AIfA Projects
This website is under construction. Please stay tuned.
This space is to be used to give "Lighthouse projects" a more prominent place than within individual RG websites.
CCAT-prime / FYST
The centerpiece of the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT) Observatory is the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST), a 6-meter telescope designed for observations at submillimeter to millimeter wavelengths. Located at an exceptional 5,600-meter site on Cerro Chajnantor in the Chilean Atacama Desert, it overlooks the ALMA array. FYST’s innovative optical design enables high-throughput, wide-field observations, allowing for rapid and efficient sky mapping. Its precision surface and superb location provide routine access to the 350-micron observing window.
Designed and built by CPI Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, FYST is currently being transported from its construction site in Germany to Chile. First light is expected in late 2025.
The University of Bonn is a partner in the CCAT Collaboration which is responsible for construction of the telescope, instrument development, observatory operations, data analysis, and scientific publications. The Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Astronomy Team at the Argelander-Institut für Astronomie supports both the scientific and technical aspects of the project.
For more details, visit the CCAT Observatory website.
German ALMA Regional Centre (ARC) Node
The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a revolutionary interferometer for mm and submm astronomy in the Atacama desert in Northern Chile. It is operated by a global collaboration between Europe (ESO), North America (NRAO) and East Asia (NAOJ), in cooperation with Chile. The interface between ALMA and the user communities is provided by three ALMA Regional Centres (ARCs) in Europe, North America and East Asia.
The European ARC (EU ARC) is organized as a coordinated network with a central node at ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München and regional nodes located in Bologna (I), Bonn/Cologne (D), Grenoble (F), Leiden (NL), Manchester (GB), Ondrejov (CZ), and Onsala (S).
The German ARC node is a collaboration of the universities of Bonn and Cologne. Its headquarters are located at the Argelander-Institut für Astronomie in Bonn. The German ARC node provides services to ALMA operations, the local astronomical community and the general public.
More information here.
