Plateau de Bure Interferometer

Plateau de Bure Interferometer
Several of the interferometer's antennas, with one of the rails for antenna displacement in the foreground.
Alternative names PdBI Edit this at Wikidata
Observatory Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique Edit this on Wikidata
Location(s) Grenoble, France Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates 44°38′02″N 5°54′29″E / 44.63389°N 5.90792°E / 44.63389; 5.90792Coordinates: 44°38′02″N 5°54′29″E / 44.63389°N 5.90792°E / 44.63389; 5.90792 Edit this at Wikidata
Organization Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique Edit this on Wikidata
Altitude 2,550 m (8,370 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Built 1988 Edit this on Wikidata– (1988 Edit this on Wikidata–) Edit this at Wikidata
Telescope style radio interferometer Edit this on Wikidata
Replaced by Northern Extended Millimeter Array Edit this on Wikidata
Website www.iram-institute.org Edit this at Wikidata
Location of Plateau de Bure Interferometer

The Plateau de Bure Interferometer is a seven-antenna interferometer on the Pic de Bure (2550 m) in the French Alps, operated by the Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique. It is specifically designed for millimetre-wave observations and specialises in studies of line emission from molecular gas and radio continuum of cold dust.[1]

The interferometer consists of six antennas with a diameter of 15m each. These antennas can be placed in a T-shaped pattern, with North - South track of 368m and an East - West track of 768m. There are 32 stations along these tracks where the antennas can be positioned. Observing bands are at 3,2,1.8 and 0.8 mm.[2] At an observing wavelength of 3 mm (100 GHz frequency) each of these telescopes can resolve two objects 45 arcseconds apart from each other on the sky. In an interferometer, these 45″ are actually the size of the field of view. So an interferometer like this one images, at very high resolution (better than 1″), structures smaller than 45″.[3]

Aerial tramway

The observatory is serviced by an aerial tramway.

1999 accident

On 1 July 1999 an aerial tramway car fell 80 metres (260 ft) to the valley floor. All 20 occupants were killed, in one of the worst cable car accidents in recorded history. The majority were employees and contractors of an international astronomical observatory run by the Institut de Radioastronomie Millémétrique.[4][5][6][7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About the IRAM interferometer".
  2. ↑ "Description of the Plateau de Bure Interferometer". 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008.
  3. ↑ "Spatial Resolution of the Plateau de Bure Interferometer". 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008.
  4. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jul/01/1
  5. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jul/02/jonhenley
  6. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/383432.stm
  7. ↑ John Lichfield (2 July 1999). "Alpine cable car disaster kills 20". The Independent.
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