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[<< Section 1.3](/1-intro-alpaca/1.3)
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[<< Section 1.3](/1-intro-alpaca/1.3)
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## 2.1. Scientific Justification for Moving ALPACA to the GBT
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### 2.1.1 Scientific Justification for Moving ALPACA to the GBT
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With the decommissioning of the Arecibo Telescope and subsequent collapse on Dec. 1, 2020, the ALPACA project (NSF MSIP Award 1636645) lost its intended host platform. Without a change in approach to find another observatory and suitable telescope, this half-completed project would not have a future. BYU and Cornell University propose to pursue installing the ALPACA PAF on the Green Bank Telescope. This document presents a science justification for doing so.
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With the decommissioning of the Arecibo Telescope and subsequent collapse on Dec. 1, 2020, the ALPACA project (NSF MSIP Award 1636645) lost its intended host platform. Without a change in approach to find another observatory and suitable telescope, this half-completed project would not have a future. BYU and Cornell University propose to pursue installing the ALPACA PAF on the Green Bank Telescope. This document presents a science justification for doing so.
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### Best alternative telescope
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### 2.1.2 Best alternative telescope
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The Green Bank Telescope is the obvious replacement platform for the ALPACA PAF because it is the largest aperture single dish US instrument. It will provide high sensitivity which, though not quite approaching that of Arecibo, is still in the same “world’s top tier” class. Further, with its fully steerable dish and nearly horizon-to-horizon view, it will enable far better sky coverage and thus additional science not possible at Arecibo. In addition, the BYU team has over a decade of experience collaborating with GBO to develop the science and practice of phased array feeds, including many experiments on the Green Bank 20 meter Telescope and the GBT. This work culminated recently in commissioning the 7-beam L-band FLAG PAF system for the GBT. FLAG is the immediate predecessor in the development path for the 40-beam ALPACA PAF, which will supersede the capabilities of FLAG by an order of magnitude. Many of the scientific community members who were anticipated users of ALPACA at Arecibo, are also active users of the GBT.
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The Green Bank Telescope is the obvious replacement platform for the ALPACA PAF because it is the largest aperture single dish US instrument. It will provide high sensitivity which, though not quite approaching that of Arecibo, is still in the same “world’s top tier” class. Further, with its fully steerable dish and nearly horizon-to-horizon view, it will enable far better sky coverage and thus additional science not possible at Arecibo. In addition, the BYU team has over a decade of experience collaborating with GBO to develop the science and practice of phased array feeds, including many experiments on the Green Bank 20 meter Telescope and the GBT. This work culminated recently in commissioning the 7-beam L-band FLAG PAF system for the GBT. FLAG is the immediate predecessor in the development path for the 40-beam ALPACA PAF, which will supersede the capabilities of FLAG by an order of magnitude. Many of the scientific community members who were anticipated users of ALPACA at Arecibo, are also active users of the GBT.
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With the loss of AO, which will increase pressure on the GBT, many ongoing and planned observational campaigns would greatly benefit from a very widefield, multibeam, L-band survey instrument on the GBT. We describe below several examples of expressed interest from the broader scientific community in what could be accomplished using the ALPACA receiver on the GBT. None of these studies are funded directly under the ALPACA construction project, but the scientific community will find it of great utility as a facility instrument available on the GBT.
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With the loss of AO, which will increase pressure on the GBT, many ongoing and planned observational campaigns would greatly benefit from a very widefield, multibeam, L-band survey instrument on the GBT. We describe below several examples of expressed interest from the broader scientific community in what could be accomplished using the ALPACA receiver on the GBT. None of these studies are funded directly under the ALPACA construction project, but the scientific community will find it of great utility as a facility instrument available on the GBT. |
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