The Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT), expected to be the world's largest short-millimeter telescope, will be located on top of Sierra Negra, a 14,000-foot volcanic peak in Puebla, Mexico. The LMT will measure 50 meters in diameter and will be 16 stories high with a 500-ton dish.
According to the LMT Web site, the LMT will detect radio waves which began their earthward journey 10-15 billion years ago. In addition, the telescope will probe the physical and chemical conditions within the birthplaces of stars. Researchers hope to discover the chemical paths which lead to the creation of complex molecules.
The idea for the telescope first arose at UMass in the 1980s when professors realized that their current telescope was no longer at the frontline of research. "When it [the current UMass telescope] was built in the 70s, it was the largest of its kind," said UMass Professor of Astronomy William Irvine. "We decided if we wanted to stay in the forefront, we need to do something new."
Workers began construction in 1998 expecting to complete the project in 2000. Construction costs were also projected to be half the current budget according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. However, due to several difficulties, the telescope's completion is now projected for late 2007.
Several problems occurred as a result of engineering challenges. Researchers chose the site for its low humidity, southerly latitude and the high transparency of the atmosphere, but all these traits contributed to construction delays. According to The Chronicle, 19 workers fainted during the first few days of construction because of the lack of oxygen. Lightning and strong winds of up to 120 miles per hour also contributed to the problems. The project was delayed a month when a truck carrying the dish was flipped over.
Construction workers are now working on the last phase of the project, which requires inserting grout into the top joints of the rotating base. Plans call for the dish to be lifted onto the rotating base in April. Workers plan to complete the command center and telescope panels later this year.
The LMT is expected to continue the functions of UMass' present observatory, which include research and training students. According to Irvine, the new telescope will greatly benefit students. "Certainly graduate students will be using it for thesis research," he said. Undergraduates using data from the current telescope hope to continue their research on the LMT.
Irvine added that students at the College will have access to the telescope as well. "We certainly hope that there will be Amherst students that will be involved," he said.
Although the telescope's construction remains unfinished, students have already had the opportunity to work with the LMT. "Students are involved in building the instruments for the telescope," said Irvine. "We need to build exquisitely sensitive radio receivers. Our systems will look at many points of the sky at a time."
Despite the optimism, those living in towns near the telescope are skeptical. "For all we know, they will use it to detect missiles," Plácido Villa, a 30-year-old farmer, told The Chronicle. Other villagers who believed that the telescope was preventing rain decided to throw the equipment off the mountain. "We had some equipment on another mountain that we were testing [in order to choose a site]," said Irvine. "[But] some people got it in their head that it was keeping it from raining and they tossed the equipment off the mountain." Fortunately, no such incident has occurred at the present site.
The LMT will actually provide a variety of opportunities for villagers. "Certainly some people will be employed. Some people are employed, for example, as guards," Irvine said. "We will be hiring some people to operate the telescope. Officials are also hoping to employ people as office staff for the base camp at the foot of the mountain." Irvine also added that officials are hoping have some kind of limited medical facilities that will be available to people in the surrounding towns.
Despite various obstacles, Irvine expressed his optimism about the project. "I think it's very exciting. This is the biggest collaborative science project between the United States and Mexico," he said. "It's very exciting to be part of one of the major astronomical facilities in the world."