Advanced Technologies for Radio Telescopes in Mexico and the UK

This project has two main components. In the first, electronics hardware that has been developed in the UK for a large radio telescope project, the Square Kilometre Array, will be used on a new Mexican telescope, the Large Millimetre Telescope (LMT), situated on a mountain top in Mexico. The grant will pay for three researchers, one in the UK and two in Mexico, to develop software to process data from two high frequency radio receivers on the LMT. This will allow more detailed observations of radio emission from stars and star-forming regions in our own Galaxy as well as in external galaxies. More importantly, as this is an international development project, it will train the Mexican scientists in the use of the latest high-speed digital technology, which has applications both in astronomy, in science generally, and in commercial applications.

The second part of the project will focus on the use of redundant satellite communications antennas for radio astronomy. Mexican engineers will build a feed horn (the component in a large antenna that actually captures the radio waves) for an antenna in the UK that is being converted from communications to astronomy use. With the advice of UK scientists, they will also study how to convert a similar antenna in Mexico. This should lead to the possibility of a complete network of new radio telescope in Mexico and Latin America, co-operating with similar arrays in Europe and Africa.

As an instrument of Official Development Assistance, the prime motivation of this grant is to have a wider beneficial impact in Mexico. The areas of collaboration proposed are designed to have the maximum benefit to economic development in Mexico.
Major projects such as SKA and LMT present both substantial technical challenges and major commercial contracts for both construction and operation. These range from civil engineering and building works to highly sophisticated electronic and optical engineering. They also provide a highly effective training ground for the local workforce, ranging from crane operators to cryogenic engineers, with resulting economic benefits. Their growing expertise will in turn underpin the success of the telescopes and their commercial and educational benefits.
The PDRAs who will be employed in this project, in both Mexico and the UK, will develop skills and experience that will be very valuable in both the science research and industrial sectors. The operational and data management, numerical analysis and simulations, and programming and electronics skill necessary for this project will train the PDRAs in ways which can advance commercial R&D and innovation in a global marketplace. Although not funded directly on this grant, students in Mexico will be involved in the development and deployment of the receiver systems on the LMT and the testing of the feed systems for Goonhilly, and this project will thus contribute directly to their education and training. The PDRAs in Mexico will gain new skills from participating in the feasibility study for the antenna conversion and the concomitant feedhorn construction. PDRAs and students will gain experience of working in collaborations, and develop the necessary network and interdisciplinary skills to be successful in academia and wider industry.
The advanced instrumentation, analysis and simulations developed for this project will have applications beyond astrophysics. The technologies required for highly-sensitive observations often go beyond the specifications available on the market so we develop bespoke solutions. These can then have applications in other fields. The team will participate in Oxford's industry day to connect with relevant companies interested in the technologies developed within the project. In Mexico, two workshops will be held with participants from academia and industry to broaden awareness of the project and developing technologies, particularly the digital signal processing efforts. Often there will be applications in communications as well as radio-astronomy (e.g. as at Goonhilly which is a joint commercial venture serving both purposes) and similar opportunities will be sought within the context of instrument development for the LMT. Improved communications technology in Mexico will have benefits for the economy and society as a whole.
If the feasibility study for the antenna leads to its eventual conversion, this will have benefits as at Goonhilly. In addition, the geodetic capacity of the converted antenna, functioning in VLBI mode, will transform Mexican topographical and geological studies, offering a level of precision never before achieved in its mapping programs. This will open up entirely new areas of activity for Mexican scientists and topographers and will positively impact civil engineers and construction projects in all parts of the country. For the first time Mexico will be able to participate directly in the measurement of Earth Orientation Parameters, studies of plate tectonics, monitor geological impacts of volcanic activity etc. which will enable new areas of research and industry in the country.
Both countries will benefit from the educational and outreach opportunities this project will afford. Public engagement with science encourages young people to study in these areas and enables everyone to understand the value of research in this area as well as understanding of the Universe and our place in it.