The Square Kilometre Array

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array is a global project to develop the nextgeneration radio telescope at metre to centimetre wavelengths. It willhave a collecting area of order one million square metres, asensitivity 100 times higher than the extended VLA, an instantaneousfield of view (FOV) larger than the full moon, and, in some designs,more than one FOV allowing multiple simultaneous use. It will be anextremely powerful survey telescope with the capability to follow upindividual objects with high angular and time resolution. The SKA willreach a point source sensitivity of 25 nano-Jy in 1 hour ofintegration, and a maximum resolution of better than 1 milli-arcsecond at20 GHz with excellent imaging over several orders of magnitude at anygiven frequency. The SKA science reach will be enormous, allowing newdiscoveries in astroparticle physics and cosmology, fundamentalphysics, galactic and extragalactic astronomy, and solar systemscience. Technological innovation, closely paralleling commercial ITdevelopments, is key to the design concepts under investigation and tothe cost goal of USD 1000/m². The selection of technologies for theSKA is scheduled in early 2008. A number of possible locations for thetelescope are under investigation with a choice scheduled in early2006. Construction of the array will take most of the next decade.