Caltech has completed the final design review of the Deep Synoptic Array (DSA), a radio telescope project funded by Schmidt Sciences. Construction is planned for a remote valley in Nevada, with completion by 2029.
Key Specifications
- Number of dishes: 1,650, each over 6 meters in diameter, making it the largest array by dish count.
- Area: Approximately 20 x 16 kilometers.
- Sensitivity: Will be the most sensitive radio telescope ever built.
- Image quality: Will produce the highest-quality radio images.
- Survey speed: Will survey the sky 100 times faster than existing radio telescopes.
Scientific Goals
- Survey the entire visible sky multiple times in its first five years.
- Discover about 1 billion new radio sources, matching the total found by all other radio telescopes in its first day.
- Study black holes, pulsars, fast radio bursts, dark matter, gravity, and the expansion of the universe.
Statements
Gregg Hallinan, principal investigator and Caltech professor, stated that the DSA will survey the sky at unprecedented speeds.
"The DSA will survey the sky at unprecedented speeds." — Gregg Hallinan
Vikram Ravi, co-principal investigator, said the telescope will observe a far larger volume of the universe more often than any other. Both are affiliated with Caltech's Owens Valley Radio Observatory.
"The telescope will observe a far larger volume of the universe more often than any other." — Vikram Ravi