EVLA Commissioning Organization

Goal

Bring the EVLA into full operation at the end of 2012, offering the maximum possible range of capabilities to the user community given the available resources.

Approach

The commissioning effort is divided into two broad categories, with many divisions within those categories.

  • Critical Commissioning Support: These are the testing/development areas critically needed for early operation of the EVLA. This area is subdivided into:
    • System Verification: Testing and characterization of the array based on the design goals.
    • Observing Support: Testing and development of the end-to-end capability of the array to support observations to the community (Documentation, OPT, Scheduling, Instrument models, Calibrator survey/models DB, Rapid response observing, demo science, post-processing).
    • Observing Band Checkout: Testing and development within broad frequency ranges distinguished by their calibration strategies.
    • Observing Mode Support: Testing and development within broad observing modes distinguished by their science goals (continuum, spectral line, polarization).
  • Advanced Science Support: These are the testing/development areas needed to fulfill the full capabilities of the EVLA along with additional observing modes for other branches of the community.
    • Advanced Observing Modes (Pulsar, VLBI, Time Domain, Survey Modes)
    • Advanced Data Techniques: Testing and development of astrometry, mosaicing, time domain processing, advanced algorithms)
    • Advanced Post-processing techniques.
    • Pipelines: Testing and development of automated-flagging, pipeline calibration, pipeline imaging, pipeline analysis and quality assessments.

Commissioning Deliveries

Commissioning will deliver to the observatory:
  • System performance summaries (along with tests/analysis to be repeated during operations)
    • Performance vs design requirements from the Project Book
    • Exceptions/issues in the performance of the array
  • Recommendations for improvement of the observatory
  • Operational procedures and documentation for use in the operation of the EVLA as a science facility, including end to end data management.

Commissioning Teams

Given the expertise of the EVLA scientific staff and the participating RSRO scientists, they can act as representatives and advocates of the range of science needed by the community. The goal of the groups is to enable these modes to be deployed to the community and to drive the development to obtain the best capabilities (and thus the best science) in these broad areas. Currently, the list of groups is summarized below along with the proposed lists of participating science staff. Within the groups, there are a range of high level targets to be achieved; these targets are assigned to a science lead experienced in this area for development of the needed tests and to coordinate the effort to enable the functionality.

Critical Commissioning Support (Active)        
Planning VLBA/VLBI compatibility Brisken, Walker Claussen, Romney Deller
Status Topic Lead NRAO Staff RSRO Participants
Active Correlator Rupen Chandler, Dhawan, Goss, McMullin, Momjian, Ott, Sjouwerman, Wrobel Brogan, Chomiuk, Hunter, Knapp, van Gorkom
Active OSRO tests van Moorsel McMullin, Ott, Rupen, Momjian -
Active Demo science Chandler Butler, Claussen, Dickman, Greisen, McMullin, Ott Miller-Jones
Planning Calibrator survey/models DB Mioduszewski Greisen, Moellenbrock, Owen, Sjouwerman, Momjian -
Active Low Frequency Observing Momjian, Perley Bhatnagar, Clark, Goss, Krauss, McMullin, Moellenbrock, Myers, Ott, Owen, Rupen, Sjouwerman, Urvashi, van Moorsel Chomiuk, Lazio, van Gorkom, Zauderer
Planning Mid Frequency Observing Dhawan Rupen, Momjian, Frail, Owen, Sjouwerman, Elias -
Active High Frequency Observing Claussen, Sjouwerman Carilli, Chandler, Marvil, McMullin, Mioduszewski, Momjian, Owen, Perley, Rupen Aravena, Brogan, Hunter, Cannon, Corder, Perez, Leroy
Active Spectral Line Modes Goss, Ott Carilli, Chandler, Claussen, Dhawan, McMullin, Momjian, Rupen, Sjouwerman, Wrobel Aravena, Brogan, Corder, Chomiuk, Hunter, Linz, van Gorkom
Active Scheduling Frail Clark, Claussen, McMullin, Rupen, Wrobel Lazio, van Gorkom
Active Polarization Modes Myers Bhatnagar, Cotton, Dhawan, Greisen, Kogan, Marvil, Moellenbrock, Owen, Perley, Momjian Green, Heesen, Taylor
Active Mosaicing Ott Dickman, Golap, Goss Chomiuk, Miller-Jones, Takahashi
Advanced Science Support        
Status Topic Lead NRAO Staff RSRO Participants
Active Algorithms (imaging, self-cal, advanced data analysis, HPC) Bhatnagar, Owen Cotton, Golap, Greisen, Kogan, Marvil, Momjian, Perley, Rao Hallinan
Testing Phased Array Rupen, Sowinski Brisken Deller, Lazio (Leads)
Planning Astrometry Brisken Mioduszewski, Fomalont, Rupen, Dhawan, Claussen -
Planning Planets Butler - -
Planning Pulsars Demorest/Brisken Frail, Ransom, Robnett, Rupen, Sowinski Deller
Not-active; pending software control of solar attenuators (2011) Solar Perley, Butler Bastian -
Rx development underway Lowband (Sub-GHz Frequency Observing) Owen Cotton, Durand, Intema, Perley  

-- JosephMcMullin - 01 Mar 2010
Topic revision: r22 - 2011-03-13, JosephMcMullin
This site is powered by FoswikiCopyright © by the contributing authors. All material on this collaboration platform is the property of the contributing authors.
Ideas, requests, problems regarding NRAO Public Wiki? Send feedback