SCUBA 2
Submillimetre astronomy, (at wavelengths of 200µm to 1mm), is most sensitive to very cold gas and dust. For example, a source with a temperature of 10 K (-263 C) emits most of its energy in a broad spectral region centred around 300 microns. Such very cold material is associated with objects in formation, that is, the mysterious earliest evolutionary stages of galaxies, stars and planets. If one wants to understand the origins of these most fundamental of astronomical structures, the submillimetre is the waveband of choice.
Over the past decade the UK has established itself as a world leader in submillimetre astronomy with access to the best telescope facilities and the most advanced instrumentation. In particular, the SCUBA bolometer camera, in conjunction with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), has completely revolutionised this previously poorly explored area of astronomy. SCUBA 2 seeks to capitalise on this success by providing the JCMT community with a state-of-the-art, wide-field camera giving unprecedented sensitivity and imaging power.
With a much larger field-of-view and sky-background limited sensitivity, SCUBA 2 will map large areas of sky up to 1000 times faster than the current SCUBA camera. All areas of astronomy will benefit, from studies of our Solar System and surveys of protostellar complexes in the Milky Way, to answering key questions about the formation and evolution of galaxies in the early Universe.
SCUBA 2 represents a major innovation from current submillimetre instruments. Incorporating state-of-the-art technology will allow the realisation of the first large-format "CCD-like" camera for submillimetre astronomy.
SCUBA 2 is a jointly funded project through the JCMT Development Fund with substantial additional contributions from the UK Office of Science and Technology and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
The development of SCUBA 2 is a collaboration between the UK ATC, the USA National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Astronomy Instrumentation Group at the University of Wales at Cardiff, the Scottish Microelectronics Centre at the University of Edinburgh, a consortium of Canadian Universities and the Joint Astronomy Centre (JAC).
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More information about SCUBA 2 is available from the menu below, or by contacting Wayne Holland.