Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter CCAT

Tuesday, 19 September 2017, 14:00   (Auditorium MPS)

CCAT-prime project overview

Frank Bertoldi¹ on behalf of the CCAT-p collabroation
¹Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, University of Bonn
Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany

CCAT-prime (CCAT-p) will be a 6-meter diameter telescope located at 5600 meters elevation on Cerro Chajnantor in the high Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Situated at a high, dry site and with a surface accuracy of better than 10 \mum, CCAT-p will observe the sky at submillimeter to millimeter wavelengths. A novel ''crossed-Dragone" optical design will deliver a high-throughput, wide-field-of-view telescope capable of illuminating more than 100,000 detectors enabling rapid mapping of large areas of the sky. The high site offers superb observing conditions, yielding routine access to the 350 \mum window and improved performance at longer wavelengths.
A partnership of Cornell University, a consortium of German institutions led by the Universities of Cologne and Bonn, and a consortium of eight Canadian academic institutions are working together to create CCAT-p. Researchers at additional institutes in the U.S., Canada, Germany and Chile are involved in science planning and instrument development.
Deployment of the CCAT-p telescope and instrumentation on Cerro Chajnantor will also provide operational experience at high altitude, reducing risk for the future construction of a 25-meter class telescope at the same site.