World-Wide Effort Bringing ALMA Telescope Into Reality (Forwarded)
- From: Andrew Yee <ayee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:23:10 -0400
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
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EMBARGOED For Release: 1:45 p.m., EST Friday, February 15, 2008
World-Wide Effort Bringing ALMA Telescope Into Reality
In the thin, dry air of northern Chile's Atacama Desert, at an altitude of
16,500 feet, an amazing new telescope system is taking shape, on schedule to
provide the world's astronomers with unprecedented views of the origins of
stars, galaxies, and planets. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter
Array (ALMA) will open an entirely new "window" on the Universe, allowing
scientists to unravel longstanding and important astronomical mysteries.
"Most of the photons in the Universe are in the wavelength range that ALMA
will receive, and ALMA will give us our first high-resolution views at these
wavelengths. This will be a tremendous advancement for astronomy and open
one of our science's last frontiers," Anneila Sargent, a Caltech professor
and ALMA Board member, told the American Association for the Advancement of
Science at its meeting in Boston, Mass.
The millimeter and submillimeter wavelength range lies between what is
traditionally considered radio waves and infrared waves. ALMA, a system
using up to 66 high-precision dish antennas working together, will provide
astronomers with dramatically greater sensitivity, the ability to detect
faint objects, and resolving power, the ability to see fine detail, than has
ever before been available in this range.
"This ambitious project is the product of an international collaboration
that spans the globe," Sargent said. "ALMA truly will enable
transformational science and providing this capability has required a
massive, world-wide effort," she added.
The ALMA project is a partnership between Europe, Japan and North America in
cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded in Europe by ESO, in
Japan by the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in cooperation with the
Academia Sinica in Taiwan and in North America by the U.S. National Science
Foundation in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada. ALMA
construction and operations are led on behalf of Europe by ESO, on behalf of
Japan by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and on behalf of
North America by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is managed
by Associated Universities, Inc.
While scores of people are working at the ALMA site in Chile, more are in
laboratories, test facilities, and factories around the world developing and
producing equipment destined for ALMA. Antennas are coming from Europe,
North America, and Japan. The giant transporter machines that will allow the
antennas to be moved into multiple configurations have arrived in Chile from
Germany. The prototype antennas and the prototype electronic equipment for
ALMA have been tested at the site of the Very Large Array radio telescope in
New Mexico. In Chile, buildings, roads and the complex infrastructure
required to support ALMA operations all are coming together.
Groundbreaking for ALMA was held in 2003, and the project is scheduled for
completion in 2012.
Astronomers expect ALMA to make extremely important contributions in a a
variety of scientific specialties. The new telescope system will be a
premier tool for studying the first stars and galaxies that emerged from the
cosmic "dark ages" billions of years ago. These objects now are seen at
great cosmic distances, with most of their light stretched out to millimeter
and submillimeter wavelengths by the expansion of the Universe.
In the more nearby Universe, ALMA will provide an unprecedented ability to
study the processes of star and planet formation. Unimpeded by the dust that
obscures visible-light observations, ALMA will be able to reveal the details
of young, still-forming stars, and is expected to show young planets still
in the process of developing. In addition, ALMA will allow scientists to
learn in detail about the complex chemistry of the giant clouds of gas and
dust that spawn stars and planetary systems.
Many other astronomical specialties also will benefit from the new
capabilities of ALMA, In addition, "We know that every time in the past that
a new wavelength region has been opened up, as ALMA will do, we have been
surprised by entirely unexpected discoveries that significantly changed our
understanding of the Universe. We also expect the unexpected from ALMA,"
Sargent said.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National
Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated
Universities, Inc.
IMAGE CAPTIONS:
[Image 1:
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2008/alma.aaas/ALMA-2.jpg (177KB)]
Artist's Concept of Completed ALMA. CREDIT: ALMA/ESO/NRAO/NAOJ
[Image 2:
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2008/alma.aaas/transporter.jpg (790KB)]
ALMA Antenna Transporter Arrives in Chile. CREDIT: ALMA/ESO/NAOJ/NRAO
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