Collaboration between the University of Cape Town, the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and ASTRON
The Department of Astronomy of the University of Cape Town (South Africa), ASTRON and the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute of the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) have decided to set up a collaboration of graduate education and research. The collaboration will consist of scientific projects centered around joint PhD positions, and visits of PhD students, postdocs and staff members from South Africa to the Netherlands and vice versa.
Extra-galactic milestone for South Africa’s KAT 7 telescope - First atomic hydrogen spectral line images of a nearby galaxy
South Africa’s KAT 7 telescope, a seven dish array which is a precursor to the much larger MeerKAT telescope in the Karoo and to the Square Kilometre Array, has reached another major milestone by observing the radio emission from the neutral hydrogen gas (HI) in a nearby galaxy. Hydrogen gas emits radio emission in a spectral line at a very specific frequency of 1421MHz.
“It is particularly exciting that we will soon be able to derive new scientific results with a relatively small precursor array,” says Bradley Frank, a PhD student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), who was closely involved with the current observations with the KAT 7 array.
The radio waves which KAT 7 picks up from the galaxy were processed in the correlator, the first stage of computing. The correlator currently allows measurement of the gas velocity to an accuracy of 10 km/s. Further upgrades during 2012 will enable astronomers to study this galaxy with a velocity resolution of 1 km/s.
Tri Partite Agreement Signed by UCT, the Université de Montréal & the Université de Ouagadougou
The University of Cape Town, South Africa, the Université de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and the Université de Montréal, Canada, wishing to develop academic exchange and cooperation in education and research have just signed a memorandum of understanding. The agreement signed last September in Montréal and last October in Burkina Faso was signed by UCT vice-chancelor Dr Max Price on February 2nd. This follows the initial visit to Cape Town by the president of UdeO and UdeM in August 2010, where they especially met with the researchers of the Astronomy Department and is in line with the fact that UCT recently joined the AUF (Association des Universités Francophones). This is a first step for strengthening the links between UCT and the Universities in French speaking African countries. Through this agreement, the three Universities agreed to foster: 1- student and academic exchanges; 2- joint research activities; and 3- exchange of academic material.
Outreach in Mozambique
SKA Fellow, Dr. Valério Ribeiro of the Department of Astronomy at UCT, participated in Astronomy training for 15 Geography and Physics secondary school teachers at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo City, Mozambique from 20-22 September 2011. The project was funded by the Finnish - Mozambican partnership programme for Science and Technology. Dr. Ribeiro was joined by counterparts from South Africa, Mozambique, The Netherlands and Portugal.
Development of large EMCCD detectors
On 9 September 2011, Prof. Claude Carignan of UCT was at the company e2v in Chelmsford, UK for the kick-off meeting to start the development of large EMCCD detectors, in collaboration with the Montreal Laboratoire d’Astrophysique Expérimentale (Olivier Hernandez) and the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (Jean-Luc Gach). While the largest Frame Transfer (FT) EMCCD available at present has 1024x1024 pixels, this 24 months development project wants to develop 4096x4096 pixels chips. Since they are FT chips, the actual size will be 4096x 8192. The pixel size is set by the actual wafer manufacturing maximum size and will be 12 μm. Since those chips are designed primarily for photon counting applications, everything will be optimized to have the lowest intrinsic read-out noise and the fastest frame rate possible. This will be accomplished by using split frame transfer architecture (image area in the center), 8 EM low-noise outputs and by using 15 MHz pixel rate or higher.
ACGC Proudly Supports the African SKA Bid
Today (15 September 2011) marks the day when both Australia/New Zealand and South Africa (and their 8 African partner countries) submit their final site bids to host the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). The Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Research Centre at the University of Cape Town proudly supports the African bid for the SKA. In support of the African bid, we have recently launched a brochure outlining the involvement of astronomers and engineers at the University of Cape Town in SKA science and human capacity development on the African continent. You can download the brochure via the cover picture on the left.
Chair of Astronomy, Prof Renée Kraan-Korteweg, selected as finalist in the 2011 DST Women in Science award
Prof Kraan-Korteweg, the chair of Astronomy and head of the Astronomy department at UCT, has been selected as a finalist at the 2011 Women in Science Award organized by the South African Department of Science and Technology. At the award ceremony on 19 August 2011 in Pretoria, Prof Kraan-Korteweg was 2nd runner up in the category of Distinguished Women in "Life, Natural and Engineering Sciences". On behalf of the entire department we congratulate Renée on this achievement. For more details on this story, see the link below to the news paper article in the Mail and Guardian.
Dr Danielle Lucero takes up a postdoctoral fellowship associated with the SKA SARChI chair in Multi-wavelength Extragalactic Astronomy
Dr Lucero arrived in mid-July to work with Prof Claude Carignan. She completed, earlier this year, a PhD thesis entitled: “A High Resolution Study of the Cold Gas in Early-type Galaxies” with Dr Lisa Young at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM. One of the tasks she has accepted since her arrival is to become responsible for the PED small array telescope, built by the MeerKAT office, which is being transferred to UCT. In the near future, those dishes should be used by the students to learn about radio astronomy techniques. She also intends to lend a hand with the different commissioning tasks related to the new KAT-7 array, precursor of the MeerKAT array and hopefully, of the SKA.
Prof Claude Carignan takes up SKA SARChI chair in Multi-wavelength Extragalactic Astronomy
From left to right: A/Prof Patrick Woudt (Acting Head: Astronomy Department), Dr Marilet Sienaert (Director: Research Office), Prof Danie Visser (DVC for Research), Prof Claude Carignan (incoming SA SKA SARChI professor)
The Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town is delighted to welcome Professor Claude Carignan as the incoming SKA SARChI chair in Multi-wavelength Extragalactic Astronomy. Prof Carignan is an expert on galaxy dynamics and dark matter. He is involved in the development of astronomical instrumentation on next generation telescopes and has been heavily involved in developing Astronomy in Burkina Faso. Prof Carignan comes to Cape Town from the University of Montreal (Canada).
Public lecture on campus on "Will the World End in 2012?" by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
The Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (http://www.acgc.uct.ac.za), in association with the organising committee of the 2nd Middle East / Africa Regional IAU Meeting of Astronomy, will host a public lecture on Tuesday 12 April at 7pm (New Science Lecture Theatre, upper campus) on "Will the World End in 2012?" by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
The ancient Mayan calendar ends in the year 2012 and it has been predicted that this means the end of the world. The astronomical phenomena (solar storms, planets or asteroids crashing into the Earth, planetary alignments etc.) cited as the cause of the end of the world will be examined. See also the Monday Paper.
Astronomy department hosts workshop on Radio Transients with MeerKAT
The Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (http://www.acgc.uct.ac.za) is organising the first ThunderKAT workshop on Radio Transients with MeerKAT. ThunderKAT is one of the ten approved Large Survey Projects on MeerKAT, South Africa's SKA-precursor telescope. This workshop will bring experts from around the world to Cape Town to discuss survey preparations and science with KAT-7. Details of the workshop and copies of all the presentations can be found at http://www.ast.uct.ac.za/arniston2011
UCT radio astronomy scores large chunk of MeerKAT observation time
Gravitas: Dr Benne Holwerda, Prof Erwin de Blok, Dr Sarah Blyth, Prof Patrick Woudt and Dr Kurt van der Heyden.
Four UCT Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Research Centre (ACGC) Key Science proposals are among ten successful bids for the 43 000 hours of observing time allocated to radio astronomers from Africa and around the world on South Africa's MeerKAT telescope.
Astrophysics class medalists of 2009
The Astronomy Department congratulates the Astrophysics class medalists of 2009 (from left to right):
Andrew Ward (AST3002F), Mpati Ramatsoku (AST3003S), Sandi Smart (AST2002S), Sasha Moola (AST1000F), Jaco Conradie (AST4007W; NASSP Honours)
The Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town is the largest university-based astronomy group in the country and has strong ties (and joint positions) with the South African Astronomical Observatory and the South African Square Kilometre Array office.
The department primarily comprises observational (optical, near-infrared and radio) astronomers, with international leaders in the fields of large-scale structure of galaxies, dark matter in galaxies, low surface brightness galaxies, the uncovering of galaxies hidden by the Milky Way, the extra-galactic distance scale, and cataclysmic variable stars.
The department is also closely associated with a number of other groups within various UCT departments, such as the cosmology group of the applied mathematics department, the astro-particle group of the physics department, and members of the electrical engineering department who are involved in space science and radio telescope technology development.
For more information see the Annual MNASSA Report.