Speaker
Description
In the last 15 years, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
(ALMA) has revolutionized astrophysics by providing unprecedented
resolution and sensitivity for observing the cold Universe. However, in
another 15 years from now, the scientific landscape will have changed
dramatically as major new facilities come online, and ALMA itself will
approach its fourth decade of operation. To remain at the forefront of
discovery, the community must consider how transformational new
capabilities in the (sub-)millimeter regime can sustain and expand
ALMA’s scientific leadership in an increasingly competitive global
environment.
The ALMA2040 initiative has been launched to articulate a long-term
scientific and technical vision for the observatory beyond the current
upgrade path. It aims to identify the key capability gaps that will
limit ALMA’s impact in the 2030s and 2040s, and to define ambitious yet
realistic development pathways that could deliver step-change
improvements in sensitivity, bandwidth, and angular resolution. In this
talk, I will introduce the motivation behind ALMA2040, summarize its
current status within the international partnership, and outline the
next steps toward defining and prioritizing future transformational
capabilities.
| Talk category | Plenary |
|---|---|
| Second preference | Splinter 1: Large Infrastructure and instrumentation |
