Scientific rational
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is an intergovernmental radio telescope project to be built in Australia and South Africa. The SKA, with a total collecting area of approximately one square kilometre, represents the next-generation radio telescope. It will conduct transformational science, breaking new ground in astronomical observations. Pulsar science is one of the SKA’s primary goals, through which we will be able to challenge Einstein’s theory of relativity, measure equation of state for supranuclear matters, and underpin understandings of fundamental astrophysical processes that have shaped our Universe.
China is one of the founding countries of the SKA. In the light of recent progresses, the National SKA Program of China supports a few key science projects for the SKA. A large group of scientists in China are working actively in the field of pulsar astronomy, and a platform like the SKA Pulsar Science Symposium (SPSS) is highly desirable to faciliate communication and cooperation among pulsar astronomers. SPSS will bring together experts in the field, advance scientific studies of pulsars, foster the young generation, and eventually make an impact to the global SKA community.