This is a very cool result, and an extremely interesting application of current ALMA Observatory capabilities, in particular its long baselines to get higher spatial resolution (i.e., how small are our pixels in the X and Y dimension). But to achieve it, the team had to make very detailed adjustments to the correlation and observation setups so that all those molecules could be observed during several observation runs, within the constraints of our current system.

With the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU), many of those molecules will be able to be observed in many less observing setups, thanks to our wider bandwidth, but also with more detail in the spectral dimension (for each individual "pixel") thanks to our new correlators. So the number of spectral setups will be reduced, and the total observing time will be also reduced, allowing for more interesting science to happen!

That's the promise of the WSU, and we're working hard to fulfill it!

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimiterArray #WSU #WidebandSensitivityUpgrade

https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/alma-reveals-57-faces-of-a-dying-star/

Teams using our ALMA Observatory have been able to clearly show how magnetism has a pre-eminent role in young star accretion and growth!

The best part is that the lead scientist for that paper is our colleague Paulo Cortés, who apart from doing notable science is also responsible for the scientific acceptance of ALMA software releases!

https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/astronomers-spot-magnetically-guided-streamer-funneling-star-building-material-into-newborn-system-in-perseus/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #YoungStars #StarFormation #Magnetism #CosmicMagnetism

We have updated our website to communicate the status and the future benefits of ALMA's Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade in our site for scientists:

https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/scientists/alma-2030-wsu/wsu-program/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #WSU #WidebandSensitivityUpgrade

When is heavy water (i.e., that formed with deuterium instead of simple hydrogen) formed in the universe? Very early into protoplanetary system formation, it seems!

«Our detection indisputably demonstrates that the water seen in this planet-forming disk must be older than the central star and formed at the earliest stages of star and planet formation,” shares Margot Leemker, lead author on this paper, and a postdoc with the Department of Physics, University of Milan, Italy. “This presents a major breakthrough in understanding the journey of water through planet formation, and how this water made its way to our Solar System, and possibly Earth, through similar processes.”»

https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/first-ever-detection-of-heavy-water-in-a-planet-forming-disk/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #PlanetFormation #PlanetSystemFormation #GalacticWater #GalacticHeavyWater #HeavyWater #D2O

A group led by Fujimoto-san et al have uncovered a primordial galaxy, just 930 million years after the Big Bang (z=6.072). The galaxy is composed of at least 15 dense, star-forming clumps embedded within a rotating disk like a "Cosmic Grape". These clumps, with sizes ranging from 10 to 60 parsecs, dominate 70% of the galaxy's UV light, and are reshaping our understanding of early galactic structure formation. More than 100 hours of joint ALMA and JWST observations were made, amplified by gravitational lensing, making this one of the most studies early galaxies.

More information on https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/alma-and-james-webb-space-telescope-shed-light-on-cosmic-grapes/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #JWST #GalaxyEvolution #OriginOfGalaxies #EarlyUniverse #PrimordialGalaxies #GrapeLikeGalaxies

We have passed the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade System Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and the Critical Design and Manufacturing Review (CDMR) for the Observing Support Facility (OSF) Correlator Room (OCRO)… learn more here! https://alma.loadingediciones.cl/dev/es/alma-moves-forward-with-its-scientific-upgrade-progress-on-the-wsu-project/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #WSU #WidebandSensitivityUpgrade #PDR #PreliminaryDesignReview #CDMR #CriticalDesignManufacturingReview #OCR #OSFCorrelatorRoom #OSF #ObservingSupportFacility

This is my second migration on Mastodon, so I think an Introduction might be in order. I'm moving in to this account (that had lived independently, to test some of Mathstodon features) after astrodon.social is being sunset. Hope that Astrodon as a concept still lives!

I currently work in Systems Engineering for radio telescopes (in particular, the ALMA radio interferometer). I’ve also worked in software development and management for the SKAO observatory, and for the archive department at ESO. Of course, I'm also very interested in math (specially that having to do with system theory), so I'll try to get a bit stronger there.

Glad to see you all around!

#Introduction #SystemsEngineering #SystemTheory #RadioTelescopes #ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #SKAO #SquareKilometreArrayObservatory #ESO #EuropeanSouthernObservatory #Astrodon

Using data from ALMA and advanced simulations, a research team led by Santiago Orcajo from the Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata in Argentina (CONICET and Universidad Nacional de La Plata) has presented a new model that traces the evolution of protoplanetary disks through five distinct stages. The results strongly support a planet-driven origin of these substructures and offer new insights into how planets interact with the disks in which they form.

Stage I: Very young disks with shallow or no obvious substructures, corresponding to an epoch in which protoplanets are not massive enough to carve noticeable gaps in the disks.

Stage II: Disks with relatively narrow, but clear gaps and rings, indicating the growth of protoplanets

Stage III: A rapid widening of the gaps due to the sudden growth in the mass of some planets when they acquire their gaseous envelopes. This stage includes the rapid accumulation of dust at the outer edges of the gaps (the inner rims of the outer disks) due to the strong “pressure bumps” caused by the giant planets that recently formed, which stops the inward drift of dust.

Stage IV: Dust filtration at the edges of the cavities, resulting in dust-depleted inner disks. The millimeter dust from the outer disks efficiently drifts in and accumulates at the edges of the gaps.

Stage V: Eventually, the dusty inner disks drain completely onto the stars, and the outer disks become narrow rings (or collections of narrow rings).

More info: https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/alma-inspires-new-models-for-the-evolution-of-planet-forming-disks/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #ProtoplanetaryDisks #PlanetFormation #YoungStars #YoungSolarSystems

An international collaboration called exoALMA is using our telescopes to s peer through the dusty disks where planets are born. Thanks to their newly developed advanced imaging techniques, exoALMA has revealed the most sharp images of young solar systems, as never seen before. This research project has just published 17 papers, with several more coming on the several months.

The exoALMA collaboration is using ALMA to conduct a comprehensive planet hunting campaign in the sub-mm regime. They claim to be the first to focus on still-forming planets, instead of fully formed ones.

Unlike traditional planet-hunting methods that look for a young planet's direct light, exoALMA looks for the effects planets have on their surroundings. This approach potentially allows to detect much younger planets than ever before. "It's like trying to spot a fish by looking for ripples in a pond, rather than [the] fish itself.”

More information on the link below:

https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/exoalma-survey-reveals-incredible-images-of-structures-in-protoplanetary-disks/

#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #exoALMA #ExoPlanets #YoungStars #StarFormation #PlanetFormation #YoungPlanets