Annual Report 2007 ESO
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ESO European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere Annual Report 2007 ESO European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere Annual Report 2007 presented to the Council by the Director General Prof. Tim de Zeeuw ESO is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in the field of ground-based astronomy. It is supported by 13 countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Further coun- tries have expressed interest in member- ship. Created in 1962, ESO provides state-of- the-art research facilities to European as- tronomers. In pursuit of this task, ESO’s activities cover a wide spectrum including the design and construction of world- class ground-based observational facili- ties for the member-state scientists, large telescope projects, design of inno- vative scientific instruments, developing new and advanced technologies, further- La Silla. ing European cooperation and carrying out European educational programmes. One of the most exciting features of the In 2007, about 1900 proposals were VLT is the possibility to use it as a giant made for the use of ESO telescopes and ESO operates the La Silla Paranal Ob- optical interferometer (VLT Interferometer more than 700 peer-reviewed papers servatory at several sites in the Atacama or VLTI). This is done by combining the based on data from ESO telescopes were Desert region of Chile. The first site is light from several of the telescopes, al- published. La Silla, a 2 400 m high mountain 600 km lowing astronomers to observe up to north of Santiago de Chile. It is equipped 25 times finer details than can be done ESO is also a major partner in the Ata- with several optical telescopes, with with the individual telescopes. The soon cama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array mirror diameters of up to 3.6 metres, to come survey telescopes, VST (opti- (ALMA), one of the largest ground-based dedicated to high-profile long-term pro- cal) and VISTA (infrared), will enhance the astronomy projects of the next decade. grammes. The 3.5-m New Technology capabilities of Paranal even further. ALMA will have a main array of fifty 12-m Telescope was the first in the world to have a computer-controlled main mirror. Whilst La Silla remains one of the scien- tifically most productive observing sites in the world, the 2 600 m high Paranal site with the Very Large Telescope array (VLT) is the flagship facility of European astron- omy. Paranal is situated about 130 km south of Antofagasta in Chile, 12 km inland from the Pacific Coast in what is probably the driest area in the world. The VLT’s design, instrument comple- ment and operating principles set the standard for ground-based optical and infrared astronomy. The VLT is composed of four 8.2-m Unit Telescopes and four movable 1.8-m Auxiliary Telescopes. Sci- entific operations began in 1999 and have resulted in a high number of extremely successful research programmes. The VLT at Paranal. 2 ESO Annual Report 2007 submillimetre quality antennas, with baselines of several kilometres. An addi- tional compact array of four 12-m and twelve 7-m antennas complements the main array. Construction of ALMA started in 2003 and will be completed in 2012; it will become incrementally operational from 2010 on. ALMA is located on the 5 000 m high Llano de Chajnantor, east of the village of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The ALMA project is a partnership between Europe, East Asia and North America in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded in Europe by ESO, in East Asia by the National Insti- tutes of Natural Sciences of Japan in co- operation with the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, and in North America by the US National Science Foundation in coopera- tion with the National Research Council of Canada. ALMA construction and oper- ations are led on behalf of Europe by The ESO headquarters are located in ALMA at Chajnantor ESO, on behalf of East Asia by the Na- Garching, near Munich, Germany. This is (3D computer render- ing). tional Astronomical Observatory of Japan the scientific, technical and administrative and on behalf of North America by the centre of ESO where technical develop- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, ment programmes are carried out to pro- which is managed by Associated Univer- vide the observatories with the most ad- sities, Inc. vanced instruments. It is also home for the Space Telescope European Coordi- The Chajnantor site is also home of the nating Facility (ST-ECF), operated jointly 12-m APEX submillimetre/millimetre- by ESO and the European Space Agency. wavelength telescope, operated by ESO on behalf of the Onsala Space Observa- tory, the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and ESO itself. ESO has built up considerable expertise in developing, integrating and operating large astronomical telescopes at remote sites. Furthermore, for several years, ESO has been engaged in conceptual stud- ies for an extremely large optical and in- fra-red adaptive telescope. This expertise forms the backbone of efforts to devel- op a next-generation extremely large ground-based optical/infrared telescope for Europe’s astronomers. For this pro- ject, currently known as the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), ESO has developed a basic reference design for a 42-m telescope with a novel five- mirror optical concept. The current de- tailed design phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009. Artist’s impression of a possible design for the E-ELT. ESO Annual Report 2007 3 Contents Foreword 6 Introduction 7 Research Highlights 10 La Silla Paranal Observatory 24 The Observing Programmes Committee 32 Summary of Use of Telescopes by Discipline 33 The Users’ Committee 35 Instrumentation 36 Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 44 The European Extremely Large Telescope 53 Software Developments 54 Technical Developments 58 The Science Archive Facility 62 The European Virtual Observatory 65 ST-ECF 67 The Organisation Staff Members 68 Personnel 71 Council 73 Finance Committee 74 Finance 74 The Scientific Technical Committee 76 Public Outreach 80 ESO Press Releases 85 European and International Relations 86 Relations with Chile 90 Four Seasons at a Glance 94 Glossary of Acronyms 98 Publications 101 ESO Annual Report 2007 5 Foreword From modest beginnings in the 1960’s, ESO has moved inexorably onwards to assume the mantle of a world leader in ground-based optical/NIR astronomy and partner in the global adventure that is ALMA. Its suite of four 8m-class tele- scopes at Paranal along with their asso- Photo: B. Farncombe, STFC ciated interferometric capabilities, the VLT/I, and the older but powerful facilities on La Silla, are now producing around seven hundred refereed papers per year. With these developments, ESO has em- powered a vibrant and diverse commu- nity of astronomers in Europe. On the ground in Chile, the ALMA project is rapidly becoming a tangible reality with the delivery of the first antennas and the progress towards the completion of the Before assuming the directorship, Tim de support facilities at and near Chajnantor. Zeeuw had been leading the ASTRONET Astronomers in Europe, North America Science Vision exercise that is now be- and East Asia are tooling-up for the ex- ing followed by the construction of the ploitation of these dramatically powerful Facilities Roadmap that will guide the Eu- new capabilities. ropean funding agencies over the next decade or so. He is now in a strong posi- The E-ELT project has moved up a gear tion to influence the process that will and is now engaged in a fully-fledged de- enable the fulfilment of the dreams of the sign study of a 42-m aperture telescope. European astronomers who participated Several substantial industrial contracts so energetically in this exercise. These are now in progress. The various advisory are exciting times for European and World committees have been energetic in moni- astronomy and ESO is well poised to toring and advising ESO on an endeavour continue its leading role. that is moving forward at breathtaking speed. During 2007, the final formalities were completed to bring Spain and the Czech Republic into ESO as full members. It is highly likely that other new member Prof. Richard Wade states will follow within the next few President of the ESO Council years. In September, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky handed the Director General’s baton to Prof. Tim de Zeeuw. Catherine steered ESO through a remarkable period of growth and development. We all owe her a great debt of gratitude for her strenu- ous efforts that resulted in an extraordi- narily vibrant organisation. Tim inherits an organisation with a very substantially enlarged membership and a portfolio of projects that was probably unimaginable to ESO’s founders. 6 ESO Annual Report 2007 Introduction This is the first Annual Report to appear citing results on exoplanet research since I took over from Catherine where HARPS has effectively cornered Cesarsky on 1 September 2007. Most the market. of the activities and developments cov- ered in this report were carried out under The rapid-response mode of the Very her responsibility. It is a pleasure to ac- Large Telescope (VLT) makes it possible knowledge her eight years of leadership to observe gamma-ray bursts within min- which saw many changes at ESO. utes of notification. It has provided some of the earliest spectra of these enigmatic objects. In one case, changes in the fore- New member states ground intergalactic material could be observed. The intense UV radiation from At the beginning of the year, Spain com- the burst ionised the intervening gas in pleted the formal procedure for ratifica- the first hour of the outburst.