Speaker
Description
In the last 15 years, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)—one of ESO’s flagship facilities—has revolutionized astrophysics with its high-definition view of the cold Universe. Looking ahead another 15 years to the 2040s, many of the most transformative questions in the field will demand a step change in sensitivity and angular resolution at these critical wavelengths. While major upgrades such as the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade will significantly enhance ALMA’s capabilities in the coming decade, addressing these longer-term challenges will ultimately require a next-generation facility.
Key science drivers span galaxy and black hole growth from cosmic dawn (z ~ 20), the evolution of the cosmic baryon cycle, and the formation of planetary systems and complex chemistry. In parallel, the physics of the extreme Universe—including transients, gravitational-wave follow-up, and event horizon-scale black hole imaging—is a major frontier in the era of time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy.
In this context, and in response to ESO’s Expanding Horizons initiative to identify its next major ground-based facility for the 2040s, the community-led ALMA2040 initiative is developing a science-driven reference design for a next-generation interferometric facility that builds on ALMA’s legacy while opening entirely new discovery space. ALMA2040 combines high-fidelity imaging across a vast range of spatial scales with transformative gains in sensitivity and operational flexibility, enabling a fundamental leap in our understanding of the cold Universe.