Science with the Australia Telescope (Invited Paper)

Abstract The research now under way with the real-time 275 km Parkes-Tidbinbila interferometer is used as a guide to the initial science to be undertaken with the 319 km Australia Telescope (AT) Long Baseline Array. On the other hand, it is risky to guess at the new science likely to be attempted with the 6 km AT Compact Array at Culgoora; instead the potential that has been built into this array is discussed and a selection of basic questions in astrophysics is posed as a guide to significant science that might yield to new observers on a fresh instrument under the southern skies. In conclusion two questions are probed: Can discoveries be made by users of national facilities? Does the AT cross into new domains in the phase space of observations?

[1]  M. Kesteven,et al.  The Parkes-Tidbinbilla Interferometer , 1988, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

[2]  K. Kellermann,et al.  Serendipitous Discoveries in Radio Astronomy , 1983 .

[3]  Francis J. Lovas,et al.  NIST Recommended Rest Frequencies for Observed Interstellar Molecular Microwave Transitions -- 2002 Revision , 1986 .

[4]  B. Robinson.  The Australian radio-telescope , 1986 .

[5]  J. Whiteoak.  The Australia Telescope Project: Going Along Nicely, Thank You! , 1986, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

[6]  J. Forster.  The Australia Telescope — Current Status , 1985, Publications Astronomical Society of Australia.

[7]  R. Frater.  The Australia Telescope—The Radio Astronomer’s Highway to the Future , 1984, Publications Astronomical Society of Australia.

[8]  M. Kesteven,et al.  Techniques for Mapping Galactic SNRs with the MOST , 1984, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.