Research at the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory

这笔赠款支持一项普通研究计划，利用由马萨诸塞大学运营的五所大学射电天文台(FCRAO)的14米直径望远镜。该仪器是美国最大的毫米波单碟式望远镜，配备了最先进的接收器，可在7、3、2和1毫米波长波段进行观测。研究计划涵盖了各种主题，包括研究河外系统、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。天文台还在美国射电天文学的研究生教育中发挥着重要作用。继续开发新的仪器对提高望远镜的科学生产力至关重要，这一领域是FCRAO的一个高度优先事项。在这一批款期间，重点将放在实施在3毫米波长下使用的15单元阵列接收器、利用阵列接收器构建用于数据采集的多功能光谱仪后端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，并将允许开展一类全新的毫米波长项目。

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.