The Breadth of VLA Science
The Breadth of VLA Science
With its new capabilities and specifications the VLA complements next-generation instruments at other wavelengths, such as ALMA, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and planned 30-meter ground-based, optical-infrared telescopes. The VLA will be easy to use, providing simplified proposal submission, automated scheduling, and default images. These will allow astronomers to take full advantage of the scientific opportunities available at radio wavelengths.
The Magnetic Universe
Magnetic fields are important in most astrophysical contexts, but are difficult to observe. The sensitivity, frequency agility, and spectral capability of the VLA will allow astronomers to trace the magnetic fields in X-ray emitting galaxy clusters, image the polarized emission in thousands of spiral galaxies, and map the 3D structure of magnetic fields on the Sun.
The Obscured Universe
Phenomena such as star formation and accretion onto massive black holes occur behind dense screens of dust and gas that render optical and infrared observations impossible. The VLA will observe through these screens to probe the atmospheres of giant planets, measure thermal jet motions in young stellar objects, and to image the densest regions in nearby starburst galaxies.
The Transient Universe
Astronomical transient sources tend to be compact objects that emit synchrotron radiation from high-energy particles, radiation best observed at radio wavelengths. The VLA will be ideal for studies of variable sources because of its high sensitivity, its ability to observe day and night under most weather conditions, and the rapid response enabled by dynamic scheduling. The VLA sensitivity will allow observations at higher frequencies, providing improved spatial resolution. The VLA will, e.g., image novae and relativistic jets anywhere in the Milky Way, and measure the sizes of many tens of GRBs each year.
The Evolving Universe
The formation of stars and galacies, and the evolution of the gas content of the Universe, are exciting topics for scientists using the VLA. Radio data can trace the evolution of neutral hydrogen and molecular gas, and provide extinction-free measurements of synchrotron, thermal free-free, and dust emission. The VLA will distinguish dust from free-free emission in disks and jets within local star-forming regions, and will measure the star-formation rate, irrespective of dust extinction, in high-z galaxies.
