Gie Han Tan - ALMA2040: Concept and Enabling Technologies for a Next Generation Interferometer

ALMA2040: Concept and Enabling Technologies for a Next-Generation Interferometer Gie Han Tan Eindhoven University of Technology The ALMA2040 initiative is developing a science-driven concept for a next-generation millimeter/submillimeter interferometric facility designed to deliver a step change in sensitivity and angular resolution—capabilities not achievable with current or planned facilities. Cost, operational efficiency, and sustainability are treated as core design requirements from the outset. These advances are enabled by a combination of increased collecting area and major developments in receiver technology, including multi-band operation, substantially broader instantaneous bandwidth, and improved receiver noise temperature. This will allow full receiver bands to be observed simultaneously, enabling highly efficient spectral surveys and transformative gains in line sensitivity and observing efficiency beyond the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade. While many of the required technologies already exist, their implementation at the necessary scale remains cost-prohibitive. The ALMA2040 concept therefore builds on a set of emerging technologies—expected to mature over the next decade—that will enable a technically feasible and financially viable facility. The development of this concept brings together expertise across instrumentation, engineering, and operations within the ALMA2040 technical working groups, ensuring a coherent and realistic path toward a next-generation facility.