enhanced Multi-Element Radio Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN)

Radio

e-MERLIN is an array of seven radio telescopes spanning 217 km (135 miles) across Great Britain connected by a superfast optical fibre network to its headquarters at Jodrell Bank Observatory. It has a unique position in the world with an angular resolution comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope and carrying out centimetre wavelength radio astronomy with micro-Jansky sensitivities. Its flexible wide-band correlator enables e-MERLIN to become the core of the EVN (European Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network) providing those valuable shortest baselines to global VLBI scientists. The array is also flexible enough to be used for sensitive pulsar observations in very-high time-resolution modes.

e-MERLIN announces regular observing cycles (currently twice per year), inviting the astronomical community to propose new experiments. Typical observations, using the Direct Correlation Mode, yield micro-Jansky sensitivities in a single observing track with excellent aperture synthesis coverage thanks to 512 MHz of bandwidth and up to 50 milli-arcseconds of angular resolution at C-band. Full support is available throughout the proposing, observing and data reduction processes from specialist Support Scientists. The bespoke CASA data reduction pipeline tool can automatically process data faster than real-time allowing rapid results.

Website: https://www.e-merlin.ac.uk/

 

Available expertise

e-MERLIN offers end-to-end support for the e-MERLIN user community for the following expertise areas:

  • proposal preparation
  • MERLIN/e-MERLIN archive requests
  • writing observing schedules
  • calibrated data through a bespoke e-MERLIN data calibration pipeline
  • support with advanced data processing and imaging
  • maintaining and developing tools for all the above steps
  • online guides for e-MERLIN data reduction
  • tutorials and training events

Transnational Access to the EVN is provided through WP2. e-MERLIN provides Virtual Access (VA) to expertise in WP3, with requests accessed through emerlin.support@jb.man.ac.uk. Please contact this address for archival or data access requests. Further information on e-MERLIN support is available at the link provided here.

Together with RadioNet partners, e-MERLIN supports data reduction schools, and online trainings such as the European Radio Interferometry School (ERIS) and e-MERLIN data schools. In-person help is available for visitors and students.

 

Involved scientists

Dr. Emmanuel Bempong-Manful is a support scientist at Jodrell Bank Observatory with interests in large-scale radio jets from radio galaxies and high-energy astronomy. He works in the observatory operations team, scheduling observations and reducing data for scientists.

Prof. Rob Beswick is an active researcher in extragalactic astrophysics at the University of Manchester. He is the Joint-Director of the UK’s SKA Regional Centre (UKSRC), a new digital research infrastructure project spanning institutes across the UK as part of an exascale partnership delivering data and compute resources needed for the SKAO. He is also the Head of Science Operations for the UK’s e-MERLIN/VLBI National facility, based at JBO, and is responsible for the Science delivery of the UK’s National Radio Astronomy facility. e-MERLIN is recognised as a globally important and unique astronomical infrastructure operated on behalf of STFC-UKRI and relied upon by leading international researchers to deliver world-class observations. Alongside these activities, Rob coordinates various activities bringing together large multi-national major international research infrastructure initiatives that come together in a cohesive and coordinated way to enhance scientific usage and promote Research and innovation.

Dr. Justin Bray is a support scientist at Jodrell Bank Observatory with interests in fast radio transients and high-energy astroparticle physics. Apart from supporting observatory operations, including scheduling, data analysis and software development, he also works on the design, development and commissioning of particle detectors for studying cosmic rays.

Dr. Julia Healy is a research scientist in the science support team at the UK Square Kilometer Array Regional Center. She is one of the project scientists for SRCNet and part of the science support team. She has an interest in galaxy evolution by imaging and analysis of radio spectral line datasets.

Dr. David Williams-Baldwin is a scientist at Jodrell Bank Observatory with interests in image-plane radio transients (X-ray binaries, supernovae and gamma ray bursts), nearby galaxies and high-energy astronomy. He is the e-MERLIN representative to WP3 in ACME, providing access to expertise in the radio domain.