MANTIS: The Mid-Frequency Aperture Array Transient and Intensity-Mapping   System

Cappellen, W. and Santos, M. and Macquart, J. and Abdalla, F. and Petroff, E. and Siemion, A. and Taylor, R. et al. 2016. MANTIS: The Mid-Frequency Aperture Array Transient and Intensity-Mapping System. -. -.

Source Title

School

Department of Physics and Astronomy

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57726

Collection

Curtin Research Publications

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present the main characteristics of a wide-field MFAA precursor that we envisage to be built at the SKA site in South Africa. Known as MANTIS (the Mid-Frequency Aperture Array Transient and Intensity-Mapping System), this ambitious instrument will represent the next logical step towards the MFAA based SKA telescope. The goal is to use innovative aperture array technology at cm wavelengths, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying huge collecting areas at modest construction and operational cost. Such a transformative step is required in order to continue the exponential progress in radio telescope performance, and to make the ambitious scale of the SKA Phase 2 a realistic near-time proposition.