LOFAR-UK白皮书：UK参与LOFAR的科学案例
LOFAR-UK White Paper: A Science case for UK involvement in LOFAR
摘要：
低频阵列LOFAR是下一代软件驱动的射电望远镜，工作频率在30至240 MHz之间，目前正在由荷兰的ASTRON建造。这个低频无线电波段是电磁波谱中为数不多的未被探索的区域之一。LOFAR提供的灵敏度和角分辨率将比现有的望远镜高出两到三个数量级，因此它将为宇宙打开一扇新的窗口。LOFAR将对从宇宙学到太阳系研究的广泛天体物理学产生影响。由于需要增加远离主堆芯的台站以提高角分辨率，欧洲对LOFAR的参与越来越多。LOFAR-UK是一个项目，旨在通过联合王国境内四个台站的运营，巩固联合王国对LOFAR的参与。LOFAR-英国地面站将使LOFAR观测在最高频率达到亚弧秒尺度，因此也将提高望远镜用于深度勘测的（模糊限制）灵敏度极限。LOFAR-UK将在不久的将来让英国天文学家参与世界领先的科学设施。它将使联合王国能够在“下一代”射电天文学方面积累重要的科学和技术专门知识，为平方公里阵列做准备，并将在扩大对射电天文学感兴趣的联合王国社区方面发挥重要作用。本白皮书概述了参与LOFAR项目对英国天文学界的战略重要性，英国研究人员使用望远镜的科学兴趣，以及需要克服的技术挑战。
英文摘要：
LOFAR, the Low-Frequency Array, is a next-generation software-driven radio telescope operating between 30 and 240MHz, currently under construction by ASTRON in the Netherlands. This low frequency radio band is one of the few largely unexplored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The sensitivity and angular resolution offered by LOFAR will be two to three orders of magnitude better than existing telescopes, and as such it will open up this new window on the Universe. LOFAR will impact on a broad range of astrophysics, from cosmology to solar system studies. There is growing European involvement in LOFAR, driven by the need to add stations far from the main core in order to improve angular resolution. LOFAR-UK is a project aimed at cementing UK participation in LOFAR via the operation of four stations within the UK. LOFAR-UK ground stations will allow LOFAR observations to reach sub-arcsecond scales at the highest frequencies, and as a result will also improve the (confusion-limited) sensitivity limit of the telescope for deep surveys. LOFAR-UK will achieve involvement for UK astronomers in a world-leading science facility operating in the immediate future. It will allow the UK to build up important scientific and technical expertise in `next generation' radio astronomy in preparation for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and will play an important role in broadening the UK community that has an interest in radio astronomy. This White Paper outlines the strategic importance to the UK astronomy community of gaining involvement in the LOFAR project, the scientific interests of UK researchers in using the telescope, and the technical challenges that will need to be overcome [abridged].
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