China's 'FAST' telescope to get new receiver: Report

Beijing: China's five hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) -- the world's largest single-dish radio telescope -- will have a new receiver installed to boost its efficiency in surveying the sky, the media reported.

The 19-beam L-band receiver, first of its kind worldwide, is expected to be put into use in early June and it will increase FAST's survey speed by five to six times, Xinhua news agency reported.

The receiver was jointly developed by scientists from China and Australia. It weighs 1.2 tonne and costs about $3.14 million.

According to Jin Chengjin, chief engineer of FAST's receiver system, the new receiver is highly sensitive and will greatly improve FAST's efficiency in searching for new pulsars and spectral lines.

Its tasks include observation of pulsars, exploration of interstellar molecules, and monitoring interstellar communication signals, the report said.