Technical requirements flow-down for the concept design of the novel 50-meter Atacama Large Aperture Submm Telescope (AtLAST)

TL;DR

This paper discusses the technical design and requirements flow-down for the innovative 50-meter AtLAST telescope, focusing on optical, structural, and mechanical aspects to meet high precision demands at sub-millimeter wavelengths.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive design framework linking science goals to technical specifications for the AtLAST telescope.

Findings

Design concepts for high-precision optical and structural components.

Flow-down methodology from science requirements to technical design.

Analogies with existing large telescopes to inform design choices.

Abstract

The Atacama Large Aperture Submm Telescope (AtLAST) is a concept for a novel 50-meter class single-dish telescope operating at sub-millimeter and millimeter wavelengths (30-950 GHz). The telescope will provide an unprecedentedly wide field of view (FoV) of 1-2 degree diameter with a large receiver cabin housing six major instruments in Nasmyth and Cassegrain positions. The high observing frequencies, combined with the scanning operation movements with up to 3 deg/second, place high demands on the accuracy and stability of the optical and structural components. The design features the introduction of a rocking chair type mount with an iso-statically decoupled main reflector backup structure and an active main reflector surface with a high precision metrology system. The planned site location is in the Chilean Atacama Desert at approximately 5050 meters above sea level, near Llano de Chajnantor. This paper gives an overview of the optical, structural, and mechanical design concepts. It explains the flow-down from key science requirements to technical design decisions as well as showing design analogies from other existing large radio, (sub-)mm, and optical telescopes.