Technology Development for the Square Kilometer Array

平方千米阵列(SKA)是一个非常大的新射电望远镜的概念，收集面积为1平方公里，覆盖米到厘米范围内的波长。它被认为是一个国际项目，在欧洲、澳大利亚、中国和美国出现了相互竞争的设计。该项目将开发一个美国设计概念，将于2005年提交给国际SKA指导委员会。指导委员会将审查所有提交的设计，并选择一种供国际社会通过和进一步开发。该资助的项目将发展美国的概念，即数千个相对较小的射电望远镜分布在大范围内，共同充当干涉测量阵列。如果最终获得资金，完成SKA的时间表大约是2015-2020年。因此，拟议的工作属于初步概念定义和可行性研究的范畴。在最新的NRC十年调查报告中，天文学界支持SKA技术的发展，将其列为优先考虑的适度举措。***

Cordes, J.AST-0138263The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is a concept for a very large new radio telescope with a collecting area of one square kilometer, covering wavelengths in the meter and centimeter range. It is being conceived as an international project, with competing designs emerging in Europe, Australia, China, and the US. This project will develop a US design concept to be presented to the International SKA Steering Committee in 2005. The Steering Committee will review all submitted designs and choose one for adoption and further development by the international community. The funded program will develop the US concept of many thousands of relatively small radio telescopes spread over a wide area, acting together as an interferometeric array. The timeframe for completion of the SKA, should it ultimately be funded, is around 2015-2020. Therefore the proposed work falls in the realm of an initial concept definition and feasibility study. The astronomical community endorsed SKA technology development by listing it high in priority under Moderate Initiatives in the most recent NRC Decadal Survey report. ***