China begins construction of core array test prototype for FAST

(ECNS) -- China started construction of the core array test prototype for its Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST)its8th anniversary this Wednesday, according to the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

To further improve its astronomical observation capability, a core array integrating 24 smaller telescopes with 40-meter antennas will be built within 5 kilometers of the FAST site.

FAST is the world's largest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope. Since its official operation in 2020, it has yielded significant scientific results in identification of new pulsars, fast radio bursts and nanohertz gravitational waves.

Compared with the 100-meter aperture radio telescope in operation, the resolution of FAST is much lower than that of the world-class array telescopes. The core array will combine the unprecedented sensitivity of FAST with a high angular resolution, exceeding the capabilities at similar frequencies of next-generation arrays in the world.

In addition to astrophysics research, FAST's core array can also play a role in the field of deep space exploration such as near-Earth object early warning and deep space satellite communication.