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European Radio Astronomy ConsortiumNewsletter Issue 07/2023
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For a study to be published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal, scientists from a number of leading research institutions, all members of the Opticon-RadioNet Pilot, using LOFAR telescope detected 47 satellites to emit so-called "unintended electromagnetic radiation". Unintended electromagnetic radiation emanates from the electronics of the satellites, not necessarily linked to the transmission system. This is a concern to astronomers, since even faintest signals have the potential to change astronomical observations or even outshine cosmic sources. Read here the original press release by the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS) and here the ORP press release. Image: © Danielle Futselaar, Artist impression of a large satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit circling above the LOFAR telescope. |
The Breakthrough Listen program aims at finding evidence of civilizations beyond Earth using the world’s most powerful instruments (e.g. MeerKAT). Until now the use of VLBI for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been limited. University of Manchester Phd student Kelvin Wandia and collaborators demonstrated a new data analysis/interpretation scheme for SETI using VLBI. They have used the European VLBI network (EVN) at 21 cm to observe a phase calibrator near a G-type star hosting a rocky exoplanet Kepler-111b. The search for technosignatures from Kepler-111b was possible, however no transmitters were detected. Read the full article An interferometric SETI observation of Kepler-111 b here. |
The Max Planck Society (MPG) and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) jointly offer outstanding postdoctoral researchers in the fields of physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and earth sciences a prestigious four-year appointment in a unique research environment. The cooperation between the MPG and the WIS offers talented researchers the opportunity to participate in innovative projects, benefit from the expertise of two renowned institutions and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their respective subjects. Application deadline: 1 November 2023. Read more. |
At the EAS 2023 in Krakow, Prof. J. Anton Zensus, Coordinator of the concluded RadioNet project and director of the MPIfR, has received the prestigious Tycho Brahe Medal of the European Astronomical Society (EAS). He has been honored for significant advances in Very Long Baseline Interferometry that led to the first images of the shadows of supermassive black holes at the centers of the galaxy Messier 87 and our Milky Way. Read more. |
The new RadioViews video via YouTube has been shared. In the ninth episode, Dr. Anne Baczko – Postdoc at Chalmers explains her investigations on the double-sided source NGC 1052 published in A&A 658, A119 (2022, DOI 10.1051/0004-6361/202141897). Enjoy it. |
The workshop aims to to discuss the scientific potential and challenges of a future European wide-field radio interferometer:
• Recent advances and emerging themes in radio astronomy and transient astrophysics
• The science priorities for ARGOS: pulsar timing, PTAs, FRBs, cosmology, transients, techno-signatures, VLBI, high-energy astrophysics and more
• The technical requirements and design options for the instrument: (configuration, data processing, calibration, etc.)
• The synergies and complementarities of ARGOS with other existing and planned radio facilities such as LOFAR, SKA, DSA2000, MeerKAT, ASKAP, FAST, Chime, etc.
• The roadmap and timeline for the development and implementation of ARGOS
Registration and abstract submisison via the workshop website by 25 September 2023. |
The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) project, developed by the US community under the lead of the of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), has recently been identified as one of the top-priority new ground-based observatories in the recent US decadal report. As such, it is expected to be a key facility for the US astronomical community to be constructed by the next decade, and a key complement to facilities targeting lower radio frequencies like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). At the same time, the project is looking to provide opportunities for international cooperation. In response to this opportunity, an exploratory get-together for members of the German community interested in this project was held at the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in December 2022 in Bonn, which has been met with great interest and has brought forward a number of interesting ideas. Building on this initial success, a follow-up meeting has now been announced with a focus on the science opportunities with the ngVLA, and any related science interest within the German community. The “Second Workshop on German Science Opportunities for the ngVLA” will be held in Leipzig on 27 September 2023. The primary goals of this new meeting are to present the key science cases of the ngVLA, and to share science visions which could be enabled by the ngVLA in the 2030s and beyond. The organizers explicilty encourage participants to share ideas that connect to other large facilities, including those to become available in the more immediate future. The meeting will also be attended by key members of the US ngVLA effort, including NRAO director Tony Beasley, and ngVLA project Scientist Eric Murphy, who will be able to answer any questions about the project. Registration for the meeting as well as more and updated information on the event page. Registration is requested until 15 August 2023. Meeting participants will also be welcome to participate in the “ngVLA open day event”, which will take place during the afternoon on 28 September 2023, also in Leipzig. As part of this event, the German company mtex antenna technology and NRAO will reveal key components of the 18-metre ngVLA telescope prototype. Additional details regarding this event are provided here. For colleagues who are planning to attend both events, there will be the opportunity for additional informal break-out discussions the morning of 28 September. To plan for the required space for those meetings, registrants are asked to indicate whether or not they plan to participate in these break-out meetings. Suggestions for specific topics of these discussions are also invited. The organizers are looking forward to meet many readers of the Radionet Newsletter in Leipzig for stimulating scientific discussions. Dominik Riechers & Matthias Kadler (co-chairs of the SOC) (c) Image NRAO |
The 13th General Meeting of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS GM2024) will be held on 4–9 March 2024, in Tsukuba, Japan, hosted by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. All IVS Associate Members and individuals who have interests in the application of VLBI in the fields of geodesy, Earth sciences, and Astrometry are invited to attend the meeting. The IVS hosts the General Meeting every two years with the purpose to assemble representatives from all IVS components to share information, hear reports, and plan future activities. The official inauguration date of the IVS was 1 March 1999. Thus, it will be almost 25 years later to the date that the larger IVS community will assemble for GM2024 in Japan. To celebrate the silver jubilee the GM will include a festive event for the 25th anniversary. In addition, several splinter meetings are anticipated (e.g. IVS Analysis Workshop, AOV meeting, IVS Directing Board meeting). Please visit the website to learn more. |
POLICY NEWS On 13 July 2023, the Commission unveiled a comprehensive set of measures targeted at strengthening the European Research Area (ERA) and making it more resilient, appealing, and competitive. These will contribute to a priority action of the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024, namely to promote attractive and sustainable research careers. The set of measures includes:
• A proposal for a Council Recommendation that establishes a new European framework for research careers;
• A new Charter for Researchers, replacing the 2005 Charter and Code for Researchers with new and revised principles;
• The European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp), to support inter-sectoral mobility of researchers.
Read more. This report presents the analysis of the responses received in section D “Looking into the R&I future priorities 2025-2027” of the public consultation on the past, present and future of the European Research & Innovation Framework programmes 2014-2027. Read the synopsis report here. On 29 June 2023, the Commission adopted a report to the Council and the European Parliament taking stock of progress in the implementation of the EU strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation (R&I), the Global Approach to R&I. In its Communication, the Commission committed to adopt biennial reports on the execution of the actions set out therein. Read more. From now on, the European Prize for Women Innovators will be organised jointly by the European Innovation Council and the European Institute for Innovation and Technology. Read M. Vestagerś speech for the launch of the EIC/EIT Women Innovators Prize here. On 9 July 2023, the Commission and New Zealand signed the association agreement on the participation of New Zealand to Horizon Europe, the EU's research, and innovation programme. Read more. The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity serves the European research community as a framework for self-regulation across all scientific and scholarly disciplines and for all research settings. The 2023 Revised Edition of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity has been updated to ensure that the European Code of Conduct remains fit for purpose and relevant to all disciplines, emerging areas of research, and new research practices. The European Commission recognises the European Code of Conduct as the reference document for research integrity for all EU-funded research projects and the European Code of Conduct increasingly serves as a model for organisations and researchers across Europe and beyond. |
Transnational Access CALLS:
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The European ALMA Regional Centre (ARC) provides the interface between the ALMA project and the European science community. The ARC is staffed by scientists with expertise in radio astronomy and interferometry and it supports its users throughout the lifetime of a project, from proposal preparation to data analysis. Users that want to visit an ARC node for a face-to-face visit can apply for funding through the ORP project. |
ALTA offers to the world-wide astronomical community free virtual access to data and scientific products produced from all sky surveys of the Northern sky that will be conducted with the new Apertif frontend of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), as well as tools to query, further exploit and perform data mining of these products adaptable to diverse research goals. The access/funding offered through the ORP project. |
LTA is a long-established archive and access facility supporting the international LOFAR telescope. It is currently the largest radio astronomical archive in the world already exceeding 45 PB from LOFAR’s past 10 years of operations. The LTA provides a central and key resource for all observed LOFAR astronomical science programs where the data become public within 12 months of first creation. The access/funding is offered through the ORP project. |
• ESO – IT Specialist - Cyber Security – position – 10.09.2023, Engineering Internship – position – deadline 31.12.2023, Internship: Science Communication – position – deadline 31.12.2023
• IAU Office for Astronomy – Outreach Director – position – deadline 21.08.2023
• SARAO – Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2024 – position – deadline 31.08.2023
• University of Bielefeld - Professorship in Astrophysics – position – deadline 30.09.2023
• MPIfR – M2FINDERS/postdoctoral position (m/f/x) in radio astronomy – position
Check also EURAXESS
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RadioNet - European Radio Astronomy Consortium
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