Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array

Research facility highlights

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a revolutionary instrument in its scientific concept, its engineering design and its organization as a global scientific endeavor. It is located in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, at an altitude of 5,000 metres above sea level, ALMA is composed of 66 high-precision antennas working together at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths. Thanks to its high resolution and sensitivity, ALMA is opening an entirely new “window” on the universe, enabling scientists to unravel longstanding and important astronomical mysteries.

ALMA is funded and operated by an international partnership involving North America, Europe and East Asia. It is the largest ground-based astronomy endeavour ever undertaken. NRC has joined with the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory as part of the North American component of this project.

What we offer

© ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

ALMA will be the world’s most powerful telescope for studying the universe at submillimetre and millimetre wavelengths. When ALMA is fully operational in 2014, it will consist of 66 antennas, 54 with 12-metre diameter dishes and 12 with 7-metre diameter dishes.

All of ALMA’s antennas work in concert, taking either quick “snap shots” or long-term exposures of astronomical objects. Cosmic millimetre waves from these objects are reflected up from the surface of each dish to the sub-reflector above the dish’s centre. From there, they are guided down into highly sensitive receivers operating at - 269 ^oC. The receivers amplify signals many millions of times, before digitizing them and sending them along underground fibre-optic cables to a large signal processor, the correlator. This machine combines the signals to produce data from which images of remarkable quality can be made. In its widest configuration, the image detail provided by the completed array will be comparable to that of a single radio telescope 14 km in diameter.

Access and use

ALMA offers unprecedented sensitivity and imaging capabilities, enabling astronomers to create highly detailed images of sources of millimetre and submillimetre emission. Phenomena that were previously out of reach can now be observed, including probes of the very first stars and galaxies. Proposals are solicited as “cycles” with calls approved by the Board. Canadian principal investigators may apply without restriction for North American time, presently 37.5% of the total available. Time is assigned based on a common ALMA peer review process.