Greenland Telescope Project

Imaging the shadow of the black hole is one of the ultimate goals for modern physics and astrophysics. VLBI observations at submillimeter wavelength are a unique method to achieve sufficient angular resolution for imaging the shadow in the next decade. For this purpose, we plan to establish a new submillimeter VLBI station in order to improve the angular resolution and image quality. Based on the atmospheric condition and geometrical configuration with other existing telescopes, we select the Summit Camp on Greenland as a promising new site. We plan to realize it by redeploying the ALMA-NA prototype antenna. In addition to VLBI usage, we plan to use the telescope in single dish mode as a pathfinder for THz astronomy. We have been monitoring the atmospheric transparency at submillimeter wavelength since August of 2011 for further studies of atmospheric condition at the site. In the meantime, we have started retrofitting the ALMA-NA prototype antenna to fit the cold environment.