The interferometric Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) - the largest astronomical facility currently in existence - consists of 66 antennas and is located in the Chilean Andes at an altitude of 5000m. ALMA has already demonstrated its impressive capabilities by observing a large variety of targets ranging from protoplanetary disks to galactic nuclei. Regular observations of our Sun, which are technically challenging, will begin in 2016.
ALMA is a true leap forward in terms of spatial resolution at millimeter wavelengths. The resolution of reconstructed interferometric images of the Sun is anticipated to be close to what current optical solar telescopes can achieve. In combination with the high temporal and spectral resolution, these new capabilities open up new parameter spaces for solar millimeter observations with great scientific potential. The international research network SSALMON, which is hosted here at ITA, aims at coordinating and preparing for this unique opportunity.
Solar observations with ALMA is also the topic of my application for an ERC CoG grant, which I will present soon in Brussels. I will start this colloquium talk with my 10min ERC presentation and would appreciate your feedback. After this probably unusual experience, I will give a more detailed but yet brief introduction to solar observations with ALMA.