Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter Planning Group

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Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter Planning Group
Martha P. Haynes (Cornell University) on behalf
of the RMSPG
Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee May
16, 2005
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RMS Planning Group
Premise Recommendations as outlined in Astro
Astrophys in the New Millenium From the Sun to
the Earth And Beyond Connecting Quarks with the
Cosmos New Frontiers in the Solar
System Objective Update/Implementation
Plan Membership Same as 2000 AASC Radio/Submm
Panel

• Martha Haynes, Cornell/NAIC
• Geoff Blake, Caltech
• Don Campbell, Cornell
• John Carlstrom, Chicago
• Neal Evans, Texas
• Jackie Hewitt, MIT

• Ken Kellermann, NRAO
• Alan Marscher, BU
• Jim Moran, Harvard
• Steve Myers, NRAO
• Mark Reid, SAO
• Jack Welch, Berkeley

http//www.astro.cornell.edu/haynes/rmspg Site
includes a compilation of RMS facilities

• A community volunteer effort
• No special interaction with AUI/NRAO director

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Progress towards AANM Initiatives
New Ground Based Initiatives

• Prior Decade
• ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array)
• Major Initiatives
• EVLA (Expanded Very Large Array)
• Moderate Initiatives
• SKA (Square Kilometer Array) Technology
• CARMA (Combined Array for Research in mm
  Astronomy)
• FASR (Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope)
• SPT (South Pole Telescope)
• Small Initiatives
• LOFAR (Low Frequency Array)
• CMB experiments
• Numerous (ACBAR, CBI, CAPMAP, DASI, SZA, etc)

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Progress towards AANM Initiatives
New Ground Based Initiatives

• Prior Decade
• ALMA under construction
• Major Initiatives
• EVLA Phase I underway Phase II under review
• Moderate Initiatives
• SKA US effort limited by lack of NSF funding
• CARMA under construction
• FASR proposal for DD about to be submitted
• SPT under construction
• Small Initiatives
• LOFAR Several initiatives underway/pending
• CMB experiments
• Numerous, on-going (TFCR)

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RMS Roadmap

• Elements
• Complete and support ALMA
• Complete and support EVLA
• Exploit those investments via other unique
  facilities
• Pursue aggressively the SKA concept as the next
  generation radio telescope
• Develop the new technologies required for new
  science
• Maintain competitive strength
• Train the next generation

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ALMA Imaging Origins
Under construction expected completion in 2012

• Exploit the ALMA investment pre-ALMA
• CARMA pathfinder for ALMA science and
  development
• Wide area survey instruments
• Redshift machines
• Support ALMA beginning with partial array
  operations in 2008
• Complement ALMA in ALMA era with unique
  capabilities

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Exploiting the ALMA Investment
Full return on the US investment in ALMA requires
additional capabilities at these same wavelengths
currently provided by UROs, GBT and SMA.

• Fast survey capabilities
• - Broad bandwidth incoherent detectors (mapping
  speed)
• Redshifts for large numbers of dusty objects
• Blind molecular searches over wide areas
• Unique instantaneous spatial dynamic range and
  image fidelity of CARMAs hybrid array
• Legacy surveys especially of Galactic plane
  (north and south)

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EVLA Revolutionized Capabilities
Multiply by at least 10X the capabilities of the
current VLA

• Phase I underway completion in 2012
• Funded out of AST (not MREFC)
• Contributions from Canada and Mexico
• Phase II proposal submitted ready to go

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The Most Distant Quasar
Walter et al. 2003

• Optical Image

• VLA image of CO from the first known star
  formation
• Redshifted to 46 GHz

• Artists conception of disk of molecules and dust

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EVLA Resolving Cosmic Evolution
Resolution better than 160 light years anywhere
in the universe and 3 AU at Orion

• AU-scale images of accretion disks and their
  connection to outflow regions around massive
  stars
• Resolve dusty cores of ULIRGs and submm galaxies
  AGN or starbursts
• Evolution of GRBs, SNe, etc

Combine EVLA VLBA for full image fidelity
EVLA is a pathfinder for high frequency SKA,
technologically and scientifically
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VLBA/HSA sub-mJy at sub-mas
- Time critical images of motions and source
evolution - Unparalleled astrometry (microarcsec
accuracy)

• GLAST/VLBA survey both groundwork for the
  mission and followup
• Dark matter density in core of lensing galaxies
• Pulsar and maser parallaxes for MW structure
• Maser motions around supermassive black holes

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Square Kilometer Array

• The SKA aims to be the next generation radio
  telescope.
• The SKA is an international project.
• The SKA requires revolutionary technology
  development.
• Science potential is thrilling
• Thermal imaging at 0.15 AU resolution out to 150
  pc
• Thousands of millisec pulsars forming a timing
  array to detect gravitational waves
• A billion rotation measures evolution of
  magnetic fields, connection to structure
  formation
• Cosmic evolution of HI
• . Plus much more!

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International SKA Timeline
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Arecibo Pathfinder for the SKA
Exploit AOs HIGH SENSITIVITY and RADAR capability

• Surveys with ALFA galactic and extragalactic
• Pulsar surveys and timing tests of GR
• Statistical characterization of continuum
  transients
• High Sensitivity Array for VLBI time domain, mJy
  VLBI
• Solar System radar NEAs, planetary surfaces,
  rings
• SKA testbed wide bandwidth (2-11 GHz) focal
  plane array
• Partnerships for surveys, instrumentation,
  software etc.

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GBT Pathfinder for EVLA, SKA, ALMA
Exploit the GBTs unique characteristics

• Beam-forming array Galactic HI
• Penn Array pathfinder for SZ, dust
• Heterodyne array CO, HCN, HCO in star forming
  regions
• Multibeam at 30 GHz blind high-z CO
• Finder for EVLA, ALMA
• Steerability globular cluster pulsars
• High frequency VLBI H20 masers
• Bi-static radar NEAs, Titan

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Ground-based CMB Experiments

• Direct observations of the CMB lie uniquely in
  the domain of RMS astronomy.
• Ground based experiments probe CMB anisotropy and
  polarization on different scales and thus
  complement results from space missions.
• RMS surveys critical for foreground
  determination.
• SPT wil map CMB/SZA.

Task Force on CMB Research
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Solar Radio Astronomy
FASR Frequency Agile Solar Radio Telescope

• FASR was endorsed by the 2000 AASC as well as the
  Solar and Space Physics equivalent From the Sun
  to the Earth - and Beyond.
• A proposal to conduct DD on FASR will be
  submitted to NSF GEO/ATM.
• Dedicated to solar weather, FASR will be a data
  machine not a PI facility.

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LOFAR

• Dutch pursuing low frequency array on their own
  ( LOFAR)
• Low frequency regime (lt 300 MHz) largely
  unexplored
• Science exciting
• Dark Ages neutral hydrogen
• First supermassive blackholes
• Continuum transients
• Solar/ionospheric phenomena

• Modest investment in next 3-5 years
• Detection of neutral hydrogen during the Dark
  Ages
• Technology development towards major facility

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RMS Roadmap ALMA

• Complete and support ALMA
• Exploit that investment via other unique
  facilities
• Develop new technologies

Pre-ALMA era - CARMA as a pathfinder for ALMA
science - Full survey of Galactic plane in key
dust and molecular tracers - Wide area surveys,
z-machines - Submm interferometry (SMA
CSO) ALMA era - CARMA as a pathfinder
for ALMA development - Unique CARMA science niche
- Wide area complements FCRAO LMT
CSO CCAT
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RMS Roadmap The EVLA (and Beyond)

• Complete and support EVLA
• Exploit that investment via other unique
  facilities
• Pursue aggressively the SKA concept as the next
  generation radio telescope

• The EVLA offers a huge increase in capability
  over the existing VLA a new VLA!
• The EVLAVLBA combination provides high fidelity
  imaging on all spatial scales for the first time.
• The VLBAAOGBTphased VLA HSA for precision
  astronomy and studies of faint sources.
• The EVLA is a critical step to the SKA as the
  next generation radio telescope.
• AO, GBT, ATA, MWA and LWA will likewise serve as
  SKA testbeds and demonstrators.

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RMS Roadmap
Towards the SKA Technology Pathway
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RMS Roadmap
Towards the SKA Science Pathway
Plus connections to ALMA, JWST, GSMT, etc
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The RMS Roadmap
Follows the Decadal Survey Strategy

• Prior Decade
• ALMA
• Major Initiatives
• EVLA
• Moderate Initiatives
• SKA
• CARMA
• FASR
• SPT
• Small Initiatives
• LOFAR
• CMB experiments
• Numerous (ACBAR, CBI, CAPMAP, DASI)

Driven by science Enabled by technology Maintains
US strength
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Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter (RMS)
Facility Acronyms
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More RMS Acronyms

• EVLA I
• First phase of EVLA project
• Begun 2001 Expected completion 2012
• Modernize existing facility correlator,
  receivers, software
• EVLA II
• 2nd phase of EVLA project
• Proposal submitted 2004 under review
• Increase angular resolution by 10X with
  additional antennas spread throughout New Mexico
• eVLBI (Near) real-time VLBI imaging by
  transmission of data over internet to central
  correlator (vs physical shipment of disks)
• e2e End-to-end development of software tools
  for users to aid from proposal submission to
  observations to data reduction
• HSA High Sensitivity Array (VLBA VLA GBT
  Arecibo)
• Large N/Small D Large number of small diameter
  dishes
• NAIC National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
• NMA New Mexico Array
• NRAO National Radio Astronomy Observatory
• RMS Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter