Introduction: New Stations for the Australia Telescope Compact
Array and the North Spur
A brief summary of the New Stations and North Spur project is presented
here. For more details of the project, see the Technical
And Scientific Details page.
This project provides additional stations (antenna placement points) for
the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The extra stations comprise four
built on the existing east-west rail track, and five on a new, short, north
spur track which has now been constructed.
The main scientific drivers for the new stations are:
- The need to provide additional VERY compact array configurations.
These are especially important for mm-wavelength observations, and will
also enhance operations at the cm-wavelengths currently used.
- The need to utilise several short observing periods of only a few
hours each, without impairing the uv-coverage. This is especially important
at mm-wavelengths where good weather requirements are more stringent and
will often limit observations to less than the 12 hours that are currently
preferred.
- The need to obtain good uv-coverage despite restriction to high antenna
elevations (so as to minimise phase distortion effects and attenuation by
atmospheric water vapour, which are acute at mm-wavelengths).
The new east-west stations address the first point, especially for objects
in the far south, such as the Magellanic Clouds and the southern Milky Way.
The north-south track will address the second and third points, and will
achieve not only better observing efficiency, but also the ability to make
good images at more northerly declinations such as the Galactic Centre,
and even further north.
For more details of the project, see the Technical
And Scientific Details page.
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Last update by Michelle Storey. 19/11/98