| Speaker: | Phil Diamond (SKA Director-General) |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Square Kilometre Array: understanding the history of the Universe |
| Date (JST): | Thu, Feb 08, 2018, 13:30 - 14:30 |
| Place: | Seminar Room A |
| Abstract: |
I will describe the scientific motivation for and the current status of the Square Kilometre Array. The SKA Observatory, which will consist of two next-generation radio telescopes, located in Australia and South Africa, is being designed to answer some of the fundamental scientific questions of our time: why does the Universe look like it does now? How does Einstein’s theory of General Relativity interact with the quantum world? What is the origin and influence of magnetism in the universe? Where does life originate? And many more. I will describe the current work on designing the SKA, including the prototype dishes under construction in China, the low frequency antennas being deployed in Australia, and the digital and software solutions being developed to cope with the deluge of data that the SKA will generate. I will also talk about the current state of discussions in governments as we set up a new inter-governmental organisation in astronomy. |
