SO:UK

SO:UK Overview

SO:UK refers to the elements of Simons Observatory being delivered by a consortium of universities in the United Kingdom. The SO:UK consortium is led by The University of Manchester and includes Cardiff, Oxford, Cambridge, and Sussex Universities, and Imperial College London.

SO:UK Infrastructure

SO:UK is delivering infrastructure for Simons Observatory, including:

·      Two additional SATs, including all associated infrastructure (telescope mounts, ground screens etc.)

·      On-site civil works to refurbish the old Simons Array site to accommodate the new SO:UK telescopes.

·      A significant component of the SO PVA (in partnership with ASO).

·      A UK-based data center, delivering data processing capability, and holding a full copy of the SO data.

·      A program of software development to build key parts of the SO pipeline.

On-site construction work is in progress and integration of both receivers is underway in the UK. The image, above, shows SO:UK groundworks for the SO:UK telescope enclosures underway in March 2025.

Deployment and first light for the two SO:UK SATs is expected during 2026. The UK-based data center, at Manchester, transitioned to full operations in Spring 2025. The SO PVA project includes the integration of the SO:UK satellite site with the wider SO power/fiber network. Completion of the PVA is due by Spring 2026.

SO:UK Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs)

Both SO:UK SATs will be “mid-frequency” dichroic SATs, operating at 90 and 150 GHz.  The design is heavily based on the existing SO SAT design. However, some key elements are different:

·      The SO:UK SAT optical design uses two silicon lenses instead of the three lenses used in the first three SO SATs.

·      SO:UK will use a different detector technology to that used in the other SO telescopes (Kinetic Inductance Detectors instead of Transition Edge Sensors).

·      SO:UK uses a different technology to read out the detector signals. The SO:UK readout is built on the Radio Frequency System-on-Chip (RFSoC) platform.

·      SO:UK will use meta-material half-wave plates (HWPs) instead of the sapphire-based HWPs used by the first three SO SATs.

SO:UK Support

The SO:UK project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and the UKRI Carbon Reduction Fund.