ALMA
Atacama Large Millimeter Array
|
The Atacama Large
Millimeter Array (ALMA) project will bring to millimeter and
sub-millimeter astronomy the aperture synthesis techniques of radio
astronomy which enable precision imaging to be done on sub-arcsecond
angular scales. The richness of the celestial sky at millimeter
wave-lengths is provided by thermal emission from cool gas, dust, and
solid bodies, the same material that shines brightly at far infrared
wavelengths. Presently, such natural cosmic emission can be studied only
from space with the coarse angular resolution and limited sensitivity that
small orbiting telescopes provide.
ALMA will image at 1 mm wavelength with the same 0.01" resolution that
will be achieved by the Next Generation Space Telescope. It will provide
scientific insight at longer wavelengths that is complementary to that of
the VLT and will do so with the same image detail and clarity. In
addition, the reconfigurability of ALMA antennas gives ALMA a zoom-lens
capability so that it can also make high-fidelity images of large regions
of the sky. ALMA is astronomy’s complete imaging instrument. |
