Abstract

Poster - Splinter General   (Kuppelsaal / virtual plenum)

From MeerKAT to the SKA

Ferdinand Jünemann, Felix Jankowsky, Stefan Wagner, Aritra Basu
DZA, TLS Tautenburg

Over the next decade, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is set to become the world's largest astronomical facility and the most sensitive radio interferometer, located in the Southern hemisphere. SKA will be instrumental in transforming our knowledge, ranging from the origin of life to the origin of the Universe through analysis of transients as well as deep imaging of the static sky. Astronomers from 13 partner countries across five continents are working together to exploit the full potential of the SKA and its exabyte-scale data. This poster provides an overview of the development phases of SKA-Mid in South Africa, outlining their key technical parameters, and highlights the contribution of the DZA. To date, the DZA is gearing up in the development of the extension of MeerKAT, MeerKAT+, and inducting the African VLBI Network (AVN). This will enhance the sensitivity and resolution of MeerKAT+ and lead the community into the SKA-era, both in terms of technological and software development.