Abstract Submission
Abstract deadline: 7 February 2025 | Speaker notification: 14 March 2025
The meeting will bring together scientists from across the globe to discuss and plan for early SKA Science with what is termed the “Deployment Baseline” or AA* (Array Assembly *), the initial array deployment that will be used for the first few observing cycles.
SKAO has adopted a staged approach to construction, where the Low and Mid telescopes are constructed and verified in stages. Array Assemblies (AAs) are the milestones in the construction, each providing an end-to-end telescope system with pre-defined functionality. The roll-out of dishes and antennas continues after each AA release, so that the facility is continuously expanding. A description of the array assembly layouts at each stage of delivery can be found in the staged delivery memo, with the up-to-date timeline and summary of capabilities available here.
We are pleased to invite you to submit proposals for presentations highlighting exciting early SKA science. Presentations selected for a plenary session will be allotted 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions. Presentations selected for a parallel session will be allotted 12 minutes plus three minutes for questions.
Abstract guidelines and review
Abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Organising Committee. Contributed abstracts not selected for an oral presentation will be invited to present a poster. The deadline for abstract submission is 7 February 2025 and speakers will be notified by 14 March 2025
Each abstract will be reviewed against the following criteria:
Background and motivation: what is being studied, why it is important, including the current status of the problem and results from SKA precursor and pathfinders, if relevant.
How the SKA telescopes will advance these studies: what will the capabilities (sensitivity, angular resolution, frequency coverage) of the AA* telescopes enable you to do?
Useful documents and tools
The updated Anticipated Science Performance document (Braun et al., 2024; in draft) describes the current best estimate of the performance of the SKAO Deployment Baseline telescopes (SKA-Mid AA* and SKA-Low AA*). The functionality of the telescopes is summarised here.
The telescope performance document is complemented by sensitivity calculators, an array layout simulation package, and a library of SKA subarray templates.
A full collection of documents relating to the design and specification of the SKA telescopes can be found here.
For all enquiries please contact us at skaosci2025@skao.int