On March 10, 2011, at the Operations Support Facility (OSF) at 2900 m asl., radio waves emitted by the Sun were collected by two 12-m Japanese antennas and interference fringes were successfully obtained (in technical term, this is called “First Fringes”). It is the first time that two Japanese antennas has been linked together as an interferometer system, since past interferometer tests had been conducted using a Japanese 12-m antenna and North American 12-m antennas. ALMA will start a part of the Early Science Operations this year. ALMA-J is very pleased to have achieved this important milestone on schedule.

The picture shows the two Japanese 12-m antennas at OSF
[photographed by Tania Burchell (NRAO)].

Staff members celebrating the success of the interferometer test (they are pointing to the fringes displayed on the computer screen) [photographed by Kartik Sheth (NRAO)]