The Submillimeter Array (SMA) is an 8-element radio interferometer located atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Operating at frequencies from 180 GHz to 700 GHz, the 6m dishes may be arranged into configurations with baselines as long as 509m, producing a synthesized beam of sub-arcsecond width. Each element can observe with two receivers simultaneously, with 2 GHz bandwidth each. The digital correlator backend allows flexible allocation of thousands of spectral channels to each receiver.
The Submillimeter Array is a joint project between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics and is funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the Academia Sinica.
January 20, 2012Stellar Embryos Stars form as gravity coalesces the gas and dust in interstellar clouds until the material produces clumps dense enough to become stars. But precisely how this happens, and whether or not the processes are the same for all stars, remains very uncertain. Read More...
January 6, 2012Call for SMA Science Observing ProposalsThe joint CfA-ASIAA SMA Time Allocation Committee (TAC) solicits proposals for observations for the period 2012 May 16 - 2012 Nov 15. Proposals must be submitted by Thursday, 16 February 2012. Details here...
January 03, 2012Solving the Mystery of Extreme Galaxies article published in The Daily Galaxy"A team of astronomers have used the Submillimeter Array (SMA) to obtain the first unbiased galaxy survey of molecular and atomic lines using a telescope array. They covered a complete, large wavelength interval in the millimeter regime that is accessible through Earth's atmosphere." Read More...