Science with the Murchison Widefield Array

TL;DR

The Murchison Widefield Array is a pioneering low-frequency radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, enabling new astrophysical and cosmological research across multiple science themes with high resolution and survey efficiency.

Contribution

This paper reviews the performance and scientific goals of the Murchison Widefield Array, the first low-frequency telescope in the Southern Hemisphere designed for diverse astrophysical studies.

Findings

Demonstrates the array's capability for high-resolution surveys

Enables studies of the epoch of reionisation through 21 cm emission

Supports diverse science including solar and space weather research

Abstract

Significant new opportunities for astrophysics and cosmology have been identified at low radio frequencies. The Murchison Widefield Array is the first telescope in the Southern Hemisphere designed specifically to explore the low-frequency astronomical sky between 80 and 300 MHz with arcminute angular resolution and high survey efficiency. The telescope will enable new advances along four key science themes, including searching for redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionisation in the early Universe; Galactic and extragalactic all-sky southern hemisphere surveys; time-domain astrophysics; and solar, heliospheric, and ionospheric science and space weather. The Murchison Widefield Array is located in Western Australia at the site of the planned Square Kilometre Array (SKA) low-band telescope and is the only low-frequency SKA precursor facility. In this paper, we review the performance properties of the Murchison Widefield Array and describe its primary scientific objectives.