[ncrs-general] LOFAR Session at WARS04 - Call for Information Papers

[Phil Wilkinson]

Hello All,

This is a special call for papers on LOFAR and LOFAR related
topics.  


The next-generation radio telescopes will let us see the first 
stars and galaxies forming in the early Universe. Conceiving, 
designing and building these instruments will also stimulate 
technological innovation.

Australia, a world leader in astronomy, has a relatively 'radio-quiet'
environment - an outstanding natural advantage for radio astronomy. 
As a result, inland Australia is now being considered as a host site 
for three future projects: LOFAR (Low Frequency Array), the SKA 
(Square Kilometre Array), and a NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) 
facility. 

The first of these is LOFAR, which will be built within 
the next five years.  Australia has recently been nominated the
preferred site for LOFAR.

The A$200m internationally-funded LOFAR project offers Australia: 
* The chance to host an international, high-visibility 'big science'
  project;
* The chance to engage Australian industry in international projects 
  at the leading edge of information and computing technologies; and
* An increased likelihood of attracting the two-billion-dollar SKA 
  project to Australia.

LOFAR, a direct developmental step towards SKA, will consist of 
a 400km-wide array of 25,000 antennas covering the frequency range
20-240 MHz, and will pose a number of challenges in RF engineering, 
signal processing and transport, and ionospheric calibration. 


During WARS04 there will be a special session on LOFAR and papers 
are invited that will address all aspects of these challenges, 
especially in innovative ways.

These may be information papers, but if you wish to contribute
a refereed paper, then please advise me and I will arrange for
an extended deadline for your paper.

best wishes,
Phil

--
Dr Phil Wilkinson, 
Deputy Director
IPS Radio and Space Services 

_______________________________________________________
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources
IPS Radio and Space Services
Street Address:  Level 6, 477 Pitt St., NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA
Postal Address:  P O Box 1386, Haymarket, NSW 1240, AUSTRALIA.
Ph: +61 2 9213 8003    Fax: +61 2 9213 8060 
Email: phil at ips.gov.au
Internet http: //www.ips.gov.au/    IPS ftp region ftp.ips.gov.au
ABN 51 835 430 479
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