Expanding the Discovery Space with the Next Generation VLA
- Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
April 18, 2025 3:30 PM -
April 18, 2025 4:30 PM
PAIS 1100
- Host:
- Rich Rand
- Presenter:
- Dr. Ylva Pihlstrom (NRAO & UNM)
The next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) represents the next major step forward for the US radio astronomy community. The ngVLA will be a single interferometric array replacing the VLA and the VLBA, providing ten times the sensitivity and angular resolution of the Jansky VLA and ALMA. With a frequency range between 1.2-116 GHz straddling the sub-mm wavelengths of ALMA and the longer wavelengths of the phase I Square Kilometer Array (SKA-1), a new regime of discovery space will become accessible. The ngVLA is designed to address five key science goals: unveiling the formation of solar system analogues, probing the initial conditions for planetary systems and life with astrochemistry, understanding the formation and evolution of black holes, performing fundamental tests of gravity using pulsars, and charting the assembly and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. The sensitivity and high angular resolution will further transform astrometry in the radio regime, enabling access to multi-epoch imaging at thermal levels. This talk will provide an overview of the ngVLA project, including the science goals and current project status.