Dish Verification Antenna China for SKA

The SKA (Square Kilometre Array), being the next-generation largest radio telescope, has now stepped into the pre-construction phase. China has joined this long march since the early 1990s and made significant contributions during this process. In this paper, a brief review of the SKA concept and detailed description of the challenges for the SKA dishes are given. Then two concept designs for the SKA dishes made by Chinese, the Dish Verification Antenna China (DVAC), are presented. The designs including microwave optics, antenna structure and servo system are carefully carried out to meet the intended SKA requirements. Comparison of these two designs is made in the end and one of them is selected as a candidate for the SKA dishes.