The astronomical low frequency array: A proposed explorer mission for radio astronomy

Abstract

A radio interferometer array in space providing high dynamic range images with unprecedented angular resolution over the broad frequency range from 0.03 - 30 MHz will open new vistas in solar, terrestrial, galactic, and extragalactic astrophysics. The ALFA interferometer will image and track transient disturbances in the solar corona and interplanetary medium - a new capability which is crucial for understanding many aspects of solar-terrestrial interaction and space weather. ALFA will also produce the first sensitive, high-angular-resolution radio surveys of the entire sky at low frequencies. The radio sky will look entirely different below about 30 MHz. As a result, ALFA will provide a fundamentally new view of the universe and an extraordinarily large and varied science return.