RQZ Forum

1
RQZ Forum

• The Importance of the SKA and a
• Radio-Quiet Zone to Australia
• Canberra Aug 13, 2004
• Ron Ekers, President IAU
• CSIRO, Australia

2
Parkes Radio Telescope

• 64 m antenna
• operational since 1961
• 21cm 13 beam focal plane array
• HI spectral line
• Pulsars
• The Dish!

3
SKA
4
Australia low population density
Opportunity?
5
Terrestrial Interference

• Forte satellite 131MHz

FORTÉ satellite 131 MHz
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Terrestrial Interference
FORTÉ satellite animated
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Achieving the vision - International collaboration

• To build facilities which no single nation can
  afford
• Broaden knowledge base and provide cross
  fertilisation
• SKA was born global through International
  Scientific Unions
• Joint URSI - IAU working group
• OECD Megascience Forum
• International MOU for technology study program
• US, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, China,
  India, (UK)
• International SKA Steering Committee
• US, Europe, Canada, Australia, Sth Africa, China,
  India

8
Host CountryProposals Received

• Australia
• Argentina
• Brazil
• South Africa
• US
• Europe
• China
• Ireland (Lord Rosse)

participants
9
Host CountryProposals Accepted

• Australia
• Argentina
• Brazil
• South Africa
• US
• Europe
• China
• Ireland (Lord Rosse)

participants
10
International Facilities Funded 2000-2005
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SKA International Funding Profile
Global project US1B
12
Opportunities for Australia

• Hosting a major international project of high
  visibility
• stimulates Australian research
• Attracts young people to science and engineering
• Builds on existing infrastructure initiatives
• eg the AARNET3 cable network
• Engage Australian industry in international
  projects at the cutting edge of information and
  communication technologies
• Invest in rural/regional Australia
• employment and educational opportunities for
  local and indigenous communities
• Project internationally the image of Australia as
  a culturally rich and creative country with a
  high-technology future
• Gain a seat at the global table of
  international science and engineering

13
Opportunities for Australia

• Australia should view the opportunity to host the
  SKA as no less prestigious, and with longer-term
  benefits, than hosting the Olympic Games

14
Leverage

• Membership in the International club
• Club rules
• Use O/S demand to negotiate access to other
  facilities
• Use SH location to leverage opportunities for
  Australian involvement in International programs
• Partnerships can extend into Industry
• Eg European Space Agency model

15
Industrial spin-off

• Radio Astronomers are leading edge customers
  driving technology
• sophisticated end users
• generating new ideas
• technology developed must be internationally
  competitive
• Many documented examples
• Communications antenna export
• Low noise receiver design
• Wireless networking Radiata ? CISCO

CSIRO Annual Business Review - September 13, 1995
EGP 95_242
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Radio astronomy technologyCommunications antennas
Astronomy

• CSIRO research in antennas Benefit-to-cost
  ratio of 21(Bureau of Industry Economics, 1991,
  'Analysis of CSIRO Industrial Research Earth
  Station Antennas')
• Beginning of the communication service industry
  in SE Asia

17
Risk Assesment

• Highest risk is failure of International funding
• Nationally legislative RQZ
• Strong International scientific support
• Industry pressure
• Loosing the bid to host is a lower risk
• Australia can still capture benefit

18
International activities

• ITU (task group 1/7)
• IAU Com 50
• URSI
• COSPAR
• OECD global science forum
• SKA

- IUCAF
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International activities

• ITU (task group 1/7)
• IAU Com 50
• URSI
• COSPAR
• OECD global science forum
• SKA

- IUCAF
20
OECD Global Science Forum

• Task Force on Radio Astronomy
• Internationally approved at ministerial level
• Members
• Astronomers
• Regulators
• Satellite Communications Industry
• International protection from Satelite
  communications
• Report
• http//www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/33/28011602.pdf

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Space junk - GEO
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Space junk - LEO
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RFI in an Expanding Universe

• Expanding universe redshifts the spectral lines
  (diagonal lines)
• Horizontal lines are allocations to broadcast
  satellites
• Grey allocated
• Red - populated

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OECD GSF Task Force

• Recommendations on Radio Astronomy and the
• Radio Spectrum
• Establish a technical forum to improve dialog
  between astronomers and communications engineers
• Governments to consider Controlled Emission
  Zones and radio astronomers to rapidly identify
  such locations
• Interference in allocated bands is ITU business
• Consultation between radio astronomers and
  Satellite operators
• share real time operational information
• Scheduling and mitigation issues

25
Radio Astronomy - Communicationsthe Differences

• Radio astronomers only want the signal statistics
  not the signal
• INR/SNR gt 1 (ie Interference gt Signal)
• this changes radio astronomy from other fields
• Cant regulate the frequency of the emitters
• No direct commercial value from astronomy use of
  the spectrum

26
ITU SpectrumManagement

• In the metre and cm band lt1 is allocated to
  radio astronomy!

• Need frequency coverage for redshifted lines
• Need bandwidth for continuum sensitivity

27
SKA with links
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SKA with links and existing network
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SKA configuration
50 antennas in central 5km
30
Central Stations
50 antennas in central 5km
31
Radio Astronomy image

• Radio or optical, dark sky with beautiful view to
  the Universe is the precious treasure of the
  Nature.
• It is only the human wisdom needed to protect the
  Nature

M. Morimoto Charm Crisis in Radio
Astronomy Modern Radio Science 1993
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Radio Astronomy image