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This compilation derives from contributions solicited by the Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter Planning Group RMSPG at the request of NSF for community input to the NSF-AST senior review to be held in mid 2005. The designated facility/project contacts were asked to provide information following a standard template which serves as the basis for each summary linked below. This is a work in progress, as of the date of last update (see bottom).

The US Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter (RMS) Astronomy Program:
Facilities and Projects

NOTE: The order of listing within a category is purely alphabetic by acronym.

Major Facilities/Projects of the NSF National Centers

Summary Acronym Name/Description Wavelength range Angular Res.
Summary ALMA Atacama Large Millimeter Array 300 µ to 3mm
(84-950 GHz) 		0.2" λ(mm)/baseline(km)
Summary Arecibo Arecibo 305m Telescope 3-80 cm (.3-10 GHz) 3.5' at 21cm (1.5 GHz)
Summary EVLA Expanded Very Large Array 7mm to 4m
(74 MHz to 43 GHz) 		0.04" at 6 cm (5 GHz)
future: 0.04" at 6 cm
Summary GBT Green Bank 100m Telescope 3mm to 3m
(100 MHz to 115 GHz) 		740"/freq[GHz]
Summary VLBA Very Long Baseline Array 3mm to 1m
(300 MHz to 96 GHz)		 0.1 mas at 3.5 mm (86 GHz)


Major Facilities/Projects in Design Phase

Summary Acronym Name/Description Wavelength rangeAngular Res.
Summary SKA Square Kilometer Array 1cm to 3m
(100 MHz to 25 GHz)		 wide range


Moderate-Scale Facilities/Projects, including URO's

Summary Acronym Name/Description Wavelength range Angular Res.
Summary ARO Arizona Radio Observatory 0.6 mm to 4.6 mm
(65 GHz to 490 GHz) 		1' at 3mm (100 GHz; 12m)
21" at 1mm (345 GHz; SMT)
Summary ATA Allen Telescope Array 3 to 60 cm
(500 MHz to 11 GHz) 		1' at 21 cm (1.4 GHz)
Summary CARMA Combined Array for Millimeter Research in Astronomy 0.8, 1.3, 2.6 mm
(115, 230, 345 GHz) 		0.1" at 1 mm
Summary CSO Caltech Submillimeter Observatory 0.3 to 2.1 mm
(180 to 900 GHz)		 BOLOCAM: 30" at 1.1 mm
SHARC: 8" at 350 µ
Summary LMT Large Millimeter Telescope 0.8 to 4 mm (75 to 345 GHz) 12" at 3 mm
6" at 1 mm
Summary SMA Submillimeter Array 0.35 mm to 1.6 mm
(180 to 900 GHz) 		0.15" at 0.45 mm (650 GHz)
Summary SPT South Pole Telescope Bands from 0.8 to 3mm (future: 20µ - 3mm)
90, 150, 220, 270, & 350 GHz (90 to 1500 GHz) 		1' at 2 mm
9" at 350 µ


Moderate-Scale Facilities in Design Phase

Summary Acronym Name/Description Wavelength rangeAngular Res.
Summary CCAT Cornell-Caltech Atacama Telescope 200-850 µ 2" at 200 µ
Summary FASR Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope 1cm to 10m
(30 MHz - 30 GHz) 		20/freq(GHz) arcsec
Summary LWA Long Wavelength Array 3-30 m (10-88 MHz)   2" at 4m (75 MHz)
10" at 30m (15 MHz)
Summary MWA Mileura Widefield Array 1-3.7 m (80-300 MHz) 3.4' at 15m (200 MHz)
Summary PAST Primeval Structure Telescope 1.5-6 m (50-200 MHz) 5'


CMB Programs/Facilities

Direct observations of the CMB are uniquely within the purview of RMS astronomy and huge advances have occurred in the last decade, thanks to a coordinated strategy of both space- and ground-based programs. A Task Force on the overall US CMB research program (TFCR) will soon report to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee and HEPAP; we are trying to avoid duplicating the efforts of the TFCR. The TFCR charge can be found at this link to the HEPAP page.

Here we summarize several of the major NSF funded/planned CMB programs. This list is not complete and is intended for illustrative purposes only. Absence of a project from this list carries no significance other than the lack of time/effort on the part of the RMSPG.


Relevant Space Missions

While the charge of the RMSPG focuses on ground based Radio and Submillimeter Astronomy, several space missions are of relevance because of their strong synergy with the ground based research and technology development programs. Here we include some of the relevant space missions, but this list is neither complete nor comprehensive. Absence of a mission from this list carries no significance, other than a lack of time/effort on the part of the RMSPG.

Summary Acronym Name/Description Wavelength rangeAngular Res.
Overview OVLBI Orbiting VLBI 7 mm to 20 cm
(1.4 to 40 GHz)		 0.03 to 1 mas
Summary BLAST Balloon-borne Large Aperture Telescope 250, 350, 500 µ 30 - 59"
Summary Herschel Herschel Space Observatory 57 to 670 µ
480 GHz to 5000 GHz		 17" at 250 µ
35" at 500 µ
Summary Planck Planck Surveyor Bands from 35 µ to 1 cm
(30 to 857 GHz) 		14' at 1 cm
5' at 35 µ
Link SAFIR Single Aperture Far Infrared Observatory 20 µ to 1 mm  
Link SIRA Solar Imaging Radio Array 30 kHz to 15 MHz 1' at 15 MHz
Link SOFIA Stratispheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 1 - 655 µ  
Link WMAP Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 3.3mm to 1.3 cm (22-90 GHz) 0.23° to 0.93°


This page created and maintained by Martha Haynes
Last modified: Mon Feb 14 12:08:13 EST 2005