Astrophysics And Space Science: Science With The Atacama Large Millimeter Array, A New Era For Astophysics : Proceedings Of A Conference Held In Madrid (spain), 13-17 November 2006 Astrophysics And Space Science

Currently under construction in the Andean Altiplano, Northern Chile, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is the most ambitious astronomy facility under construction. ALMA is a radio interferometer composed of 54 antennas of 12 m diameter, and twelve 7 m antennas with about 6600 square meters of total collecting area. Initially covering the most interesting spectral wavelength ranges from 3 to 0.3 mm, ALMA will be a revolutionary telescope aimed to unveil the details of star and planet formation and to provide astronomy with the first exhaustive view of the dark and youngest objects of the Universe. This book describes the enormous capabilities of ALMA, the state of the project, and most notably the scientific prospects with such a unique facility. The book includes comprehensive reviews and recent results on most hot topics of modern Astronomy (the formation and evolution of galaxies, the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium, and the processes of star and planet formation) with prospects to the revolutionary results to be obtained with ALMA. These topics, discussed with special emphasis on millimeter and sub-millimeter astronomy, are presented by some of the most world-wide reputed scientists in their fields. Front Matter....Pages i-xxvii The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array: overview & status....Pages 1-7 ALMA capabilities for observations of spectral line emission....Pages 9-12 ALMA capabilities for observations of continuum emission....Pages 13-14 Star and planet-formation with ALMA: an overview....Pages 15-22 High-mass star forming regions: An ALMA view....Pages 23-28 Early stages of star formation....Pages 29-34 Chemistry in low-mass star forming regions....Pages 35-40 Molecular outflows observed with ALMA....Pages 41-44 Unveiling the chemistry of hot protostellar cores with ALMA....Pages 45-51 High resolution submillimeter observations of massive protostars....Pages 53-57 High-resolution mm interferometry and the search for massive protostellar disks: the case of Cep-A HW2....Pages 59-63 The Class 0 source Barnard 1c....Pages 65-68 APEX and ATCA observations of the southern hot core G327.3-0.6 and its environs....Pages 69-72 The physical conditions in the BHR71 outflows....Pages 73-76 Interstellar deuteroammonia....Pages 77-80 Massive star formation in the southern Milky Way....Pages 81-85 SMA observations of the magnetic fields around a low-mass protostellar system....Pages 87-90 ASTE observations of the massive-star forming region Sgr B2: a giant impact scenario....Pages 91-94 A new view of proto-planetary disks with ALMA....Pages 95-100 Observational signature of planet formation: The ALMA view....Pages 101-107 Detecting protoplanets with ALMA....Pages 109-112 The study of young substellar objects with ALMA....Pages 113-117 A submillimeter view of protoplanetary dust disks....Pages 119-122 Studies of dense cores with ALMA....Pages 123-128 Chemistry in the ISM: the ALMA (r)evolution....Pages 129-134 High angular resolution imaging of the circumstellar material around intermediate mass (IM) stars....Pages 135-139 Polarization measurements of molecular lines....Pages 141-144 Molecular clouds and star formation in the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way....Pages 145-151 Complex organic molecules in an early stage of protostellar evolution....Pages 153-157 Revealing the “fingerprints” of the magnetic precursor of C-shocks....Pages 159-163 A new evolutionary scenario of intermediate-mass star-formation revealed by multi-wavelength observations of OMC-2/3....Pages 165-168 Scientific role of ACA for low-mass star-formation study....Pages 169-173 Planetary atmospheres with ALMA....Pages 175-181 Cometary science with ALMA....Pages 183-189 Observations of asteroids with ALMA....Pages 191-196 ALMA as the ideal probe of the solar chromosphere....Pages 197-200 The study of evolved stars with ALMA....Pages 201-207 Molecular lines from protoplanetary nebulae: observations with ALMA....Pages 209-214 Planetary nebulae and ALMA....Pages 215-221 Chemistry in the circumstellar medium....Pages 223-227 Understanding the chemical complexity in Circumstellar Envelopes of C-Rich AGB stars: the case of IRC +10216....Pages 229-233 New Plateau de Bure observations of M 1–92; unveiling the core....Pages 235-239 A massive, dusty toroid with large grains in the pre-planetary nebula IRAS22036+5306....Pages 241-244 Gas dynamics and structure of galaxies....Pages 245-251 Investigations of star formation in galaxies using ALMA....Pages 253-259 Probing the feeding and feedback of activity near and far....Pages 261-265 Chemical complexity in galaxies....Pages 267-272 Chemistry in luminous AGN and starburst galaxies....Pages 273-278 Dense gas in normal and active galaxies....Pages 279-285 Spectroscopic surveys of cosmic evolution....Pages 287-291 Observations of molecular clouds in nearby galaxies with ALMA....Pages 293-296 Luminous infrared galaxies with the submillimeter array: probing the extremes of star formation....Pages 297-302 The Galactic Center as nearby extragalactic chemical laboratory....Pages 303-306 Studying the first galaxies with ALMA....Pages 307-311 Detecting the most distant ( z >7) objects with ALMA....Pages 313-316 Redshift distribution of the submillimeter extragalactic background light....Pages 317-320 Molecular absorptions in high-z objects....Pages 321-326 Molecular signature of star formation at high redshifts....Pages 327-330 Dense molecular gas in a sample of LIRGs and ULIRGs: The low-redshift connection to the huge high-redshift starbursts and AGNs....Pages 331-335

currently Under Construction In The Andean Altiplano, Northern Chile, The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (alma) Is The Most Ambitious Astronomy Facility Under Construction. Alma Is A Radio Interferometer Composed Of 54 Antennas Of 12 M Diameter, And Twelve 7 M Antennas With About 6600 Square Meters Of Total Collecting Area. Initially Covering The Most Interesting Spectral Wavelength Ranges From 3 To 0.3 Mm, Alma Will Be A Revolutionary Telescope Aimed To Unveil The Details Of Star And Planet Formation And To Provide Astronomy With The First Exhaustive View Of The Dark And Youngest Objects Of The Universe.

this Book Describes The Enormous Capabilities Of Alma, The State Of The Project, And Most Notably The Scientific Prospects With Such A Unique Facility. The Book Includes Comprehensive Reviews And Recent Results On Most Hot Topics Of Modern Astronomy (the Formation And Evolution Of Galaxies, The Physics And Chemistry Of The Interstellar Medium, And The Processes Of Star And Planet Formation) With Prospects To The Revolutionary Results To Be Obtained With Alma. These Topics, Discussed With Special Emphasis On Millimeter And Sub-millimeter Astronomy, Are Presented By Some Of The Most World-wide Reputed Scientists In Their Fields.