Project Acronym: Radionet

Project acronym: RadioNet Project full title: Advanced Radio Astronomy in Europe Contract no.: RII3-CT-2003-505818 Integrating Activity

1. Project Summary

RadioNet is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative that has pulled together all of Europe’s leading radioastronomy facilities to produce a focused, coherent and integrated project that will significantly enhance the quality and quantity of science performed by European astronomers.

RadioNet has 20 participants. They range from operators of radio telescope facilities to laboratories that specialize in micro-electronics, MMIC design and superconducting component fabrication. The RadioNet project has brought these institutes together in an unique partnership that builds on and extends the successful, but smaller, collaborations that that currently exist.

RadioNet has three parts: a set of 8 Networking Activities; 7 Transnational Access Activities and 3 Joint Research Activities. These form an integrated, inter-dependent and focused plan which has several major objectives:  The provision of an integrated radio astronomy network which will provide European scientists with access to world-class facilities;  The provision of a research and development plan aimed at supporting and enhancing these facilities;  The development of a networking series which will ensure close collaboration in engineering, software, user support and last, but not least, science;  The training of the next generation users (both astronomers and engineers) of the RadioNet Facilities;  The preparation and fostering of the European community for the next generation of European facilities: ALMA and the SKA;  The strengthening of the entire European community through the development of close links with OPTICON and ILIAS, the other partner astronomy I3s.

The RadioNet management plan is strong and well structured. It builds on the close collaboration that many of the institutes have developed over the last 25 years of operation of the European VLBI Network.

The funding of RadioNet will have a long-lasting integrating effect on European astronomy. The close collaborations that will arise from the networking activities and JRAs can only be beneficial to science. The transparent access to world-class facilities, developed further via the JRAs, will have a major impact on European science and scientists. Finally, the activities that focus on the future will have a long-term structuring effect on this highly visible area of science and will be of great benefit to the European Research Area.

2. Project website address: http://www.radionet-eu.org/

3. Start date: 1 January 2004 Duration: 60 months

4. Access modalities The general capabilities of the WSRT are widely known amongst the international astronomical community. A semi-annual call for proposals is e-mailed to a distribution list of 600 addresses, culled from recent proposals, the astrophysical literature, and lists of international astronomical institutes. The call summarises the most recent advances in the capabilities of the WSRT, points out the opportunities of the RadioNet TransNational Access programme, and refers to the WSRT website and crosslink to the RadioNet web sites for much more elaborate information. The proposal assessment and selection procedure is aimed simply at obtaining the best possible science results with the WSRT, and is open to scientists based in any country. Once selected, the PIs of all groups which meet the eligibility criteria for TransNational Access are so informed by e-mail. Further contacts, and arrangements for remote access and/or data analysis visits are then handled through their Local Friend; these Friends are ASTRON staff astronomers assigned to all projects.

1 5. Achievements

The total number of "access" hours observed in 2005 was 365, in 13 projects, with 34 users in total. The smallest TNA project was 4 hours, the largest 78 hours, and the average near 28 hours. This is about the normal range for WSRT projects (TNA eligibility does not play a role for selection of projects) although the impression is that the ambition of the "access" proposers is not yet at the "largest-user" level. Some of the "access" proposals find their origin with astronomers formerly attached to a Dutch institute, who are now establishing a new group, including students and postdocs, elsewhere in Europe. Other groups are centred round a long-term senior user of the WSRT, who is now bringing new young researchers into the field. Yet other groups are completely new to the telescope. The "access" projects span the same broad range of research topics as seen for the WSRT generally. The observations taken in 2005 are all in various stages of scientific analysis, with final results forthcoming. First papers from observations taken in 2004 are now appearing, e.g.: Westmeier, T.; Braun, R.; Thilker, D., “Westerbork H I observations of high-velocity clouds near M 31 and M 33”, 2005A&A...436..101W

6. List of participants

The following legal entities are participants to the contract:

Partic. Organisation Short Date Date exit Short description No. (name, city, name enter project country) project Victoria University Start of End of Radio astronomy; interferometry; JBO 1 of Manchester, project project development of RF and digital Manchester, United technology and software; algorithmic Kingdon development. Coordinator of RadioNet; Providing access with MERLIN & EVN; participant in JRAs and networking. Institut de Start of End of Mm inteferometry and single dish; IRAM 2 Radioastronomie project project development of mm-wave technology; Millimetrique, development of data reduction St.Martin d’Heres, software for mm-wave astronomy. France Providing access with Plateau de Bure and Pico Valeta; participant in mm- wave JRA and networking Istituto di Start of End of Radio astronomy; VLBI; antenna IRA 3 Radioastronomia, project project technology; RF and digital technology Bologna, Italy development. Construction of 64-m Sardina Radio Telescope. Providing access with Medicina, Noto antennas & EVN; participation in JRAs and networking James Clerk Start of End of Mm/sub-mm astronomy; mm/sub-mm PPARC 4 Maxwell Telescope project project interferometry; technological and (Particle Physics software development and Astronomy Providing access with JCMT; Research Council), participation in networking activities. Hawaii, USA Joint Institute for Start of End of Operation and further development of JIVE 5 VLBI in Europe, project project EVN MkIV Data Processor. User Dwingeloo, the support of EVN. Nrtherlands Development of disk-based VLBI and e-VLBI. Providing access through EVN; participant in JRAs and networking activities

2 Max-Planck-Institut Start of End of Cm/mm/sub-mm wave astronomy; MPIfR 6 fűr project project VLBI; operation of MkIV correlator; Radioastronomie, development of radio astronomy Bonn, Germany technology and software. Providing access with 100-m at Effelsberg and through EVN; participant in JRAs and networking. Netherlands Start of End of Radio astronomy; interferometry; ASTRON 7 Foundation for project project optical/mm/sub-mm technology Research in development; development of low Astronomy, frequency multi-beaming technology; Dwingeloo, the software development; Netherlands industrialization of radio astronomy. Providing access through WSRT and EVN; participant in JRAs and networking. Chalmers Start of End of Mm/sub-mm single-dish and Chalmers 8 University of project project interferometry (VLBI). Develops Technology, technology for cm – sub-mm Göteborg, Sweden astronomy. Provides data centre and scientific co-ordination for the Odin satellite. Providing access through OSO-20m and EVN; participant in JRA and networking. Nicolaus Start of End of Radio astronomy; VLBI; cm-wave 9 UMK Copernicus project project technology development; involved in University, Torun, OCRA project. Poland Providing access through EVN; participant in JRA and networking. Rutherford Start of End of Mm/sub-mm wavelength (TeraHz) 10 CCLRC Appleton project project component and system development in Laboratory, United support of radio astronomy and Kingdom atmospheric remote sounding experiments. Participant in mm-wave JRA. National Institute Start of End of Development and exploitation of state- 11 SRON for Space Research project project of-the-art instrumentation for front- in the Netherlands, line space research, development of Gronigen, the submm detector and receiver Netherlands technology for radio astronomy and atmospheric research. LERMA, Obs de Start of End of Mm/sub-mm astronomy; atomic and 12 OBSPM Paris, France project project molecular physics; software development for astronomy; development of mm/sub-mm wave technology for earth-based, balloon- borne and space applications. Participant in mm-wave JRA. Physikalisches Start of End of Sub-mm wave astronomy; operates 3- 13 KOSMA Institut of the project project m telescope at Gornergrat. University of the Superconducting detector technology University of development; sub-mm receiver Cologne, Köln, development (SOFIA, Herschel). Germany Participant in mm-wave JRA. Fundacion General Start of End of Operates 14-m cm/mm wave dish at 14 FG-IGN de la Universidad project project Yebes. Constructing 40-m telescope. de Alcala Technology development for cm – mm-wave techniques. Particpant in JRA and networking.

3 Delft University of Start of End of Expertise in mm/sub-mm technology. 15 TuD Technology, Delft, project project Instrumentation for Granat, SOHO, The Netherlands XMM, Integral, Herschel, Megacam and VISIR. Participant in mm-wave JRA European Southern Start of End of International organisation for 16 ESO Observatory, project project astronomical research. Operates Garching, Germany optical/IR telescopes in Chile. Constructing ALMA. Expertise in instrumentation and software. Participant in networking activities. University of Start of End of Expertise in high temperature 17 UBIR Birmingham, UK project project superconducting microwave electronics. Participant in PHAROS JRA European Science Start of End of Body oriented towards a European- 18 ESF Foundation, project project wide view of science and science Strasbourg, France policy. Participant in networking activities. Microwave Start of End of Expertise in MMIC design and RF 19 MECSA Engineering Centre project project characterization. for Space Participant in PHAROS JRA. Applications, Rome, Italy Commonwealth Start of End of Operates the ATCA, Parkes and 20 CSIRO Scientific and project project Mopra. Expertise in all aspects of Research radio astronomy instrumentation from Organisation, cm-wave to mm-wave, digital Australia techniques, software and correlators. Participant in PHAROS JRA.