Expansion of the Owens Valley Millimeter-Wave Array

该提案要求部分支持将欧文斯谷射电天文台的毫米波干涉仪扩展到6个望远镜阵列，同时有15个基线。该仪器目前在1.3和2.6毫米波段运行，配备了三个10.4米高精度望远镜，配备了低噪声SIS接收器。干涉仪已经非常成功地用于行星大气、演化恒星的星周包层、局部恒星形成区和附近星系中的分子的高分辨率孔径合成测绘。该项目的主要元素是建造另外三个望远镜，每个都配备双频前端接收器。数字光谱相关器将扩展到处理15个同时基线，带宽高达500 MHz。拟议的扩展将导致阵列的速度增加一个数量级，并通过实施自校准程序增加数据的动态范围。该系统将具有非常多功能，能够绘制主毫米波段，双偏振测量以及在大于1”的所有角度尺度上的完整成像能力。最高分辨率将与地面望远镜获得的最佳光学成像相似。这三个新望远镜被提议由加州理工学院、美国国家科学基金会和多伦多大学提供等额的资助。这里提交的预算是NSF支持三个新望远镜中的一个及其相关电子设备。该仪器将作为一个开放设施运行，供加州理工学院以外的研究人员广泛使用。

This proposal requests partial support for expansion of the millimeter wave interferometer at Owens Valley Radio Observatory to an array of six telescopes with fifteen simultaneous baselines. The instrument is currently operating in the 1.3 and 2.6 mm bands with three 10.4 m high accuracy telescopes equipped with low noise SIS receivers. The interferometer has been used very successfully for high resolution aperture synthesis mapping of the molecules in planetary atmospheres, in the circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars, in local star forming regions, and in nearby galaxies. The major element of this project is the construction of three additional telescopes, each equipped with dual frequency front end receivers. The digital spectroscopic correlator will be expanded to handle 15 simultaneous baselines with up to 500 MHz bandwidth. The proposed expansion will result in an order of magnitude increase in speed for the array and similar increase in the dynamic range of the data through implementation of self calibration procedures. The system will be extremely versatile with the capability for mapping both primary millimeter bands, dual polarization measurements and full imaging capability on all angular scales greater than 1". The highest resolution will be similar to that of the best optical imaging obtained with ground- based telescopes. It is proposed that the three new telescopes be funded with equivalent contributions by Caltech, the NSF, and the University of Toronto. The budget submitted here is for NSF support of one of the three new telescopes with its associated electronics. The instrument will be run as an open facility with extensive use by researchers outside Caltech.