Astronomical Research with the Owens Valley Millimeter-Wave Interferometer

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Research will be carried out at the millimeter-wavelength interferometer at Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO). The instrument currently consists of three 10.4-m, high accuracy millimeter-wavelength telescopes, equipped with low noise SIS receivers for the 2.6 and 1.3-mm bands. The interferometer will be used for high resolution aperture synthesis of the molecular emission and dust continuum in planetary atmospheres, the envelopes of evolved stars, and molecular clouds and protostellar nebulae in the Milky Way and external galaxies. The first observations will be done in the 1.3 millimeter wavelength band, where the instrument has twice the angular resolution. The sensitivity to dust emission also increases by an order of magnitude. Major new additions include the implementation of a second 2.6 millimeter wavelength receiver channel and sub-aperture optics (to enable complete imaging on all spatial scales from 1 arcsecond to several arcminutes). A digital spectroscopic correlator system is also under construction with funds from the California Institute of Technology. The scientific investigations to be carried out range from an arcsecond resolution imaging of distant, ultraluminous galaxies to mapping of nearby protostellar nebulae at resolutions of 100 astronomical units (AU). The former studies will enable us to discern and understand the sources of enormous luminosity in galactic nuclei (and perhaps quasars); the latter will provide the first detailed images of pre-solar nebulae.