Periodic Reporting for period 2 - AtLAST (Towards an Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-09-01 bis 2024-08-31
The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) epitomizes the next generation in submillimeter astronomy. The most massive structures of gas and dust in the Universe produce unique astrophysical signals at submillimeter wavelengths (from 0.35 to 10 mm), which reveal physical processes that are invisible in other wavelengths. Submillimeter observations of the sky have transformed our understanding of the origin of baryons’ chemical complexity, the birth of stars and planetary systems, the evolution of galaxies across cosmic times, and the large-scale structure of the Universe. But these discoveries only scratch the surface. The current generation of 10-meter-class single-antenna telescopes has given a glimpse of the potential for discovery, while interferometers have presented a high resolution view into the finer details of known targets or in small-area deep fields.. With current facilities, we cannot follow the baryons from the cosmic web to star forming cores, we cannot probe how structures interact with and influence their environments, and we cannot statistically and comprehensively quantify time variability across astrophysical sources. Furthermore, no astronomical facility is adequately equipped to face the current climate change concerns and fuel price vulnerability.
AtLAST, with its unprecedented combination of a 50-meter diameter aperture, 2-degree diameter field of view, and a suite of up to six instruments that will enable all the above, and a lot more. The detailed studies of telescope design, site selection, operations, governance, and science case have been done in close collaboration with the study of the renewable energy system for AtLAST. Energy researchers have explored various scenarios to generate and store the power needed to operate AtLAST that consider multiple factors, including inputs from nearby telescopes and from the local community in San Pedro de Atacama. AtLAST will be the fastest, most sensitive, and highest resolution mapping machine of the submillimeter sky, and at the same time it will be the first large green research infrastructure. AtLAST has been designed with science, technology, diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability at its core to serve the astronomical community for decades to come.
AtLAST, with its unprecedented combination of a 50-meter diameter aperture, 2-degree diameter field of view, and a suite of up to six instruments that will enable all the above, and a lot more. The detailed studies of telescope design, site selection, operations, governance, and science case have been done in close collaboration with the study of the renewable energy system for AtLAST. Energy researchers have explored various scenarios to generate and store the power needed to operate AtLAST that consider multiple factors, including inputs from nearby telescopes and from the local community in San Pedro de Atacama. AtLAST will be the fastest, most sensitive, and highest resolution mapping machine of the submillimeter sky, and at the same time it will be the first large green research infrastructure. AtLAST has been designed with science, technology, diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability at its core to serve the astronomical community for decades to come.
We delivered an innovative and ambitious optical and mechanical design for the AtLAST observatory. Its 50-meter diameter primary mirror, up to a 2 degree diameter field of view, and agile mechanical structure provide a unique combination of sensitivity, angular resolution and mapping speed at submillimeter wavelengths. The telescope design fits up to six instruments that ensure that a broad and diverse set of users can exploit the facility.
We consulted with the world-wide scientific community working on a variety of sub-fields in Astrophysics. We summarised the most transformative science goals in three main scientific questions: 1) Where are all the baryons? 2) How do structures interact with their environments? 3) What does the time-varying submillimeter sky look like? Our science papers make use of the AtLAST sensitivity calculator and the maria simulator, developed within the framework of the project.
We identified two potential sites on the 5000m-high Chajnantor plateau in Northern Chile. On both sites, we installed specially designed 24-metre-high weather towers to simultaneously measure the wind speed and wind gusts, which have the strongest impact on the telescope structure. The preferred site is located inside the Atacama Astronomical Park.
We produced an operations plan, learning from the experience from other infrastructures such as ESO, ALMA, APEX, incorporating of lessons learned from the pandemic and based on the core principles of diversity, equity, safety, sustainability, accessibility, and transparency.
We researched available options for the future governance structure and legal entity of the AtLAST observatory, and evaluated them by considering the priorities and needs of AtLAST, such as that of an efficient implementation and operational management of the telescope.
We included a sustainability study to reduce the economic and environmental impact of the AtLAST infrastructure. We found that using primarily solar power allows to save 30-40% of costs compared to solely diesel generators. A 100% renewable setup with solar panels, batteries, and hydrogen storage results in the lowest carbon emission scenario. However, including a small supply of diesel equal to 7% of the annual demand would reduce by 27% the mineral resource depletion and water use.
We investigated the sustainability aspect also from the - often overlooked - perspective of including in the decision process the local communities in San Pedro de Atacama, to facilitate the social acceptance of the infrastructure.
We collected specifications for future AtLAST instrumentation exploiting the large focal plane of the telescope, for two timescales and five categories: continuum cameras with polarization, heterodyne arrays, integral field units, single pixel multi-band receivers, and a solar instrument.
We estimated the total costs for the realisation and operations of the AtLAST observatory, including foundation and site preparation work, site infrastructure construction, instrumentation development, and realisation of the renewable energy system.
In 2024 we organised an AtLAST conference at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and a special session of the European Astronomical Society’s annual meeting, with the participation of astronomers from the global submillimeter community. We gave 51 talks at international conferences and engaged in 57 additional dissemination actions.
We consulted with the world-wide scientific community working on a variety of sub-fields in Astrophysics. We summarised the most transformative science goals in three main scientific questions: 1) Where are all the baryons? 2) How do structures interact with their environments? 3) What does the time-varying submillimeter sky look like? Our science papers make use of the AtLAST sensitivity calculator and the maria simulator, developed within the framework of the project.
We identified two potential sites on the 5000m-high Chajnantor plateau in Northern Chile. On both sites, we installed specially designed 24-metre-high weather towers to simultaneously measure the wind speed and wind gusts, which have the strongest impact on the telescope structure. The preferred site is located inside the Atacama Astronomical Park.
We produced an operations plan, learning from the experience from other infrastructures such as ESO, ALMA, APEX, incorporating of lessons learned from the pandemic and based on the core principles of diversity, equity, safety, sustainability, accessibility, and transparency.
We researched available options for the future governance structure and legal entity of the AtLAST observatory, and evaluated them by considering the priorities and needs of AtLAST, such as that of an efficient implementation and operational management of the telescope.
We included a sustainability study to reduce the economic and environmental impact of the AtLAST infrastructure. We found that using primarily solar power allows to save 30-40% of costs compared to solely diesel generators. A 100% renewable setup with solar panels, batteries, and hydrogen storage results in the lowest carbon emission scenario. However, including a small supply of diesel equal to 7% of the annual demand would reduce by 27% the mineral resource depletion and water use.
We investigated the sustainability aspect also from the - often overlooked - perspective of including in the decision process the local communities in San Pedro de Atacama, to facilitate the social acceptance of the infrastructure.
We collected specifications for future AtLAST instrumentation exploiting the large focal plane of the telescope, for two timescales and five categories: continuum cameras with polarization, heterodyne arrays, integral field units, single pixel multi-band receivers, and a solar instrument.
We estimated the total costs for the realisation and operations of the AtLAST observatory, including foundation and site preparation work, site infrastructure construction, instrumentation development, and realisation of the renewable energy system.
In 2024 we organised an AtLAST conference at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and a special session of the European Astronomical Society’s annual meeting, with the participation of astronomers from the global submillimeter community. We gave 51 talks at international conferences and engaged in 57 additional dissemination actions.
Several aspects of the AtLAST design study are highly innovative:
- The telescope design of AtLAST goes beyond the state of the art. Thanks to the planned use of an active surface and live metrology system, AtLAST can achieve a high surface accuracy of ≤ 20 μm half wavefront error, allowing observations up to 950 GHz, which is unprecedented on a 50 meter primary dish surface. This unique design can achieve fast scanning (3 deg/s) and acceleration (1 deg/s2).
- We designed an energy recuperation system for the telescope, an innovative feature that has never been implemented before in astronomical infrastructures. This system will ensure that a large fraction (up to 85%) of the kinetic energy that the telescope uses for scanning the sky will be recovered using supercapacitors. This property of the AtLAST design increases its energy efficiency and decreases the power demands for the research infrastructure.
- We performed for the first time active research in the field of renewable energy systems tailored to the power needs and operational constraints of an astronomical observatory. Compared to optical ground-based telescopes, AtLAST will operate day and night, and its instrumentation may need cooling that increases its power demand. The results of this work can be applied to many other astronomical facilities around the world, hence contributing to making astronomy sustainable.
AtLAST’s vision is to promote a sustainable pursuit of transformational science. The project has had already a wide impact by stimulating research and directly producing results that will significantly advance the fields of astrophysics, telescope design, sustainable power delivery and storage in remote locations, and instrumentation development.
- The telescope design of AtLAST goes beyond the state of the art. Thanks to the planned use of an active surface and live metrology system, AtLAST can achieve a high surface accuracy of ≤ 20 μm half wavefront error, allowing observations up to 950 GHz, which is unprecedented on a 50 meter primary dish surface. This unique design can achieve fast scanning (3 deg/s) and acceleration (1 deg/s2).
- We designed an energy recuperation system for the telescope, an innovative feature that has never been implemented before in astronomical infrastructures. This system will ensure that a large fraction (up to 85%) of the kinetic energy that the telescope uses for scanning the sky will be recovered using supercapacitors. This property of the AtLAST design increases its energy efficiency and decreases the power demands for the research infrastructure.
- We performed for the first time active research in the field of renewable energy systems tailored to the power needs and operational constraints of an astronomical observatory. Compared to optical ground-based telescopes, AtLAST will operate day and night, and its instrumentation may need cooling that increases its power demand. The results of this work can be applied to many other astronomical facilities around the world, hence contributing to making astronomy sustainable.
AtLAST’s vision is to promote a sustainable pursuit of transformational science. The project has had already a wide impact by stimulating research and directly producing results that will significantly advance the fields of astrophysics, telescope design, sustainable power delivery and storage in remote locations, and instrumentation development.