CSIRO ASTroNOMY AND SPacE SciENCE www.csiro.au ATNF News Issue No. 72, April 2012 ISSN 1323-6326 CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science — Undertaking world-leading astronomical research and operator of the Australia Telescope National Facility. Editorial Welcome to the April 2012 edition of ATNF forthcoming changes to the ATNF website. News. We review two recent workshops held at ATNF headquarters in Marsfield and we Regular readers will have noticed that this welcome our newest postdoctoral staff. edition has a fresh new appearance. We are in the process of updating the ‘visual Four science articles give a snapshot of identity’ of all CSIRO communications the latest radio astronomy research being including ATNF News, a flagship publication conducted with the ATNF. These include: of CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science An investigation into the neutral gas of (CASS). While the newsletter’s appearance ◆ the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 has changed, we will continue to bring you by Ángel R. López-Sánchez and Bärbel news and research results related to CSIRO’s Koribalski Australia Telescope National Facility. A report on constraining the fundamental We start this edition by acknowledging ◆ constants of physics through astronomical Michelle Storey and George Hobbs, two observations of rotational transitions CASS staff members who have recently of methanol by Simon Ellingsen and received external awards for their collaborators contributions to radio astronomy. An ATCA survey of molecular gas in We then feature the recent progress that ◆ high-z radio galaxies by Bjorn Emonts and has been made on the construction of collaborators, and ASKAP and the Murchison Widefield Array, and CSIRO’s contribution to the next phase ◆ Ray Norris’ account of witnessing the of planning for the international Square birth of a quasar. Kilometre Array project. We conclude with our regular contributions In other news, we report on the progress on education and outreach activities, ATNF being made to develop a flexible new operations and recent publications. backend for the Parkes radio telescope’s We hope you enjoy this issue. Your multibeam receiver, the signing of an comments and suggestions are always agreement that will see CASS engineers welcome. If you would like to contribute to investigate the feasibility of a multibeam future editions of ATNF News, please contact receiver for the Chinese FAST radio the newsletter team. telescope, and the successful launch and first observations of the Russian space VLBI Gabby Russell and Tony Crawshaw telescope RadioAstron which is carrying an The ATNF News Editorial Team Front cover image 18-cm receiver designed by CSIRO. Antennas that will make up ([email protected]) CSIRO’s Australian Square We also report on the launch of an Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope at the online shop to complement the Parkes Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory Visitors Centre store and Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia. There are 32 of ASKAP’s 36 antennas on site at the MRO (in various states of construction) and the remaining four are expected to arrive from Shijiazhuang, China by the end of April. Credit: Terrace Photographers. B ATNF News April 2012 Contents From the Chief of CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science 2 Outstanding SKA service awarded 3 George Hobbs wins top Tall Poppy prize 4 ASKAP and SKA news 5 Parkes HIPSR backend progresses 9 Feasibility study for FAST multibeam receiver 10 VLBI observing underway with RadioAstron 11 Parkes Observatory shop now online 12 ATNF website changes 12 Australian ALMA Community Workshop 13 Simulations Fest 2011 14 Welcome to new postdoctoral staff 15 Graduate Student Program 16 Distinguished Visitors 16 The intriguing neutral gas of the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 17 Constraining the fundamental constants of physics through astronomical observations of rotational transitions of methanol 21 Molecular gas in high-z radio galaxies: an ATCA/CABB survey 23 Witnessing the birth of a quasar 27 Education and outreach 29 Operations 30 Publications 31 1 From the Chief of CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science PHIL DiaMONd (CHIEF OF CASS AND ATNF DirECTor) It has been an especially busy period since Further progress has also been made publication of the last edition of ATNF News. towards planning for operational changes to the Parkes and Mopra radio telescopes, While Australia and New Zealand remain and the creation of the ATNF Science very much part of the confidential Square Operations Centre at Marsfield. Kilometre Array (SKA) site negotiation and decision-making process, it is a pleasure Finally, I welcome the Australia Telescope to report in this edition of ATNF News on Steering Committee’s appointment of new achievements that will have impact into ATUC Chair, John Dickey, and TAC Chair, the future. Among these achievements Michael Drinkwater, and thank the previous are significant and impressive progress on ATUC and TAC Chairs, Sarah Maddison the construction of the Australian Square and Lisa Harvey-Smith (respectively), for Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), the their contributions to the National Facility Murchison Widefield Array and supporting through leading the work of these two infrastructure at the Murchison Radio- important committees. astronomy Observatory (MRO), and the start In late, breaking news it gives me pleasure of construction of the MRO Support Facility to report that CSIRO has allocated an in Geraldton. On the original timescale we additional $4 million to ASKAP from 1 July would have expected to know the decision 2012; these funds will be used to build six of the SKA Organisation’s Board on the additional ‘Mark II’ phased array feeds. location of the SKA before now; however, the process, as one might expect for such a significant and far-reaching decision, has taken longer than planned. I look forward to the decision and the start of the four-year pre-construction phase, which will lead to the detailed design of the SKA. This issue also highlights the continued strength and breadth of research conducted by CASS staff and others using the ATNF, international acknowledgement of CASS expertise in technology development for radio astronomy, and the recognition of two of our own, Michelle Storey and George Hobbs, for their significant contributions to radio astronomy. 2 ATNF News April 2012 Outstanding SKA service awarded ToNY CrawsHaw (CASS) CSIRO’s SKA Executive Officer Dr Michelle the establishment of the MRO, including Storey was awarded a Public Service Medal the establishment of the Mid West Radio in this year’s Australia Day Honours list. The Quiet Zone surrounding the MRO. The medal recognises outstanding service of MRO is the site for ASKAP and is Australia employees across the Commonwealth, state, and New Zealand’s candidate core site for territory and local governments. the SKA. Michelle was granted the award for Michelle commented, “I’m immensely her exceptional and tireless efforts in proud to have been recognised with this supporting CSIRO’s radio astronomy award. But more importantly, the Australia objectives and, more specifically, in working – New Zealand SKA team is committed to with the Australian, Western Australian and showing the international community just New Zealand governments in their bid to how exceptional the MRO site is for radio host the future A$2.5b Square Kilometre astronomy. I think we have a compelling Array (SKA) radio telescope project; this also case to host the SKA here.” involved the establishment of the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in the Mid West of Western Australia. Working on SKA-related activity for CSIRO since 1999, a large part of Michelle’s work has involved the provision of scientific advice to the governments, inputting into government policy and strategy, and working with a wide range of stakeholders. She has also worked extensively on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope project, a precursor SKA instrument currently being built by CSIRO. Her work has particularly focused on Dr Michelle Storey, CSIRO SKA Executive Officer. Credit: Tony Crawshaw, CSIRO. 3 George Hobbs wins top Tall Poppy prize HELEN SIm (CASS) CSIRO astronomer Dr George Hobbs was At a recent PULSE@Parkes session students recognised in late 2011 as NSW Young Tall had the thrill of watching a pulsar turn its Poppy of the Year. signal on and off while they watched: a very rare phenomenon, occurring in just a The Young Tall Poppy Science Awards, handful of the 2000-odd known pulsars. given each year by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, recognise excellent “Then I and the other scientist stood in early career research and passion front of the students and offered quite in communication and community different ideas about why this might be engagement. The awards for NSW were happening,” George said. “They were presented at the Powerhouse Museum in seeing real science in action.” Sydney on 3 November 2011. In addition to these activities, George also George was chosen from a field of finds time to do other research, including eleven Young Tall Poppies to receive the developing a pulsar-based timescale, top honour. Based in Sydney at CSIRO developing methods to support space- Astronomy and Space Science, he leads a probe navigation using pulsars and looking program on CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope for new objects in our Solar System. to search for gravitational waves, using In 2011 George was also named by the pulsars as markers. George is also the Chinese Academy of Sciences as an co-creator of the ‘PULSE@Parkes’ outreach International Young Scientist of China, for program, which allows students to control his collaborative work with institutions in the Parkes telescope over the Internet and X’ian, Urumqi and Beijing, and received the use it to observe pulsars. CSIRO Medal for Support Excellence as a CSIRO will use the experience of PULSE@ member of the Parkes Observatory Pulsar Parkes to develop remote-observing Data Archive Team.