To enable a world-wide multi-user community to realize research and education programs of the highest caliber, Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) presents a strategic vision over the next decade to manage, operate, optimize and disseminate results from the world-leading capabilities of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). With the successful construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and the recent enhancement of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), two new forefront facilities are moving into routine operation with ever-increasing scientific capability. Taken together, these iconic arrays fulfill a major milestone in modern astronomy, encompassing more than an order-of-magnitude leap in observational capabilities for astronomical sources at frequencies between 1 gigahertz and 1 terahertz.
As prioritized by multiple National Research Council Decadal Surveys in Astronomy and Astrophysics, NRAO facilities are tools for the entire scientific community that will empower discoveries across all fields of astrophysics. ALMA enables transformational research into the physics of the cold Universe, regions that are optically dark but shine brightly in the millimeter/submillimeter portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Within the broad range of science accessible with ALMA, the top-level objectives include imaging the redshifted dust continuum and molecular line emission from evolving galaxies as early as a redshift of z~10 (500 million years after the Big Bang), determining the chemical composition and dynamics of star-forming gas in normal galaxies like the Milky Way but at z~3 (75% of the way across the Universe), and measuring the gas kinematics in young disks in nearby star-forming clouds. ALMA has already demonstrated its revolutionary impact with its dramatic images of planet, star and galaxy formation. These results will accelerate as the full array becomes operational, and with the longest baselines ALMA will achieve an angular resolution of tens of milli-arseconds. ALMA provides one to two orders-of-magnitude improvement over previous facilities in all areas of millimeter- and submillimeter-wave observations, including sensitivity, angular resolution and image fidelity.
Likewise, at centimeter wavelengths, the broadband VLA has ushered in a new era in radio astronomy, with groundbreaking results published in areas ranging from Galactic proto-stellar clouds to images of the molecular gas in the earliest galaxies. The enhanced VLA is opening new scientific frontiers and explicitly addressing four primary science themes: measuring the strength and topology of cosmic magnetic fields; imaging young stars and massive black holes in dust-enshrouded environments; following the rapid evolution of energetic phenomena; and studying the formation and evolution of stars, galaxies and active galactic nuclei. Improvement over previous performance is up to a factor of 10 in continuum sensitivity and coarsest frequency resolution, and a factor of 1000 or more in finest frequency resolution and the number of frequency channels.
In collaboration with NSF's international partners in ALMA, NRAO will transition ALMA from the current phase of commissioning and early science to full science operations. Already the most capable millimeter/submillimeter facility on the planet, in the next few years ALMA will realize significant new capabilities, further increasing ALMA's scientific productivity. The ALMA Development Program, a key component in the plan for the coming decade, will solicit and support community input and expertise in upgrading ALMA's capabilities throughout its useful lifetime.
Under AUI management, NRAO will implement a staged VLA infrastructure maintenance and development plan to renew and support operation of the VLA beyond the end of the next decade, followed by community-based planning and technical development for the next-generation centimeter-wave facilities. AUI will expand the NRAO Central Development Laboratory (CDL) mission to enhance NSF's existing radio astronomy facilities, to develop technology and expertise needed to build the next generation of radio astronomy instruments, and to benefit the broader economy via technology transfer. In collaboration with the university community, the CDL will support development for both ALMA and VLA and conduct leading-edge, creative research in both core and exploratory technologies that will continue to be vital to the NRAO mission in the coming decade.
With plans for enhanced user support services and new data manipulation and visualization tools, AUI envisions expanding the NRAO user base beyond traditional radio astronomers and enabling multi-wavelength science by researchers and students. AUI will also ensure that NSF's investment in NRAO achieves the broadest possible impact in cutting-edge research and technical innovation, training the next generation of researchers, and inspiring students and the public.
Building on an existing framework of diversity activities, AUI will conduct ambitious programs to transform the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. An Office of Diversity Initiatives will lead programs, including the National Astronomy Consortium and Physics Inspiring the Next Generation, to empower under-represented students to obtain graduate degrees in STEM fields. The enhanced International/National Exchange Program and Chilean Women Graduate Internships will support international student research in radio astronomy. A key AUI objective for the NRAO workforce in the coming decade will be to move toward achieving parity with the nation's demographics for women and people of color.
AUI embraces an integrative approach to education and public outreach (EPO), closely aligned with NRAO research. The EPO plan builds on a comprehensive suite of programs, targeting learners of all ages, broad geographic regions, and traditionally under-represented groups, and incorporates federal STEM education initiatives that identify evidence-based best practices. NRAO will support graduate and undergraduate research, and Jansky postdoctoral fellows will carry out investigations independently, or in collaboration with staff and/or university collaborators, thus building professional relationships between NRAO and academic research groups.
As part of AUI's management and oversight of NRAO, AUI will regularly review the technical, financial, and administrative functioning of NRAO as well as AUI's own governance and business practices. Key Performance Indicators and both qualitative and quantitative assessments will inform NRAO activities and AUI policies to achieve optimal management and operation of NRAO.
