Meeting Information

• 1600 UT (1000 MDT)
• AOC 317; IP: 146.88.16.8; phone: +1 575-835-7370

Agenda/Minutes

News, Travel, Visitors (McMullin)

• Overall status: C config; 1.06 OPT has some issues with subband frequency organization (limited observing opportunities over the weekend).
• Key dates:
  • 05 Nov: New Mexico Symposium
  • 10 Nov: Reminder Technical reviews are due!
  • Pre 08Jan: Call for Proposals for February 2011 Call (first for new semester based system; tentative)
  • 08-12 Jan: AAS with special NRAO sessions: Perley: 7 presentations scheduled for the EVLA special session.
    • NRAO Town Hall: http://science.nrao.edu/events/aas217townhall.shtml
    • Special Session: "Early Science with the EVLA": http://science.nrao.edu/events/aas217evla.shtml
    • Special Session: "Observing with ALMA": http://science.nrao.edu/events/aas217alma.shtml
  • 01 Feb: Proposal deadline for D configuration+
• Staff Travel:
• Visitors:
  • Brent Carlson: 18 October - 25 October; second trip post SKA meeting TBD

Hardware status and updates (Langley, Perley, Rupen)

• Array (Perley/Langley):
  • EA26 to Master Pad (01Nov); back to array (15Nov); EA16 to Master Pad (15Nov).
    • Antennas with 3-bit samplers: EA12, (EA15), EA22, EA28
  • Links:
    • Current list of available receivers: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/cgi-bin/evla/receivers-report
    • Upcoming receiver installs:
      • L: EA26 (15Nov), EA16 (09Dec)
      • S: EA26 (10Nov), EA16 (15Dec)
      • C EA26 (12Nov), EA16 (15Dec)
      • X EA26 (15Dec), EA24 (21Dec - hohoho)
      • Ku EA26 (12Nov), EA16 (09Dec)
      • Ka EA14 (03Nov), EA16 (15Nov)
      • Q EA17 (17Nov)
  • Issues:
    • List at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Al6JLDuYrDsBdFV0SEhDblFmT0l5Sm9vSlh6QlVyaFE&hl=en&output=html
• WIDAR (Rupen):
  • Post-Brent visit activities pushing on new features for commissioning tests (fast dumps - testing using 'funny' dump times (non-multiple of a second, e.g., 251 microseconds) - to solve issues with potential beating with the correlator dump times and the fringe), new features to be deployed (recirculation). Bob Sault visiting next week; will again tackle amplitude variations.
• Computing (Robnett):
  • New link to Lustre guidelines: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/Main/LustreUsersDoc (Robnett).

Software status and updates (Butler)

• Links:
  • Software versions/updates: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/EVLASoftwareVersioning?sortcol=table;up=#Current_Software_Versions_in_Use
• Notes: Some issues with OPT 1.06 release. New release of TelCal this week (minor improvements in robustness and flag handling).
• CASA Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements):Jeff noted a delay in the release due to a very slow split in ALMA data; this seems to be resolved and should be the last patch (split as cp should be much faster; averaging is currently unchanged).
  • casa3.2_joint_priorities.txt: casa3.2_joint_priorities.txt
• AIPS Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements): Rick noted some confusion in the reference channel after using the OBIT filler.
• SDM Update:
  • Waiting on SDM/MCAF update to CalDevice table.

Observing recommendations update (Ops)

• Notes: Relax recommendation to use C band for reference pointing; X band reference pointing is fine (and available on all antennas).
  • Link: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RSROObservingPreparationGuidelines

Commissioning priorities for the week (McMullin, Chandler)

• Software updates (CBE/CM testing; focused on robustness; recirculation, faster dump times for testing)
• Science
• Other commissioning tests
• Interrupt status for additional 3-bit testing

Commissioning Reports

Early Science 2011: McMullin/Rupen: Proposed guidelines for 2011 D configuration

• OSRO
  • Up to 2 GHz bandwidth, full pol'n
  • Doppler setting (NOT tracking) independently for each baseband
  • spectral points as narrow as 0.122 kHz
  • In particular:
    • Two independent basebands, each with 8 subband pairs
      • The two basebands are independently tunable, but all 8 subbands within a given baseband must be adjacent
    • All subbands in both basebands must have the same bandwidth
    • Choice of full, dual, or single polarization products
      • 64 channels per sb per pol'n product for full pol'n
      • 128 channels per sb per pol'n product for dual pol'n
      • 256 channels per sb per pol'n product for single pol'n
    • No Doppler tracking
    • This gives 13.7 MB/dump, vs. current OSRO 1.7 MB/dump.
      • For D,C,B configurations: set min integration time of 3 sec (5 MB/s, 18 GB/hour, 422 GB/day, 50 TB/120 days)
      • For A configuration: set min integration time of 1 sec (13.7 MB/s, 48 GB/hour, 1.1 TB/day, 135 TB/120 days)
• RSRO (in the absence of 3-bit samplers and 8 GHz BW):
  • Up to 2 GHz bandwidth, full pol'n; but with additional features for resident scientists:
    • Two independent basebands, each with more than 8 subband pairs; they may have different number of polarization products and different BWs.
    • Subbands are individually tunable (for access to widely spaced spectral lines)
    • Subbands may have different BWs.
  • Choice of full, dual, or single polarization products
    • 64 channels per sb per pol'n product for full pol'n
    • 128 channels per sb per pol'n product for dual pol'n
    • 256 channels per sb per pol'n product for single pol'n
  • Doppler tracking

General: Data Review

• Antenna(s) - antennas (or baselines) on which the issue is seen.
• Band(s) - seen just at one band or more
• Polarization(s) - see in one or both polarizations
• IF(s) - which IFs (A, B, C, D)
• Date
• Description of issue
• Relevant JIRA - for reviewing the plots/additional info
• Characteristic (behavior) - e.g., always, periodic, occasional, etc
• SB name from archive
• Any other comments (really helps to include baseband centers/LOs if possible).

Solar: Perley: Update from observations: Observations of sun with no attenuation in LSC converter (but adjustments in T304 to keep samplers in range)-get fringes! We can handle the 'quiet' sun. Work in executor to fix the GR correction in/out. Next test will at 20 dB attenuator in LSC.

Calibration: Perley: Switched Power update from testing: Vivek has been analyzing the 1 dB in/out; switched power changes by the expected ration; application restores power as hoped. Still checking level of accuracy (requirements are 1%!). Setting up tests using Cyg A (4x sys temps); hold attenuator fixed and let it vary.

High Frequency: Perley: Reference Pointing monitoring update: set of tests to compare CXK pointing at multiple bands; X band working fine; some antenna specific oddities.

Group reports

In preparation

• Polarization: Multi-band leakage/PA (Myers, Marvil): Not a priority but still needed; keep on list.
• Correlator: Krauss/Hunter: 7 vs 8 node observing (follow-up; pending RSRO results)
• Array: Dhawan/Rupen: RF switch tests with rapid monitoring

Commissioning Test Planning

• Spectral Line: Momjian: Zeeman suite of tests.
• Polarization:
• OPT: webtest of 1.06 capabilities/bug fixes (*); Deployed today.
• Correlator: CBE averaging with restricted nodes
• Calibration: Switched power tracking over several airmasses.
• Polarization: Antenna cross polarization (Perley; Need script.); LSCX on 3C147; Scheduled for double maintenance day this week. Postponed until wideband X available on EA24
• Spectral Line: Dhawan: Follow-up on frequency offset phase jumps characterization.
• Spectral Line: Ott: Doppler tracking sampling follow-up
• Polarization: Testing outline

RSRO/ECSO Reports

10B-183: Marvil update; updates in antenna/IF oddities (noted in JIRA ticket(s).

10B-209: Hallinan update; will redo test observation this week.

AC982: Chandler update; oddities with a suite of antennas; under review. Will present early results at AAS.

10B-154: Owen update; still on initial inspection.

Other updates:

• Coming
  • 10B-124: Hofner: Test run (TRSR0022) results. https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/RSRO-26
• RSRO Calendar: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RSROCalendar
• RSRO DnC, C config status: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/2010CRSROStatus
• Test Project Codes == *TRSR*
• Guidelines for RSRO observing: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RSROObservingPreparationGuidelines

• Notes:
  • Current Residents
    • Satoko Takahashi (POC: Juergen Ott); area(s): continuum, mosaicing; 10B-126 (AT380): A Millimeter Study of the Embedded Star-Cluster in the Orion Molecular Cloud.
      • Hauyu Liu (POC: Juergen Ott); area(s): continuum, mosaicing
    • Greg Hallinan (POC: Kumar Golap); area(s):; 10B-209 (AH1020): Broadband Periodic Dynamic Spectra of Ultracool Dwarf Pulsars
    • Adam Leroy (POC: TBD); area(s):; 10A-196 (AL746): Resolving the Starbursts in Nearby LIRGs and ULIRGs
    • Jill Knapp (POC: Rupen/Claussen); area(s): recirculation; IRC+10216 demo science; 10B-200;10B-186. Welcome again.

Demo Science (Chandler/Condon): Project Codes: *TDEM*

• • Status: Complete; filling in some hours during move. Nice coarse spectra from IRC+10216: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECDATA-287
  • Update for C configuration coming from Bob.

Commissioning Group updates

• OSRO User Support (van Moorsel): Link: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/OSROTests
  • Notes:
• Observing Calibration/Flagging Strategies:
  • High Frequency (Claussen/Sjouwerman):
    • Notes:
  • Mid Frequency (Dhawan):
    • Notes:
  • Low Frequency (Momjian):
    • Notes:
• Observing Modes
  • Spectral Line (Goss/Ott):
    • Notes: Report on Momjian Zeeman testing meeting; sequence of tests has been setup; pushing ahead.
  • Polarization (Myers/Perley): Link: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/PolarizationModes
    • Notes: Myers-reviewing recommendations for polarization calibration (updated documentation for OSS). Pushing ahead with polcal monitoring; issue of resources to be resolved for this area.
  • Planetary (Butler):
    • Notes:
  • Rapid Response (Frail): Link: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RapidResponseObserving
    • Notes:
  • Adv: Solar (Perley):
    • Notes:
  • Adv: Phased array/VLBA/VBLI (Deller, Lazio): Link: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/PhasedArray
    • Notes:
  • Adv: Pulsar (Brisken):
  • Adv: Astrometry (Mioduszewski):
• Calibrator Models
  • Notes:
• HPC (Bhatnagar/Owen):
  • Notes:
• Algorithm (Bhatnagar, Owen):
  • Notes: Discussion by Sanjay; note the Cyg A data reduced by LOFAR (found to be better); did imaging with multiscale clean and get the same quality though still not at the thermal noise limit (by a factor of a 1000); dynamic range is 5-8K. Wideband imaging (MS-MFS tests using AB1345; progress understanding spectral index errors for extended emission; will combine with primary beam corrections (good for narrow band; not so much for wide). Using autoflagging (demo in two weeks; show off at lunch tomorrow). Myers noted the first tests with OTF Mosaicing.

AOB

• Frazer noted that the OPT/OST does not readily allow restrictions based on proximity to the sun. In addition, the current OST weather trending (phase for 10 minutes, wind for 2 hours) used for determining viability needs work. This will be kicked to the scheduling group for discussion/resolution. Some could be requested for development of 1.07. -> Action
• Jeff noted that ALMA uses the the terminology of
  • Single spectral region modes (all subbands are contiguous);
  • Multi-spectral region modes (subbands can be independently tuned but must have the same number of channels)
  • Multi-spectral resolution modes (subbands can have different numbers of channels).

Misc Actions

• [McMullin/Frail]: %REDWrite up disposition of RR items.
• [McMullin]: Confirm restriction of RSRO scan length at 90 s
• [Owen]: Outline issue with 90s scan length restriction.
• [McMullin/Durand]: Clean up outdated MainSaver issues.
• [McMullin]: Review/recover metrics for Priority 0 items.
• [Perley/McMullin]: SPW/IF/BB lexicon and mapper
• Development of WIDAR guidelines document (Michael)
• List of known problems (can be used by OSRO commissioning team (van Moorsel)
  • • Med Priority [Rupen]: X, Ku band subbands are inverted (IF 1 is labelled as IF4, IF2 as 3, IF3 as 2, IF 4 as 1). Noted that this had been tested but there were enough changes to warrant a re-do.
    • Med Priority [TBD]: Phase offsets within scans (phase jump at scan boundaries). R&L phase offset on some scans - probably L302 LO problem, needs tracking down. MR: Seen on EA07, EA25 (both RR and LL)
    • Med Priority [TBD]: Added. Phase change when frequency changes (needs to be tested).
    • Med Priority [TBD]: Anti-aliasing does not behave as advertised.
    • Low Priority [TBD]: First scan often bad.
    • Low Priority [TBD]: Phase (and amp) wobbles; long history.