MMA Imaging and Calibration Group

Minutes for meeting Tuesday, 15 Oct 2002 at 12:00pm EDT.

Date: 15 Oct 2002

Time: 4:00 pm EDT (2:00 pm Socorro, 1:00 pm Tucson)

Phone: (434)296-7082 (CV SoundStation Premier Conference phone 3rd floor).

Past minutes, etc on MMA Imaging and Calibration Division Page
 


 The Vizchaca Buddha (Image courtesy Tucker Freismuth)
 

Agenda


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Science IPT News - Wootten

News from my point of view.
 Draft Level 3 Milestones have been presented to the Science IPT for discussion.
 
 The VertexRSI antennais up!
 
  • John Webber asks: 'When the prototype 2-antenna, full-IF ALMA correlator is delivered to the VLA site, what modes of operation are needed?
      'This question has arisen in the context of planning the firmware and software checkout; for example, there would seem to be no need to support sub-arrays--but is there a need to support separate autocorrelator modes for each of 2 antennas? Do we need every possible bandwidth?'
      The purpose of the prototype interferometer is to test ALMA components, so the correlator should provides modes useful for those tests. Although I have not seen a detailed plan, my understanding is that a pacing item for the interferometer is the availability of ALMA frontends. There is a problem that the first prototype Band 6 receivers are not due at the prototype interferometer until mid-2005 (I do not know the schedule for others). If the prototype interferometer is to be used with the evaluation receivers from 1Q2004-3Q2005 it may be necessary to design some equipment to interface them. I don't think this will impact the autocorrelator modes, however. Some interferometric holography will be done, using SiO masers, so at least one narrow band mode will be needed to support this. Wideband modes will be useful for evaluating standing wave patterns, for instance with the calibration devices. The widest wideband modes will be useful for the prototype receivers, so they should be available. Modes matched to the IF of the evaluation receivers may be useful, depending on the poorly defined prototype interferometer plan.
      I'll go through this more throroughly this week. However, right now I can think of no essential test which requires separate autocorrelator modes operating independently for the two antennas.
     
  • Project News -
      JAO-only Configuration Final Review -- Grenoble 30 Sept - 8 Oct 2002.
     NRAO Director's ALMA Frontend Review 2002 October 3-4 NRAO Charlottesville.
     Science IPT Lead Telecon 1400 UT 8 October 2002
     JAO/IPT Teleconference 1430 UT 15 October
     Mitsubishi at ATF 17 October
     ALMA/JP meeting Tucson 20 October
     ALMA/Cal meeting Tucson 21 October 9-noon 505A????
     ALMA Science IPT Telecon 1500 UT October 22
     ALMA Site Infrastructure Requirements Review 2002 October 22-24 NRAO Tucson
     ALMA Antenna Transporter Requirements Review 2002 October 22-24 NRAO Tucson
     ACC or ALMA Board meeting 2002 29-30 October Santiago.
      ESO Workshop: Science Operations with ALMA, ESO, Garching 8 Nov 2002
     ALMA Frontend/LO Reviews 18-22 November Charlottesville.
     Carla Beaudet and Galen Watts of NRAO/GB conduct RFI tests at Chajnantor 3 - 20 December 2002
     
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    Calibration - All

      Milestones with descriptions as submitted to the JAO.
     John Payne notes the interesting report in Electronics Letters V. 38, No. 15, p 798 on a device similar to plans for the photonic calibration device.
     Update on this: John has gotten an NRAO-NTT contract to pursue this. There will be tests at SRON, and with Moseley's Herschel device TBD.
      Telecon minutes from last week.
      List of the status of the reviews/reviewers. The key is: "C" - already submitted a review; "U" = submitted an unsolicited review; "Y" = agreed to review the memo; "N" - declined to review the memo; "NR" - no response. Links are provided to reviews; please consult the archive for subsequent discussions.
      1 - Memo 423 - Steve Myers (Y), Matt Carter (N), Geoff Blake (Y)
      2 - Memo 422 - Douglas Bock (Y), Lee Mundy (NR), Jeff Mangum (C), Dave Woody (U) (Memo withdrawn)
      3 - Memo 427 - Robert Lucas (C), Ed Fomalont (NR), Craig Walker (C)
      4 - Memo 372 - Jeff Mangum (C), Larry D'Addario (C), Mark Gurwell (N), Bryan Butler (U)
      5 - Memo 415 - Jose Cernicharo (NR), Mark Holdaway (C), John Richer (Y)
      6 - Memo 404 & 403 - Mel Wright (N), Dave Woody (Y&C), John Richer (Y)
      8 - Memo 402 - Richard Hills (Y), Peter Napier (NR)
      9 - Memo 352 - Dave Woody (C), Chris Wilson (C), Dick Plambeck (N)
      10 - Memo 434 - Stephane Guilloteau (C)
      so, as yet no response from:
      Lee Mundy - 422
      Ed Fomalont - 427
      Jose Cernicharo - 415
      Peter Napier - 402
     
      and awaiting agreed upon reviews from:
      Steve Myers - 423
      Geoff Blake - 423
      Douglas Bock - 422
      John Richer - 415, 404, 403
      Richard Hills - 402
     
     
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    AIPS++ -

      A report for the ASAC was conveyed to them. Comments? Flagging looks like it wasn't done. Reports of difficulties reproducing these results by one member of the science IPT. Has anyone else tried?
     
     
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    Configuration - Holdaway

      Please see Holdaway's Conway ASAC presentation.
     The JAO approved the configuration plan. The JAO Summary is available.
      During the TUNA talk today I showed some configuration slides, and mentioned that the longest baseline had grown somewhat in the Y+ array, to around 18 km. John Webber said he was worried that if we grew it too much we'd outstrip the delay capacity of the correlator. He checked that and reported:
      "Although the specification in the Project Book is for Maximum Baseline Delay Range of 30 km (which really should be stated as Maximum Differential Delay in time units), the hardware will accommodate up to a differential delay of 1 msec, which is about 6 times the maximum for an 18 km baseline including maximum possible fiber optic cable delay. Thus, there is no problem."
     Mark's reply:
     OK, pretty good for our *20 km* longest baseline!
     
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    Meetings Past and Future - Wootten


     
  • Presentations for ASAC Face-to-face.
     The ASAC held a telecon on 9 October. Its report is to be submitted by 14 October.
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    Other


     A monthly report for September has been submitted to the Science IPT. A monthly report for September monthly report was submitted to the JAO by the Science IPT. A bimonthly report was submitted by the NA Science IPT to the Project Management for inclusion in its report to NSF. (Whew!).
      In two weeks, another report will be due the Science IPT and the JAO.
     
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     SMA News...
      Laurie Strommer is scheduled to ask a question on NPR Car Talk. Catch her on SAT, OCT 12, at 11 am on WBUR, 90.9 MHz. [Al was listening while driving back from Green Bank and didn't hear her...]
     Novel idea ALMA should adopt Dept:
     TUE, OCT 8
      16:00 End-of-fiscal year celebration, M340.
     
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    Upcoming Meetings - Wootten

    JAN 5/9, 2003 201st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society

    JUL 13-26, 2003 Twenty-Fifth General Assembly of the IAU

    JUL 22/25, 2003 IAU Symposium (221): Star Formation at High Angular Resolution, Sydney, Australia. Tyler Bourke is a co-chair of the scientific organizing committee. Good opportunity to show ALMA capabilities.

    SEP 22-26, 2003 4th Cologne-Bonn-Zermatt-Symposium on The Dense Interstellar Medium in Galaxies

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    Travel

     Oh, always

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