Square Kilometer Array: The Science and Technology

Abstract

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) will be the worlds largest radio telescope, it will be at least 50 times more powerful than the current most powerful radio telescope. It will enable astronomers to see the formation of the early Universe, including the emergence of the first stars, galaxies and other structures. While the SKA will not be built until the 2020 time frame, the Australia SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is being built now in the outback of Western Australia. In this presentation the SKA will be introduced, the relationship with the Australia SKA Pathfinder, and the part iVEC is playing to provide supercomputing for the project. Also introduced will be the significant technological challenges of the project in terms of computing, networking, storage, and visualisation.