B-roll - ALMA Receivers: Front End

19 August, 2020 / Read time: 1 minute

To capture the cold Universe, ALMA has sophisticated receivers that must operate at extremely low temperatures (-269 degrees). This freezes or reduces the “thermal noise” to capture the weak signals from the Universe.
In the Front End laboratory, located 2,900 meters above sea level in the mountains of the Atacama Desert, receivers are assembled and calibrated prior to installation in antennas.
The Front End system is found in each of the 66 antennas at ALMA. This cutting-edge technology at ALMA is improving the sensitivities of other radio telescopes around the world.