ALMA-Japan Activities

根据与日本国家天文台（NAOJ）签订的合同，该合同支持美国国家射电天文台（NRAO）在阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列（ALMA）上的工作。NAOJ希望NRAO为ALMA设计和生产灵敏的探测器组件。ALMA能够对冷宇宙的物理学进行变革性的研究，这些区域在光学上是黑暗的，但在电磁波谱的毫米/亚毫米部分发出明亮的光。在ALMA可获得的广泛科学范围内，顶级目标包括成像红移尘埃连续体和演化星系的分子线发射，早在红移z~10（大爆炸后5亿年），确定像银河系这样的正常星系的化学成分和恒星形成气体的动力学，但在z~3（整个宇宙的75%），并测量附近恒星形成云中年轻盘的气体运动学。ALMA已经通过其行星、恒星和星系形成的戏剧性图像展示了其革命性的影响。随着整个阵列的投入使用，这些结果将会加速，并且在最长基线的情况下，ALMA将实现几十毫秒的角度分辨率。ALMA在毫米波和亚毫米波观测的所有领域提供了一到两个数量级的改进，包括灵敏度、角分辨率和图像保真度。NRAO将设计和生产ALMA波段1 （35-50 GHz）低噪声放大器以及相关的测试和支持设备。有关性能、材料、时间表和其他条件的具体细节以AUI/NRAO和NAOJ之间的工作说明书和合同的规定为准。

This award supports work performed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) on the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) under a contract to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The NAOJ desires NRAO to design and produce sensitive detector components for ALMA. ALMA enables transformational research into the physics of the cold Universe, regions that are optically dark but shine brightly in the millimeter/submillimeter portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Within the broad range of science accessible with ALMA, the top-level objectives include imaging the redshifted dust continuum and molecular line emission from evolving galaxies as early as a redshift of z~10 (500 million years after the Big Bang), determining the chemical composition and dynamics of star-forming gas in normal galaxies like the Milky Way but at z~3 (75% of the way across the Universe), and measuring the gas kinematics in young disks in nearby star-forming clouds. ALMA has already demonstrated its revolutionary impact with its dramatic images of planet, star and galaxy formation. These results will accelerate as the full array becomes operational, and with the longest baselines ALMA will achieve an angular resolution of tens of milli-arseconds. ALMA provides one to two orders-of-magnitude improvement over previous facilities in all areas of millimeter- and submillimeter-wave observations, including sensitivity, angular resolution and image fidelity.NRAO will design and produce ALMA Band 1 (35-50 GHz) low noise amplifiers and associated test and support equipment. The specific details regarding performance, materials, schedules, and other conditions are subject to the provisions of the Statements of Work and contracts between AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.