The Sardinia Radio Telescope: From a Technological Project to a Radio Observatory

Abstract

[Abridged] The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is the new 64-m dish operated by INAF (Italy). Its active surface will allow us to observe at frequencies of up to 116 GHz. At the moment, three receivers, one per focal position, have been installed and tested. The SRT was officially opened in October 2013, upon completion of its technical commissioning phase. In this paper, we provide an overview of the main science drivers for the SRT, describe the main outcomes from the scientific commissioning of the telescope, and discuss a set of observations demonstrating the SRT's scientific capabilities. One of the main objectives of scientific commissioning was the identification of deficiencies in the instrumentation and/or in the telescope sub-systems for further optimization. As a result, the overall telescope performance has been significantly improved. As part of the scientific commissioning activities, different observing modes were tested and validated, and first astronomical observations were carried out to demonstrate the science capabilities of the SRT. In addition, we developed astronomer-oriented software tools, to support future observers on-site. The astronomical validation activities were prioritized based on technical readiness and scientific impact. The highest priority was to make the SRT available for joint observations as part of European networks. As a result, the SRT started to participate (in shared-risk mode) in EVN (European VLBI Network) and LEAP (Large European Array for Pulsars) observing sessions in early 2014. The validation of single-dish operations for the suite of SRT first light receivers and backends continued in the following years, and was concluded with the first call for shared-risk/early-science observations issued at the end of 2015.

arXiv comment26 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in Section 13 'Astronomical instrumentation' of Astronomy & Astrophysics

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• The State-of-Play of Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) Research
• Sardinia Radio Telescope observations of Abell 194 - the intra-cluster magnetic field power spectrum
• The lowest frequency Fast Radio Bursts: Sardinia Radio Telescope detection of the periodic FRB 180916 at 328 MHz
• Milliarcsecond localisation of the repeating FRB 20201124A
• The Fast Radio Burst FRB 20201124A in a star forming region: constraints to the progenitor and multiwavelength counterparts
• ASTRI Mini-Array Core Science at the Observatorio del Teide
• Duty cycle of the radio galaxy B2 0258+35
• The flickering nuclear activity of Fornax A
• Gamma-Ray and X-Ray Observations of the Periodic-Repeater FRB 180916 During Active Phases
• A perfect power-law spectrum even at highest frequencies: The Toothbrush relic
• Strong evidence of Anomalous Microwave Emission from the flux density spectrum of M31
• The conceptual design of the 50-meter Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST)
• The X-ray evolution and geometry of the 2018 outburst of XTE J1810-197
• Investigating the high-frequency spectral features of SNRs Tycho, W44 and IC443 with the Sardinia Radio Telescope
• Spectro-polarimetric observations of the CIZA J2242.8+5301 northern radio relic: no evidence of high-frequency steepening
• The new magnetar SGR J1830-0645 in outburst
• Extending the $Z_n^2$ and $H$ statistics to generic pulsed profiles
• The first 7 months of the 2020 X-ray outburst of the magnetar SGR J1935+2154
• An International Survey of Front-End Receivers and Observing Performance of Telescopes for Radio Astronomy
• Pulsar Timing Array Experiments
• New high-frequency radio observations of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant with the Italian radio telescopes
• Solar observations with single-dish INAF radio telescopes: continuum imaging in the 18-26 GHz range
• Low(er) frequency follow-up of 28 candidate, large-scale synchrotron sources
• Study of the thermal and nonthermal emission components in M31: the Sardinia Radio Telescope view at 6.6 GHz
• Searching for Anomalous Microwave Emission in nearby galaxies. K-band observations with the Sardinia Radio Telescope
• Sardinia Radio Telescope observations of the Coma Cluster
• Methods for detection and analysis of weak radio sources with single-dish radio telescopes
• Evaluating a strategy for measuring deformations of the primary reflector of the Green Bank telescope using a terrestrial laser scanner
• Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) Science: Resolving the Hot and Ionized Universe through the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect
• Sardinia Radio Telescope observations of Local Group dwarf galaxies -- I. The cases of NGC6822, IC1613, and WLM
• A targeted search for FRB counterparts with Konus-Wind
• Two-element interferometer for millimeter-wave solar flare observations
• High frequency radio imaging of 3CR 403.1 with the Sardinia Radio Telescope
• Far-infrared to centimeter emission of very nearby galaxies with archival data
• The mm-to-cm SED of spiral galaxies. Synergies between NIKA2 and SRT instruments
• A multi-wavelength pipeline for pulsar searches
• Broadband radio study of the supernova remnant Kes 73
• First detection of variable radio emission originating from the infant planetary system V1298 Tau