The conceptual design of the 50-meter Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST)

Understand

The (sub)millimeter sky contains a vast wealth of information that is both complementary and inaccessible to other wavelengths.

• Over half the light we receive is observable at (sub)millimeter wavelengths, yet we have mapped only a small portion of the sky at sufficient spatial resolution and sensitivity to detect and resolve distant galaxies or star forming cores within their large-scale environments.
• For decades the astronomical community has highlighted the need for a large, high-throughput (sub-)mm ($\lambda\sim 0.35-10$ mm) single dish.
• The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST), with its 50-m aperture and $2^\circ$ maximal field of view, aims to be such a facility.