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| PRI (MPIfR) 05/2006 (2) | Press Release | May 11, 2006 |
German astronomers have made an important step towards a new, major telescope called LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray). LOFAR is a novel radio telescope for cosmic radio waves. At completion in a few years' time, LOFAR will be the largest telescope on Earth.
On May 3, the first meeting of the German LOng Wavelength Consortium (GLOW) took place at the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam. On this occasion, the members elected Prof. Anton Zensus, Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie in Bonn, as chairman and Prof. Marcus Brueggen, Professor of Astrophysics at the International University Bremen, as deputy chairman.
Members of this consortium are the astronomical institutes of the universities Bochum, Bonn, Cologne, the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie in Bonn, the International University Bremen, the Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik in Garching, the Sternwarte Hamburg, the Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam and the Thüringer Landessternwarte in Tautenburg.
Figures 1, 2:
LOFAR antennas for radio wavelengths of 4 to 10 meters (left) and 1 to
3 meters (right). 96 antennas of both types will form one LOFAR station.
(Images: ASTRON Dwingeloo/ Netherlands).
Double-click images for higher resolution!
LOFAR is the first telescope of its kind: it is the first digital radio telescope and has no moving parts. In contrast to classical dish-like radio antennae, LOFAR consists of a set of simple, small radio antennae. One of the worlds fastest supercomputers, IBM's 'blue gene' located in Groningen, correlates all incoming data. Its computing power of 27 Teraflops and its memory of 1 Petabyte are needed to digest the huge data rate of 500 Gbits/second that comes in from hundreds of stations. The computer combines the data from the different antennae such that LOFAR acts as a giant radio-telescope with an equivalent dish-size of several hundred kilometres. Thus, astronomers will be able to observe the sky >with unprecedented resolution in an almost unexplored part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Also, the digital nature of the telescope allows astronomers to observe in several directions at the same time.
Figure 3:
Sites for the first seven LOFAR stations planned within Germany.
The central core consisting of 23 LOFAR stations will be based near Exloo in
Western Frisia (Netherlands).
(Graphics: D. Lehmann, Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam).
Double-click image for higher resolution!
Abbildung 4:
First meeting of GLOW (German Long Wavelength consortium)
on May 3, 2006 at Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam (AIP).
Participants (left to right): B. Ciardi, M. Brüggen (behind),
R. Beck, W. Reich, C. Vocks, G. Mann, A. Schweitzer, K. Fricke,
A. Zensus, P. Kalberla, C. Vogt, J. Eislöffel, M. Steinmetz, D. Bomans,
W. Guerich, A. Hatzes.
In the background: AIP library building
(Image: GLOW).
Double-click image for higher resolution!
LOFAR is currently under construction by the radio-astronomical institute
ASTRON in Dwingeloo in the Netherlands. In Western Frisia, the assembly of
the first of 77 core stations has started. The capabilities of LOFAR
can be increased tremendously by extending it to a European level,
thus creating a European Sensor Network. The GLOW consortium
plans to contribute a total of twelve LOFAR stations at sites in Germany -
of which six are planned in more detail already (Bremen, Effelsberg,
Garching, Hamburg, Jülich, Tautenburg and Tremsdorf). The first LOFAR
station with a size of 110 times 60 metres will be constructed this year
near the Effelsberg 100m radio telescope in collaboration by ASTRON and
the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie in Bonn.
LOFAR White Paper, PDF, pp. 63, 2.3 MB (October 6, 2005).
LOFAR Web pages at MPIfR (1), (2).
LOFAR Homepage (ASTRON, Netherlands).
LOFAR in Deutschland. PRI (MPIfR) 09/2005 (2), September 7, 2005.
Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Particles Produce Unusual Radio Flash, PRI (MPIfR) 05/2005 (1), May 18, 2005.
SUPERCOMPUTER LOFAR SNELSTE IN EUROPA, April 21, 2005.
Riesenradioteleskop entsteht im Herzen Europas,
MPIfR and MPG SP 20 / 2003 (152), Dezember 1, 2003.
Dr. Rainer Beck,
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn.
Fon: +49-228-525-323
E-mail: rbeck at mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
Prof. Anton Zensus,
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn.
Fon: +49-228-525-378
E-mail: azensus at
mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
Dr. Norbert Junkes,
Public Outreach,
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn.
Fon: +49-228-525-399
E-mail: njunkes at mpifr-bonn.mpg.de