This is a virtual event hosted with Zoom. The Zoom meeting will open at 11:30AM and the talk will formally begin at 12PM.
Abstract
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) embodies both radio telescopes and a global collaboration to design, build and operate the world’s two largest radio telescopes. The construction of the telescopes is well underway and will be on the forefront of astronomy when they are finished. The SKA Observatory is an international organization initiated by ‘grass-roots’ astronomers, which gives it unique characteristics.
Two large radio telescopes are under construction now, one in South Africa and the other in Australia. Both are in remote areas, sited to avoid man-made radio emissions (radio frequency interference (RFI)). The two telescopes are designed to cover different wavelength bands and require dramatically different approaches to design. Both will be high-sensitivity, next-generation telescopes that will produce results in cosmology, evolution of galaxies, extreme physics, molecular precursors of life and much else. Some are expected to be transformational.
Canada was involved from the very beginning. I will briefly talk about this early period, some key science goals, technology and Canadian contributions. Canadian contributions are rooted in technology developments at NRC’s Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) over many years, which have provided the technology precursors that have underpinned not only the SKA but also other Canadian major radioastronomy projects, such as ALMA and CHORD. Canadian industry is currently working on the SKA’s construction and is closely connected to Canadian SKA contributions.
Speaker Bio - Peter E. Dewdney
Dr Dewdney obtained his Undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics, University of British Columbia (UBC), and later a PhD in Electrical Engineering, also at UBC. His research has crossed back and forth between the science and technical sides of radio astronomy. As a Research Officer with the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO), he carried out a research program on HII (ionised hydrogen plasma) regions, with a focus on modelling and observations of dissociation regions which exist on the periphery of HII regions.
He later turned his attention to the instrumentation side by collaborating on several large international projects. In 1995, he was appointed NRC’s “Coordinator for Future Radio Astronomy Projects” . This work required taking a long view while at the same time looking for near-term opportunities for Canadian international collaboration. He also led the development of large instrumentation projects such as a spectrometer for the JCMT, a correlator for the Very Large Array in the US, Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) from space, composite antenna structures at DRAO and promoted an important early precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
He took up an academic position at the University of Manchester in 2008 as the Project Engineer for early SKA design. In 2012 he joined the SKA Organisation, where he became the SKA Architect responsible for the coalescing the entire design. Returning to Canada in 2018, he continues to hold the position of SKA Architect, acting in a consulting role as the SKA is being constructed.