High sensitivity VLBI with SKA

TL;DR

The paper discusses the integration of the SKA with VLBI networks to enhance high-resolution radio astronomy, highlighting operational concepts and the need to update scientific use cases for future SKA deployments.

Contribution

It provides an overview of SKA's VLBI capabilities, operational concepts, and emphasizes updating science use cases for SKA1 and SKA2.

Findings

SKA will enable transformational science with high sensitivity.

Inclusion in VLBI networks will provide very high angular resolution.

Operational concepts are essential for effective SKA-VLBI integration.

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), with the aim of achieving a collecting area of one square kilometre, will be the world's largest radio telescope. A scientific collaboration between 12 countries (with more to join), it will consist of one Observatory with 2 telescopes located in South Africa and Australia. The telescope deployment is planned in two phases, but even in its first stage (SKA1) it will already enable transformational science in a broad range of scientific objectives. The inclusion of SKA1 in the Global VLBI networks (SKA-VLBI) will provide access to very high angular resolution to SKA science programmes in anticipation of the science to be realized with the full telescope deployment (SKA2). This contribution provides an overview of the SKA Observatory VLBI capability, the key operational concepts and outlines the need to update the science use cases.