Arcminute Microkelvin Imager

The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) is an interferometer radio telescope designed principally to image secondary anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at higher angular resolution than the Very Small Array. It consists of two interferometric arrays sited at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cambridge, both operating in the frequency range 12-18 GHz. The short baseline array consists of ten 3.7-m parabolic antennae while the long-baseline array is composed of seven 13m antennae.

Related Topics:
Radio telescope - Anisotropies - Cosmic microwave background - Very Small Array - Interferometric - Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory

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The main goals of the project are to carry out a survey of clusters of galaxies via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (the scattering of the CMB off gas in the cluster), with follow-up observations at other wavelengths, and to do pointed observations of individual clusters. AMI will also make very high resolution observations of the primordial CMB power spectrum.

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The resulting catalogue of galaxy clusters could shed light on the nature of dark energy (thought to account for about 70% of the energy density of the Universe).

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The telescope is currently being built, and as of August 2005 only eight of the short baseline array telescopes were operating. Full survey observations will begin in late 2005. Commissioning observations in August 2005 mapped the cluster plasma in Abell 1914.

Related Topics:
2005 - Abell 1914

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The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager has recently been joined by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovic Array in California which is performing a similar survey, and the South Pole Telescope in Antarctica which will commence a survey in 2007.

Related Topics:
Sunyaev-Zel'dovic Array - South Pole Telescope - Antarctica

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