Long Wavelength Array

{{Short description|Radio telescope in central New Mexico}}

{{Infobox telescope}}

The Long Wavelength Array (LWA) is a radio telescope in central New Mexico. It began preliminary tests of the hardware in 2011, and began regular operations in late 2015. {{cite web|title=ScienceCasts:Listening to the Stars|url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sciencecasts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520223711/http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sciencecasts/|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 May 2011|website=NASA Science|publisher=NASA|accessdate=18 February 2016}} It is one of the few observatories to utilize relatively low frequencies (10-88 MHz), and is used to study relativistic particles, cosmic evolution, astrophysical plasma, decametric radio emissions from Jupiter-like extrasolar planets, and giant flares from magnetars.{{Citation

| last = Ellingson | first = Steven

| year = 2009

| title = The Long Wavelength Array

| journal = Proceedings of the IEEE

| volume = 97 | issue = 8 | pages = 1421–1430

| url = http://www.ece.vt.edu/swe/mypubs/PIEEE_LWA.pdf

| bibcode = 2009IEEEP..97.1421E

| doi = 10.1109/JPROC.2009.2015683

| s2cid = 8999112

}}

{{asof|2011}} it consisted of a single station with 256 antennas. The longer term objective of the project is to build 53 stations in total,{{when|date=August 2019}} with a total of 13,000 dipole antennas{{cite web |title=JPL Searching for Galactic Flashes: "Exploding Black Holes or Transmissions by Other Civilizations?" |url=http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/05/jpl-searching-for-galactic-flashes-exploding-black-holes-or-transmissions-by-other-civilizations.html |publisher=The Daily Galaxy |accessdate=2011-05-04 |date=2011-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507022247/http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/05/jpl-searching-for-galactic-flashes-exploding-black-holes-or-transmissions-by-other-civilizations.html |archive-date=2011-05-07 |url-status=dead }} strategically placed in an area nearly {{convert|400|km|miles}} in diameter, to scan the sky at HF and VHF frequencies. Each antenna stands about {{convert|1.5|m|ft|0}} high and about {{convert|2.7|m|ft|0}} across the base.{{cite web |last=Vega|first=Priscilla |title=An Astronomer's Field of Dreams |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-027 |publisher=JPL |accessdate=2011-05-04 |date=2011-01-26}} The first station, located adjacent to the NRAO's VLA, consists of 256 antennas and was completed in December 2009. It was dedicated in April 2010, and routine operations began in 2011. The second station (LWA2) was under construction about {{convert|19|km|abbr=on}} away {{asof|2011|lc=y}}.

{{cite web

|url= http://lwa.phys.unm.edu/news.html

|title= Current News

|date= June 3, 2011

|publisher= University of New Mexico

|accessdate= 16 June 2011

}}{{update after|2019|8|26}}

The project is a collaboration of UNM, VT, LANL, JPL, NRL, UI, BIRS, NRAO and AFRL.{{cite web |title=Welcome to the LWA! |url=http://lwa.phys.unm.edu/ |publisher= UNM |accessdate=2011-06-16}}{{clarify|source of funds? private foundation? philanthropic? government funding through NSF? ???|date=August 2019}}