Argus-144: High resolution molecular gas mapping with a 144-element W-Band Array on the Green Bank Telescope

The Green Bank Observatory plans to construct a 144-element radio camera for spectroscopic studies in the 3mm W-band (74-116 GHz) to operate as an open skies instrument on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). With improvements in amplifier technology and a re-designed LO system, the new camera, called Argus-144, will increase mapping speeds by tenfold over that of Argus, a 16-element pilot version of the instrument. Combining the 6'×6' field of view of Argus-144 with the 8 arcsec beam of the 100m GBT will provide high spatial dynamic range maps of interstellar molecules that are crucial in understanding the physical processes and astro-chemistry associated with star formation, from the scale of entire galactic disks to the sub-parsec scale of interstellar filaments and dense molecular cloud cores. The GBT with Argus-144 will be unmatched worldwide for wide-area 3mm spectroscopic mapping, and will be a critical complement to ALMA, which has high angular resolution but a small field of view. Green Bank Observatory is actively seeking members of the mm-astronomy community to join working groups in the areas of science, technology, software/data considerations and broader impacts, relevant to the instrument.

The Green Bank Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.