LLAMA: a mm/submm radiotelescope in the Andes, in collaboration with Argentina

Abstract

We plan to install a radio telescope 12 meters in diameter for millimeter and sub-millimeter waves, at close to 5000 m altitude, in the Argentine Andes, in collaboration with the Argentine Institute for Radio Astronomy. The main lines of research are: 1) black holes and accretion discs 2) Molecular evolution of clouds and astrobiology 3) the spiral structure of the Galaxy. Observations will be conducted in the "single dish" mode and interferometry (VLBI- Very Long-Baseline Interferometry), benefiting, for these observations, from the proximity of the largest international project in astronomy today, ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetric Array). The acronym of our project, LLAMA (Long Latin American Millimetric Array) reflects the intention that this instrument is the seed of a wider Latin American VLBI network. (AU)