ALMA Little Universe

ALMA Little Universe - A micro podcast about the world's largest ground-based astronomical observatory.

From the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile, we can observe the light of distant galaxies hidden behind stardust and images of the early origins of the Universe.All this and much more has been made possible through the 66 giant antennas that make up a unique radio telescope that has come to revolutionize astronomy. Let's discover the little Universe of ALMA and begin this journey towards the origins of the Cosmos.

The human eye can only see a small portion of the light within the Universe. But the elements of the Cosmos emit in a wide range of wavelengths. Thus, it has been only through engineering that scientists have been able to see the light that our eyes can't see.In this episode, the Italian radio frequency engineer Giorgio Siringo explains how ALMA has made it possible to see a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that was hidden from us until recently and why scientists from all over the world want to come to the Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert of the world, to do their researches.

Using ALMA to do research and explore the Universe has a worldwide benefit". Nevertheless, there is a limit to scientific projects that the observatory can be involved in. In this episode, Observatory Scientist John Carpenter explains to us how, each year, ALMA receives proposals from researchers from all over the world and the mechanisms used to select the ones that are going to gaze at the Cosmos.

The construction cost of ALMA is estimated at over a billion US dollars, and every year of operation involves millions of dollars of investment and resources. Twenty-one countries from all around the world have collaborated to make this feat happen. In this episode, Cristian Puentes, ALMA Director of Finance and Administration, will explain to us how they manage the investments from many countries' public money in benefit to the pursuit of knowledge about the Cosmos that is revolutionizing astronomy.

Sixty-six antennas working together made possible the operation of ALMA Observatory.How can this telescope in the Atacama Desert see a whole part of the Cosmos that could not be seen before? In this episode, Emilio Barrios, the Array Operations Manager working at ALMA since 2008, explains why there are three antennas and how they interact with their receivers to get weak signals from the Universe.Furthermore, let's know how this revolutionary radio telescope, which allows us to see a previously unreachable part of the Cosmos, came to be due to the efforts of engineers and scientists worldwide.

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The 66 antennas of the ALMA Observatory operate in different configurations of distance between each of them to help scientists from various fields observe and analyze the previously unreachable and unseeable areas of the Cosmos. In this episode, Alfredo Elgueta, a mechanic operator of one of the massive transporters, will explain how they constantly move the 66 antennas of ALMA, which weigh 100 tons each. Let's discover how Otto and Lore, the nicknames of the two transporters, help scientists understand the mysteries of the Cosmos.

What technologies have made it possible for the ALMA Observatory to observe and analyze with the accuracy of a human hair in distances of light-years? In this episode, Mark Galilei, technical mechanical lead at ALMA, will explain to us how the multiple receiver bands of each antenna are helping the scientific community to see and understand phenomena far away from us in the Universe.

We have already referred to the 66 antennas that make up ALMA, but how do they operate as one telescope? In this episode, Giorgio Siringo, Senior Radio-Frequency Engineer, will explain how interferometry works. Furthermore, let's discover how one supercomputer synchronizes and synthesizes the light received through the antennas to constitute only one giant telescope.

How does the supercomputer that translates to binary code all the information received by ALMA antennas operate? In this episode, Lorenzo Martínez-Conde, an engineer who has been working at ALMA Observatory for 15 years, explains how the brain of the system behind this radio telescope operates and how each piece of information we have about the Cosmos is obtained through a complicated mathematical process that synthesizes the observations made.Let's journey through the two essential correlators of ALMA's Little Universe.

As we have stated in our previous episode, ALMA's multiple receiver bands are used to detect signals from the sky. However, these receiver bands must be kept at very cold temperatures to work properly on their purpose. In this episode, Mark Gallilee and Francisco Pino, who work in the cryogenics of ALMA, explain why and how to operate the complex processes by which the receivers of the antennas are kept at extremely low temperatures in the Atacama Desert, the driest of the Earth. Let's deepen our understanding of this revolutionary gateway to the distant parts of the Cosmos in ALMA's Little Universe.

The antennas are located in the Atacama Desert at 5000 meters altitude and are constantly exposed to extreme weather conditions and temperatures. How much time will they last? Are they durable through time? In this episode, Mark Galilee, one of the technician engineers of ALMA, will tell us about the antennas and their constant maintenance and inspections to keep the observatory functioning properly.Furthermore, Fabiola Cruzat, an Array Maintenance Group Supervisor, will help us understand the electronics inside the antennas.

On the Chajnantor Plateau, at 5000 meters altitude, there are the 66 antennas that constitute the ALMA radio telescope. 2 kilometers below is the Operation Support Facility, where many engineers, technicians, and scientists work nights and days. In this episode, Giorgio Siringo, Senior Radio-frequency engineer, explains the team's working schedule. Moreover, Cristian Puentes, Director of Finance and Administration, tells us how the ALMA Observatory takes care of the hospitality for the staff.

In this episode of ALMA's Little Universe, we will discuss how the Operation Support Facility is equipped to give their workers all the comforts and services needed, even at almost 3000 meters altitude in the Atacama Desert. The equipment includes offices, cafeterias, a gym with a pool, a barbecue area, and individual dormitories. We will speak with Carlos Bosa, project manager for a new multisport center at ALMA, also with Norikazu Mizuno, ALMA Deputy Director of Operations, who shared with us part of the massive efforts that are made to keep the workers living in good conditions, no matter how adverse the desert's environment and climate are.

As we have known in our last episode of ALMA's Little Universe, OSF staff, during their shifts, are provided with many services that guarantee their comfort and proper work in the heights of the Atacama Desert. In this episode, Maryluz Jara, a Hospitality Services Coordinator, explains how they provide all the food, cleaning, maintenance, and transportation services and prepare everything for any eventuality. Let's discover how this essential task allows ALMA to be hospitable and habitable in a hidden place.

ALMA's 66 antennas are located in the Array Operation Site (or AOS for short), a 40-minute drive from the observatory's camp. As AOS is 5,000 meters above sea level, anyone working there must be subjected to health tests to avoid risks.In this episode, Dania Lange, a nursery at the ALMA Observatory, explains how they test and monitor their staff permanently to be safe while performing their jobs and what symptoms could appear if their medical work is not done carefully.

Though most engineering and technical works of ALMA occur during the daytime, astronomical observations can run day and night since the telescope is sensible to radio waves, which do not interfere with daylight. But how does the observatory operate 24/7? In this episode, James Miley, an ALMA Fellow who has worked as an astronomer on duty, will explain to us how they constantly monitor all weather conditions to achieve the best possible samples of the Universe through the instrumentation of ALMA. Let's discover how the two control rooms of the observatory operate to analyze 24/7 under constantly changing weather conditions.

How do the raw data collected from the antennas become images from distant galaxies? In this episode, Drew Brisbin and Chin-Shin Chang, two scientists from the Science Archive Content Management, will help us to understand this. Furthermore, let's discover with Liz Humphreys how the Principal Investigators of any specific research get these processes done according to their purposes with information that later becomes publicly available to the world.

In this episode of ALMA's Little Universe, we will deepen our knowledge about how the raw data collected through the telescope becomes images intelligible by the human eye.How does the binary code information become three-dimensional images with pseudo-colors that are analyzable by researchers worldwide? Drew Brisbin and Chin-Shin Chang, two scientists from the Science Archive Content Management, will explain to us the processes behind the conversion of radio frequencies into three-dimensional colorized images of the Universe. Let's see how different images and products of the Cosmos emerge from ALMA.