China's FAST telescope in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, southwest China. /CFP
The construction of the core array for China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) began Wednesday, a step forward in the country's radio astronomy capabilities. This new extension will incorporate 24 secondary 40-meter antennas implanted within 5 kilometers of the FAST site, with operations expected to start by 2027.
The FAST core array aims to enhance the telescope's sensitivity and provide high angular resolution, surpassing the performance of comparable global arrays. However, achieving synchronized observational results presents two key technical challenges, according to Jiang Peng, deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The first challenge is developing high-performance room-temperature receivers, which the team has not previously utilized. The second involves creating integrated aperture data processing technology to handle data from telescopes of different sizes, an area where domestic experience is still developing.
Schematic diagram of the core array for China's FAST telescope. /CMG
The improvements from the FAST core array are set to boost resolution, precise positioning and detailed imaging capabilities, broadening the scope of scientific research. This upgrade will be crucial for studying gravitational waves, fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae and black hole tidal disruptions. Additionally, it will enhance monitoring of near-Earth objects and support deep-space satellite communications, providing crucial support for China's aerospace initiatives.