China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is planning for a second phase that is expected to significantly enhance its observation capability, it was revealed at an academic conference marking its 10th anniversary on Wednesday.
The planned second phase will take full advantage of the excellent electromagnetic environment within 5 kilometers of FAST to build an observation array with dozens of medium-sized 40-meter radio telescopes centering on the FAST, which will be the core of the array.
"Upon completion, the array is expected to increase FAST's resolution by a factor of 200 and its sensitivity by about twofold. This will help Chinese astronomers produce major findings earlier and in greater numbers," said Jiang Peng, chief engineer at FAST.
According to scientists, the Phase II will effectively expand FAST's capability to cover more scientific research fields, particularly in detecting gravitational wave events, fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae and black hole tidal disruption events.
Beyond astrophysics, the facility will also be able to help with near-Earth object warning and deep-space satellite communications, serving as an important strategic support for China's aerospace sector.
"For example, in the past, you might know there was a pulsar in a certain direction, but you did not know which object it was. With an array, we can accurately find its optical counterpart. By applying multiple detection methods to the same celestial body, we can get much more information and deliver more profound physical findings," said Han Zhanwen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, FAST was inaugurated on September 25, 2016, started formal operations in January 2020, and was officially opened to the world in March 2021.
The conference marking its 10th anniversary is taking place in Pingtang from Tuesday to Thursday, drawing more than 200 experts and scholars from over 40 universities and research institutions across China.
China's FAST telescope plans for expansion toward observation array in 2nd phase
