Lofar

LOFAR connected radio telescope to extend into Ireland

Jan. 12, 2016

The world’s biggest connected radio telescope is about to become even bigger—LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) will expand into Ireland. According to a spokesperson for ASTRON, the Netherlands institute for Radio Astronomy, “This is not only great news for Irish astrophysics, but also for the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT).”

The plans for a LOFAR station in Ireland have been around for a while, but now it’s official: a LOFAR station will be built this year in Ireland. I-LOFAR (the Ireland-LOFAR consortium) has been awarded €1.4 million by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Together with €0.5 Million in philanthropic grants plus contributions of I-LOFAR members, it is possible to build and exploit the LOFAR station, which will be constructed on the grounds of Birr Castle, located centrally in Ireland.

Today, during a meeting at Birr Castle, Irish Ministers Bruton (Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation) and English (Education and Skills) announced the award for I-LOFAR, as one element of a €30M investment by SFI in research infrastructures.

LOFAR is a world-leading facility for astronomical studies, providing for highly sensitive and detailed scrutiny of the nearby and far-away universe. LOFAR is designed and operated on behalf of the ILT by ASTRON. Dr. Rene Vermeulen, director of the ILT, is delighted with the news: “The added Irish antenna station will be an excellent enhancement, extending the ILT to a pan-European fibre-connected network spanning 2,000 km. Such long distances allow exquisitely finely detailed sky imaging capability. And, at least as importantly, the Irish astronomical community will now add their expertise and effort to the ‘ILT family,’ in the pursuit of a great many cutting-edge science questions that LOFAR can answer. Topics range from the properties of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, flaring of the Sun, out to the far reaches of the early universe when the first stars and galaxies formed.”

The International LOFAR Telescope is the largest connected radio telescope in the world. It is being steadily enhanced since the official opening by (then) Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 2010. There are currently six partner countries: of the 50 antenna stations, 38 are located in the Netherlands, six in Germany, three in Poland, and one each in France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Together, these have many thousands of receiving elements. The new Irish station will increase the distances between antenna stations, thus providing finer image details.

About the Author

Rick Nelson | Contributing Editor

Rick is currently Contributing Technical Editor. He was Executive Editor for EE in 2011-2018. Previously he served on several publications, including EDN and Vision Systems Design, and has received awards for signed editorials from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. He began as a design engineer at General Electric and Litton Industries and earned a BSEE degree from Penn State.

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