French multinational Safran Electronics & Defence will provide more than 200 White Rabbit (WR) devices for the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO).

Safran states that the SKA radio telescopes will revolutionise humanity’s understanding of the universe by observing the sky in unprecedented detail. 

“The integration of WR technology with the SKA telescopes represents a crucial step in ensuring the success of this pioneering project," says Safran Electronics & Defense navigation and timing product manager Carlos Valenzuela.

"WR allows users to synchronise remote devices within one-billionth of a second – one nanosecond. It will enable the telescopes to achieve the level of precision and accuracy required to generate groundbreaking scientific insights into the mysteries of the universe."

The SKA telescopes will allow astronomers to observe the universe over a broad range of frequencies, from low-frequency radio waves at 50 MHz up to mid-frequency waves of 15.4 GHz.

The data generated by the telescopes will be used to study a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, from the formation of the first stars and galaxies to dark matter and signatures of life beyond Earth.

Australia will host the SKA-Low telescope, which will have 131 072 antennas receiving low-frequency radio waves. Each antenna will be 2 m tall and shaped like a Christmas tree.

South Africa meanwhile will host the SKA-Mid telescope, comprised of 197 dish antennas receiving mid-frequency radio waves.

"The SKA telescopes encompass an advanced distributed data acquisition system, which converts different analog environment signals into digital values to perform control and monitor tasks," Valenzuela adds.

Valenzuela also points out that the SKA project has a strict timing requirement for its operation with a performance below two nanoseconds, which is not achievable by network time protocol or precise time protocol technology.

“The WR-Z platform is a critical solution developed through Safran's Navigation and Timing portfolio for the SKA telescopes’ pulse per second (PPS) distribution system. It is a new design integrating WR technology, thus enabling subnanosecond accuracy."

Safran Trusted 4D Europe, Middle East and Africa technical sales market manager Carlos Frias says the WR-Z was evaluated in different scenarios to demonstrate its timing performance in dynamic environment conditions, thus fulfilling the SKA telescopes’ requirements for PPS distribution.

Frias adds that the WR technology – a component of Safran’s navigation and timing solutions - was developed at the Safran site in Granada, Spain.

Spain, a member country of SKAO, was awarded the contract for the WR project as part of their collaborative efforts.