Key centre for Radio Interferometry and Imaging)
Construction time and starting date:
The design and construction will start as soon as funds are available. Arrangements for transferring the Ceduna antenna from Telstra must be finalised by 1996. Upgrades to support the Japanese space VLBI mission VSOP must be completed by January 1997 in order to participate in the mission; 3 mm upgrades on the Compact Array and Mopra antenna must be completed before 2000; focal-plane array and associated correlator must be completed by 2003.
7. Nature of Proposed Facility
The upgrade represents an extension of an existing National Research Facility, the Australia Telescope (AT), which consists of six 22 m antennas (Compact Array) at Narrabri, a 22 m (Mopra) antenna at Coonabarabran, and the 64 m Parkes radio telescope. The Facility has a capital value exceeding $100M, and has been operating for several years under ASTEC guidelines for National Facilities. The upgrade is to provide for operation at shorter wavelengths (1 cm and 3 mm) and higher angular resolution, as foreshadowed in the original Australia Telescope proposal. Attachment C provides an overview of the science that drives this proposal.
Specifically, we propose to
- upgrade the antennas at Narrabri, Parkes, Mopra, and Hobart so that they will operate at a wavelength of 1 cm,
- adapt an existing antenna at Ceduna for VLBI radio astronomy, saving ~$5M compared to building a new antenna,
- upgrade the Narrabri and Mopra antennas so that they will operate at a wavelength of 3 mm, compared to the current shortest operating wavelength of 3 cm.
Most of the equipment required for the extension is advanced technology and therefore special-purpose in nature. Such technology is strategically placed, however, for future telecommunications technology. In line with previous AT philosophy, there will be a high Australian content, the equipment being provided by ATNF, Radiophysics and local industry. Telstra will provide the Ceduna 30 m antenna at no cost to us, as discussed in attachment C, although expenses will be incurred in converting it for radio astronomical use.
For VLBI projects, Australian antennas will be linked with overseas antennas, and with space-borne telescopes launched by Japan and Russia, to provide very high angular resolution. In these collaborations, Australian scientists will have significant opportunities to carry out their own programs.
Since the AT is a National Research Facility, it is appropriate that support of major upgrades be provided by Major National Research Facility funding. Funding is now timely, because there are windows of opportunity that will close at the end of 1996 for the VLBI space project participation, and at around 2000 for outfitting the 3 mm system on the Compact Array.
Observing time using ATNF facilities will be awarded on merit to researchers from all over Australia and from overseas. VLBI programs will be carried out for about 90 days each year, in conjunction with Tidbinbilla and the Universities of Tasmania, Western Australia, and Adelaide.
8. Location(s)
The extensions will affect all ATNF sites (headquarters in Sydney, the Compact Array at Narrabri, NSW, and the Mopra and Parkes antennas in NSW), the University of Tasmania's radio telescope at Hobart, and the Telstra antenna at Ceduna, SA.
9. Financial Information:
Establishment/construction costs
3 mm wavelength capability
- Compact Array: five low-noise receiver systems $1.49M
- Mopra antenna: reshaping and extending 15 m solid surface to 22 m $0.64M
- developing the focal-plane array and associated correlator system $1.76M
1 cm wavelength capability
- Compact Array: seven HEMT receiver systems $2.10M
- local oscillator upgrade (including hydrogen maser freq. reference) $0.94M
- three new antenna 'stations' $0.30M
- VLBI network: three HEMT receiver systems (Mopra, Hobart, Ceduna) $0.90M
- modifications to the Ceduna antenna (donated by Telstra) $1.61M
- Total funding sought from the MNRF program: $9.74M
Human resources will be provided by CSIRO, the University of Tasmania, and local industry.
Ongoing operational costs
Increased annual operating costs for ATNF facilities will be marginal ($0.2M) relative to the total operating cost of around $10M, and will be absorbed by the ATNF from its CSIRO budget plus external supplementation. Operating cost for VLBI operation (including operating the Ceduna antenna, but excluding AT antennas) is estimated at $150K per annum and will be borne by the University of Tasmania through existing programs supplemented by Government support as a Key Centre for Radio Interferometry and Imaging.
10. Independent Experts in Field:
- Professor R. S. Booth
- Professor P. A. Hamilton
- Professor H. Hirabayashi
- Dr P. A. Vanden Bout
- Dr. J. Ness
- Prof. W. J. Welch
11. Scientific Objectives and their Significance:
Areas of research:
The short-wavelength capabilities of the Compact Array and the Mopra antenna will enable fine-scale probing of southern giant molecular clouds in which stars are being formed - the inner dense regions of our Galaxy are in the southern skies, and most cannot be studied with Northern Hemisphere telescopes. Most molecular-line transitions required for such studies have wavelengths below 3 cm. Despite its lower altitude, the upgraded Mopra antenna with its solid 22 m surface will, at 3 mm, compete more than favourably with the 15 m Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope in Chile. This is the only other mm telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.
The short-wavelength capability coupled with high angular resolution will enable fine probing of the continuum and molecular-line emission in other galaxies. The dense nuclei are particular targets since existing mm-wave arrays cannot provide sufficient angular-resolution images. The maximum resolution available with the Compact Array should be sufficient to resolve the nuclei of these galaxies.
At short wavelengths it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain wide-field images, and to develop efficient focal-plane arrays of receiving elements is one of the grand challenges in radio astronomy. Developing such a focal-plane array on the Mopra antenna will enable much faster, much more reliable imaging of the distribution of molecules in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds.
A six-station Australian VLBI network will be internationally competitive and will be the only Southern Hemisphere array. Combined with existing antennas in Asia, USA, and South Africa, a network is formed which is comparable to large northern networks such as the European VLBI Network and the US Very Long Baseline Array. The Australian VLBI array will involve Australia in space science through participation in space VLBI. Such an array will also provide an important geodetic tie between Antarctica and Asia.
Key scientific questions:
For our Galaxy:
- What are the structure, chemistry and dynamics of small-scale molecular cloud regions containing protostars, pre-planetary disks and compact bipolar nebulae? The answer may come from observing their CO emission at 3 mm.
- Can we use the fine-scale dynamics of water-vapour maser complexes to measure the fundamental distance scales both within our Galaxy and to the nearest external galaxies? We need 1 cm VLBI observations to resolve this.
- How does the radio emission from X and g-ray sources evolve? This requires high-resolution VLBI observations.
For other galaxies and quasars:
- What is the nature of the expanding shell from the unique Magellanic Cloud supernova SN1987A? This requires the resolution of the Compact Array at 1 cm.
- What are the dynamics and molecular and isotope abundances in galaxies? This can be answered only by mm-wave spectral-line observations.
- What is the nature of Active Galactic Nuclei (dynamics, fine structure in continuum and molecular cloud distributions, superluminous molecular-line maser emission, accretion disks signposting black hole cores, etc.)? This needs the unprecedented angular resolution provided by space VLBI.
- How do radio jets form and evolve, and what does their superluminal expansion tell us? Only VLBI can provide the required resolution.
- How did the early universe evolve, and how are modern galaxies descended from those at early epochs? This may be answered by observing the redshifted emission from dust in evolving galaxies at mm wavelengths.
- What physical processes produce the extreme brightness temperatures (in excess of 1012 K) seen in the nuclei of galaxies. This can be measured only with space VLBI techniques.
Significance for Australian S&T:
Obtaining significant answers to key astronomy questions will enhance the international reputation of Australian radio astronomy and Australian radio astronomy facilities. This will also foster further Australian radio astronomy research, and maintain our leading position within the Asia-Pacific astronomical community. The excitement associated with scientific breakthroughs almost always extends from the scientific community to the general public, and stimulates awareness and interest in the science. Radio astronomy successes provide tangible evidence of the high quality of the Australian technology used in the facilities.
Availability to researchers:
The facilities under discussion will be made available to researchers at all institutions both in Australia and overseas, subject to peer review. This is consistent with the current policy for the use of ATNF facilities. Granting use to overseas scientists fulfils Australia's obligation to overseas institutions which allow Australian scientists access to facilities not available in Australia. The current usage of the AT is: CSIRO 30%, other Australian groups 33%, Overseas 37%.
12. Established Need:
Australia's national needs:
Australia's long-term future as a technological nation requires a balance to be drawn between short-term commercially oriented research, strategic research, and basic research. A lightly populated country such as Australia cannot afford to participate in many areas of basic science, but must instead concentrate on a few in which it can excel, and which provide links to strategic areas of technology. Astronomy, and in particular radio astronomy, is one such area. Van der Kruit (1994, " A comparison of astronomy in fifteen member countries of the OECD", Scientometrics, 31, 155-172) places Australian astronomy eighth in total astronomical citations, or fourth when normalised per capita, of OECD countries, and ranks Australia second overall in astronomical performance compared to performance in all other sciences. Apart from radio astronomy's primary goal of advancement of knowledge, Australian radio astronomy also has an excellent track record of the other benefits of basic science (industrial spin-offs, national prestige, training scientists and engineers, and using a high-profile science to attract young people to science in general). Our track record of establishing links to strategic areas of technology is discussed below in Section 16.
The ATNF, as Australia's principal radio astronomy institution, is a world leader in several areas of radio astronomy. To maintain our position at the leading edge of radio astronomy we must continually upgrade and enhance our facility, and search out new areas in which we have a competitive advantage. Therefore, to maintain Australia's international position in radio astronomy, we request funding under the MNRF program.
Major source of expenditure:
The scale of funding requested is beyond the level of funding available from the ATNF appropriation budget or from the ARC.
Incremental funding is not possible because a program of engineering short-wavelength receivers requires a level of commitment sufficient to establish a critical mass of engineering expertise so that we can attract and retain the best engineers.
Furthermore, we have a restricted window of opportunity for these developments, which rules out incremental funding:
- The offer from Telstra of the Ceduna antenna is unlikely to be available beyond 1995.
- We need to have the Australian VLBI array in place by the VSOP launch in 1996.
- We have a limited opportunity to establish a world lead with our 3 mm synthesis array, as other countries are planning shorter wavelength arrays, some of which may be completed by 2003.
Community of scientists and technologists:
In addition to the scientists and engineers who will be responsible for implementing the upgrade described in this proposal, this proposal is endorsed and supported by our active user community. Of the 200 scientists who used the AT last year, 30% were ATNF staff, 33% were other Australian scientists and students, and 37% were overseas users. This user community is formally represented by the Australia Telescope User Committee (ATUC), who have consistently urged the upgrades proposed here. In addition, the National Committee for Astronomy, a subcommittee of the Australian Academy of Science, have just completed a discipline research strategy study entitled "Australian Astronomy beyond 2000". In it, they recommend that "The Australia Telescope should be upgraded to 100 GHz (3 mm)" and "The East-West baselines of the array should be extended by bringing antennas on-line in Ceduna and Perth".
13. Australia's Competitive Position:
All facilities proposed here for upgrading have a geographical advantage in that they are located in the Southern Hemisphere. Both the Compact Array and Australian VLBI network are the only systems of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and have access to important objects in the southern skies that are inaccessible to observatories in the Northern Hemisphere.
At 3 mm, the Compact Array will provide maximum angular resolution several times greater than that provided by any existing overseas (including northern) mm-wave arrays such as Caltech, BIMA (Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Array), Nobeyama, IRAM (Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique), thereby offering a better potential for probing compact star formation regions in molecular clouds, and compact dusty nuclei of galaxies.
At 3 mm the Mopra antenna will compete with the 15 m Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope in Chile, but upgrading its solid surface to 22 m (thereby increasing both the collecting area and angular resolution) together with providing a focal-plane array will yield important new results.
The design and production of mm-wave focal-plane arrays using MMIC technology involves leading-edge electromagnetic and fabrication research. Such research is strategic for other future applications of MMIC technology, such as broadband mobile telecommunications. Australian expertise at the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics will be exploited here.
Because lightly populated Australia is well away from the large population centres of Europe and USA, Australian radio astronomy has the advantage of being less affected by artificial radio interference than radio astronomy elsewhere. Although, currently, radio interference at the wavelengths under consideration is not a major problem, future general communication services will extend to progressively shorter wavelengths and will eventually result in problems for radio astronomy, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.
14. Degree of Impact
Interdisciplinary research
The following areas of interdisciplinary research will be stimulated by this project:
- development of GaAs MMIC receivers for 3 mm wavelength
- development of focal-plane array feeds
- geodesy through fiducial reference points and reference frames
- space science through space VLBI.
Doctoral and post-doctoral training
28 PhD students are already co-supervised by ATNF staff, seven post-doctoral fellows are currently employed by the ATNF, and many more PhD and Honours students at Australian universities use the AT as part of their thesis projects. The upgrade will have an enormous impact on the fields of research on which these students and post-doctoral fellows work. Furthermore, we plan to increase the number of students and post-docs associated with the engineering, rather than the astronomical side, of the Facility, and these new positions will be associated with important areas on the cutting edge of technology.
National prestige
Astronomy has an intrinsic popular appeal which serves to maintain a high profile both in the media and in public perception, and this is strengthened by the involvement of ATNF staff and users in some of astronomy's most exciting projects. For example, last year ATNF staff gave over 200 media interviews. The proposed upgrade will involve Australia not just in new areas of astronomy, but will also provide us with a direct link to space science through Australia's participation in the VSOP space VLBI project, and will help us maintain our scientific leadership in the Asia-Pacific region.
15. International Characteristics:
International Scientific Collaboration:
Last year the ATNF attracted 150 overseas scientists who came to use the AT or to collaborate with ATNF staff. A significant number of engineers and technologists also came to collaborate in projects such as that with Shanghai Observatory to develop short-wavelength receivers and high-reliability hydrogen masers. In addition, ATNF staff and users participate in a large number of international collaborations. This level of international collaboration will increase as we upgrade our facilities to explore new areas of astronomy. For example, the VLBI technique is intrinsically international, because antennas are needed in different countries, and the ATNF has taken the lead in forming an organisation known as the Asia-Pacific Telescope (APT), whose key members are Australia, China, and Japan. We also have strong collaborations with other international VLBI networks, and anticipate even stronger links if we participate actively in space VLBI.
Advantages of overseas locations:
Overseas locations are unsuitable for three reasons:
Our geographical location is an important advantage for VLBI, because the long baselines within Australia, and from Australia to our Asian neighbours, are complementary to the other ground-based and space VLBI baselines.
Our location in the Southern Hemisphere is important because Australia is the only major astronomical nation in the Southern Hemisphere, with a sky that cannot be observed from the Northern Hemisphere, thus providing us with a niche that we can exploit. It is a significant niche, because the southern sky contains most of our Galaxy and important objects such as the Magellanic Clouds and Centaurus A.
The proposal is to upgrade facilities based on existing instruments which are located in Australia and cannot be easily relocated.
Attractiveness to International Partners:
This proposal is unlikely to attract direct financial involvement from international partners, who are in most cases already funding their own complementary facilities. However, we already have contributions in kind from the NASA-funded facilities at Tidbinbilla, the NASA-funded upgrades to the Parkes telescope, and the support of overseas telescopes in Japan, China, and elsewhere, that are used for collaborative VLBI experiments. This proposal will also allow Australia to become a key participant in the $1000M VSOP satellite project funded by Japan. Furthermore, links with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) may include transfer of funding if the MNRF proposal #7 ("Australian membership of the European Southern Observatory") is successful.
16. Other S&T Benefits
Australian radio astronomy has a good track record for stretching the limits of technology and transferring the benefits to industry, and the existence of leading-edge applications of technology in radio astronomy has also proved an important marketing tool for Australian capabilities in the past.
Recent examples include, as a direct spin-off from the construction of the AT antennas, the development of Telstra Satellite ground-station systems, earning Australia more than $15M in exports to Asia and more than $40M in export replacement. A detailed cost/benefit analysis of one aspect of the industrial impact of this research was made by the Bureau of Industry Economics (BIE Research Paper 6 - Analysis of CSIRO industrial research - Earth station antennas by Anderssen and Hampton, 1991), which concluded that the direct Benefit/Cost ratio for earth-station antennas is 2.0 (and is 3.6 for exported antennas), and that the most important 'intangible' benefit is the demonstration of Australian capability. Other marketable innovations include the development by ATNF radio astronomers of the internationally adopted aircraft landing system INTERSCAN, and an example of technology transfer is that of Warren Chandler Pty. who installed and connected the fibre-optic cable system during the ATNF construction. Mr Chandler provided excellent service to the ATNF, and gained the expertise necessary to establish his company in Indonesia and China. The construction phase of the ATNF enabled both CSIRO and industry to form networks still in use today.
The proposed upgrade will enable CSIRO engineering and scientific staff to continue to transfer state-of-the-art technology in the microwave, RF, and IF fields to Australian industry. The design and production of mm-wave focal-plane arrays using MMIC technology involves leading-edge electromagnetic and fabrication research. This research will exploit Australian expertise at the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics, and is strategic for other future applications of MMIC technology, such as broadband mobile telecommunications.
In the areas of GaAs technology, MMIC devices and multibeam feeds, our expertise will place our industrial partners at a distinct competitive advantage. The broad international experience and contacts of the ATNF engineering staff will be accessible to all of our industry partners.
17. Industry Objectives and their Significance:
Information technology is one of the fastest growing areas in the Australian manufacturing sector. The proposed upgrade encompasses many elements at the heart of this area. The ATNF engineering staff possess a broad knowledge base and hands-on engineering experience covering the frequency range from a few hundred Hz to 100 GHz (3 mm). We are one of the few places in Australia designing and producing active and passive devices covering this range. Our design techniques have been refined over the years by feedback from operational statistics of the ATNF. With over fifty cryogenically cooled radiometer systems working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the ATNF has been able to hone design and production skills to produce reliable and state-of-the-art systems.
a) Technological stimulus to Australian industry
Our engineering experience will be placed at the disposal of our industry partners in this project. For the 1 cm receiving systems we will build a prototype system and will second a senior staff engineer to our industrial partner for the duration of the project. We will also seek other opportunities for collaboration between the ATNF and industry.
b) Unique services of benefit to Australia
A visit to the ATNF invariably produces a positive reaction from Australian and overseas engineering firms. It is a constant reminder of what can be designed and produced in Australia. Our technology-transfer process leads to a strengthening of the networks linking us with small industrial firms, and gives them confidence to take on work, knowing they have our support.
c) Linkage between research & industry
Our previous experience in constructing the AT has forged many links with industry (e.g. Connell Wagner, Evans-Deakins Industries, Sydney Engineering Sales, Mitec) as well as the links described above in Section 16. We plan to strengthen these alliances and develop new ones as a result of this project.
d) New Australian enterprises
This development will strengthen existing enterprises rather than foster new ones.
e) Technology, training & skills
The ATNF engineering groups employed over 50 engineers and technicians on term employment contracts over the construction phase, in addition to those engineers and technicians with permanent positions. Many of these have moved on to other employment within allied industries, but continue their links with the ATNF, strengthening the links between CSIRO and industry.
The ATNF also provides opportunities for sandwich-course engineering students, and scholarships for engineering students to work with us during university vacation, and we will increase the number of these if this proposal is successful. Also included in our submission is funding to employ four young engineers/technicians for three years each.
18. Socio-economic Objectives and their Significance:
Socio-economic contribution:
The primary goal of this proposal is advancement of knowledge, in which we have a proven track record and world-class ranking, described in Section 12 above. We also expect it to lead to industrial spin-offs in the fields of short-wavelength receiver design and multibeam antenna design. Educational benefits will be at the tertiary level (via our vacation student program, our PhD students, and our post-doctoral fellows), at the secondary level (via talks to schools), and at a popular level (via the media).
Environmental management:
The same technique, VLBI, that we use to study the fine detail of distant quasars, is also used to measure positions of antennas, and thus geophysical entities, to centimetre accuracy over inter-continental distances. Although not widely used within the Australian geophysical community, because of the relatively stable tectonic plate on which Australia is situated, VLBI is a key part both of our Asia-Pacific Telescope (APT) collaboration and of the University of Tasmania's collaboration with NASA and the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). This geodesy will provide measurements and monitoring of fiducial reference points, essential in international programs monitoring sea level and the effects of global warming on the ocean environment. These same geodetic measurements are used to monitor the Earth's orientation in space, and minute changes in its rotation rate through changes in universal time (UT1).
Community appreciation of Science and Technology:
Astronomy has an intrinsic popular appeal which serves to maintain a high profile both in the media and in public perception, illustrated by the ~200 media interviews given by ATNF staff last year, and serves as a convenient vehicle to inform and educate the public about science in general. The proposed upgrade will enable astronomy to be used to promote technological developments in space science (through VSOP), receiver engineering, and antenna engineering.
19. International Standing
Image as a technologically advanced nation:
Australia's high world ranking in international astronomy, together with the engineering expertise that has enabled us to achieve that ranking, and the high media visibility of astronomy, make it an excellent vehicle to project and enhance Australia's image as a technologically advanced nation. The technological developments proposed here, some of which are in areas not yet tackled overseas, further sharpen that image, and our high level of collaboration with other countries serves to ensure that our image retains high visibility in their media.
International negotiating position:
This proposal will have a direct effect on Australia's negotiating position in several arenas, through:
- our demonstrable expertise in several high technology areas (e.g. contracts to provide microwave devices to NASA),
- our strengthening influence in the Asian region through Australia's key position in APT and other consortia,
- our participation in the Japanese VSOP project, which will enable Australian input to future space science missions,
- our continuing active involvement in international frequency protection and spectrum allocation bodies,
- our international standing, which results in Australians holding several key positions in the International Scientific Unions.
20. Other National Benefits
As well as the benefits outlined above, our strong scientific links with Asia should be seen as a resource which should be tapped by commercial interests. For example, our discussions with academics in Taiwan regarding the establishment of a radio observatory there have led to a tour of Australian high-technology companies by a key player in Taiwanese engineering. The value of such scientific links should not be underestimated when trying to establish commercial and technological links. Furthermore, the existence of leading-edge applications of technology in radio astronomy has proved an important marketing tool for Australian capabilities in the past.
21. Level of Commitment:
This proposal is the result of a process of planning which dates back to 1983 when the ATNF was first funded. The construction funding provided for an initial set of wavelengths (to 3 cm), and included provisions to add shorter wavelength receivers and other VLBI antennas as the technology became available. In 1991 two submissions for funding these developments were submitted to ASTEC, who rated the short-wavelength (high-frequency) submission highly and recommended that it should be funded, and rated the high-resolution proposal as "of high merit" and recommended that it should be "reassessed at the next review" (see attachment C). The process of prioritising development of the National Facility has involved a high level of participation by users and the AT Steering Committee, the AT User Committee, the ATNF scientific and engineering staff, and the wider astronomical community as discussed in Section 12 above. This proposal has the support of all these groups. If successful, the ATNF will commit a substantial fraction of its engineering and scientific staff to the upgrade, as indicated in Section 30 below.
Research foresight:
As discussed above, both the short-wavelength and the high-resolution aspects of the present MNRF proposal are the culmination of a long process of planning. In its 1991 submission to ASTEC, the Australian VLBI community proposed the construction of an antenna near Adelaide. Since then, the Ceduna antenna has been offered by Telstra to the radio astronomy community (see attachment C for details) at a site close to that originally proposed, so that this part of the proposal can be satisfied at a far lower cost than that originally requested. A previous example of this process of converting an antenna to radio astronomical use was the donation by NASA of a 26 metre antenna to the University of Tasmania. This antenna was successfully modified for radio astronomical use, and is now a cornerstone of the Australian VLBI array.
Forum:
As part of the management of the ATNF, a plan is drawn up each year for the desired future development of the AT. The items listed in the development plan are derived from discussions involving ATNF staff, the external AT Steering Committee which contains overseas membership, and the community of Australian users as represented by the AT User Committee. Currently, the extension of AT operation to cover the 1 cm and 3 mm wavelength bands and the development of VLBI are high-priority items in the future development plan.
Government support:
CSIRO through its appropriation budget has supported the operation of the Australia Telescope as a National Facility since the construction was completed. A small fraction of this budget, supplemented by our external earnings, has been available for maintaining a developments program but this is completely inadequate for the major upgrade proposed.
International collaboration:
As part of ATNF philosophy, regular consultations are undertaken with overseas experts, and this has occurred with the present proposal. The plans have the endorsement of the AT Steering Committee, which includes overseas representation. Technical advice has been sought from members of major overseas radio astronomy institutions, such as the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The VLBI extensions have required consultation and coordination with overseas institutions that will be included in future VLBI networks (for instance the Japanese group involved in the VSOP mission that will provide an orbiting telescope for space-VLBI).
22. Location:
Part of the MNRF proposal involves short-wavelength extensions and upgrades to the AT Compact Array and Mopra antenna, which are already operating at longer wavelengths and will not be relocated. For VLBI, the offer by Telstra to donate their antenna at the Ceduna location (see attachment C for details) takes advantage of the opportunity to add a 30 m antenna to the network at low cost. However, the location is close to the optimum position desired for a sixth VLBI antenna. Other locations involved in this proposal include the University of Tasmania's telescope near Hobart, which was itself converted to radio astronomical use in a similar way as is now being proposed for Ceduna. Occasional use is also made of an ESA antenna at Gnangara, near Perth, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia.
23. Feasibility:
Alternatives:
To produce the desired outcomes there is no alternative technology currently available. The Southern Hemisphere VLBI outcomes could not be achieved by any alternative strategy without reproducing the expensive telescopes already built in Australia. The short-wavelength outcomes could be reproduced only by participating in an international project, which would involve building new antennas, with a cost far higher than that proposed here.
Risks and Minimisation:
The 12 mm and VLBI technologies are challenging, but we already have significant expertise in these areas and therefore assess the risk as low. We expect few obstacles in transferring this technology to industry.
The upgrade to Mopra involves some new technology (advanced antenna optics), with a small consequent risk, but alternative means of providing the required optical-path correction system are available with slightly reduced performance.
The construction of 3 mm receivers for the Compact Array is a new technology for Australia, but we have already acquired considerable expertise in building the 3 mm prototype receiver for Mopra. Furthermore, we have strong links to overseas groups to ensure that we remain on the cutting edge of technology.
The 3 mm performance of the Compact Array is at higher risk, because of the uncertain atmosphere at Narrabri and because we will be using longer baselines than have been used elsewhere at this wavelength. However, we are exploring a number of options for phase correction. Our fall-back option if the atmosphere limits our capability is to be slightly less ambitious in our choice of the shortest operating wavelength.
The 3 mm GaAs MMIC focal-plane array for Mopra expands the envelope of known technology, and therefore carries significant risk, but offers the highest technological return. This should be a phased project with full funding determined by success in meeting objectives during the research and development phases.
Low Cost Options:
The proposal here is already a low-cost option in the sense that the Ceduna antenna achieves the goal proposed to, and supported by, ASTEC in 1991, but it differs from the ASTEC proposal in that Telstra have offered to donate the antenna (with a replacement value of about $5M) to us free of charge. The request here is therefore about $5M less than that to ASTEC in 1991.
One possible saving could be achieved by building the 1 cm receivers in-house instead of collaborating with industry, saving $1.72M. However, this will remove the transfer of technology to industry and lengthen the construction timescale, making it difficult to keep this development at the leading edge.
24. Detailed Planning:
(a) Additional Consultation
Connell Wagner Pty Ltd. have, over the past decades, provided input, design and supervision services during the construction of the ATNF Compact Array, and more recently during our upgrade of the Parkes antenna to support the NASA/JPL Galileo mission. Consequently, we will consult with Connell Wagner for refurbishing the Ceduna antenna, outfitting the compact array with 3 additional stations, and upgrading the Mopra antenna.
In addition, we will consult with industry at an early stage for the following:
outfitting the compact array with 1 cm receivers. Preliminary discussions with the Australian microwave company
Mitec(Qld) have been encouraging.
implementing a new local oscillator distribution system. We will use the services of a firm such as Warren
Chandler Pty to install and connect the fibre-optic cable system. Mr Chandler provided excellent service during
the AT construction, and gained the expertise necessary to establish his company in Indonesia and China.
constructing the Mopra 3 mm focal-plane array. CSIRO's ATNF and the Division of Radiophysics will set up a
joint development program for the low-noise MMICs necessary for the array.
For the other projects we will rely on in-house planning workshops, with full participation from our user community and relevant experts, to set specifications and discuss implementation strategies.
(b) Management Structure
Following the success of the AT construction, we propose to appoint an overall project manager with project leaders for all major components of the upgrade. Expert scientific and technical advisory committees will be instituted to set the basic specifications and discuss implementation. These committees will meet initially to set out the specifications and will then be used as consultants.
(c) Environmental Impact
No environmental impact study is required at any of the three ATNF sites, nor the proposed Ceduna site, as no change in current work practices is envisaged at any of these sites.
(d) Other Key Issues
Budget and timescales are rough estimates, within ± 15% (financial) and ± 25% (timescales). These will be refined over the first six months of the upgrade.
25. Construction Process:
The key components of the management structure used in the construction phase of the AT will be used to manage all the elements in this proposal.
Three levels of management will be set up:
- a project manager responsible for overall planning and budget and resource allocation.
- project leaders responsible for individual items in the upgrade. Their specific responsibility is in the design and implementation of their projects, and also includes budget control and keeping to projected timescales.
- project scientists to monitor the scientific integrity of the projects and to form working groups to set up the scientific and technical specifications.
After funding is approved we will immediately set up the working groups to refine the scope of the project, and the budget and timescale estimates, more accurately. Together with the project leaders and project manager we will re-evaluate our preliminary budget and timescales. GANTT and PERT charts will be set up for each individual item at this stage. Key milestones in the project will also be identified. In addition a review team will be appointed to monitor the progress of the project at approximately six-monthly intervals, and we envisage interaction with the MNRF Committee through this team. Experience has shown that this approach, of separating responsibilities for defining the scientific goals and implementing a system, ensures most efficient use of scientific and engineering staff. Key team members will be:
Project Manager:
Mr J. W. Brooks, Assistant Director, ATNF, awarded the 1988 CSIRO Medal for leadership of the ATNF construction project. He has extensive relevant overseas experience in the UK and the USA.
Project Leaders:
Dr W. E. Wilson, Head of the Electronics Group, Head of the ATNF Digital Group during the construction project. Dr Wilson has broad experience working on receivers and systems development. He has had extensive overseas experience in Germany and the USA.
Mr M. W. Sinclair, Head of the Receiver Development Group since 1983. Mr Sinclair has broad and internationally recognised experience in developing low-noise microwave receiver systems. He has had extensive overseas experience in the USA. He has just delivered a $500k state-of-art receiver built under contract to the SETI Institute in the US.
Dr B. M. Thomas, internationally renowned expert in antenna design. He is currently project manager for the upgrade of the Parkes antenna to support the NASA/JPL Galileo project. The former commercial manager for the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics, he has considerable expertise and experience in contract negotiation.
Dr M. J. Kesteven. Head of the ATNF Computing Group during the construction phase. His professional interests include interferometry and the problems of antenna metrology. He has had extensive experience in the USA and Canada. He has developed a technique for measuring the surfaces of large antennas using holography, and has been associated with setting up commercial satellite ground stations in Vietnam and Russia. He has also been instrumental in modifying the surface of the VLA antennas in the US to operate at a wavelength of 7 mm, and has acted as a troubleshooter to Australian defence organisations.
Project Scientists
Prof. P. M. McCulloch, Department of Physics, University of Tasmania. Dr McCulloch is currently Chairman of the ATNF User Committee, and his research interests are in the fields of VLBI, pulsars and low-noise microwave FET amplifier design. He is responsible for the radio astronomy facility at Mount Pleasant, Tasmania, which is operated by the University of Tasmania.
Dr. J. B. Whiteoak, Deputy Director of the ATNF, and OIC of Narrabri Observatory. Dr. Whiteoak is an internationally renowned expert in spectral-line radio astronomy, and has substantial expertise in mm-wave astronomy. He is also actively involved in international frequency protection and spectrum management.
Dr P. J. Hall, deputy OIC of Parkes Observatory, and former Head of Electronics at Narrabri Observatory. He has championed mm-wave astronomy within Australia, and is currently developing a 225 GHz water-vapour radiometer to correct interferometer measurements for atmospheric phase variations.
26. Research Program:
As a National Facility, the details of the research programs will depend on proposals submitted by users and evaluated by peer review. However, the research programs in radio astronomy will broadly target the research objectives identified above in Section 11. Key outcomes from the upgraded facility will include:
- images of molecular clouds and galaxies, using the CO spectral line at 3 mm. A measure of success will be to map the CO distribution in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is the closest galaxy to ours and is only accessible from the Southern Hemisphere.
- production of high-resolution images using our VLBI array. A measure of success will be to produce 1 cm images with 10-4 arcsec resolution using space VLBI.
External Researchers:
As in present AT operation, proposals will be accepted from all researchers, regardless of institution, and ranked by peer review. At present, about 70% of AT time is allocated to non-ATNF researchers.
Effective Research Life:
The facility upgrade will remain at the forefront of the field until about 2005, and will have a useful life extending to 2025.
Other Research Issues:
We are actively involved in frequency spectrum management issues, and have representatives on several international spectrum management bodies. We can continue at this level of involvement only by staying at the forefront of the field.
27. Operational Approach
(a) Management Structure
We will operate the upgraded facility using the ATNF's operational procedures and management structures now in place. The formal description of the ATNF's operational arrangements is attached. In brief:
An ATNF Steering Committee, which sets policy guide-lines, is appointed by the Minister of Science. This committee includes members of the user community, industry and overseas experts, and has met at least once a year since 1989.
The Steering Committee provides Annual Reports which can be made available to the MNRF Committee on request.
As a general policy there are no guaranteed allocations of time for CSIRO, and all proposed projects are assessed on their merits by a Time Assignment Committee appointed by the Steering Committee.
A variety of mechanisms are implemented to obtain feedback on the performance of the ATNF. A User Committee representing all active astronomy groups in Australia meets twice a year to discuss operations and development plans. Users complete a questionnaire after all observations to provide direct feedback to the observatories. The ATNF maintains records of system reliability, time lost, proposals scheduled and resulting publications. For example, the numbers of publications resulting from ATNF observations in the last five years are: 54 (1990), 67 (1991), 78 (1992), 78 (1993), 149 (1994).
The VLBI observations which involve telescopes not owned by the ATNF are to be coordinated by the University of Tasmania as part of their role as Key Centre for Radio Interferometry and Imaging.
Key individuals for the operation of the upgraded facility are:
- Prof R. D. Ekers FAA, Foundation Director of ATNF, previously Director of the VLA (the largest radio observatory in the US).
- Mr J. W. Brooks, ATNF Engineering Manager (see Section 25)
- Dr J. B. Whiteoak, ATNF Deputy Director and Officer-in-Charge, Narrabri Observatory (see Section 25).
- Dr R. M. Price, Officer-in-Charge, Parkes Observatory, previously Head of the Physics Department, Univ. New Mexico and Astronomy section head, US National Science Foundation.
- Dr R. P. Norris, Head of the ATNF Astrophysics and Computing Groups, expert in radio imaging.
- Prof P. M. McCulloch, Professor of Physics, University of Tasmania (see Section 25).
(b) Organisational Contributions
CSIRO: $9.4M per annum (this includes funding for construction staff listed in Section 28).
External earnings $1.6M per annum
University of Tasmania $150K per annum.
28. Budget Explanation:
(a) & (b) Organisational and Government Contributions
CSIRO via the ATNF will provide approximately 75 person-years of effort establishing the short-wavelength extension (this includes a component for Radiophysics Laboratory (RPL) overheads not shown in our person-year breakdown in Section 3.0, e.g. RPL Workshop contribution).
The Ceduna antenna (replacement value $5M) will be donated by Telstra free of charge (see attachment C). Additional operating costs of order $200K p.a. will be met by CSIRO ATNF. The VLBI operating cost of approximately $150K per annum will be met by the University of Tasmania through existing programs supplemented by Government support as a Key Centre for Radio Interferometry and Imaging.
(c) Confidence Level
± 15% financial estimates
± 25% timescale estimates
Both figures will be refined in the first six months of the project.
(d) Lowest Viable Option
With the ATNF's current development budget ~$1M/yr (1% of total facility cost) we need the MNRF funding if we are to take on any major new development. A significant level of funding is essential if we are to remain at the forefront. If the MNRF proposal #7 ("Australian membership of the European Southern Observatory") is successful, then we can explore links between funding for ATNF millimetre developments, and development contracts for ESO.
(e) Other Financial Issues
Experience has shown that a 5-10% contingency should be envisaged. Australian inflation indices and exchange rates should also be considered in longer term projects, i.e. > 2 years.
29. Other Prospective Funding Contributors:
We already attract considerable contributions in kind from the following bodies:
Telstra - offer of a donation of the Ceduna antenna with a replacement value ~$5M
NASA - supply of observing time, hardware, and support at Tidbinbilla, and several other collaborative arrangements.
ISAS (Japanese Space Agency) - collaborative experiments on VSOP satellite, capital cost $1000M
NOAA who contribute the hydrogen maser and MkIII VLBI recorder for Hobart (replacement value ~$0.5M)
US Naval Research Laboratories who contribute the hydrogen maser for Parkes (replacement value ~$300k)
Max Planck Institut fur Radioastronomie - long term loan of acousto-optical spectrometer (replacement value ~$250k)
European Space Agency - supply of observing time and support on their Gnangara antenna, near Perth.
Other astronomical observatories (Shanghai, Nobeyama, Kashima, etc) who contribute observing time on their antennas for collaborative VLBI experiments.
30. Facility Budgets:
Attach budget for proposed facility with spreadsheets covering Planning, Construction and Operational Phases indicating main expenditure items and sources of funding.
(see attached spreadsheet)
31. Other Essential Information:
Include any other additional information essential to consideration of the proposed facility in an attachment of maximum five pages.
Attachment A - Question 30: MNRF budget schedule
Attachment B - Glossary
Attachment C - Background: Radio astronomy, VLBI, and short wavelengths
Attachment D - Operational Arrangements for the management of the Australia Telescope as a National Facility
Attachment A: Question 30: MNRF Budget Schedules
1) Operating costs
Additional ATNF operating costs will be $200k p.a.
Additional VLBI operating costs will be $150k p.a.
2) Construction costs
Capital ( K$) Refurbish 1 cm 3 New New LO 3 mm Mopra 3 mm 3 mm Upgrade TOTAL Ceduna Receiver2 Stations Distributio Receiver Focal-plane Focal-plane Mopra8 Antenna1 for Compact n System4 for CA.5 Array 6 Array Array3 Correlator7 Year 1: Planning & 550 500 50 140 100 100 140 195 1775 Construction Year 2: Construction 660 1250 250 800 240 370 240 445 4255 Year 3: Construction 400 1250 500 370 240 2760 Year 4: Construction 410 300 710 Year 5: Construction 240 240 Total 1610 3000 300 940 1490 1140 620 640 9740 Construction staff (person-years) Year 1: Planning & 1.0 2 0.5 0.5 2 2 1 1.5 10.5 Construction Year 2: Construction 1.0 1.5 0.5 0.5 4 2 2 1.5 13.0 Year 3: Construction 0.5 1 4 3 2 9.5 Year 4: Construction 5 3 8.0 Year 5: Construction 5 5.0 Total 2.5 4.5 1.0 1.0 20 10 5 3 46.0
Notes:
1) Capital items include maser frequency standard, S2 recorders and 22, 5, and 1.6 GHz receiving systems.
2) Capital items include components for prototype system and contracts with industry to manufacture 10 receiving systems.
3) Capital items include design and construction contracts.
4) Capital costs include purchase of fibre-optic cable and connectors, plus external contracts to install and connect the system. A Chinese maser frequency standard will also be purchased.
5) Includes 5 HEMT or Schottky low-noise receivers, including cryogenics, microwave, RF and IF components. It does not include a new IF system, new LO, or new correlator (the old 128 channel 256 MHz 1 bit correlator will be used).
6) Capital items include an MMIC contract to provide integrated feeds and front-end receivers.
7) Capital items include cost of VLSI chips and multilayered printed-circuit boards.
8) Includes increasing the solid surface to 22 m, tertiary optics, and holography. Capital items include a contract to manufacture ~50 solid reflecting panels, subreflector and lenses, and purchasing two 30 GHz receivers for holography, plus associated infrastructure.
Attachment B: Glossary
APT The Asia-Pacific Telescope, an organisation being set up by ATNF and other Asian/Pacific observatories to promote collaboration in VLBI.
ARC The Australian Research Council, which funds university research in Australia
AT The Australia Telescope, consisting of the six-element Compact Array (CA) at Narrabri, NSW, the 64 metre antenna at Parkes, NSW, and the 22 m antenna at Mopra, NSW.
ATNF The Australia Telescope National Facility, a Division of CSIRO and the host institution of the AT.
AT Steering Committee A committee of leading Australian and overseas technical and scientific experts who advise the Director of the ATNF, and are appointed by the Minister for Science.
ATUC The AT User Committee, a body of about 20 representatives of the Australian astronomical community, who advise the Director of the ATNF.
CA The Compact Array of the AT, consisting of a line of six 22 m antennas near Narrabri, NSW.
Centaurus A A key target for southern radio astronomy, Centaurus A is the nearest active galaxy, probably with a black hole at its centre, and is visible only from the Southern Hemisphere.
Ceduna A 30 m antenna offered by Telstra to the radio astronomy community (see attachment C).
CO Carbon Monoxide, a key component of the interstellar medium, is widely studied at 3 mm to investigate star formation processes.
ESA The European Space Agency
GaAs MMIC Gallium arsenide monolithic microwave integrated circuit, a key technology for building our mm receivers, particularly for the focal-plane array (FPA)
ISAS Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science - the Japanese Space Agency
FPA Focal-plane array, which has the potential to increase the speed of a telescope by an order of magnitude. Construction of a 3 mm FPA has been achieved by very few groups overseas.
LMC Large Magellanic Cloud. The LMC is the nearest galaxy to our own, and is a key target for the AT. It is visible only from the Southern Hemisphere.
Mopra The 22 m AT antenna at Mopra, near Coonabarabran, NSW.
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the US space agency.
Narrabri The site of the AT Compact Array in Northern NSW.
NOAA The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Parkes The site of the AT 64 m antenna in central NSW.
Radioastron The Russian VLBI spacecraft to be launched in 1997.
Space VLBI A technique whereby one antenna is carried on a spacecraft, thereby increasing the angular resolution available to radio astronomy by an order of magnitude. Two space VLBI missions are planned: VSOP by Japan and Radioastron by Russia.
Telstra An Australian telecommunications company.
Tidbinbilla NASA's tracking station located near Canberra, managed by the Australian Space Office for NASA, and part of NASA's Deep Space Network.
VLBI Very Long Baseline Interferometry, a technique where signals from widely separated antennas are correlated to provide very high spatial resolution images.
VSOP The Japanese VLBI Spacecraft to be launched in 1996.
1 cm band The 12-25 GHz band.
3 mm band The 85-115 GHz band.
Attachment C: BACKGROUND: RADIO ASTRONOMY, VLBI, AND SHORT WAVELENGTHS
Why do astronomy?
Astronomy, or more properly astrophysics, is a basic science that uses the universe to study fundamental physics. Its value arises because only a limited range of physical conditions can be reproduced in the laboratory on Earth, while elsewhere in the universe we see ranges of density, speed, gravitational field, and scale size that differ by many orders of magnitude from the most extreme conditions on Earth.
Radio astronomy
Radio techniques have played a vital role in astronomy ever since the late 1940s when the influx of new ideas and technology from the war years were put to use in the study of the universe, adding a rich new dimension to traditional observations at optical wavelengths. Scientists at the CSIRO Radiophysics Laboratory and at the University of Sydney were world leaders, developing and implementing new concepts for interferometric telescopes and building one of the world's largest telescopes at Parkes. Radio astronomy remains one of the great successes of Australian science. The 1989 ASTEC Report on the Future of Australian Astronomy noted that 'astronomy appears to be a high priority discipline for Australia' relative to other disciplines, and that 'Australia appears to be a world leader in many areas of astronomy research relative to other nations'.
One key difference between radio astronomy and the more traditional optical astronomy is that the relatively long wavelengths (typically several centimetres) of radio waves means that a radio telescope must be much larger physically than an optical telescope in order to obtain the same resolution, or to distinguish fine detail. The giant 64 m ATNF radio telescope at Parkes, for example, is one of the world's largest telescopes and yet has a resolution far poorer than even a small optical telescope.
To achieve a resolution comparable to a world-class optical telescope, a radio telescope several kilometres in diameter would be needed. This is impractical so, instead, we synthesise such a telescope by building an array of antennas. This was the justification for building the Australia Telescope, which was funded as a $45M bicentennial project in 1983, and opened in 1988. As well as the 6 km Compact Array, which has a resolution comparable to optical telescopes, the Australia Telescope includes the Parkes 64 m telescope and a new 22 m antenna at Mopra.
This MNRF proposal seeks to extend the capability of Australian radio astronomy in two key domains: resolution and wavelength. High resolution is necessary to study the extreme processes in the innermost parts of quasars and regions of star formation. Shorter wavelengths are necessary to probe physical conditions which differ from those probed at longer wavelengths.
Resolution
To obtain very high resolution, we use a technique known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) where we combine signals from the ATNF antennas together with other antennas in Australia, to form the Australian VLBI array, which can synthesise a telescope up to 3000 km in diameter. The resolution of this array exceeds even that of the Hubble Space Telescope. However, this VLBI array is severely limited by the small number (five) of antennas in it, the locations of which are critical. Over the last few years we have been proposing the construction of an additional antenna near Adelaide. A sixth antenna at this location gives a six-fold improvement in image quality. Part of this MNRF proposal is to achieve that by making use of an existing antenna at Ceduna, SA, offered to us by Telstra, and discussed further below.
To increase the resolution even more means that we have to use overseas antennas, and so an important part of our VLBI strategy involves collaborative experiments with groups in Japan, China, Russia, Europe, and the US. To get even higher resolution means obtaining baselines larger than the Earth's diameter, and so Japan and Russia both plan to launch VLBI satellites in the next two years to obtain the highest resolution yet.
Wavelength
The principal reason for wanting to operate the AT at 3 mm is that at this wavelength we can explore mechanisms that cannot be reached at longer wavelengths. For example, the CO molecule, which is a common constituent of interstellar gas, has a powerful transition at 3 mm which will enable us to probe regions of star formation that are otherwise inaccessible. Studies using this molecule as a tracer of cool gas are proving to be extremely important for studying star-formation processes, the processes that power active galaxies, and even for searching for and studying clouds of cool gas at cosmological distances, that are the progenitors of the galaxies we see today. As well as CO, many other important molecules are accessible at this wavelength, and at 3 mm we can even study the black-body radiation from warm dust in the nuclei of active galaxies, and the remnant heat left over from the primeval fireball that signalled the origin of the universe.
The motivation to build 1 cm receivers for the AT Compact Array comes partly from the molecular transitions that lie within this band (such as water, ammonia, and methanol) that are important for the study of star formation, and partly from the need to study continuum sources at several different wavelengths in order to understand their emission mechanisms.
An additional feature of shorter wavelengths is that they offer higher resolution on the same instrument. At present the Compact Array and the Australian VLBI array cannot operate at wavelengths shorter than 3 cm, and part of this proposal is to extend the VLBI array to 1 cm, and the Compact Array to 3 mm. In both cases this will significantly increase the resolution of the instrument. A principal reason to extend the VLBI array to 1 cm is that this is the shortest wavelength on which the VSOP and Radioastron Space VLBI satellites will operate, and so by upgrading to 1 cm we will be able to make full use of the power of this technology.
The 1991 proposal to ASTEC
In 1991, the Australian radio astronomical community submitted two proposals to ASTEC. One (Australia Telescope Upgrade) was to extend the operation of the AT to shorter wavelengths (higher frequency). ASTEC (1992; "Major National Research facilities - A National Program") recommended funding for this proposal with the following comment:
"The Australia Telescope Upgrade will provide a significant addition to the capability of the existing advanced radioastronomy facility at Narrabri, NSW. Provision of access to the high frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum should maintain Australia's internationally competitive position and exploit our unique access to the southern sky. As with construction of the Australia Telescope, this upgrade will generate opportunities for marketable innovations in the electronics industries, especially for space communications."
The other proposal (Australia-Wide VLBI Array for Astronomy and Geodesy) was to build two new antennas near Adelaide and Perth, at a cost of $6.5M each. ASTEC did not recommend this for immediate funding, but noted that the proposal was "of high merit" and recommended that it should be "reassessed at the next review". Here, instead of the $6.5M to build a new antenna near Adelaide, we are requesting $1.6M to convert an existing 30 m antenna at Ceduna for radio astronomical use. Telstra is winding down its operation at Ceduna, and has offered this antenna to the radio astronomical community at no cost, as Telstra has no further use for it.
Attachment D: Operational Arrangements for the Management of the Australia Telescope as a National Facility.
The Australia Telescope is managed by the Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility who within CSIRO is responsible to the Director of the CSIRO Institute of Information Science and Engineering, who in turn is responsible to the Chief Executive. The Australia Telescope is primarily funded via the annual one-line appropriation budget to CSIRO, and for funding purposes is subjected to the same level of scrutiny as other areas within the Organisation. The Institute Director takes advice from all relevant sources when reviewing programs. Technical reviews remain largely the responsibility of the Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility.
In line with the draft ASTEC guide-lines for the operation of national facilities, an independent Steering Committee has been established, and a time-assignment sub-committee. Details relating to their operation follow.
1. Steering Committee Operations
i) An independent steering committee, appointed by the Minister for Science and Technology (or whichever Minister has responsibility for CSIRO) is responsible for:
- establishing policy guide-lines for the operation of the Australia Telescope;
- allocating time and determining an appropriate scale of charges for using the Australia Telescope; and
- promoting wide and effective use of the facility.
ii) The Steering Committee comprises representatives of a number of relevant communities - the astronomical community (in CSIRO, Australia and internationally); Australian industry; CSIRO; and a nominated representative of the CSIRO Board. The Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility should be a full member of the Steering Committee except in relation to matters pertaining to his or her employment and performance. Membership of the committee should be on a term basis only. All appointments are made by the Minister. The involvement of overseas members is in line with community practice and ensures a continuing input of information and advice based on international experience.
iii) Nominations for the Steering Committee are made to the responsible Minister by the Chief Executive of CSIRO. These nominations are drawn from a list of names provided by the Director of the CSIRO Institute of Information Science and Engineering and the Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility. The Chairman of the Steering Committee is drawn from the membership of the Steering Committee and is appointed by the Minister.
iv) Non-CSIRO members of the Steering Committee have a particular responsibility to provide input from the communities they represent and where appropriate to perform an audit role on behalf of those communities and to be a political force. Their skills are to be appropriately exploited by the Steering Committee, in providing high-level advice in the budgetary, planning and scientific areas, and particularly in reviewing specific aspects of the Australia Telescope operations.
v) Steering Committee meetings, to be held at least annually, should, in part, include reports from committee members who have been involved in reviews of the ATNF.
vi) Steering Committee members should be called upon to provide advice and assistance to the Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility throughout the year. This input would not be restricted to formal committee meetings.
vii) The Steering Committee will provide an Annual Report, prepared on the Committee's behalf by the ATNF Director, to the Chief Executive of CSIRO for forwarding to the responsible Minister. The report will give details of the Facility's finances and operations, including the allocation of time.
2. Time Allocation
i) As a general policy, there will be no guaranteed allocation of research time on the Australia Telescope for CSIRO, or for any other users. All proposed projects must be assessed on their merits by a time-assignment sub-committee appointed by the Steering Committee and acting according to the time-assignment policy guide-lines established by the Steering Committee.
ii) Use of time by CSIRO Staff for purposes other than research, such as maintaining the facility or testing new equipment, will be determined by the Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility in consultation with the Steering Committee.
3. Funds
i) Annual estimates of funds required for capital and operating expenditures of the Australia Telescope will be developed by the Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility in consultation with members of the Steering Committee as appropriate.
ii) Any funds provided to CSIRO specifically for such expenditures should be provided as specific allocations identified separately within the CSIRO budget.