Paper 13094-39
Paper 13094-39
Updates on MeerKAT+, the MeerKAT radio telescope extension project
18 June 2024 • 16:10 - 16:30 Japan Standard Time | Room G403/404, North - 4F
Abstract
The MeerKAT+ (MK+) project will extend the current MeerKAT array at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) site in the Karoo region of South Africa.
The South African MeerKAT telescope is a SARAO precursor to the Square Kilometre Array mid-frequency instrument (SKA-MID). The MK+ project is a partnership between SARAO, the Max Planck Society (MPG, MPIfR), and the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), and is an important milestone towards the SKA-MID array. We will provide details and updates on the MK+ project.
Presenter
Gundolf Wieching
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (Germany)
Gundolf Wieching holds a PhD in experimental physics from the University of Cologne, Germany, where he developed a 1.5 THz heterodyne receiver system. After several years as Station Manager of the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope (Chile), he continued his career at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn (Germany). As head of the electronics department, he is responsible for the development of astronomical receiver systems up to 100 GHz. As a project manager, Gundolf Wieching is leading medium-sized antenna projects such as the SKA-MPI antenna or the MeerKAT+ extension, and receiver projects such as the MeerKAT S-band receiver system or the ALMA Band 2/3 LNAs. He is also involved in various international collaborations and review panels.