Very Small Array

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Very Small Array
Organization:	Cavendish Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias
Location:	Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife
Wavelength:	26–36GHz

The Very Small Array is a 14-element radio telescope operating between 26 and 36GHz that is used to study the cosmic microwave background radiation. It is an interferometer, with three different configurations - 'compact', 'extended' and 'super-extended', each of which differ in the separation distance between the elements. It also includes two 3.5m radio telescopes, which are dedicated to detecting (and subsequently subtracting) foreground sources.

The Very Small Array was a humorous working name used in comparing it to the Very Large Array near Socorro, New Mexico, but in the end it stayed. Other potential early names for the array included the very British title Quite Small Array.

The telescope is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, University of Manchester and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (Tenerife). It is located at the Observatorio del Teide on Tenerife. The array was built at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory by the Cavendish Astrophysics Group and Jodrell Bank Observatory. It was strongly based on the Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope.

The very short baselines of the array allow large-scale structure to be measured. As it is an interferometer, it directly measures the angular power spectrum of the CMB, rather than having to construct a map of the sky first.