Jasper Horrell

SKA: Driving Innovation

Transcript

1. Square  Kilometre  Array   Driving  Innova5on  (an  African  Perspec5ve)   Dr.  Jasper  Horrell   SKA  South  Africa   Mul$core  World,  26  Feb  2014,  New  Zealand    
2. Outline •  SKA •  SKA in Africa •  MeerKAT and KAT-7 •  Skills Development •  SKA Design Work •  African VLBI Network •  Spin-off Activity: Big Data •  Opportunity: AERAP
3. SKA •  Planned as by far the world’s largest radio telescope array(s). Fundamental science •  Extreme sensitivity •  Extreme data generator •  Global project. Ten member countries (5 more likely to join) •  Phase 1 construction around 2020 •  30-50 years operations •  Price tag in billions of Euro
4. SKA Members •  Ten countries – UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, China, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand •  India currently joining •  Four intend to join – Japan, South Korea, France, USA •  USA probably after 2020 (Decadal Review of Astronomy)
5. SKA Split between Africa and Aus
6. 250,000  element    Low  Frequency    Aperture  Array   Exploring the Universe with the world’s largest radio telescope 254  dishes,  including  MeerKAT   Phase  I  :  2020   Phase  II  :  2024   50  MHz                          100  MHz                                                      1  GHz                                          10  GHz   ~1,000,000  element   Low  Frequency    Aperture  Array   2500  dishes   Mid  Frequency  Aperture   Array   Science   96  survey  dishes,  including  ASKAP   Cosmic  Dawn  &  Reioniza$on   Pulsars   Cosmic  Magne$sm   Cradle  of  Life   Cosmology  &   Galaxy  Evolu$on   €650M  capital  cost   Cost  to  be  determined  
7. Proposed SKA construction timeline •  2013 – 2016 Pre-construction, detailed design •  2014 – 2016 Members seek SKA1 funding, following establishment of cost-cap and confirmation of SKA1 scope. •  2016/17 Establishment of new governance arrangements for the SKA Organisation •  2017 Tender for and procure construction of SKA1 •  2017 – 2020 Detailed design of SKA2 •  2018 – 2021 Construction of SKA1 •  2020 Early science with some components of SKA1 •  2019 – 2021 Seek SKA2 construction funding •  2022 – 2027 Construction of SKA2 Long term project!
8. SKA  in   Africa   SA + 8 African Partner Countries at present
9. Africa and Big Science •  Building the world’s largest science infrastructure in Africa – the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope •  A breakthrough for Africa in how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us •  African scientists to do big science and fundamental science and high-tech – Nobel Prizes from Africa, by Africans •  Exciting projects to attract young people into science and technology and keep them in Africa
10. Africa: Origins and Evolution
11. The South African President visits SIP16
12. Protected SKA Site •  14 000 ha bought •  Protected by Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act •  Access roads, 33kV specially designed powerline (no sparking), 10Gb/s optical fibre, buildings etc. built for Kat 7 •  Roads, airstrip, buildings, sub-station upgrade for MeerKAT
13. Protected SKA Site
14. Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act •  Empowers the Minister for Science and Technology to declare protected areas around strategic astronomy sites by regulation •  Covers both radio and optical astronomy •  The Act establishes an AGA Management Authority to regulate and enforce •  Three tiers of protected areas: •  Core area – the physical area of the observatory / instrument •  Central area – surrounds the core area. Minister prohibits certain activities / categories of activities in this area •  Coordination area –Minister sets standards which activities must comply with •  Protected areas apply to existing and new activities •  The Act prevails over existing Electronic Communications Act, where protection of radio astronomy is concerned
15. 15 On-site roads for MeerKAT core
16. MeerKAT Our design 64 dishes by 2016
17. MeerKAT L-Band Receiver •  0.9 to 1.67 GHz •  Without adding cost MeerKAT sensitivity has been improved from 220 m2/K to 300 m2/K •  Mechanical challenges •  Size and Weight •  Maintaining Vacuum •  Heat Transfer •  Cost Effective Manufacturing •  Design for Manufacture •  Design for Assembly •  Design for testing •  Services •  Vacuum pump •  Compressor •  EM and RF performance are primary design drivers (not discussed here)
18. MeerKAT Foundation Pull Tests Our design
19. Dish Assembly shed Pedestal integration shed Bunkered & RFI shielded processor building and power room Karoo Site Complex
20. Site Complex - Nov 2013
21. Site Complex - Nov 2013
22. Extended dish assembly shed
23. Bunkered data centre Nov 2013
24. Bunkered data centre support systems
25. KAT-7 Precursor – making it real
26. KAT-7 Science 26
27. 5 2 2 3 1 44 74 118 20 42 102 9 10 17 13 1 27 492 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Human Capital Development
28. Africa HCD workshop at KAT 7 site (2011) Lots of enthusiasm to work with African universities
29. Astrophysics in Nairobi •  CONGRATULATIONS TO UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI ON FIRST 18 GRADUATES IN ASTROPHYSICS •  A DIRECT RESULT OF SKA! •  URGING THEM TO STAY IN THE FIELD – DO HIGHER DEGREES
30. Post-graduate conference 2013
31. Young Researchers
33. SKA Pre-Construction Phase •  2013 – 2016 for SKA Phase 1 specification and design •  Self-assembled consortia responded to RfP for self-funded work on SKA1 subsystems •  Work has commenced Nov 2013
34. SKA Pre-Construction Phase – Dishes – Central Signal Processor (correlator) – Telescope Manager (monitor and control) – Science Data Processor – Signal and Data Transport – Infrastructure and Power – Low frequency Sparse Aperture Arrays – Mid Frequency Dense Aperture Arrays – Phased array- & wideband single pixel feeds – Assembly Integration and Verification
35. The Data Challenge MeerKAT SKA Phase 1 SKA Phase 2* Into Correlator 2 Tbps 50 Tbps up to 5 Pbps Into Science Processor 0.4 Tbps 20 Tbps up to 500 Tbps Into Archive 35 Gbps 300+ Gbps up to 2 Tbps Compute load 200 TFlops 30+ PFlops 3+ EFlops … Incoming Data from collectors Switch Switch   Correlator Beamformer Science Processor Science Archive * SKA Phase 2 data rates are still fairly speculative
36. SKA Science Data Processor •  Consortium led by University of Cambridge •  Major radio astronomy research institutes are members incl. SKA SA, ASTRON •  Broad range of ICT companies expected to be involved: Intel, IBM, NVIDIA, Cray, etc •  ``Open Architecture Lab’’ •  RfP submission under evaluation by SKA Org •  Work has started as of Nov 2013 •  Phase 1 specification and design (through 2016)
37. SKA SA Collaboration •  SKA Consortia (incl. SA industry partners – Financial Assistance Programme) •  CASPER – DSP processing platforms (ROACH) •  DOME - various aspects of HPC (towards exascale) •  Intel - next generation technology •  IBM USA - machine learning •  Nokia Siemens - data transport •  CISCO •  Many universities and institutes Other discussions underway
38. African VLBI Network (AVN) Need to fill in this gap
39. 30-m class antennas in Africa Contributes to excellent science with European and other VLBI networks. Very exciting science - looking at physics very close to black holes.
40. Nkutunse - Ghana Kenya next - Longonot
41. Nkutunse – SKA SA interaction 41
42. Big Data •  Technologies for SKA are innovative •  Big Data creating entirely new industries which will be very dominant in the global economy – millions or billions of sensors sending streams of data; huge data sets requiring ultra-fast computing, analysis and visualisation, storage. •  SKA >100 x the data traffic of the world-wide web. –  An exabyte of data per day – 1018 bytes –  Exaflop computing speeds – current best is some petaflops. Equivalent would be ~ 108 laptops •  Use SKA to get young people into Big Data, wireless, signal processing etc. so that Africa can play a world-leading role in these new industries.
44. Innovation and Localization •  Ratty (Real Time Transient Analyser) •  ROACH •  PCB Manufacture •  Big Data Health Technology •  Egg Box PC (education) •  BabyKAT (education) •  Research Labs
46. AERAP •  European Parliament Written Declaration to support Radio Astronomy in Africa •  They have established the Africa-Europe Radio Astronomy Platform to mobilize funding and collaboration •  Working with the European Parliament and Commission and with European and African astronomers on projects •  Possible major new funding instruments
47. SKA Opportunity –  Not given on a plate –  Catalyst for new conversations, innovation, growth and change –  New technologies, new science, new markets –  Human capital development and skills - critical mass of young engineers and scientists with expertise in next-generation technologies (e.g. Big Data; digital signal processing; HPC; control etc.) and science –  Strengthen fundamental and applied research –  Stimulating interest in science and engineering –  Making the most of the opportunity Global endeavour, global opportunity