Responsive telescope

    The LOFAR Responsive Telescope allows users to trigger the telescope to start their observation within 5 minutes, overriding any lower priority observations. This enables follow-up of transient events such as gamma ray bursts or solar activity. With the new Telescope Manager Specification System, any simple pre-existing or new templates can be used where the users needs to adjust the code to fill in a few pre-determined templates with a small number of user entries (e.g. RA, DEC). There is now also a wider variety of scheduling constraints available such that for example observations within the next 24 hours at a certain LST range can also be requested. Observations will start as soon as possible, up to a dwell time specified with the trigger. The observations will be scheduled when the schedule allows for it, based on the rank of the projects. For each project, a distinct number of triggers will be assigned by the Time Allocation Committee.

    The Responsive Telescope will be built into the new Telescope Manager Specification System, using templates that were offered previously. PIs that want to propose are advised to get in contact with the SDCO group as soon as possible to discuss the possibilities for their project.

     

    @astron

    SDC Helpdesk