Argus144: High resolution molecular gas mapping with a 144-element 3mm Array on the Green Bank Telescope

The Green Bank Observatory plans to construct a 144-element receiver array operating between 74-116 GHz (W-band, 3mm) to serve as an open skies instrument on the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Argus144 will have a 6'×6' field of view with 8 arcsec resolution, allowing for high spatial resolution mapping of large areas of the Galactic plane and of other areas of interest across the Milky Way. It will enable mapping speeds ten times faster than the current generation of Argus, a 16-element prototype array on the GBT. Argus144 on the GBT will allow for wider-field imaging and deeper sensitivity than any current or planned 3mm facility worldwide. It will be a critical complement to higher resolution, but narrower field, facilities such as ALMA and the ngVLA to study molecular gas dynamics and chemistry across the Milky Way and in nearby galaxies.

The Green Bank Observatory hosted a meeting in September 2020 to discuss the science, engineering, and computing resources necessary to enable Argus144, and we are currently assembling working groups to further build the case for the instrument. The Green Bank Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.