ALMA Data Reduction Workshop

IMG 1186.jpg Ed Fomalont explains the mysteries of self-calibration at the Data Reduction Workshop:

The NAASC invited investigators from the highest rated North American Community ALMA Cycle 0 programs to a Data Reduction Workshop in Charlottesville 2011 December 1-2 (organized by Adam Leroy and Carol Lonsdale of the User Services Group). NRAO staff outfitted the Edgemont Road auditorium with terminals and 29 visiting investigators used the new NAASC data reduction cluster to work through training material built around ALMA science verification data. NAASC staff presented background material on ALMA and CASA to the local attendees and several remote participants. Then the local attendees worked hands-on with actual ALMA data sets, learning how to use CASA for calibration, imaging, and self-calibration. During the hands on sessions, NAASC staff provided one on one assistance. The first ALMA datasets were delivered the following week. One of the PIs who attended the workshop received his ALMA data in this distribution.

The workshop Program with presentations is available.

ALMA at the Annual Meeting of the USNC-IRSI

US National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science will hold its annual meeting in Boulder, Colorado on 2012 January 4-7. Activities of the radio astronomy section are concerned with observation and interpretation of all radio emissions and reflections from celestial objects. Emphasis is placed on the promotion of technical means for making radio-astronomical observations and data analysis as well as the support of activities to protect radio-astronomical observations from harmful interference. At the meeting, Mark Gordon will present a historical perspective on the world's first Millimeter-Wave Radio Telescope, the 36 foot telescopes at Kitt Peak, Arizona, at which emission from the carbon monoxide molecule was first detected just over forty years ago. ALMA will be discussed at session J2 Wednesday on New Telescopes, Techniques and Tutorials, chaired by Richard Prestage.

Details at the USNC-URSI Home Page.

American Astronomical Society 219th Meeting

ALMA Cycle 0 Early Science and Capabilities for Cycle 1 Science Special Session Organized by the North American ALMA Science Center 219th American Astronomical Society Meeting | Austin, TX Wednesday, January 11, 2012 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM CST Location: Austin Convention Center, Room 17B

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) will provide an unprecedented combination of sensitivity, image fidelity, and resolution at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths (0.3 to 3 mm, 950 to 84 GHz). It will open new scientific frontiers by observing the first stars and galaxies, directly imaging planet formation, and studying the energy output from supermassive black holes in starburst galaxies. In limited but still groundbreaking form, ALMA has been taking data since spring 2011 and is now available to the community. We propose a special session to update the community on the status of ALMA, explain the capabilities and support offered to the community for the next proposal call, present early results, and highlight prospects for the next few years.

ALMA released its first call for Early Science (“Cycle 0”) on 30 March 2011, with ~600 hours available to the community and observations set to begin around 30 September 2011 or shortly thereafter. In parallel, the observatory has been pursuing a wide-ranging science verification program since spring 2011, with ~20 well-known disks, galaxies, and star-forming regions expected to be observed by fall 2011. Thus by fall 2011 we expect to have significant data in-hand and concrete demonstrations of ALMA’s initial capabilities. A major goal of this special session will be to convey these capabilities and the nature of the support offered to the community by the North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) at the NRAO for the second call for proposals, (“Cycle 1”) due in spring 2012.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: Alison Peck (Joint ALMA Observatory), Meredith Hughes (University of California-Berkeley), Yancey Shirley (University of Arizona), Carol Lonsdale (National Radio Astronomy Observatory), and Al Wootten (National Radio Astronomy Observatory).

Our confirmed speakers will update the status of ALMA through its first Early Science observations (Alison Peck) and describe the opportunities and capabilities associated with the Cycle 1 call for proposals (Al Wootten). Three speakers will present first observations and near-term prospects for science with ALMA in the fields of planet formation and disks (Meredith Hughes), Galactic star formation (Yancey Shirley), and galaxies across cosmic time (Carol Lonsdale).

American Astronomical Society 220th Meeting

An ALMA Special Session for the Anchorage AAS (June 2012) is on the meeting's science program.

Community Day Events

NRAO is holding two community days in December-January. The first, designed to serve astronomers in the northeast U.S., is being hosted by the University of Maryland on 15 December 2011. The second Community Day is designed to serve astronomers in the western states, especially California, and will be hosted by UC, Berkeley on 13 January 2012. The goal is to showcase the NRAO instruments and provide information regarding how to propose and observe with ALMA, EVLA, VLBA, and GBT.

The 6th Annual NAASC Science Workshop: "Outflows, Winds and Jets: from Young Stars to Supermassive Black Holes"

The North American ALMA Science Center will host its 6th annual science workshop in Charlottesville, Virginia, March 3-6, 2012. This workshop is an exciting opportunity to bring together active researchers interested in outflow-bearing systems spanning a wide range of mass and size scales for a refreshing view of the spectacular phenomena.

Workshop focus items include:
  • Probing the driving engines deep with the upgraded facilities
  • Emission and absorption properties of outflows, winds, and jets
  • Structures and chemistry of the outflow systems on various scales
  • Cross-talk among the participating communities
  • Synergy programs with the featured facilities and other large telescopes

The approach adopted by this workshop is interdisciplinary. Science from different mass and size scales will be naturally blended. We hope to promote interactions among the various communities from young stars to active galactic nuclei, and to facilitate mutual exchanges and joint efforts.

-- AlWootten - 2011-12-07

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Topic revision: r4 - 2011-12-16, AlWootten
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