Periodic Reporting for period 2 - STELLAR (Scientific and Technological Excellence by Leveraging LOFAR Advancements in Radio Astronomy)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-12-01 al 2023-08-31
The project “Scientific and Technological Excellence by Leveraging LOFAR Advancements in Radio astronomy” (STELLAR) has addressed the shared initiative of all four partner institutions to significantly increase the technical and Radio Astronomy (RA) expertise for utilisation of data from the pan-European Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope at the Institute of Astronomy and National Astronomical Observatory (IANAO), the Technical University of Sofia (TUS), and the Bulgarian astronomical community as a whole. Furthermore, STELLAR is a major step towards the realisation, utilisation, maintenance and future technological development of a LOFAR station in Bulgaria and joining the International LOFAR Telescope network. The advanced partners in the STELLAR project are The Netherlands Institute of Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS).
The project will have a multiplicative effect for the Bulgarian astronomical community through the development of radio astronomy, space weather, and radio technology training curricula for Bulgarian scientists and engineers, ensuring a sustainable effect of the project. The project legacy will provide a positive impact on national and regional technological development. We foresee technological gains from the project to eventually result in high added value entrepreneurial efforts focused on radio frequency technologies, big data and signal processing.
The overall objectives of the STELLAR project are: to significantly increase the technical and radio astronomy expertise and utilisation of LOFAR data at IANAO and TUS as part of the strategy for development of national RA observatory in Bulgaria, by transferring technical and scientific know-how from world-leading RA institutions; To improve the capacity of IANAO staff to carry internationally competitive RA and SW research; To develop and strengthen long-term research collaborations between IANAO, ASTRON, DIAS, and TUS; To prepare for the sustainable development of a LOFAR observing station in Bulgaria.
The STELLAR project has more than achieved its goals. The STELLAR team has carried out three separate summer schools on radio technology, radio astronomy, and space weather studies with LOFAR. lecture notes and over 100 hours of video on LOFAR technology and science are available online. During the STELLAR project, there were four successful proposals for LOFAR observing time and four submitted long-term observing proposals. The Widening organizations team members have led 4 published papers in top peer-reviewed astronomy journals, 5 conference proceedings papers, and 4 manuscripts in the preparation stage. In addition, the team members have participated with over 25 posters and talks in conferences. As a result of the project, significant synergy has developed between the IANAO and TUS teams. This has resulted in development of new hardware designs for solar observations, as well as applying for participation in the Bulgarian Antarctic research program. STELLAR has provided the participants in the LOFAR-BG consortium from IANAO and TUS with the necessary training, know-how transfer, and skills, for developing, maintaining, and exploring the future Bulgarian LOFAR station.
The project will have a multiplicative effect for the Bulgarian astronomical community through the development of radio astronomy, space weather, and radio technology training curricula for Bulgarian scientists and engineers, ensuring a sustainable effect of the project. The project legacy will provide a positive impact on national and regional technological development. We foresee technological gains from the project to eventually result in high added value entrepreneurial efforts focused on radio frequency technologies, big data and signal processing.
The overall objectives of the STELLAR project are: to significantly increase the technical and radio astronomy expertise and utilisation of LOFAR data at IANAO and TUS as part of the strategy for development of national RA observatory in Bulgaria, by transferring technical and scientific know-how from world-leading RA institutions; To improve the capacity of IANAO staff to carry internationally competitive RA and SW research; To develop and strengthen long-term research collaborations between IANAO, ASTRON, DIAS, and TUS; To prepare for the sustainable development of a LOFAR observing station in Bulgaria.
The STELLAR project has more than achieved its goals. The STELLAR team has carried out three separate summer schools on radio technology, radio astronomy, and space weather studies with LOFAR. lecture notes and over 100 hours of video on LOFAR technology and science are available online. During the STELLAR project, there were four successful proposals for LOFAR observing time and four submitted long-term observing proposals. The Widening organizations team members have led 4 published papers in top peer-reviewed astronomy journals, 5 conference proceedings papers, and 4 manuscripts in the preparation stage. In addition, the team members have participated with over 25 posters and talks in conferences. As a result of the project, significant synergy has developed between the IANAO and TUS teams. This has resulted in development of new hardware designs for solar observations, as well as applying for participation in the Bulgarian Antarctic research program. STELLAR has provided the participants in the LOFAR-BG consortium from IANAO and TUS with the necessary training, know-how transfer, and skills, for developing, maintaining, and exploring the future Bulgarian LOFAR station.
The STELLAR project is divided along three main themes: 1) Training in Radio Instrumentation and LOFAR Hardware; 2) Training in LOFAR Operations and Science; 3) Training in Space Weather with LOFAR. As part of the first topic, several in-person and online classes were held in the first period of the project. These include the courses “Introduction to Antennas”, held online; ‘Radio Frequency Techniques and Development’ held on-site at ASTRON; 'Digital Signal Processing' course, held in Sofia by ASTRON engineer Ronald de Wild. A number of staff visits and presentations were held on lofar hardware technology and development. On the second theme, the first course was the LOFAR Data Processing School, followed by the LOFAR Data Reduction and Analysis Training at ASTRON, and a training on LOFAR scheduling and scientific operations, and Single-Station Science. Scientific collaboration was increased significantly by research visits by IANAO researchers to ASTRON and DIAS. Under the third theme, trainings included the courses ‘Training in Space Weather with LOFAR’, a training visit to ASTRON on solar radio imaging, beamformed and interferometric modes, calibration of measurement sets and preparation of preliminary analysis of a case study event for scientific publication. This visit was followed by a staff research visits to DIAS and ASTRON, on data analysis groups with specific tasks to analyze eruptive solar events. During the project, the team contributed significantly to the development and implementation of LOFAR heliospheric data processing pipelines, both in Sofia at the IANAO, and at ASTRON. We worked on three separate aspects: scheduling and processing of data from the IDOLS project observations, scientific selective processing and imaging of LOFAR radio burst observations, and massively parallel processing of full LOFAR datasets. The technical work done during the project period is the solid foundation, upon which we will build, in order to improve our future LOFAR-related scientific investigations. Perhaps the most impactful project activities in the long run for LOFAR-BG and radio astronomy in Bulgaria were the three, week-long, schools, organized by the Bulgarian IANAO and TUS teams in May and June 2023. The first one was the Radio Technology school, organized by TUS and held May 15-19, 2023. Lecturers from TUS and ASTRON led the activities for the 21 participants. In Sofia Tech Park, the second of the three schools was held between May 22-26, 2023. The 13 participants spent five days improving their knowledge with the help of lecturers from the STELLAR team. The third school – on solar research and space weather with LOFAR – was held at the National Astronomical Observatory of Rozhen from 19-23 June, for 13 participants.
All STELLAR project classes and lectures during the project training activities were delivered by highly experienced scientists and engineers form ASTRON and DIAS, and attended by Widening team researchers, engineers and students. Lectures covered the fundamentals of radio astronomical hardware and research, and were regarded with great interest in the local scientific community. They also offered highly valuable information and know-how for engineers of the Bulgarian high-tech sector. The classes were attended with great interest and inspired a lot of students to take first steps in the space science and engineering field. In addition, perhaps the most impactful project activities in the long run for LOFAR-BG and radio astronomy in Bulgaria were the three, week-long, schools, organized and led by the Bulgarian IANAO and TUS teams in May and June 2023, attended by more than 20 students. The major expected outcome of the project is creation of a local expert group from IANAO and TUS that will build and operate the Bulgarian LOFAR station, process and analyse radio astronomical observations, and produce strong scientific output. This group will also develop university classes and doctoral studies on the related subjects, train students, engineers, doctors and postdocs to the superior level in the field. The project gives invaluable opportunity for the development of the country in an area that has a significant deficit so far.