4 minute read
Expanding capabilities: the ASKAP impact
BY RACHEL RAYNER (CSIRO)
CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope, a 36-dish survey telescope on Wajarri Yamaji Country, has produced revolutionary science and technology and, as an SKA precursor, has overcome challenges of data, spectrum and site management to enable the implementation of the SKA-Low telescope.
Located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, ASKAP is designed as a survey telescope, with a very wide field of view enabled by revolutionary phased array feed receiver technology. This innovation drives the science being undertaken with ASKAP by nine survey science teams representing thousands of researchers around the world.
Recently, discoveries of dynamic stars, transient events, intergalactic-sized odd radio circles and mysterious fast radio bursts have been made using the telescope, and are informing future SKAO science.
ASKAP was instrumental in enabling researchers to localise the source of fast radio bursts and, as a result, study the distribution of baryonic matter in the cosmos. Using its survey capabilities, ASKAP produced the best radio continuum sky survey ever made, discovering one million new galaxies and supporting global efforts in multiwavelength astronomy research. The receiver technology that enabled this science has now been replicated by CSIRO for other telescopes around the world.
Production of ASKAP’s receivers required large numbers of complex electronics boards to be manufactured to a high level of accuracy. CSIRO worked with Puzzle Precision, an Australian high-reliability electronic assembly service provider to jointly develop and produce 20,000 sophisticated electronic circuit boards and major components required for ASKAP’s digital systems. This partnership has contributed to the expansion of the company’s production base and enhanced domestic capability.
ASKAP’s technology continues to develop and expand, with the first trial of a specialised system, CRACO, taking place this year. Designed to rapidly detect transient space phenomena, CRACO has been engineered to sift through signals received by the telescope, equating to 100 billion pixels per second. In addition to making impactful contributions to astronomy research, this technological capability is helping solve the challenge of processing massive amounts of data.
Astronomers are also using machine learning and AI tools to circumvent the need to store massive quantities of data for long periods, be alerted to interesting data, or collect similar objects that may be in very different parts of the Universe. CSIRO researchers have been using machine learning and AI to identify unusual shapes and structures that might point to new physical phenomena, like the images of ‘bent-tailed galaxies’ or ‘odd radio circles’. By classifying different types of radio sources into categories, machine learning and AI is speeding up the processes within astronomy research.
Beyond engineering and research, the process of establishing ASKAP embedded principles of respectful engagement with the Wajarri Yamaji People, the Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders of the observatory site. Each dish has a unique Wajarri name and each ASKAP science group has a unique work by a Wajarri artist, bringing visibility to the local culture alongside the cutting-edge technology. In 2022, a new Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) was signed between the Wajarri Yamaji People, CSIRO and the Australian government to accommodate a significant expansion of the observatory site and enable construction of the SKA-Low telescope, guiding cultural heritage management and delivering local employment and other benefits for Wajarri Yamaji People.
