MMA Imaging and Calibration Group

Minutes for meeting Tuesday, 1 Oct 2002 at 12:00pm EDT.

Date: 1 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
 

Agenda


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Science IPT News - Wootten

News from my point of view.
 The VertexRSI antenna continues to rise. Lift reportedly this week!
 
  • '2-Way ALMA/Japan' Meeting on Second Generation Correlator (2GC) 20/08/2002 in Maastricht -- Minutes and Specs. Comments: The 'no 90 degree phase switching' spec looks alarming, given that the project may have DSB receivers deployed in the higher frequency bands after arrival of the 2GC, if we believe a schedule shown at the ACC meeting. It does not appear to many of us that the WIDAR 'fault' of not providing 5kHz resolution across 2 GHz will keep us awake at night.
     
  • Project News -
     IPT Meeting 30 September 2002. Lots of milestones. See below for ours.
      JAO-only Configuration Final Review -- Grenoble 30 Sept - 1 Oct 2002.
     NRAO Director's ALMA Frontend Review 2002 October 3-4 NRAO Charlottesville.
     Mitsubishi at ATF 17 October
     ALMA/JP meeting Tucson 20 October
     ALMA Science IPT Telecon October 21 TBD
     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.
     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 and planning revised. Telecon next week.
     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.
     Note Shillue's email of 14 August, where he pointed out that 1. the costs of this system are unknown ranging from an expensive phase locked system downward; that 2. swept in frequency, power will vary by >> 1%, ''much lower but still significant for a broadband lens-antenna. The ouput power will also change with time at a fixed frequency due to polarization effects in the fiber. The time scale of the changes depends on environmental factors not well understood without a field test. Careful calibration and polarization control could be used to mitigate these variations. 3. The types of tests that are do-able at the ATF are limited. The only calibrator is the one on the holography tower so that is a bit different from a subreflector-mounted source. The frequency is not sweepable, but can be stepped from about 70-110 GHz. 4. Practically speaking, there is no manpower set aside for photonic phase cal, no specifications, no system design, no schedule, and the budget is fictitious for lack of a better word.
     
     
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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 will approve the configuration plan 30 Sept - 1 Oct in Grenoble. John has submitted a plan but wishes to tidy it up some before releasing it to ImCal.
     
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    Meetings Past and Future - Wootten


     
  • Presentations for ASAC Face-to-face.
     The ASAC will hold a telecon on 9 October. Its report is to be finished by 3 October.
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    Other


      Monthly report for Jun-Jul has been submitted. Please send your report for August and September activities, as this is the end of September!
     
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     SMA News...
      SEP 30, 2002 Congressional milestone: routine science imaging with five antennas at 345 GHz; phase closure at 650 GHz.
      available in draft form:
      xxx Noise Characterization and Allan Variances of Water Vapor Monitors Wiedner
     ********************************* DEPARTURES *********************************
      OCT 15(tbc) Martina Wiedner
     
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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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