SO:UK

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.

University of Manchester
Cardiff University
University of Cambridge
Imperial
University of Oxford
University of Sussex

SO:UK Infrastructure

Groundworks for the SO:UK telescope enclosures (March 2025)

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)


Technology development for SO:UK. The left panel shows a prototype SO:UK detector array, the central panel shows a prototype readout unit. The right-hand panel shows an assembled HWP rotation mechanism.

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.

© 2025 Simons Observatory