“Towards an Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope”, in short AtLAST, is a three years long design study for a new astronomical sub-millimetre observatory.
The 3.5 million euros grant assigned by the European commission under the Horizon2020 research and innovation program will enable a comprehensive design study for AtLAST, which will take into account technical, operational and environmental challenges of this ground-breaking new infrastructure, possibly ready in 2030s.
The project represents a giant technological leap for astrophysicists and for scientists exploring ways to make AtLAST fully powered by renewable energy, - the first study of such kind for an astronomical facility, says Dr. Claudia Cicone, new associate professor at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, and study lead of the project.
