Astronomy is being transformed by multi-messenger surveys performed with instruments capable of searching the sky with high speed and sensitivity, while delivering science-ready datasets to the community. While radio astronomy is not yet fully participating in this revolution, it is clear that an instrument following the same philosophy is not only urgent but inevitable. ARGOS is a concept for a leading-edge, low-cost, sustainable European astronomical facility that will finally realise this ambition, directly addressing multiple fundamental scientific questions, from the nature of dark matter and dark energy to the origin of fast radio bursts and the properties of extreme gravity, thereby satisfying urgent needs of the community. ARGOS will enable, for the first time, continuous wide-field monitoring of the sky at centimetre wavelengths, while publicly distributing science-ready data and alerts in real time.
ARGOS recently entered a three-year detailed design phase, which will prepare the subsequent rapid implementation of this leading-edge public radio facility on European grounds, and ensure its optimal integration into the network of existing and future international astronomical infrastructures. This will be achieved following a systems-engineering approach that will integrate technical studies, community groundwork, and prototyping, as well as quantitative cost-to-benefit analysis, and assess socioeconomic impact, sustainability, technological readiness, and innovation needs.
In this talk, I will describe the project and its main science and engineering objectives, as well as ARGOS-pathfinder, a prototype that will be installed at Skinanas as part of the project.
ARGOS Consortium