China's Five -hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope has identified more than 1,300 pulsars over the past 10 years, surpassing the total pulsar discoveries made by all other international telescopes over the same period, according to an academic conference opened.
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As it approaches its 10th anniversary FAST has driven historic leaps for Chinese radio astronomy over the past 10 years. With its ever-increasing observational capabilities, the telescope, located in Guizhou Province, has continuously expanded humanity's understanding of the universe.
"Dedicated work over the past 10 years has solidified China's leading position in global radio astronomy," said FAST Chief Engineer Jiang Peng, who is also deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Noting that FAST consistently fulfills its goal of producing early, abundant, and high-quality scientific achievements, Jiang said the telescope is striving for major milestone achievements.
FAST has made significant breakthroughs in engineering technology, cutting-edge scientific research, and practical applications. Technological innovations, including an upgraded measurement and control system, a domestically manufactured steel cable, and a high-performance receiver, have ensured the telescope's stable and efficient operation.
As one of the world's most vital astronomical observation facilities, FAST has achieved a series of internationally influential discoveries in key research areas including pulsars, neutral hydrogen galaxies, fast radio bursts, and gravitational waves.
Based on FAST's observations, the researchers have published 13 papers in the top-tier journals Science and Nature. Some of their key achievements have been named twice to Science's Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs, once to Nature's Top 10 Scientific Discoveries, and ten times to China's Top 10 Scientific and Technological Advances.
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