Observatory antenna is well received

A 100-ton antenna that contains a receiver developed by British scientists was recently delivered to the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) astronomical observatory.

A custom-built giant transporter carried the antenna up a 5,000m plateau of Chajnantor, in the Chilean Andes.

The antenna, which has a diameter of 12m, was transported to the high-altitude array operations site, where the extremely dry and rarefied air is ideal for ALMA’s observations of the universe.

As part of their role in the ALMA project, British scientists at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) assembled and tested the first of 26 receiver systems that go inside the ALMA antennas at their Rutherford Appleton Laboratory this year.

The team’s other duties for ALMA include providing receiver cryogenics and components, and software. The receivers detect the extremely faint signals from space, making them vital components within the overall set-up.

The conditions at the array operations site on Chajnantor, while excellent for astronomy, are also very harsh. The elevation has only half the oxygen available at sea level, making it very difficult to work there.