LOFAR-UK

TL;DR

The LOFAR-UK station at Chilbolton enhances the international LOFAR Telescope's resolution and serves as a testbed for UK expertise in next-generation software telescopes, supported by major UK science collaborations.

Contribution

This paper details the development, organization, and technical aspects of the LOFAR-UK Chilbolton station, highlighting its role in advancing UK radio astronomy infrastructure.

Findings

Increased angular resolution of LOFAR with the Chilbolton station.

Successful integration of LOFAR-UK into the international telescope network.

Potential for augmented processing capabilities like ARTEMIS.

Abstract

The LOFAR-UK station at Chilbolton has recently been completed and significantly increases the angular resolution of the International LOFAR Telescope, as well as providing a unique training site and testbed for british experience with next-generation software telescopes. The station has been funded primarily through the LOFAR-UK, the largest astronomy collaboration in Britain, as well as via the South East Physics Network (SEPNET) and STFC. In this brief paper we discuss the history and organisation of LOFAR-UK, provide a technical description of the Chilbolton site, and discuss how LOFAR stations can be augmented by the addition of extra local processing capabilities such as ARTEMIS.