Imaging the universe at radio wavelengths

Computerized image processing is crucial for the large arrays of radio telescopes that are advancing astronomy. A new project will help relieve the computational bottleneck that hinders this field. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded a 5-year Grand Challenge High-Performance Computing and Communications project to (a) allow astronomers to use upgraded NSF supercomputers; (b) develop network links to widely-used observatories; and (c) develop digital data archives over national high-speed networks. We plan to prototype the next generation of astronomical telescope systems. These will be remotely located telescopes connected by high-speed networks to very high performance, scalable-architecture computers and online data archives. Astronomers will access these systems via gigabit-per-second networks, and use advanced visualization tools to comprehend and analyze the very large multidimensional images being generated.<
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