SAO submillimeter-wavelength telescope array

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is investigating the design and construction of a submillimeter-wavelength interferometer. The preliminary design is for an array of six 6-m diameter telescopes operating in the wavelength range from 1.3 to 0.35 mm with an angular resolution of one arcsec or finer. Possible sites include Mauna Kea, HI, and Mount Graham, AZ. The cost of the project is estimated to be about 25 million (1984) dollars for a well developed continental U.S. site. The scientific usefulness of a ground-based array will be substantial even though the transparency of the atmosphere at the shorter wavelengths is acceptable for only a small fraction of the time, and the results will be important for the design of future space-based instrumentation