Orateur
Description
TolTEC is a polarization-sensitive camera at millimeter wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity at 5-11 arcsecond resolution in three photometric bands. TolTEC achieved first-light on the 50 meter Large Millimeter Telescope in July 2022 just prior to a planned summer telescope maintenance shutdown, and began commissioning observations when the telescope resumed observations in December 2022. The commissioning program consisted of observations of targeted nebulae, molecular clouds, polarized quasars, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. The goals of these observations include demonstrating the science capabilities of the camera, and characterizing the performance and instrumental properties including noise, beams, and polarization sensitivity in its three bands centered at 1.1, 1.4, and 2.0 mm and with angular resolutions of 5, 7, and 11 arcseconds, respectively.
We present selected results from the commissioning observations and discuss the instrument properties which enable planning for future observations. Upcoming observations will include selected proposals from the broader astronomy community in Mexico and the United States and legacy surveys focused on mapping galactic molecular clouds, cold dust emission in local galaxies, polarized dust emission in filaments around star forming regions, and massive galaxy clusters.
