The Chinese mainland has commenced the construction of the core array for its Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), marking a significant advancement in the country's radio astronomy capabilities. This expansion includes the installation of 24 secondary 40-meter antennas within a 5-kilometer radius of the FAST site, with operations anticipated to begin by 2027.
The new core array is designed to enhance FAST's sensitivity and provide high angular resolution, aiming to outperform comparable global radio telescope arrays. According to Jiang Peng, deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the project faces two primary technical challenges.
The first challenge involves the development of high-performance room-temperature receivers, a technology the team has not previously utilized. The second challenge is the creation of integrated aperture data processing technology, which is essential for handling data from telescopes of varying sizes—a field where domestic experience is still growing.
Reference(s):
China launches construction of core array for FAST telescope
cgtn.com
