Research at the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory

这笔拨款支持一项一般研究计划，利用马萨诸塞大学运营的五学院射电天文台（FCRAO）的14米直径望远镜。该仪器是美国最大的毫米波单碟望远镜，它配备了最先进的接收器，用于观测7、3、2和1毫米波段。该研究项目涵盖了各种主题，包括河外系统、致密星际介质、恒星形成、恒星演化的后期阶段、天体化学和行星科学的研究。天文台在美国射电天文学研究生教育中也起着重要作用。新仪器的持续发展对望远镜的科学生产力至关重要，这一领域是FCRAO的重中之重。在此拨款期间，重点将放在实施15个元件阵列接收器，用于3毫米波长，构建一个多功能光谱仪后端，用于阵列接收器的数据采集，以及获得计算机硬件和软件，以支持大幅增加的数据流的减少和分析。阵列探测器将使望远镜获取数据的效率提高一个数量级以上，并将允许进行一种全新的毫米波项目。

This grant supports a general research program to utilize the 14 meter diameter telescope at the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) which is operated by the University of Massachusetts. This instrument is the largest Americal millimeter wave, single dish telescope, and it is equipped with state-of-the-art receivers for observations in the 7, 3, 2, and 1 mm wavelength bands. The research program covers a variety of topics which include studies of extragalactic systems, the dense interstellar medium, star formation, the late stages of stellar evolution, astrochemistry, and planetary science. The Observatory also plays a major role in graduate education in radio astronomy in the United States. Continued development of new instrumentation is vital to the scientific productivity of the telescope, and that area is a high priority at FCRAO. During this grant period, the focus will be on implementing a 15 element array receiver for use at a wavelength of 3 mm, on constructing a versatile spectrometer backend for data acquisition with the array receiver, and on obtaining the computer hardware and software to support the reduction and analysis of a substantially increased data flow. The array detector will result in more than an order of magnitude improvement in the efficiency with which the telescope can obtain data, and it will permit an entirely new class of millimeter wavelength projects to be undertaken.