Cryoconnect assemblies help ALMA reach new heights in submillimetre astronomy

Set on the high plateau of the Chajnantor Plain of the Chilean Andes, ALMA will be composed of at least 66 12 metres and 7 metres high-precision antennae. Upon completion ALMA’s Large Array will have 12-meter antennas for sensitive, high resolution imaging and the ACA (ALMA Compact Array) will have additional 12-meter antennas and 7-meter antennas enhancing the fidelity of wide field imaging.

ALMA is the largest telescope ever constructed to operate at the very highest radio frequencies, imaging ability in all atmospheric windows from 3.6 mm to 0.3 mm (84 GHz to 950 GHz. Working with the members of the ALMA International Consortium Cryoconnect supported the design and manufacture of the ULT interconnection systems for:

· The cryostats: For RAL (Rutherford and Appleton Laboratory).

· The Band 3 Receivers: For NRC-HIA (National Research Council Canada - Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics).

· The Band 6 Receivers: For NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory).

· The Band 9 Receivers: For SRON (Netherlands Institute for Space Research).

Observing the cosmos with the ALMA Arrays will allow for the study of warm and cold dust in star-forming regions, both in our own Milky Way and in distant galaxies in the young universe. High frequency spectral lines enable the exploration of the structure and chemistry of planetary atmospheres, dying stars, molecular clouds and the inner regions of starburst galaxies. The project will address issues from the vast scales of the structure of the Universe down to the physics and chemistry of comets.

ALMA will begin scientific observations in the second half of 2011 and is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2012. “The Cryoconnect team are proud of their involvement in this world class experiment,” said Roy Blake, Business Development Manager at Tekdata.