LOFAR surveys meeting

17th - 19th June 2009, Edinburgh, UK

LOFAR, the LOw Frequency ARray, is the next-generation software telescope for radio frequencies below 250 MHz, being built by ASTRON in the Netherlands, with extensions into the UK and across Europe. Coordinated observing campaigns for general comissioning will commence in the second half of 2009, in step with the rollout of station hardware and processing software for the science modes. An announcement of opportunity is expected to be issued soon, covering a period extending into 2010, for participation in continued comissioning, with a view to large-scale science project preparation and shared-risks early science observing.

This workshop was held in the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and had the aim of refining the commissioning and early science plans of the LOFAR Surveys Key Science Project team. Day 1 was open to everyone, in order to inform the LOFAR:UK and wider community of the status of LOFAR, recent results from commissioning, and the future plans of various KSP teams, with an emphasis on their overlap with the Surveys KSP. Days 2 and 3 were open to members of the Surveys KSP team only, and consisted of detailed discussions of the commissioning and science plans.

An outline of the workshop programme is available.

We are very grateful for funding support from RadioNet, the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance and from the Institute for Astronomy Edinburgh, which enabled us to waive all workshop registration fees.