BIWEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE ALMA PROJECT at NRAO 28 Jan 2008 - 11 Feb 2008 ******************************** THIS FORTNIGHT************************* Please note that: Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array: A New Era for Astrophysics Volume 313, Numbers 1-3 / January, 2008, the Proceedings of the Nov 2006 ALMA Conference in Madrid, has been published by Astrophysics and Space Science, and is available online at http://tinyurl.com/32pq3o Thanks to the organizers of the conference, to the authors and to the editors for bringing out this compendium of papers describing some aspects of the transformative science we expect ALMA to undertake. We're all anticipating smooth completion of the instrument over the next few years; just ten days ago the ALMA prototype system at the ALMA test facility produced its first interferometric spectrum. Working together, we'll be producing solid science soon ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The ALMA Board regrets to announce that Dr. Tony Beasley, for personal reasons, has tendered his resignation as Project Manager, to take effect in late June 2008. Tony's contributions as Project Manager, which have enabled the realization of this transformational instrument for the greater exploration of the universe, are deeply appreciated, by the ALMA Board, associated agencies and executives, and by astronomers worldwide. The Board wishes him well in his new endeavors. The ALMA Board has every confidence that the exceptionally strong international teams established in the past few years will see the ALMA project through the period ahead, while the search to identify a new Project Manager is carried out. For the ALMA Board, Richard Wade (Chair) I'd like to add my thanks to Tony for leading ALMA to its present state of construction, poised for operation, so effectively. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the special sessions for the 5-7 Jan 2009 URSI commission J meeting in Boulder, Colorado will be on "ALMA Technology, Science and Status". Let Wootten know if you would like to speak. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The proposed FY 2009 budget was released. 'Funding for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array continues to ramp up to enable operations and maintenance of a growing array of antennas and preparation for early science support.' --------------------------------------------------------------------- Past issues of this Calendar may be viewed at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html See also the JAO ALMA Calendar overview at: http://www.alma.cl/alma_project *************************************************************************** General Happenings Photos of activity may be found at: http://www.alma.nrao.edu/almanews/almagallery/index.html Sky: An annular Eclipse of the Sun occurred over the southern ocean between Australia and Antarctica on Feb 7, Chinese New Year. SCO: An Operations Software Review was held Jan 25. The ALMA Science Advisory Committee (ASAC) met in Santiago 1-2 Feb after visits to the OSF and to the AOS. A call for tender for construction of the permanent central office, to be located on the ESO grounds in Vitacura, is being prepared. A call for tender for providing power from the Chilean grid to ALMA was released. The final TICRA report on the analysis of FE optics was released and reviewed during this period. The PDR documentation for the ALMA Band-10 cartridge being constructed at NAOJ is now available on ALMA EDM. The review, whose panel is chaired by Wolfgang Wild, will take place at the NAOJ on Feb 26-27. AOS (Array Ops Site, 16570ft altitude): With construction of the Technical Building complete and the ACA correlator installed, and the transporter hangar nearing completion, activity has shifted to construction of antenna pads. The first six to be constructed will be pads 104, 136, 109, 96, 101 and 106, which lie along Road 11 near the Technical Building. Test borings are occurring at other pad sites. OSF (Ops Support Facility, 9600ft altitude): There are about 300 persons on the site, the management of which has transitioned from construction to operations. Heavy rains (associated with the 'Bolivian Winter') undercut a portion of the Calama-San Pedro highway through the Cordillera del Sal. However the ALMA antenna transporters, which arrived in port in Mejillones on 6 Feb, were able to negotiate the road; they were delivered to the site 13 Feb. The OSF construction is essentially complete and the crews have left the site; some 'punch list' items remain. The first phases of acceptance for the first Vertex antenna have begun. Construction of the fourth Melco antenna is well along. An NAOJ cryogenic receiver system HYAKUSHIKI for the first light mission on a Melco antenna was delivered to OSF. This should result soon in the first astronomical detection by an ALMA production antenna on an ALMA Chile site. AOC: Acceptance Review for the last 12 pre-production Digitizers (latest design) is being scheduled by the end of February. A project wide Antenna Article (AA) verification test review teleconference is scheduled for 2008-01-30. ATF: Laing and Leurini achieved interferometric pointing and focus; “manual” data collection still. NTC (NRAO Technology Center): A third cryostat (SN05) was received at the NA FEIC for use as NA FE#3. Provisional acceptance in-house (PAI) for the OSF-bound two antenna correlator is scheduled for 31 Jan. ASIAA: The Nutator Critical Design Review held last week was deemed successful. HIA: SN07, the last of the pre-production B3 (3mm) cartridges, is under test. NAASC: Mangum established remote sensing of the weather in Testi's Garching office using a system to be installed at the AOS. Recruitment continues for several NAASC positions, including CSV liasion(s) and ALMA EPO Program officer. Similar recruitment is occurring at all three regional ARCs. Pre-testing for the CASA beta patch 1 is underway. A calendar of NAASC events may be found at: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/naasc/calendar/calendar.php *************************************************************************** DAILY CALENDAR (Times EDT/EST ) see https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/AlmaCalendar Sun 27 Jan - Mon 28 Jan - 4:00PM: ATF telecon Tue 29 Jan - 10:30AM: JAO/IPT telecon Wed 30 Jan - Thu 31 Jan - Fri 1 Feb - Sat 2 Feb - Sun 3 Feb - Mon 4 Feb - 4:00PM: ATF telecon Tue 5 Feb - 10:30AM: JAO/IPT telecon Wed 6 Feb - 1:00pm: NAASC planning meeting Thu 7 Feb - 4:00PM: Colloquium 'Searching for the Secrets of Massive Star Birth' Brogan, NAASC Fri 8 Feb - 4:00PM: Star Formation Discussion Group, NAASC: Massive Star Formation. Sat 9 Feb - Sun 10 Feb - Mon 11 Feb - ****************************** UPCOMING EVENTS ************************* Feb 1-2 ASAC face-to-face Santiago Feb 7-8 WVR CDR Europe Feb 7 ALMA Board Telecon Feb 18-23 IAU Symp 251: Organic Chemistry in Space Hong Kong Feb 25 Band 10 PDR Mitaka ******************************* TECHNICAL NEWS ************************* *****************************ALSO OF INTEREST*************************** The Cosmic Agitator - Magnetic Fields in the Galaxy 60 years of studies of the interstellar magnetic field 2008 March 26-29 Lexington. The magnetic field of the galaxy was discovered in observations made in 1948. Since that time, the galactic magnetic field has challenged (and often annoyed) observers and theorists alike. This meeting will celebrate sixty years of studies of the interstellar magnetic field, a field ALMA's transformational capabilities will revolutionize. See http://thunder.pa.uky.edu/magnetic/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NRAO Proposals are due 5pm EST on Feb 1. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CARMA Call for Proposals. Proposals for observations using CARMA during the period 1 July to 31 December 2008 are due on 13 March 2008. CARMA comprises 15 antennas operating at 1mm and 3mm on a 2200m elevation site, Cedar Flat, in the Inyo Mountains of California. Proposals will be accepted for the B, C, D, and E antenna configurations. These configurations have resolution 0.35", 0.8", 2", 5" at 230 GHz. http://www.mmarray.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SMA Call for Proposals. Following the direction of the SMA steering committee, the CfA SMA Time Allocation Committee (TAC) solicits proposals for observations in the 230, 345, 400, and 690 GHz bands for the period 2008 May 16 - 2008 Nov 15. The deadline for submitting proposals is 2008 March 13 (16:00 EDT = 10:00 HST). In addition, large (legacy) proposals must be preceded by a brief "Notice of Intent" by 2008 March 6, 15:00 EST. http://sma1.sma.hawaii.edu/call.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jobs for scientists interested in working on the commissioning of ALMA are available at both ESO and NRAO. We invite applications for one or more Assistant Scientist positions in the NAASC. The primary responsibility of the successful candidates initially is to participate in ALMA Commissioning and Science Verification (CSV). http://www.nrao.edu/administration/personnel_office/careers.shtml For ESO jobs please see: https://jobs.eso.org/ESOCP370/default.asp?PageNo=DEFAULT For ALMA jobs please see: http://www.alma.cl/jobops/ *************************************************************************** Please send information for upcoming calendars by Friday evening of the preceding biweekly period to Jennifer Neighbours or Al Wootten via e-mail (jneighbo at nrao.edu or awootten at nrao.edu). The calendar will be issued between late Friday and sometime on Monday by e-mail to all NRAO scientific staff members and anyone else interested. A specific mailing list, alma-info, has been created for anyone wishing to receive it. Past issues are available at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html