Prospects of Millimeter Astronomy Development at the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SAO RAS)

The article discusses the prospects for developing the observational base at the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SAO RAS) for astrophysical research in the millimeter-wave range. As a first step, a project is proposed to create a set of sub-terahertz receiving equipment to operate at the optical BTA telescope. Additionally, the possibility of installing a new instrument to operate in the frequency range of up to 230 GHz (\(\lambda=1.3\) mm) at the Upper Research Site of SAO RAS is considered. Technical and operational characteristics of the instrument, site selection for the installation of a fully steerable millimeter-wave antenna, statistics of meteorological data and atmospheric absorption are discussed. A list of potential scientific tasks addressed by instruments of this class is provided.