The Sardinia Radio Telescope: From a Technological Project to a Radio Observatory
In this paper, we provide an overview of the main science drivers for the SRT, describe the main outcomes from the scientific commissioning of the telescope, and discuss a set of observations demonstrating the SRT's scientific capabilities. The astronomical validation activities were prioritized based on technical readiness and scientific impact. The highest priority was to make the SRT available for joint observations as part of European networks: European VLBI Network and Large European Array for Pulsars (observing sessions in early 2014). The validation of single-dish operations for the suite of SRT first light receivers and backends continued in the following years, and was concluded with the first call for shared-risk/early-science observations issued at the end of 2015.
Published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 608, id.A40, 26 pp.