Atacama Large Millimeter Array: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:19, 30 September 2011

Revision as of 20:26, 30 September 2011

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[[Image:3-ALMA-antennas-interferometry.jpg|thumb|Three ALMA antennas linked together as an [[interferometer]] for the first time.]]

The initial ALMA array will be a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high precision antennas, and operatingoperate at [[wavelength]]s of 0.3 to 9.6 mm. The array will have much higher sensitivity and higher resolution than existing [[submillimetre astronomy|sub-millimeter telescopes]] such as the single-dish [[James Clerk Maxwell Telescope]] or existing interferometer networks such as the [[Submillimeter Array]] or the ''[[Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique]]'' (IRAM) [[Plateau de Bure Interferometer|Plateau de Bure]] facility.

The antennas can be moved across the desert plateau over distances from 150 m to 16 km, which will give ALMA a powerful variable "zoom", similar in its concept to that employed at the [[Very Large Array]] (VLA) site in New Mexico, US.