Simulations for Cycle 1; Eelco van Kampen, 20 Dec, 2011

This ticket is set-up to discuss simulation requirements for Cycle 1.
Simulation are needed for various documents (technical handbook, primer, CASAguides)
and tutorials to demonstrate the capabilities of Cycle 1 with respect to what is
currently possible in Cycle 0, and what can be done in later cycles (Cycle 2 onwards).
Here we will assume that Cycle 2 represents full science (FS) operations, whereas
Cycle 0 and 1 are part of early science (ES) operations.

Antenna configurations for Cycle 1 are being finalized at the moment, so the actual
simulation effort focuses on the FS sims. However, the purpose of this ticket is to
establish a full matrix of simulation parameters.

Below is a first draft of this, in twiki format so that only a simple copy-and-paste
is needed to work on the next iteration, and we can put it on an actual twiki once we
are done here. There are no actual parameters listed yet !
I think we first need to establish which elements of this matrix are actually possible
and/or allowed, and which we'd like to demonstrate. There will likely be no space
for all.

This is the simulation matrix draft in Twiki format, so that we can put it up on an actual twiki once we're done here.
Source Cycle 0 Cycle 1 Cycle1 Cycle1 Cycle1 Cycle2 Cycle2
type 400m compact extended 1km+ACA 1km+ACA+SD 8km 8km + ACA
Continuum:
Point X X
Compact X X X X X X
Extended X X X X n/a X X
Mosaic X X X X n/a X X
Spectral-line:
Point X X
Compact X X X X X X
Extended X X X X X X X
Mosaic X X X X X X X

At the EU ARC we did a few simulations that will fit in this matrix, being an extended
source (an M100) in the Cycle 1 compact and extended configurations, with and without
the ACA. The other elements in this row (extended, spectral-line) can be done too.


Discussion NA USG 2012 01 05:

  • point source and compact is redundant
  • examples should illustrate particular decision points for proposers e.g. when to use ACA and when not
  • suggested to use these three: a collection of compact sources (for which a mosaic would be required but not ACA), an extended source (for which both mosaic and ACA are required, but the beam is good, so it should mostly be thermal-noise limited), and finally the combination of the two sources, which is likely to be in the dynamic range limited regime, especially for the poor Cycle1 ACA synthesized beam
  • add description of arrays - RMS BL, description of likely Cycle1 range of configs in a table
  • add modest quantitative information e.g. for M101, the total flux in the galaxy for the 4 cases.
  • do NOT emphasize the case where a mosaic is not required, but ACA might be, because that is not a case being offered in Cycle1 - as far as we know, which could be wrong, Cycle1 will be either 1. a single 12m config only, or 2. a single 12m config, ACA and ZS. Someone should clarify that this is the case.

-- CarolLonsdale - 2012-01-05
Topic revision: r2 - 2012-01-05, RemyIndebetouw
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