The achievements, problems and conclusions related to the implementation of the STELLAR project (2020-2023) were the basis for the discussions during the Final international conference on the project held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on July 6-8 2023.
The forum was attended by the partners of the project: the Institute of Astronomy with NAO – BAS and the Technical University of Sofia, the Dublin Institute for Advances Studies (DIAS) and the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON).
The representative of the Ministry of Education and Science, Kalin Mutavchiev, outlined before the participants the specifics and the opportunities provided by the National Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructure 2020-2027.
René Vermeulen, director of the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) and Ronald Halfwerk, director of “Astrotec Holding” – the company related to the construction and operation of the stations of the Pan-European radio telescope, took part in the final international conference on STELLAR in Bulgaria. The telescope extends to 10 countries in Europe, in which 52 stations have been built so far, the inclusion of 2 new ones is forthcoming, one of which will be in Bulgaria.
The participants in the forum were introduced to the possibilities of the Bulgarian supercomputer “Discoverer”. The separate stages in the upcoming construction of the first low-frequency radio telescope LOFAR-BG station in Bulgaria and in South-Eastern Europe, which is expected to be operational in 2025, were discussed in detail. The conference ended with a visit to the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory and the site of the future LOFAR – BG station.