Introducing HIRAX

Managed out of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and to be located at the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) South Africa site in the Karoo, the Hydrogen Intensity and Real Time Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX) telescope will consist of 1024 6-meter dishes. Jointly funded by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) through the National Research Foundation (NRF), HIRAX will be able to determine the characteristics of dark energy during a critical period in our universe, between 7 – 11 billion years ago when dark energy became the dominant component in the universe causing it to expand at an accelerated rate. The main HIRAX array, combined with small arrays in partnering African countries, will also localize mysterious radio flashes called Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) within their host galaxies, a feat never achieved before. This will be a vital first step in determining the cause of these bursts. The project will work with industry to develop new technology