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NRAO Newsletter NRAONRAO NewsletterNewsletter The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. January 2003 www.nrao.edu/news/newsletters Number 94 ALMA This fall has been a busy period as construction activities a detailed proposal to bring significant enhancements to the accelerate for the ALMA project. The most visible evidence baseline ALMA. These enhancements may include a of progress is the completion of the first prototype antenna compact array of seven- and twelve-meter antennas to at the ALMA Test Facility (ATF) located at the VLA site. improve imaging with short baselines, additional frequency The VertexRSI antenna erection has been completed and the bands, and a second generation correlator. Choices of antenna is undergoing a period of extensive tests to verify enhancements will depend on the level of Japanese funds its performance. A second antenna, supplied by our available. The ALMA Science Advisory Committee European partners, will be erected at the ATF next year. The (ASAC) has provided the ACC with the science cases and a European antenna, produced by a consortium led by the priority ranking of potential ALMA enhancements. In antic- French company Alcatel, is scheduled to be available for ipation of their entry, the Japanese will bring a prototype tests beginning in June 2003. Construction of the founda- antenna to the ATF in 2003 for tests to verify its suitability tion for this antenna is already underway. for use in the compact array. The ALMA Coordinating Committee (ACC) met with NRAO Director Fred Lo has convened a panel of experts the Japanese at ESO headquarters in Germany to begin from inside NRAO to review the technical details of those negotiations for the possible entry of Japan into the ALMA portions of the ALMA project assigned to North America. project. The Japanese are hopeful they will receive funding Darrel Emerson chairs the ALMA Technical Advisory in 2004. The ACC formed a team to carry out the formal Committee (ATAC). Other members of the committee are negotiations and tasked the Joint ALMA Office (JAO) with Barry Clark, Larry D’Addario, John Payne, Peter Napier, technical liaison with the National Astronomical Dick Sramek, Dick Thompson, and Lee King. The ATAC is Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The Japanese are preparing currently reviewing existing documentation and conducting interviews with key members of the ALMA North American staff. The committee will submit an initial report to the NRAO Director and is expected to continue as a standing committee. Significant progress has been made preparing for the start of civil infrastructure construction late in calendar year Index ALMA 1-2 Green Bank 2-4 Socorro 5-10 In General 10-11 New Results 12-17 VLA and Spacecraft Imaging of Nonthermal Energy Release in the Solar Corona page 12 A Glimpse into the Funeral Parlor: The Death- throes of a Solar-type Star page 15 Contact Information 19 The VertexRSI prototype antenna construction has been completed. January 2003 ALMA and Green Bank Number 94 2003. An architectural firm, M3, has been retained to begin can be checked for suitability, for foundation, and access the design of the buildings at the array site. They are cur- road construction. Finally, an expert consultant has com- rently collecting detailed requirements from the technical pleted a detailed study examining the various options for Integrated Product Teams (IPTs). In addition, the Science supplying electrical power at the array site and the IPT has supplied locations for the foundations of the com- Operations Support Facility (OSF). The recommendations pact and intermediate configurations. These locations will be are being reviewed and a choice of options will be made surveyed and marked so that the terrain and soil conditions early in 2003. M. D. Rafal GREEN BANK The Green Bank Telescope The GBT observing capabilities, and the number and allowing simple selection of Spectrometer modes was variety of observing programs that can be supported, are released for use in the autumn. continuing to expand. Programs scheduled in recent weeks On November 12, an Observatory-wide internal review include pulsar observations, VLBI, planetary radar, and an of the GBT commissioning and development program was increasing number of Galactic and extragalactic spec- held. Scientists and engineers from all NRAO sites partici- troscopy projects. For the past several months, about pated in person or by video connection. The goals of the 30 percent of total telescope time has been scheduled for review were to inform the participants of the status of GBT refereed observing programs. This fraction will stay at commissioning and development, solicit advice on priori- approximately the same level during the winter months as ties, and present opportunities for scientists from around the we develop observing capabilities in the 1.3 cm (K) band, Observatory to contribute to GBT activities. The review and should grow substantially in the late spring as these and appears to have accomplished all these goals. A number of other systems are completed. decisions on priorities were reached during the review. In The GBT commissioning activities over the past few the commissioning areas, improvements in spectral baseline months have centered on Spectrometer development and flatness over wide bandwidths were deemed most impor- checkouts, system robustness and reliability, and general tant. In the project development area, work on the Precision ease of use. The GBT Spectrometer has more than 200 pos- Telescope Control System that will allow efficient operation sible auto-correlation and cross-correlation modes. Most of of the GBT at 3 mm wavelength was top priority. In the these modes have undergone initial engineering checkouts. About 17 of these modes will satisfy the majority of observ- ing proposals presently in the queue, and commissioning efforts have centered on astronomical checkouts of these. Many proposals request multi-bank operation of the Spectrometer, in which up to eight input IFs and all digital sections are active. This capability became available in the November release of the Monitor and Control System and astronomical verification is underway. We anticipate that all of the priority auto-correlation modes will be verified within the next two months. The Software Development group has made significant improvements to the reliability of the local oscillator control and Spectrometer systems. Overall robustness has been improved and a number of specific problems fixed in these areas. A new observer’s configuration tool is under devel- opment that will allow the GBT to be configured and observations executed much more easily. An initial version 8 GHz continuum image of the Rosette Nebula using the GBT (Ghigo and Maddalena). 2 January 2003 Green Bank Number 94 antenna engineering and operations area, work on the GBT Limited call for GBT Proposals azimuth track was seen as most important. These projects Deadline: February 3, 2003 will have first call on engineering and scientific staff resources and on telescope use over the next few months. The next deadline for observing proposals for the GBT will be February 3, 2003. We presently have about On October 31 and November 1, a review panel met in 4000 hours of proposals in the queue from previous calls, Green Bank to consider the engineering issues of the GBT and are discharging these only gradually. During the winter azimuth track described in the October 1 NRAO Newsletter. months, a large fraction of available telescope time will go The panel had eleven members drawn from engineering to K-band, Q-band, and Spectrometer commissioning. To consulting firms, university departments, research insti- avoid an excessive buildup in the queue, while allowing tutes, and the NRAO. It was chaired by Karl Frank of the access for priority and time-critical projects, this call will be University of Texas. The panel analyzed the history of the limited to ~400 hours of observing time. Given the limited azimuth track and a considerable amount of engineering test time available, the Scheduling Committee will give some data provided by the NRAO. To address the problems and preference to meritorious programs that are time critical, consequences of accelerated wear of the track, the panel such as target of opportunity proposals and those needed for recommended a three-step process consisting of: 1) further Ph.D. programs. The proposals otherwise will be rank- analysis of the wheel support assembly and the track splice ordered and selected until the available time is exhausted. joints; 2) retrofits of the existing track in an effort to stiffen Proposals will be accepted for all standard observing modes the joint areas and remedy the wear problems; and 3) devel- at frequencies through 50 GHz. opment of concepts for a new track design, should that eventually be required. The Observatory is presently evalu- Available observing modes include spectral line, contin- ating the panel’s conclusions, but anticipates a vigorous uum, pulsar, and VLBI/VLBA. Pulsar modes include those plan of action based on their recommendations. with the Spectral Processor, and the BCPM (Berkeley- Caltech Pulsar Machine) through agreement with its P. R. Jewell developers. Receivers include 290-920 MHz (PF1), 910-1230 MHz (PF2), 1.15-1.73 GHz (L), 1.73-2.60 (S), 3.95-5.85 (C), 8.0-10.1 (X), 12.0-15.4 (Ku), 18.0-26.5 (K), and 40-50 GHz (Q). Proposals requesting GBT participation The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope 3 January 2003 Green Bank Number 94 in VLBA or global VLBI observations should be submitted tions about GBT hardware, software, and observing modes to the VLBA only, not to the GBT. As this scheduling peri- may be addressed to Ron Maddalena (304-456-2207). od is for the late spring and summer months, programs at Phil Jewell frequencies of K-band and above will be deferred until at least next autumn, with the possible exception of target of opportunity requests.
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