# Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) Science: Resolving the Hot and Ionized Universe through the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect

**Authors:** Luca Di Mascolo, Yvette Perrott, Tony Mroczkowski, Stefano Andreon, Stefano Ettori, Aurora Simionescu, Srinivasan Raghunathan, Joshiwa van Marrewijk, Claudia Cicone, Minju Lee, Dylan Nelson, Laura Sommovigo, Mark Booth, Pamela Klaassen, Paola Andreani, Martin A. Cordiner, Doug Johnstone, Eelco van Kampen, Daizhong Liu, Thomas J. Maccarone  
**arXiv:** [2403.00909](https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.00909)  
**Date:** 2024-03-01  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2403.00909v1/

## Key points

- The AtLAST instrument is proposed for the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope
- Aims to revolutionize understanding of cosmic structure thermal evolution through study of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect
- Features a 50-meter aperture providing high angular resolution, extensive spectral coverage, and extreme sensitivity
- Will offer unprecedented opportunity to measure SZ signal over wide range of spatial scales with enhanced sensitivity
- Superior resolution and sensitivity will provide insights into small-scale intracluster medium perturbations and deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium in galaxy clusters
- Ability to access low-surface brightness regions will shed light on warm/hot gas properties within large-scale cosmic structures and gas accretion processes
- Has potential in advancing knowledge of AGN feedback mechanisms and their influence on cosmic structure evolution

## Summary

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The AtLAST instrument, proposed for the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope, aims to revolutionize our understanding of cosmic structure thermal evolution through the study of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. With its 50-meter aperture providing high angular resolution, extensive spectral coverage, and extreme sensitivity, AtLAST will offer an unprecedented opportunity to measure the SZ signal over a wide range of spatial scales with enhanced sensitivity. This technical advancement will allow for simultaneous constraints on thermal, kinematic, and relativistic contributions to the SZ effect in various systems. By resolving the complex SZ footprint of galaxy clusters, low-mass groups, and protoclusters, AtLAST will enable researchers to trace their thermodynamic properties' temporal evolution across different epochs. The instrument's superior resolution and sensitivity will provide insights into small-scale intracluster medium perturbations and help build a comprehensive understanding of processes driving deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium in galaxy clusters. Additionally, AtLAST's ability to access low-surface brightness regions will shed light on warm/hot gas properties within large-scale cosmic structures and provide valuable information on gas accretion and dynamical processes impacting cluster evolution. Furthermore, by studying circumgalactic medium surrounding galaxies and cluster cores at various spatial scales throughout cosmic history, AtLAST has potential in advancing our knowledge of AGN feedback mechanisms and their influence on cosmic structure evolution. To achieve these ambitious goals, AtLAST must meet technical requirements such as a degree-scale field of view to effectively recover large-scale structures. Overall,<kg>AtLAST</kg> holds promise for deepening our insights into the intertwined evolution of galactic populations and cosmological structures by providing a comprehensive view of the thermal history of cosmic matter density.