Synergy with new radio facilities: From LOFAR to SKA

Abstract

Radio astronomy is going through major changes and new radio telescopes are coming online, paving the way to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Their new capabilities—e.g., large field of view combined with good spatial resolution, broad instantaneous band, and fast response to transient objects—offer unique possibilities for the science. I will give a brief overview of these facilities, focusing mostly on LOFAR (LOw Frequency Array) and on the topics where a strong synergy with XMM (and X‐ray in general) is present. I will describe the imaging surveys that are ongoing and the possibilities for the studies of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxy clusters. New exciting capabilities are also becoming available for the study of the transient radio sky. Thanks to the rapid response of the new radio telescopes, radio frequencies will provide alerts on new transients and trigger other facilities. All these capabilities (and more) will be incorporated in the SKA. The entire project is evolving and progressing rapidly, and I will give a brief update of its present status.