From its inception in 1969, the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) has emphasized pioneering research, the development of state-of-the-art technology, and the training of students. The initial telescope of FCRAO was a customized low frequency array designed to search for pulsars in the Galaxy. Instrumentation developed in FCRAO labs contributed to the discovery of the binary pulsar PSR1913+16 by then UMass Professor Joe Taylor and UMass graduate student Russel Hulse, for which they received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.
FCRAO Radome-enclosed 14-m Telescope
FCRAO 14-m Telescope
The low frequency array was superseded in 1976 by a 14-m diameter radome-enclosed telescope for use at high radio frequencies where molecules of astrophysical interest have their fundamental rotational transitions. Designed with the study of such molecules in mind, the FCRAO telescope is used to study the physics and chemistry of interstellar molecular clouds, circumstellar envelopes, planetary atmospheres, and comets. Among the scientific programs for which FCRAO is best know are:
- the Massachusetts-Stony Brook Galactic Plane Survey and the FCRAO CO Surveyof the 2nd Quadrant, which provide the most complete information available on Milky Way clouds.
- the FCRAO Extragalactic CO Survey of 300 galaxies, which when combined with HI and optical/IR observations, provides the basis for understanding galaxies and their evolution.
- surveys of the structure of individual molecular clouds in the Milky Way; when combined with optical/IR observations, have led to a deeper understanding of star-forming regions.
- characterization of the chemical composition of molecular clouds and charting of chemical processes which influence the abundance of molecular tracers.
- the study of cometary comae, which contain the most primitive material surviving the birth of the solar system, and thus provide unique records of the early history of the solar system.
An important part of FCRAO is instrumentation. Over the last decade, FCRAO has developed cryogenic receivers that are the most sensitive of their type in the world; frequency multipliers that have led to the replacement of vacuum tube oscillators by multiplied solid state sources; quasi-optical systems, filters, and polarimeters; and low-noise, millimeter-wave monolithic integrated (MMIC) amplifiers. In 1990 FCRAO developed the first imaging system for use at millimeter wavelengths. This system was replaced in 1997 by a new imaging receiver that uses MMIC amplifiers to provide the first stage gain. This new imaging detector will be expanded to 32-elements in the coming year. The new detectors are 2-3 times more sensitive than the previous receiver elements. Also under development is a new digital autocorrelation spectrometer that will permit simultaneous observations of two frequency bands within each of the 32 detectors.
The low frequency array was superseded in 1976 by a 14-m diameter radome-enclosed telescope for use at high radio frequencies where molecules of astrophysical interest have their fundamental rotational transitions. Designed with the study of such molecules in mind, the FCRAO telescope is used to study the physics and chemistry of interstellar molecular clouds, circumstellar envelopes, planetary atmospheres, and comets. Among the scientific programs for which FCRAO is best know are:
- the Massachusetts-Stony Brook Galactic Plane Survey and the FCRAO CO Surveyof the 2nd Quadrant, which provide the most complete information available on Milky Way clouds.
- the FCRAO Extragalactic CO Survey of 300 galaxies, which when combined with HI and optical/IR observations, provides the basis for understanding galaxies and their evolution.
- surveys of the structure of individual molecular clouds in the Milky Way; when combined with optical/IR observations, have led to a deeper understanding of star-forming regions.
- characterization of the chemical composition of molecular clouds and charting of chemical processes which influence the abundance of molecular tracers.
- the study of cometary comae, which contain the most primitive material surviving the birth of the solar system, and thus provide unique records of the early history of the solar system.
An important part of FCRAO is instrumentation. Over the last decade, FCRAO has developed cryogenic receivers that are the most sensitive of their type in the world; frequency multipliers that have led to the replacement of vacuum tube oscillators by multiplied solid state sources; quasi-optical systems, filters, and polarimeters; and low-noise, millimeter-wave monolithic integrated (MMIC) amplifiers. In 1990 FCRAO developed the first imaging system for use at millimeter wavelengths. This system was replaced in 1997 by a new imaging receiver that uses MMIC amplifiers to provide the first stage gain. This new imaging detector will be expanded to 32-elements in the coming year. The new detectors are 2-3 times more sensitive than the previous receiver elements. Also under development is a new digital autocorrelation spectrometer that will permit simultaneous observations of two frequency bands within each of the 32 detectors.