Speaker
Description
Metsähovi Compact Array (MCA, https://www.metsahovi.fi/mca) is a radio telescope system, comprising at least three 5.5-metre parabolic dish antennas and operating at frequencies from 4 to 8 GHz. It is being built at the Aalto University Metsähovi Radio Observatory in Kirkkonummi, Finland. In the past two years, major progress has been made on the project. The MCA's premier scientific programme has been started (as a direct consequence of the AD2024 meeting in Vaasa!). The interferometer is now fully operational with a 47-m baseline between antennas MCA-1 and MCA-2. A third antenna, MCA-3, has been assembled, fitted and is undergoing commissioning and its initial operations. When fully-integrated, it will extend the maximum interferometric baseline to 163m. Design work has also commenced on a new hybrid-mode correlator, which will provide a significant upgrade to the scientific capabilities. This presentation reports on the new science, current status, and describes the plans and capabilities of this new facility.