The latest on Apertif

TL;DR

Apertif is a phased array feed system designed for the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope to significantly enhance its field of view and bandwidth, enabling efficient large-scale sky surveys and transient searches.

Contribution

This paper introduces the Apertif PAF system, demonstrating its superior performance over traditional single feed systems at decimetre wavelengths.

Findings

Prototype results show excellent performance of PAFs at decimetre wavelengths.

PAFs outperform single feed dishes even with a single beam.

Apertif increases the WSRT's survey capabilities significantly.

Abstract

We describe a Phased Array Feed (PAF) system, called Apertif, which will be installed in the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT). The aim of Apertif is, at frequencies from 1.0 to 1.7 GHz, to increase the instantaneous field of view of the WSRT 8 deg^2 and its observing bandwidth to 300 MHz with high spectral resolution. This system will turn the WSRT into an effective survey telescope with scientific applications ranging from deep surveys of the northern sky of HI and OH emission and polarised continuum to efficient searches for pulsars and transients. We present results obtained with a prototype PAF installed in one of the WSRT dishes. These results demonstrate that at decimetre wavelengths PAFs have excellent performance and that even for a single beam on the sky they outperform single feed radio dishes. PAFs turn radio telescopes into very effective survey instruments. Apertif is now fully funded and the community is invited to express their interest in using Apertif (http://www.astron.nl/radio-observatory/call-expressions-interest-apertif-surveys )