RADIOASTROPHYSICAL DEPARTMENT • INSTITUTE OF SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS RAS SB  
Russian Foundation for Basic Research
 

SSRT - Support of activities at the Radio telescope

Scientific research and the work on modernization and operation of the SSRT were supported by the RF Ministry of Science and Technological Policy, RFBR, SD RAS, Irkutsk Regional Administration, ISF, ECO, INTAS, and SCOSTEP, and we express our high appreciation to all of them.

Future of the Radio telescope

The diversity of radio emission generation mechanisms and the dependence of their effectiveness on parameters of emitting electrons make the interpretation of observations difficult in the absence of spectral data with high spatial resolution. Solar astronomy is heading in the direction toward creating instrumental complexes integrating space-borne and remotely located ground-based observatories, in different countries as well. The advancement of electronic networks and software will permit the researchers to analyze primary data from different instruments virtually in real time. An important node of such a ground-based complex may well be the observatories of Japan, China and Irkutsk which observe the Sun almost simultaneously and, taken together, provide an impressively diverse set of observations. A unique feature of the Asian cluster is the availability of large radio heliographs in Japan (Nobeyama) and Russia (SSRT). It has already been possible to obtain novel results through a combined analysis of the data from Nobeyama Radioheliograph (17 GHz and 34 GHz) and SSRT (5.7 GHz). Nevertheless, a large frequency set is required.

The basis for solving the problem of extending the spectrum of the SSRT received frequencies by retaining high two-dimensional spatial resolution is by changing the narrow-band feeds used for composite feeds based on national-design travelling-wave resonators to receive the signal in the 2...9.4 GHz band. It is being planned to separate out a discrete set of five frequencies, convert them to the SSRT waveguide line frequency (5.7 GHz), and to take time-successive records.