Iram.fr
Title
Welcome to the IRAM website
Description
The Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique was founded in 1979 and is operated as a French-German-Spanish collaboration. Its partner institutes are the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France), the MPG (Max Planck Gesellschaft, Germany), and the IGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional, Spain). The principal activity of IRAM is the study of cold matter (molecular gas and dust) in the solar system, in our Galaxy, and out to cosmological distances in order to determine its composition, density, mass, temperature, and kinematics.
IRAM operates two observatories at millimeter wavelengths which are open to the international astronomical community: The 30-m single-dish telescope on Pico Veleta (2850m), Spain, and the six-antenna interferometer on the Plateau de Bure (2550m) in France. Both sites are at high altitude to reduce the absorption by water vapor. The observatories are supported by the IRAM offices and laboratories in Granada and Grenoble.
Twice per year, astronomers propose observing programs for evaluation by the program committee, which advises the IRAM director. Observations at the 30-m are typically done by visiting astronomers during a fixed time window, while the Interferometer is operated by IRAM personnel, in flexible scheduling. External astronomers can visit the Grenoble offices for the interferometer data reduction.
