Breakthrough Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

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This AAS Special Session will update the community on the capabilities, news, and science from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA is among the largest multi-national science projects in the world, and has been conducting astronomical observations since October 2011. Now in Full Operations, ALMA Cycle 7 science observing will begin in October 2019.

ALMA is a complete imaging and spectroscopic telescope operating at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. It offers an unprecedented new look at our Universe near and far, from direct imaging of planet formation to groundbreaking observations of the first stars and galaxies. ALMA provides unprecedented sensitivity, image fidelity, and angular resolution at these wavelengths and enables forefront research with stunning images and spectroscopy.

This Special Session will feature an overview on the status of the Joint ALMA Observatory by the ALMA Director followed by invited science talks that highlight recent results from the first ALMA Large programs, results from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), and breakthrough results from other ALMA projects. The science talks will include: (1) the molecular and physical origins of planetary systems as observed by the Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP) and others; (2) direct imaging of the supermassive black hole in M87 via Very Long Baseline  Interferometry using the EHT; (3) the interplay between the small-scale physics of gas and star formation with galactic structure and evolution as studied by the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project; and (4) the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (ASPECS) project. We will also describe the role of the North American ALMA Science Center in supporting Principal Investigator and archival research by North American investigators. 

ALMA, an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), MOST and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.

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