ESO

European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere

Annual Report 2018 ESO

European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere

Annual Report 2018

Presented to the Council by the Director General Xavier Barcons The European Southern Observatory

ESO, the European Southern Observa­ tory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe. It ESO/M. Claro has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, ­Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the ­Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the Host State of Chile, and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. Several other countries have expressed an interest in membership.

Created in 1962, ESO carries out an ambi­ tious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities, ena­ bling astronomers to make important ­scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research.

ESO operates three world-class observ­ The VLT at the Paranal Observatory at sunset. this interferometric mode, the telescope’s ing sites in the Atacama Desert region vision is as sharp as that of a telescope of Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. The VLT is a unique facility and arguably as large as the separation between La Silla, located 2400 metres above sea the world’s most advanced optical instru­ the most distant mirrors. For the VLTI, level and 600 kilometres north of Santiago ment. It is not just one telescope but an this can be up to 200 metres. de Chile, was ESO’s first observatory. It is array of four, each with a main mirror equipped with several optical telescopes 8.2 metres in diameter. One of the most The Atacama Large Millimeter/submil­­ li­­ with mirror diameters of up to 3.6 metres. exciting features of the VLT is the option meter Array (ALMA), the largest ground- to use it as a giant optical interferometer based astronomy project in existence, La Silla remains at the forefront of astron­ (the VLT Interferometer or VLTI). This is is a revolutionary facility for astronomy omy and the site also hosts a number of done by combining the light from two or worldwide. ALMA comprises an array smaller national telescopes. more of the 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes of 66 antennas of 12 and 7 metres in (UTs) or two or more of the four movable diameter observing at millimetre and The Paranal site is located 2600 metres 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). In ­sub­millimetre wavelengths. It is located above sea level and is home to the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the Visible ) and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astron­ omy (VISTA), the world’s largest survey twanight.org telescope, and the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), the largest survey telescope observing at visible wavelengths. Paranal is situated about 130 kilometres south ESO/B. Tafreshi ( of Antofagasta in Chile, 12 kilometres inland from the Pacific coast in one of the driest areas in the world. Scientific opera­ tions began in 1999 and have resulted in many extremely successful research programmes. In recent years Paranal has also become home to a number of small­ er national tele­scopes and will become the operational centre for the Extremely Large ­Telescope (ELT) and the Cherenkov Telescope Array South (CTA-South).

The La Silla site was ESO’s first ever observing site, and has been in operation since the 1960s.

2 ESO Annual Report 2018 posals to ALMA every year. ESO is the most productive ground-based observa­ tory in the world and its operation yields

S. Otarola/ESO S. many peer-reviewed publications; in 2018, 1083 refereed papers were pub­ lished based on ESO data.

The next step beyond the VLT is the ­construction of the ELT, with a primary mirror 39 metres in diameter. ESO’s ELT will be “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” — the largest optical/near-infrared telescope in the world. On completion, it will address many of the most pressing unsolved questions in astronomy and may, eventually, revolutionise our percep­ tion of the Universe, much as Galileo’s telescope did 400 years ago. Construc­ tion is ongoing at Cerro Armazones near Paranal.

Paranal will also be the southern site of ALMA antennas can withstand harsh conditions at the Cherenkov Telescope Array; a facility the Chajnantor plateau. operated by ESO for the detection of gamma rays through radiation caused by on the high-­altitude Chajnantor plateau, millimetre telescope, operated by ESO cascades of particles that are produced 5000 metres above sea level — one of on behalf of the Max Planck Institute for when entering the Earth’s atmosphere. the highest astronomical observatories in Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala CTA-South, expected to begin observa­ the world. The ALMA project is a partner­ Space Observatory (OSO) and ESO itself. tions in 2022, will provide a window into ship between ESO, East Asia and North the most energetic phenomena in the America, in cooperation with the Republic Each year, about 1800 proposals are Universe. of Chile. submitted for the use of ESO telescopes, requesting between three and six times The ESO Headquarters is located in The Chajnantor site is also home to the as many nights as are available. In addi­ Garching, near Munich, Germany. This Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), tion, astronomers from the regions repre­ is the scientific, technical and adminis­ a 12-metre-diameter millimetre and sub­ sented by ESO submit around 750 pro­ trative centre of ESO where technical development programmes are carried out to provide the observatories with the most advanced instrumentation. The ESO Supernova, a large centre for astronomy

ESO/L. Calçada ESO/L. outreach which includes a state-of- the-art planetarium, is also located at the Headquarters. ESO’s offices in Chile are located in Vitacura, Santiago. They host the local administration and support groups and are home to ESO/Chile astronomers when they are not at the observatories. This site also contains the ALMA Santiago Central Office. The ESO offices in Santiago also act as a bridge between scientists in Europe and Chile.

The total regular Member State financial contributions to ESO in 2018 were approximately 192 million euros and ESO employs 709 staff.

Artist’s impression of the ELT in operation.

ESO Annual Report 2018 3

Contents

Foreword by the President of Council 6 Introduction by the Director General 7 Science 10 Research Highlights 11 Offices for Science 20 Allocation of Telescope Time 24 Publication Digest 28 Education and Outreach 31 Operations 38 La Silla ­­Paranal Observatory 39 Data Management and Operations 48 ALMA 52 Programmes 58 Instrumentation for the La Silla Paranal­­ Observatory 59 Technology Development 65 The Extremely Large Telescope 68 Engineering 74 Administration 84 Finance and Budget 86 Contracts & Procurement 90 Facility Management, Logistics and Transport 91 Human Resources 94 Organigram 98 Office of the Director General 100 Organisational Matters 108 Council 109 Finance Committee 110 Scientific Technical Committee 111 Observing Programmes Committee 113 Users Committee 115 International Staff Association 116 Local Staff Representatives 119 Diversity and Inclusion 120 Calendar of Events 122 Glossary of Acronyms 126 Foreword by the President of Council

Challenge, progress, and achievement; of Energy, Science, and Innovation, In June, Council approved long-awaited these are the keywords describing the Ambassador Gabriel Rodriguez. In her amendments to the Staff Rules and work cycle at ESO. Achievements result opening address, Carolina Valdivia ­Regulations. The changes were aimed at from the significant progress made once stressed the importance of modern improving working conditions at ESO and the initial challenges have been solved. astronomy in Chile’s ambitious plans were explicitly targeted towards families. Hence, they are the fruits of previous to develop its economy, to further edu­ These changes were much welcomed by investment and, more generally, of the cate its population and to safeguard its the staff and represent an essential step enormous amount of dedicated work natural resources. ESO would be proud towards ensuring ESO remains a modern spread over years. The achievements if it could, through its astronomy pro­ and attractive employer. and highlights to be found in this report grammes, help Chile achieve these objec­ have followed this path and illustrate the tives. A delightful dinner at the Belgian On 26 September 2018, the ESO Director importance of a long-range vision and embassy hosted by the Ambassador pro­ General Xavier Barcons and the Irish Min­ corresponding investments in the long vided opportunities for the delegates to ister of State for Research and Develop­ innovation chain. exchange opinions outside the more for­ ment John Halligan signed the Accession mal setting of the meeting. Agreement, effectively allowing Ireland Emphasising just a couple of achieve­ to become the 16th Member State of the ments or highlights of the year past is an As part of a longstanding tradition, the European Southern Observatory. This impossible task without being unfair to Council members took advantage of the event crowned significant work carried many. Nevertheless, it would be incon­ meeting in Santiago to visit ESO’s obser­ out over years by the Irish government, ceivable not to mention the observations vatories. By observing the large trucks the Irish astronomical community and in May 2018 made by the VLTI adaptive and bulldozers busily digging the founda­ ESO. With its thriving and experienced optics assisted, two-object, multiple tions of the ELT, they could truly appre­ astronomical community and its high- beam-combiner, GRAVITY, the Spectro­ ciate its eventual size. They enjoyed being tech industry, Ireland will help strengthen graph for INtegral Field Observations in at the VLT on Paranal, where all the ESO’s position at the forefront of global the Near Infrared (SINFONI), and the second-­generation instruments are now astronomy. adaptive optics assisted near-infrared installed, during a busy observing night imager and spectrograph NACO of the with the four bright lasers from UT4 pierc­ Finally, at the very end of the year, the star S2 zipping by the massive black hole ing the dark skies. A little apprehension Director General signed two agreements: located in the centre of our own Milky was felt while undergoing the medical test one between the Chilean Government Way galaxy. This work represented the prior to embarking on the ride towards and ESO, and the other between the climax of 26 years of ESO observations the breathtaking ALMA high site. Ultimate­ Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory of the heart of the Milky Way. It revealed ly, for some the visit to La Silla revived (CTAO) and ESO. These documents define — for the first time — the effects pre­ dear memories of long-past observing the framework within which ESO will host dicted by Einstein’s general relativity on runs and represented an ideal opportu­ and operate CTA-South at Paranal.­ This the motion of a star passing through an nity to (re-)discover the home of the two was an important step needed to enable extreme gravitational field. It is equally future instruments: Son of X-shooter construction of the world’s largest array hard not to mention the successful com­ (SoXS) on the New Technology Telescope of gamma-ray telescopes to begin. bination of the light from the four 8.2- (NTT), specialising in following-up metre UTs at the incoherent focus which ­transient events, and the Near Infra Red fed the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Planet Searcher (NIRPS) on the ESO Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic 3.6-metre telescope, the infrared exten­ Observations (ESPRESSO) during its sion of the High Accuracy Radial velocity commissioning. This made the VLT the Planetary Searcher (HARPS) spectro­ largest telescope in the world by far, in graph. Council would like to express its terms of light collecting area! deep gratitude to all involved in making the meeting and the visits in Chile so pro­ During 2018, the ESO Council met four ductive and enjoyable. times, twice at Headquarters in Garching (in June and December) and twice as the On 26 April, the ESO Supernova Plane­ Committee of Council in Vienna (March) tarium & Visitor Centre was officially and in Santiago (October). The kind hospi­ ­inaugurated, and its doors opened to the tality of the Austrian delegation was public a few days later. The centre, locat­ deeply appreciated. In Chile, the Commit­ ed at ESO Headquarters in Garching, tee of Council was honoured by the nota­ comprises a magnificent building donat­ ble presence at the opening of the meet­ ed by the Klaus Tschira Foundation; it ing of the Undersecretary for Foreign is a unique gem amongst outreach facili­ Affairs, Carolina Valdivia, and the Director ties in which visitors can experience astronomy hands-on.

6 ESO Annual Report 2018 Introduction by the Director General

The ESO family grew further in 2018 with very little technical downtime. The deliv­ the accession of its 16th Member State ery of the second generation of VLT and — Ireland — on 28 September, when VLTI instruments was virtually completed

Minister John Halligan and I signed the in 2018; the final elements to become Zamani ESO/M. Accession Agreement in Dublin. Ireland is operational were the mid-infrared VLTI now ramping up towards full involvement instrument, Multi-AperTure mid-Infrared with ESO in science, industry and instru­ SpectroScopic Experiment (MATISSE), ment development, among other areas. the ultra-stable spectrograph ESPRESSO, and the New Adaptive Optics Module for The first year of ESO’s partnership with Interferometry (NAOMI) — the set of Australia on the La Silla Paranal pro­ adaptive optics modules for the ATs. A gramme resulted in clear engagement remarkable milestone was reached in between the two parties, with observing February when the light collected by campaigns led by Australian scientists the four 8.2-metre telescopes of the VLT and the first contracts awarded by the was fed for the first time through the Finance Committee. Strong and contin­ combined coudé focus into ESPRESSO, ued support from the ESO Member resulting in an effective collecting area States is essential to achieving ESO’s close to that of a single telescope with a goals, and this was assured for another diameter of 16 metres — one of the origi­ year via the Governing and Advisory nal VLT concepts! The submillimetre ­bodies with which the ESO executive APEX telescope on the Chajnantor Pla­ maintains a very close, constructive rela­ teau resumed science operations in mid- tionship based on transparency and April after a major telescope overhaul, trust. Support from Chile for ESO’s activi­ with further­ interventions planned during ties continued to be as strong as ever the early 2019 shutdown. and test phase in Chile are ongoing, and and has led to the start of a dialogue with the effort required is being identified and the Chilean Government, aimed at ALMA concluded 3800 hours of Cycle 5 quantified. Discussions are continuing exploring ways to develop the ESO–Chile observations and started Cycle 6 with between the ELT construction programme relationship further. Owing to a lack of the entire suite of 66 antennas fully avail­ and the Paranal observatory to define the progress, interim arrangements with Brazil able for the first time, overseen by its new future integration of the ELT into the were discon­tinued, albeit leaving the door director Sean Dougherty. The ESO region ­Paranal system. Several of the approved fully open for Brazil to complete or re-­ continues to be the most highly oversub­ ELT instruments — which ESO is develop­ discuss its relationship with ESO in the scribed within ALMA, with a pressure of ing in partnership with the community — future. around a factor of 6 in Cycle 6. Out of have also made significant progress, with more than 1000 papers that ALMA has the High Angular Resolution Monolithic A number of high-impact scientific results enabled by the end of 2018, 41% have Optical and Near-infrared Integral-field were enabled by ESO in 2018. Most been led by astronomers from the ESO spectrograph (HARMONI) and the Multi- remarkable was the measurement of the region, while receiving 34% of the observ­ AO Imaging Camera for Deep Observa­ gravitational redshift of the star S2 orbit­ ing time. The next steps of the ALMA tions (MICADO), each having gone ing the four-million-solar-mass black hole development programme are starting, fol­ through its Preliminary Design Review Sagittarius A* at the centre of our Milky lowing the roadmap adopted by the (PDR). Some clouds on the horizon Way, quantitatively confirming general ALMA Board, in which ESO is leading the appeared as well, most notably the finan­ ­relativity. This was the result of a tremen­ development of the new Band 2. cial difficulties affecting one of the con­ dous effort by the GRAVITY team in part­ stituent companies of the consortium nership with the entire ESO Organisation, The ELT programme made huge strides building the ELT Dome and Main Struc­ which decided in 2015 that enabling these last year, with over 90% of the contractual ture (DMS). Given the various pressures critical observations would have the high­ value of the programme being awarded on the ELT programme, a revised base­ est priority. Infrastructure upgrades in to industry. Civil work began on Cerro line schedule was adopted, leading to Paranal, the development of new elements Armazones, with the completion of exca­ ELT first light in November 2025. This fully for telescope systems, sensitive infrared vations for the telescope, dome and preserves the scientific potential and detectors, plus flexible scheduling which ­auxiliary building. Additionally, the ELT competitiveness of the telescope. enabled observation of S2 whenever Technical Facility is under construction in conditions allowed were — among other Paranal. In Europe, industry and the entire With the full support of Council, CTA- things — key contributions that ESO ESO team (including engineers, scientists South was adopted as a new ESO pro­ made towards this successful experiment. and managers) are working together gramme. The southern component of towards the development of the various the CTA will be built by the CTAO, and La Silla Paranal continued to function subsystems of the telescope, with impor­ ESO will operate it as part of the Paranal astonishingly well for another year, deliv­ tant milestones already achieved. Prepa­ Observatory. The signature of the ESO– ering world-class astronomical data with rations for the assembly, integration CTAO hosting agreement and of the

ESO Annual Report 2018 7 ESO–Chile site agreement for CTA-South took place in Santiago on 19 December 2018. CTA-South is another example of the very constructive partnership between ESO and Chile, a partnership that we jointly intend to extend into even more avenues of cooperation.

On 28 April a unique education and ­outreach facility, the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, started operating on the ESO Garching campus. The ESO Supernova, a donation from the Klaus Tschira Foundation, quickly became a success with around 8000 ­visitors a month in its first year of opera­ tion. It hosts a fascinating exhibition about astronomy and ESO, a state-of- the-art digital planetarium, and spaces that can be used for training and work­ shops as well as temporary exhibitions. Material from the Supernova is freely available.

I consider 2018 to be a very important year for the transformation of ESO into a better place to work, something that is essential in order to effectively confront the big challenges that lie ahead. Together with staff representatives and support from our governing bodies, a number of measures were developed and imple­ mented that make ESO a more family- friendly environment, enabling a better work-life balance. ESO staff work extremely hard, but since ESO has a bold long-term programme, we need to ensure that we can maintain the pace in the increasingly busy years to come. In addi­ tion, ESO has both the ethical duty and the absolute need to pursue gender balance and to welcome and support diversity in all its aspects. This will con­ tinue to be a focus in the coming years.

I would like to end this introduction by highlighting the dedication and legacy to ESO of the former ESO Director Gen­ eral and Nobel Prize laureate Riccardo Giacconi, who sadly passed away on 9 December 2018.

ESO’s Headquarters in Garching, Germany.

8 ESO Annual Report 2018 P. Horálek/ESO P.

9 Science

10 ESO Annual Report 2018 Research Highlights

The Directorate for Science (DSC) and Opening up new parameter space has tems every year. The new capability to its Offices for Science together provide often yielded new scientific results. ESO image faint emission from the outskirts a vibrant environment in which scien­ facilities have explored these possibilities of distant galaxies has provided a clue tists — ESO staff and visitors alike — for decades. Some of the scientific high­ to the extent of the hydrogen distribution can flourish and engage proactively lights this year are directly connected to around galaxies and the ultraviolet radia­ with the community in the Member new technical capabilities. Imaging and tion field in the early Universe. The com­ States, such that ESO can best serve astrometry at the microarcsecond level bination of cold material (gas and dust) their needs. In terms of head count, with the VLTI have produced unique and observed with ALMA and the hot com­ DSC is dominated by the young scien­ unprecedented results. The further expan­ ponents (stars and fluorescent gas) tists who comprise ESO’s Fellowship sion of the field of very high angular reso­ detected with the VLT has enabled the and Studentship Programmes. DSC lution astrophysics has allowed astrono­ exploration of the formation of the first also contains the Observing Pro­ mers to explore dynamics near black galaxies in the early Universe. While multi-­ grammes Office (OPO), which organis­ holes and at the centres of distant galax­ messenger astrophysics has emerged es twice-yearly meetings of roughly ies. The characterisation of exoplanets as a new field over the past years, electro­ 80 community astronomers who rec­ has become a major research topic, magnetic radiation remains the most ommend how best the Director Gener­ resulting in exciting new insights into the informative and most often-employed al should allocate time on ESO’s tele­ formation and evolution of planetary sys­ means of investigating the Universe. scopes. The ALMA, VLT, VLTI and ELT Programme Scientists also work in DSC, alongside the Project Scientists, pushing those respective facilities to their limits and ensuring their long- term health. The education and Public Zooming in on exoplanets Outreach Department (ePOD) promotes the exciting discoveries made using ESO facilities and engages with edu­ cators via the ESO Supernova Plane­ tarium & Visitor Centre, which opened The disc of gas and dust forming around other instruments and observations was to the public in April. a young star is the birthplace of its crucial. ­planets. The connection between transi­ Following a Faculty election, Itziar De tion discs and planets has been recog­ Archival data from NACO on the VLT and Gregorio Monsalvo became the Head nised for some time but no clear example from an infrared camera mounted on the of the Office for Science in Vitacura. had been found so far. Planets are Gemini telescope confirmed the nature of Elsewhere in DSC, Suzanne Ramsay expected to collect matter close to their the point source with a separation from became Head of the Project Science orbits, creating tell-tale gaps in the transi­ the host star of only 0.195 arcseconds. Department, and Ciska Kemper start­ tion discs. The archival data were also beneficial ed as the ALMA Programme Scientist. because they allowed the astronomers to Richard Hook and Ed Janssen retired The T Tauri star PDS 70, a star that is still exclude a chance projection of a back­ from ePOD; Ed sadly passed away in the process of forming, has an age of ground star close to PDS 70 and demon­ only a few months later. about five million years and hosts an outer strated that the object is actually bound transition disc with a large gap of about to the star and hence is a planet. The 54 astronomical units (au). The disc planet displays an unusually red colour. has been mapped with ALMA, revealing No other such young (or still forming) carbon monoxide (CO) and methylium planet has been observed to date and (HCO+) emission, and indicating different the interpretation of the colour remains features in the gas and dust distribution challenging. A comparison with evolu­ of the disc, in particular a large gap with tionary models of planet formation indi­ no dust grains between 16 and 60 au. In cated a mass in the range 5 to 14 Jupiter addition to the outer disc, observations masses, depending on the formation with the Spectro-Polarimetric High-­ scenario. The red colour could be an indi­ contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument cation of a dusty or cloudy atmosphere, (SPHERE) have now detected an inner but future observations will be needed to disc at less than 17 au, confirming the strengthen this conclusion. The planet large gap. As a bonus, the observations appears to have a size between 1.4 and also uncovered a planet in the gap at an 3.7 times the radius of Jupiter and a sur­ orbital radius of about 22 au. Since these face temperature in the range of 1000 to are very difficult observations and are 1600 K, all of which indicates a very young VLT observation of Messier 61, one of the largest close to the limit of what current instru­ object. The period of the planet is current­ galaxies in the Virgo cluster. mentation can achieve, confirmation with ly not well known but these observations,

ESO Annual Report 2018 11 This image from the SPHERE instrument is the first clear picture of a planet caught in the act of formation. The ESO/A. Müller et al. planet is the bright point to the right of centre of the young star PDS 70.

spanning six years, give the first hints of quite elongated (eccentricity of 0.3). Its use of several ground- and space-based the possible orbit of the planet. The best minimum mass is 3.2 times the mass telescopes and used the ESO-hosted, solution indicates a nearly circular orbit of the Earth. The mass depends on the TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals with a period of about 120 years, although unknown inclination angle of the orbit Small Telescope (TRAPPIST), which the uncertainties are still very high. ­relative to the line of sight and hence only detected the system in the first place, and a lower limit can be derived. the Search for habitable Planets EClipsing Two years after the discovery of an Earth- ULtra-cOOl Stars (SPECULOOS). The like planet around the nearest star to the The candidate planet lies very close to planets are so closely packed around this Sun (Proxima Centauri) in 2016, a super- the “snow line” — the region around the faint, red star that their masses influence Earth planet candidate was detected host star where the radiation is weak each other’s orbit. This leads to slight orbiting Barnard’s star, the fastest moving enough that volatile compounds con­ changes of the orbital periods and results star in the sky and the nearest single dense into solid forms, i.e., freeze. The in transit time variations. The analysis of star to the Sun. This is the result of over data also show a long-term modulation, 284 transit timings (ranging from more 20 years of observations with high-reso­ which could be the signature of stellar than 100 observations for the innermost lution spectrographs on seven different activity or of a second, more distant, plan­ planet — i.e., the one with the shortest telescopes. The data sample combines et in the system. The maximum angular orbital period — to just 7 for the outer­ more than 770 individual radial velocity separation and the brightness contrast most planet) has improved the mass esti­ measurements; HARPS in La Silla and between Barnard’s star and its planet mates and the determination of the aver­ the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectro­ make a direct detection extremely difficult age planet densities. The latter come graph (UVES) on the VLT have contribut­ with current facilities but it may be within from the decrease in the brightness of ed one-third of the observations, which reach for the ELT. the star when each planet transits in front span 17 years. Some data were obtained of it, which is mostly determined by the during a very intensive HARPS campaign The planetary system comprising seven size of the planet. The overall densities between July and September 2017. near-Earth-mass planets around the star show that two of the seven planets are ­Barnard’s star is a red dwarf star like TRAPPIST-1 is very intriguing. Its discov­ probably rocky, while the others most Proxima Centauri, with only about 16% of ery was reported as a scientific highlight likely contain envelopes of volatiles either the mass and about 0.3% the luminosity last year. A further study using the exact in thick atmospheres, oceans or ice. The of the Sun. It is also roughly twice the age timing of the planet transits in front of water fraction in all cases is less than 5%, of the Sun. The planet was found through the star found the respective densities of which is still high considering that the the reflex motion it exerts on Barnard’s the planets and could confirm that some water fraction on Earth is 0.02%. star of 1.2 ± 0.1 m s­– 1 . The orbital period of them contain surface water or dense of the planet is 233 days and the orbit is vapour atmospheres. This study made

12 ESO Annual Report 2018 The true sizes of galaxies

The true sizes of galaxies are difficult to searching for the faintest emission from quasars had been connected to lines of measure. The stars only point to the most galaxies at redshifts between 3 and 6. sight through galaxies. Remarkably, the densely packed regions, gas extends These results are extremely interesting masses determined through the direct much further out but is difficult to observe, as they probe the faintest surface bright­ emission and absorption systems towards and the dark matter that produces the ness observed to date and provide inde­ quasars are very similar, indicating that gravitational potential in which the galaxies pendent evidence for extended struc­ the missing gas around the galaxies has exist has only been observed indi­rectly. tures around the galaxies. One of the been found. It also signifies that there is Deep observations of some of the most most exciting aspects is the inference emission from high-redshift galaxies studied sky fields — the Hubble Deep that almost all sight lines in these very essentially at all places in the sky. Apart Field South and the Hubble Ultra Deep deep observations intersect with the faint from the fact that the extent of hydrogen Field — have been obtained with the glow of hydrogen around the very distant around galaxies is much larger than has ­integral-field instrument Multi Unit Spec­ galaxies. been observed to date, the excitation troscopic Explorer (MUSE). This instru­ mechanism for this glow is not entirely ment is best suited to observing extend­ The analysis was complicated by the fact clear. Fluorescence from background ed emission-line regions and has been that redshift due to the cosmic expansion ultraviolet photons in optically thick gas employed to search for the faint haze of shifts the observed lines. The individual might be a possibility. In this case, these excited hydrogen around the galaxies. emissions between redshifts 3 and 6 photons presumably come from quasars had to be isolated for each galaxy before and excite the hydrogen as they encoun­ Two analyses have recently been pub­ combining them together again. For the ter the dense clouds. The emission is lished: one looking for the filaments first time we can directly see this warm then caused by the subsequent atomic ­connecting neighbouring galaxies at red­ gas (at about 10 000 K). In the past, cold recombination. shifts between 3 and 4, and another one gas absorbing light from background ESA/Hubble & NASA, ESO/ Lutz Wisotzki et al.

MUSE observations have uncovered vast reservoirs of atomic hydrogen surrounding distant galaxies in the early Universe.

ESO Annual Report 2018 13 A sharper view of supermassive black holes and their environments

A supermassive black hole (SMBH) is 30 found at the centre of every galaxy, including our own. They continuously PA Jet = 222 degrees 2.178 accrete matter and can display spectacu­ larly different behaviour depending on 20 photocentre their accretion rate. In 2018, the GRAVITY instrument at the VLTI looked at the two 2.176 extremes of SMBH accretion rates: the )

quasar 3C 273 and the Galactic Centre 10 m) (µ

Sgr A*. In both cases, GRAVITY has made important contributions to our under­ cseconds 2.174 ar

standing of SMBHs and their environ­ length ments thanks to the unique combination ic ro 0 (m of angular resolution and sensitivity wave 2.172 on offered by the VLTI and GRAVITY (Gravity ed ati Collaboration et al., 2018 a,b,c). rv

–10 Obse The extraordinary luminosities of active

Δ Declin 2.170 galactic nuclei (AGN) are driven by accre­ tion onto their central SMBHs. Emission lines originating at the centres of qua- –20 sars (the brightest AGN) appear strongly 2.168 broadened by the tremendous speeds broad-line region model experienced by the gas, either due to accretion or wind-driven mass loss. –30 Studying broad-line regions is a powerful 30 20 10 0 –10 –20 –30 way to understand quasars and their Δ Right ascension (microarcseconds) physics. Traditionally, broad-line regions are resolved by using a technique known with GRAVITY will target more AGN to GRAVITY observation of the broad-line region of as reverberation mapping, which requires study the structure of their continuum the quasar 3C 273. Observed centroid positions at ­several wavelength channels show a clear spatial both spectroscopy and photometry. (dust) and emission-line (gas) regions. separation between the red- and blue-shifted The time delay between photometric fluc­ ­emission and a velocity gradient at a position angle tuations originating from the central Closer to us, following the orbit of the (PA) nearly perpendicular to that of the radio jet, accretion disc and from a broad-line star S2 orbiting very close to Sgr A* — which is represented by the solid black line (Fig­ ure 1b from Gravity Collaboration et al. 2018a). region gives an estimate of the size of the the SMBH at the centre of our Galaxy — broad-line region and the mass of the the GRAVITY Collaboration et al. (2018b) central SMBH, based on some assump­ obtained the best estimates so far of the tions about the geometry of the broad- mass of Sgr A* (4.10 ± 0.03 million solar and determining their location and rela­ line region. masses) and the distance to the Galactic tionship with respect to the black hole Centre (8127 ± 31 parsecs). Thanks to has been challenging. The Schwarz­schild GRAVITY was able to directly resolve a the accuracy of the orbital measurements radius of Sgr A* is about 17 solar radii, broad-line region for the first time in 2018 during the closest approach of S2 to Sgr which corresponds to 10 microarcsec­ in quasar 3C 273 (Gravity Collaboration A* (in May 2018), using a combination onds at the distance of the Galactic Cen­ et al., 2018a). The geometric measure­ of VLTI/GRAVITY astrometry and VLT/ tre. Significant progress was made on ment from GRAVITY implies a broad-line SINFONI velocimetry, the team also meas­ this front in 2018; using the star S2 as a region size that is at the lower end of ured a relativistic effect known as gravita­ reference during a 45-minute flare, the ­previous estimates based on reverbera­ tional redshift, which provides the first GRAVITY collaboration discovered that tion mapping measurements: 145 ± 35 confirmation of Einstein’s General Relativ­ the photocentre of Sgr A* denotes a small light-days, compared to estimates rang­ ity on this scale. loop of about 75 microarcseconds in ing between 100 and 400 light-days. This radius. This size matches the predicted corresponds to 100 microarcseconds Compared to AGN, Sgr A* is a relatively size of the last stable circular orbit around at the distance of 3C 273 (550 megapar­ quiet source, but its luminosity­ is poorly a black hole of more than 3 million solar secs). This newly refined measurement has understood. It is unclear what is the masses — this compact size is further direct consequences for the mass esti­ ­origin of its non-thermal variability across evidence that Sgr A* is indeed a black mate of the central SMBH; the GRAVITY the whole electromagnetic spectrum, hole. Interestingly, this also implies that study implies 260 ± 110 million solar with typical timescales between 10 and we are observing the accretion flow nearly masses; half that of typical reverberation 30 minutes. The angular resolution of face-on. mapping estimates. Future observations these fluctuations has not been possible

14 ESO Annual Report 2018 Witnessing the birth of planets in circumstellar discs

As the largest submillimetre interferometer different spectral types can be com­ submillimetre wavelengths, at a resolution in the world, ALMA can reveal small-scale pared, in order to build a picture of how of ~ 0.035 arcseconds or ~ 5 au. The structure in the planet-forming discs planet formation proceeds. Newly formed results show a spectacular gallery of ­surrounding young stars. Such discs are planets may carve out orbits containing highly structured circumstellar discs, analogous to the Solar System in its little to no dust in the circumstellar disc, revealing gaps, density enhancements, ­earliest days and studying the process of while planetesimal formation may still asymmetries, and spiral arms on a range planet formation in protoplanetary discs occur in regions with high dust density. of spatial scales. These features are allows us to understand the formation believed to be shaped by the interaction of Solar System planets, including the An ALMA Large Programme, led by Sean between newly formed planets and the Earth. At submillimetre wavelengths, ther­ Andrews, Andrea Isella, Laura Pérez remaining dusty discs. In a series of mal emission from dust dominates the and Cornelis Dullemond, entitled “Disk ­publications by the DSHARP team in emission, and a detailed map of the dust Substructures at High Angular Resolution December 2018, several explanations density can be made. Doing so for a large Project (DSHARP)”, is carrying out a sur­ were put forward for the range of pro­ number of objects, the dust density maps vey targeting 20 nearby protoplanetary cesses involved in shaping these discs. of central stars of different ages and of discs using high-resolution imaging at

AS 205 AS 209 DoAr 25 DoAr 33

ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Andrews et al.; NRAO/AUI/NSF, S. Dagnello Elias 20 Elias 24 Elias 27 GW Lup

HD 142666 HD 143006 HD 163296 HT Lup

IM Lup MY Lup RU Lup SR4

The ALMA Large Programme DSHARP reveals an unprecedented amount of structure in 20 protoplane­ tary discs. These images and obser­ vations contain clues to the formation Sz 114 Sz 129 WaOph 6 WSB 52 and evolution of planetary systems like our own Solar System.

ESO Annual Report 2018 15 Galactic Nova CK Vulpeculae as a chemical factory

CK Vulpeculae (CK Vul) is the present-day variable star found at the location of the earliest recorded nova, in 1670. It is thought to have arisen from the collision and subsequent merger between two stars. The cloud of material ejected in this collision formed an elongated, axisym­ metric nebula which can still be observed today, more than 300 years after the explosion. The elemental composition of the nebular ejecta is determined by the composition of the predecessor stars and the resulting chemistry strongly depends on the initial composition. The nebula thus forms a unique laboratory in which to study astrochemical processes and the formation of interstellar molecules.

Two teams studied this object using ALMA and published their results in 2018. The first group, led by Stewart Eyres, ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Kamiński; T. Gemini, NOAO/AURA/NSF; NRAO/AUI/NSF, B. Saxton observed CN, C17O, and four different organic molecules towards CK Vul. They ruled out a number of scenarios and ­concluded that only a merger between a white dwarf and a brown dwarf around the year 1670 can explain all of the obser­ vations. A second team, led by Tomasz Kamiński, reported the presence of a radioactive aluminium isotope 26Al, in the form of 26AlF, based on ALMA observa­ tions. 26Al has a very short half-life of 0.72 million years; however, its decay products have been observed in detecta­ ble quantities in relatively unprocessed meteorites preserved in the Solar System, meaning that 26Al was deposited into the early Solar System by a nearby source, possibly a supernova. Furthermore, dif­ fuse gamma-ray emission at 1.809 MeV points to the decay of 26Al throughout the galaxy. The detection of a 26Al-carrying molecule in CK Vul makes it the first known source of this radioactive species. The presence of 26Al also puts constraints on the mass of the progenitor stars, requiring that at least one of them was massive enough to produce 26Al through Composite image of CK Vulpeculae, also known as nucleosynthesis. Nova Vulpeculae 1670, more than 300 years after the nova outburst. ALMA observations in orange show the extent of the 26AlF emission and its more common isotopomer 27AlF; continuum dust emission observed with ALMA is shown in red. The ALMA images are superposed on an optical image from the Gemini observatory (shown in blue).

16 ESO Annual Report 2018 The first stars at 250 Myr and the most distant oxygen

An ALMA study has revealed evidence for the Universe, but the presence of both star formation just a few hundred years the Lyα and [O III] 88-µm lines indicates a after the Big Bang by observing a galaxy mature stellar population. By modelling in the [OIII] 88-µm line. From the detec­ pre-existing observations from the Hubble tion of this line a redshift of z = 9.1096 and Spitzer space telescopes and model­ was inferred, making this the most distant ling the infrared spectral energy distribu­ oxygen reservoir known to date. The red­ tions, the team have been able to con­ shift was confirmed with optical obser­ strain the onset of star formation to a time vations of the hydrogen Lyα recombina­ roughly 250 million years after the Big The galaxy MACS J1149-JD1 as tion line obtained with the wideband Bang, indicating that star formation could observed with ALMA in the [OIII] ultraviolet-infrared spectrograph X-shooter have occurred earlier than was previously 88-µm line in the inset, superposed on an image taken with the Hubble Space on the VLT. The derived redshift corre­ assumed. Telescope of the cluster that this gal­ sponds to an age of 500 million years for axy is found in. ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, Zheng W. (JHU), M. Postman (STScI), the CLASH Team, Hashimoto et al.

ESO Annual Report 2018 17 References

The following papers were used as sources for the Research Highlights.

Andrews, S. M. et al. 2018, ApJ Letters, 869, L41 Eyres, S. P. S. et al. 2018, MNRAS, 481, 4931 Gallego, S. et al. 2018, MNRAS, 475, 3854 GRAVITY Collaboration et al. 2018a, Nature, 563, 659 GRAVITY Collaboration et al. 2018b, A&A, 615, L15 GRAVITY Collaboration et al. 2018c, A&A, 618, L10 Grimm, S. et al. 2018, A&A, 613, A68 Hashimoto, T. et al. 2018, Nature, 557, 392 Kamiński, T. et al. 2018, Nature Astronomy, 2, 778 Keppler, M. et al. 2018, A&A, 617, A44 Long, Z. et al. 2018, ApJ, 858, 112 Müller, A. et al. 2018, A&A, 617, L2 Ribas, I. et al. 2018, Nature, 563, 365 Wisotzki, L. et al. 2018, Nature, 562, 229

Taken at sunset, this image captures one of the VLT’s Auxiliary Telescopes at the start of an observ­ ing night.

18 ESO Annual Report 2018 ESO/Eric Lagadec ESO/Eric

ESO Annual Report 2018 19 Offices for Science

In 2018, in order to further empower sci­ entists at ESO, the roles of the Heads of the Offices for Science and Chair of the Faculty were merged and redefined; the offices were also restructured to support this change. Elections were held to nomi­ nate two new Faculty Chairs (one for Chile and one for Germany). The Faculty Chair role was redefined to include the management of the corresponding Office for Science as well as leading, coordinat­ ing and developing the faculty’s scientific activities. The restructure was supported by the ESO Faculty, who actively partici­ pated in the process, and turnout in both independent elections was about 97%.

Introducing the new Faculty Chairs model of user support for current and The former and new heads of the Office for Science The newly elected Faculty Chairs and upcoming big facilities. Paola did her in Chile, Claudio Melo and Itziar de Gregorio- Monsalvo. Heads of the Offices for Science are undergraduate and postgraduate studies Paola Andreani in Garching and Itziar de in physics at the University of Rome Gregorio-Monsalvo in Santiago. They (Italy), obtaining a PhD in physics working Science highlights will work on developing ways in which the on observations from Antarctica of the Astronomy Faculty can be empowered cosmic microwave background. Her main These science highlights, where we briefly to administer itself, and defining how the science interest is in observational cos­ describe the achievements of three ESO faculty participates in science manage­ mology, specifically in galaxy and galaxy science staff members each in Chile and ment across ESO. Paola Andreani and cluster formation and evolution. Germany, help to illustrate ESO’s scientific Itziar de Gregorio-Monsalvo will monitor excellence. and support the scientific activities of the Itziar de Gregorio-Monsalvo joined ESO Faculty and further promote a rich, ESO in 2006 as the first ALMA Fellow in Marion Villenave joined ESO in 2017 at diverse, and fruitful scientific ecosystem. Santiago de Chile. Her duties began at the beginning of her three-year PhD at the APEX telescope followed by regular the University of Grenoble (France) to Paola Andreani joined ESO in June 2006 trips to the Atacama Test Facility in New work with Bill Dent, an ESO Joint ALMA as European ALMA Regional Centre (ARC) Mexico, and shifts at the Operations Sup­ Observatory Faculty Astronomer. Her Manager and Head of the ARC Depart­ port Facilities in San Pedro de Atacama. research plan is focused on the earliest ment in the Data Management and Oper­ She joined the ESO Faculty in 2010 as an stages of evolution of protoplanetary ations Division (DMO). She has been ALMA Science Operations Astronomer. discs using multiwavelength high-angular- heavily involved in ALMA operations from In 2014, she became head of the ALMA resolution images. With this purpose in the very beginning, throughout commis­ Programme Management group, leading mind Marion has become an expert in sioning and early operations, working in the team of Operations Astronomers, ALMA and SPHERE. an international partnership as a member Data Analysts and Fellows working at the of the ALMA science operations team. Joint ALMA Observatory in Chile. She During the first year of her PhD Marion As European ARC Manager she was also acted as the ALMA software accept­ compared the polarised infrared light responsible for ensuring user support for ance manager. from two discs detected with SPHERE the ALMA users in Europe and building with their millimetre ALMA counterparts, a European network of institutes partici­ Itziar has mentored a dozen students in order to infer the different locations of pating in ALMA (consisting of the EU and is supervising two PhD candidates. small and large dust grains in discs. At ARC and the ARC Department at ESO). She did her PhD in the Spanish National ESO Marion gained experience in ALMA This network comprises eight institutes Institute for Aerospace Technology using data processing. Her visits to the Paranal in seven European countries (Czech the NASA Deep Space Network antennas and ALMA observatories also helped her Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, the to set up radio astronomy observations. to gain a better understanding of how Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the Her main research activities are focused observations are carried out using the United Kingdom) centrally managed by on the formation of stars, planets and ­telescopes and instruments best suited for the ESO ARC. The network shares a brown dwarfs using observations at centi­ her science. Marion was recently awarded common model of user support and con­ metre to submillimetre wavelengths, time on an ALMA Grade A project to fur­ tributes to ALMA Operations and it is employing single-dish and interferometric ther study the radial and vertical structure acknowledged to be a very successful techniques. of an edge-on protoplanetary disc. She

20 ESO Annual Report 2018 more than 100 attendees, bridging the Solar System and exoplanet fields. The conference format and topic were acknowledged in a Nature editorial as an example of bridging scientific fields.

During his stay at ESO Jorge developed his own scientific project called TROY, which aims to detect and analyse bodies co-orbiting known extrasolar planets for the first time. These bodies (called ­Trojans) are trapped in the gravitational wells of a two-body system located in the same orbital path as the planet, leading and trailing the planet 60 degrees apart. The detection of these bodies would revo­ lutionise the exoplanet field as they con­ tain key dynamical, chemical, and physi­ cal information from the first stages of the From left to right: Chris Harrison, Tereza Jeřábková At ESO Garching, Tereza is a student formation and evolution of planetary sys­ and Michael Hilker. representative and one of the organisers tems. Jorge leads this project, the first of the weekly Journal Club, and has been results from which have been published plans to use the insights gained at ESO a member of the Organising Committees in four papers. Jorge has also supervised to make the best use of ALMA to study for two ESO workshops, “The Impact of three masters students while at ESO and protoplanetary discs and add constraints Binaries on Stellar Evolution” in 2017 and leads “Eppur si Mouve”, an astronomy on fundamental parameters of disc evo­ “Take a Closer Look” in 2018. She also outreach blog in Spanish. lution. Marion is also part of the local served as a scientific assistant during the organising committee of a workshop at Observing Programmes Committee (OPC) Chris Harrison joined ESO Garching as ESO which aims to foster collaboration meeting. While at ESO Tereza spent two a Fellow in early 2017 after his PhD and a and discussion between all astronomers weeks at the APEX site to learn and con­ postdoctoral position at Durham Univer­ based in Chile interested in the topic. She duct observations. Tereza is very active in sity (UK). His research focuses on under­ regularly participates in outreach events outreach, collaborating with the Public standing how AGN can impact the evolu­ aimed at the general public and children. Observatory Senec in Slovakia. She was tion of the galaxies in which they reside the main contact person for a delegation and assessing how galaxy discs are Tereza Jeřábková joined ESO in Sep­ from the Senec Observatory which visit­ formed across cosmic time. Chris has tember 2017 for a two-year studentship ed the ESO Supernova, and is also part worked extensively on a sample of hun­ with Giacomo Beccari as part of her PhD of the IAU100 project which is organising dreds of distant galaxies observed with under the supervision of Pavel Kroupa a number of activities worldwide to cele­ the K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (University of Bonn, Charles University in brate 100 years of the International Astro­ (KMOS) to measure rotation velocities Prague). Tereza’s main research interest nomical Union (IAU). and angular momentum. Chris also leads involves studying the variability of the a multi-wavelength observational cam­ stellar initial mass function. This requires Jorge Lillo-Box joined ESO Chile as a paign to search for direct evidence that investigating how stars form on various Fellow in October 2015, after defending AGN are changing the gas content, and scales and in different environments, from his PhD at the Center for Astrobiology the star formation rates, of their host star-forming regions in our Galaxy to high- (CAB) in Madrid. He started as an ­galaxies. Chris has been awarded over redshift starbursts. Tereza has worked X-shooter fellow and support astrono- 300 hours of telescope time as PI, to on many different projects, already lead­ mer at the VLT. Then he switched to address the fundamental question of gal­ ing or co-authoring more than 15 papers. ESPRESSO and helped to prepare the axy evolution, is regularly invited to give Tereza is part of the ADHOC survey (Prin­ instrument for operation, also contribut­ talks, and recently received an invitation cipal Investigator, PI: Beccari) the scope ing to its commissioning. He has devel­ to write a review in Nature Astronomy. of which is to characterise T Tauri stars oped quality control scripts for these in nearby young star-forming regions. instruments and performed various out­ Every ESO Fellow spends a fraction of She works with Michael Hilker on ultra- reach activities. their time gaining experience working in compact dwarf galaxies and their high- operations, instrumentation or outreach. redshift counterparts, and was also part Jorge actively contributes to the scientific Chris chose to do outreach in the ESO of a team (led by Eric Emsellem) which environment in Vitacura by organising Supernova where he was involved with obtained the first ever spectrum of a stel­ coffee discussions on statistics applied the final planning and preparation, and is lar body in the dwarf galaxy NGC1052-DF2 to astronomy problems. He co-chaired working with the Educational Coordinator, using MUSE on the VLT. the ESO workshop “Diversis Mundi” with Wolfgang Vieser, to produce educational

ESO Annual Report 2018 21 joined ESO in 2006. He is an optical and infrared astronomer, and he uses imaging and spectroscopy to understand the for­ mation and evolution of star clusters, dwarf galaxies, and stellar halos around galaxies. Michael started at the University of Bonn and then went as a postdoc to the Universidad Católica in Santiago (Chile), where he witnessed the start of the VLT era. It was in Chile that he dis­ covered a new type of extragalactic object, the ultra-compact dwarf galaxies. From there, Michael went back to Bonn where he taught for five years as a research assistant and became passion­ ate about working with students. Michael enjoys the synergy between his work as a support astronomer for several instru­ ments (KMOS, FORS2, MUSE, the VISTA From left to right: Joseph Anderson, Marion Villenave instrument at Paranal, but still one of the InfraRed CAMera [VIRCAM] and VST and Jorge Lillo-Box. most requested and productive. OmegaCAM) and his own science. In 2018, Michael contributed to 18 refereed workshops for school groups and two Joe’s research concentrates on the char­ articles, several of them as leading educational planetarium shows. Chris acterisation and understanding of terminal author, covering a broad range of science also presents planetarium shows regu­ stellar explosions, i.e., supernovae. Super­ topics ranging from building a new cata­ larly and has trained new planetarium novae influence many areas of astrophys­ logue of fundamental parameters of Milky presenters. ics from the small to the large scale. Most Way globular clusters (including data heavy elements in the Universe are formed from Gaia Data Release 2), to kinematic Until the end of 2018, Chris was also the in supernovae, and their energetics mean complexity in the stellar halos of giant Fellow Representative. Chris initiated (with that they influence the environments in elliptical galaxies. Anita Zanella) a new tailor-made develop­ which they explode. In addition, their huge ment programme for the fellows and stu­ luminosities enable their discovery at During his 12 years at ESO, Michael has dents. Along with Fabrizio Arrigoni Battaia, large distances from Earth, leading to their supervised almost 20 PhD and masters Chris led a project to promote ESO sci­ use as astrophysical probes. students, was the Chair of the Fellow ence activities and the building of the ELT and Student Selection Committee and in ESO Member States and Chile. This In 2018, Joe led the analysis and publi­ mentored several fellows and junior involved creating promotional and educa­ cation of the closest “super-luminous” astronomers. Michael is very engaged tional materials and coordinating a group type Ic supernova to date. These events in ESO’s science life, contributing to of students and fellows to present these are more than 100 times brighter than shaping a new Astronomy Charter and at festivals, teachers’ conferences and sci­ type Ia supernovae (the explosions are improving staff-fellow-student relations. ence centres, and led to donating equip­ used as distance indicators) but they His dedication to scientific life at ESO ment for hands-on workshops to four dif­ happen at a much lower rate, making included running for Faculty Chair. In ferent educational centres across Europe. their discovery in the nearby Universe December 2018, Michael (together with Chris successfully applied through a rare. Joe’s work published the first few Eleonora Sani) led the organisation of competitive process to lead an “IAU100 months of photometric and spectro­ the ESO workshop “KMOS@5”, attracting Special Project” to carry out similar activi­ scopic evolution, uncovering peculiarities 60 astronomers and showcasing the ties in five other European countries. In not previously observed: particularly ­latest KMOS science. Michael, together 2019 Chris will co-lead the first ever “ESO strong carbon emission and a long with Anita Zanella, successfully proposed Summer Research Programme”, which ‘­plateau’ in the light curve before the a four-week MIAPP workshop called will host seven undergraduate students supernova reached maximum luminosity. “Star-Forming Clumps and Clustered for short research projects and lectures. This work reaffirmed conclusions that Starbursts across Cosmic Time”, which super-luminous supernovae arise from will be held in Garching in 2020. Joseph Anderson joined ESO Chile as the explosions of stars more than 25 times a Fellow in 2013, carrying out duties at as massive as the Sun, and probably Paranal as KMOS instrument fellow. In require more exotic powering mechanisms Further synergies between the Offices 2016 he started a faculty position in Chile than standard terminal stellar explosions. for Science and the community and has since been instrument scientist for the FOcal Reducer and low-dispersion Michael Hilker is an astronomer in the In 2018, acknowledging the need to fur­ Spectrograph 2 (FORS2), the oldest User Support Department (USD) who ther catalyse exchanges between astro­

22 ESO Annual Report 2018 physics related space-borne missions and ground-based facilities as well as between their respective communities, ESA and ESO launched a call for the first joint international astronomy conference in a new series. The conferences will be hosted alternately by ESO and ESA. In response to the call for proposals, five workshop proposals were submitted to the ESO–ESA Science Working Group for 2019 workshops. The successful bid came from a team led by Andrew Levan for a workshop entitled “New science in the multi-messenger era” which will pro­ mote and discuss the recent opening up of new observational windows with the first detections of gravitational waves. The workshop will be held at ESO Garching in July 2019.

ESO has also supported and promoted a number of other workshops at various ESO sites and beyond. The conferences and workshops held at ESO Headquar­ ters in Germany included: the “Atacama Large Aperture Submillimetre/millimetre Telescope (AtLAST) 2018 Workshop” and “Planning ESO observations of future gravitational wave events” which were both held in January; “Imaging of stellar surfaces” and the “La Silla Paranal Observatory Users Workshop” in March; “Take a closer look” in October and “KMOS@5” in December.

The ESO Santiago site hosted the follow­ ing meetings in March: “Diversis Mundi: The Solar System in an Exoplanetary context” and “Local hard X-ray selected AGN across the multi-wavelength spec­ trum”. The La Silla Observatory and ­Santiago also held an “ESO/NEON Ob­ serving School” in February.

The Offices for Science also supported the following Chilean workshops in December: “The Galactic Bulge at the crossroads” in Pucón and “TORUS 2018: The many faces of AGN obscuration” in Puerto Varas; and the workshop “VST in the era of the large sky surveys” at the INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di )/ESO Capodimonte in Naples in June as well as “A revolution in stellar physics with Gaia and large surveys” in Warsaw in

September. atacamaphoto.com

Star trails over UT4 (Yepun) in LGS mode, created

by zooming in during the exposure. G. Hüdepohl (

ESO Annual Report 2018 23 Allocation of Telescope Time

The table shows the requested and included. The pressure is computed as ­September 2019) met in Tokyo, Japan, scheduled observational resources allo­ the ratio between the time requested and between 18 and 23 June 2018. The table cated for Periods 102 and 103 (April– the time allocated. The last two columns shows the requested and scheduled September 2018, October 2018–March represent the total telescope time alloca­ resources for the ALMA Observatory in 2019, respectively) for the La Silla Paranal tions and the fractions per instrument. Cycle 6 listed by scheduling priority (A or Observatory and APEX. The length of B) and ALMA frequency band, for ESO each run is specified in nights, the usual The Incoherent Combined Coudé Focus and the world (including North America, allocation unit for the La Silla Paranal (ICCF) is listed separately and presents East Asia, ESO and the Host State Chile). Observatory and APEX. the statistics for ESPRESSO in the 4UT The scheduling unit for ALMA is an hour mode. The time fractions are computed of array time. The La Silla Paranal Observatory and relative to the total allocated time on the APEX statistics only include proposals four VLT units. Note that the total number of ALMA submitted for the two periods (P102 and ­proposals is less than the sum of the P103). Large Programme runs that were The ALMA Proposal Review Committee numbers in the table, as proposals can approved in previous periods, Guaranteed for the allocation of time in Cycle 6 (cover­ request more than one band. Time runs and Public Survey runs are not ing the period from October 2018 to Carlos A. Durán/ESO

The ESO-operated 12-metre APEX ­telescope, located on the Chajnantor Plateau.

24 ESO Annual Report 2018 Telescope Instrument Requested Scheduled Requested % Scheduled % Pressure Total % runs runs time time allocation

UT1 NACO 76 43 63 11.5% 35 19.0% 1.80 80 31.6% FORS2 304 102 366 66.5% 109 59.0% 3.34 119 47.0% KMOS 70 22 121 22.0% 41 22.0% 2.97 54 21.4% Total 450 167 550 185 2.97 253

UT2 FLAMES 78 12 199 19.5% 24 9.3% 8.30 24 9.2% UVES 168 48 286 28.0% 77 29.6% 3.73 77 29.3% XSHOOTER 429 123 535 52.5% 158 61.2% 3.38 161 61.6% Total 675 183 1020 259 3.94 262

UT3 SPHERE 171 67 147 37.5% 49 37.9% 3.02 86 42.0% ESPRESSO 151 72 229 58.7% 75 58.2% 3.08 114 55.6% VISIR 25 12 15 3.8% 5 3.9% 2.94 5 2.4% Total 347 151 391 128 3.05 205

UT4 SINFONI 112 32 124 17.0% 31 19.5% 4.00 47 19.7% MUSE 478 144 469 64.4% 101 63.6% 4.66 166 69.1% HAWK-I 97 25 136 18.6% 27 16.9% 5.06 27 11.2% Total 687 201 728 158 4.60 240

ICCF ESPRESSO-(4UT) 1 0 2 0.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.1%

VLTI MATISSE 72 17 38 15.6% 13 16.9% 2.91 35 24.9% PIONIER 118 25 82 34.1% 24 31.9% 3.39 24 17.5% GRAVITY 174 52 122 50.3% 39 51.2% 3.12 80 57.6% Total 364 94 241 76 3.17 139

3.6-metre HARPS 100 48 505 97.3% 185 96.4% 2.73 330 97.9% Visitor instrument 2 2 14 2.7% 7 3.6% 2.00 7 2.1% Total 102 50 519 192 2.71 337

NTT EFOSC2 57 36 218 59.6% 120 56.0% 1.81 151 54.9% SOFI 32 26 129 35.2% 81 37.9% 1.58 111 40.3% Visitor instrument 6 4 19 5.2% 13 6.1% 1.46 13 4.7% Total 95 66 365 214 1.70 275

APEX ARTEMIS 6 2 66 36.3% 20 21.3% 3.24 20 21.3% LABOCA 2 1 17 9.2% 12 13.0% 1.35 12 13.0% PI230 9 4 28 15.5% 11 11.5% 2.57 11 11.5% SEPIA 24 13 58 31.8% 39 40.8% 1.48 39 40.8% nFLASH 13 13 13 7.2% 12.7 13.4% 1.02 13 13.4% Total 54 33 181 95 1.90 95 53

ALMA Band Req. proposals/band Sched. proposals/band (A+B) All requested 12-m time All 12-m time (A+B) Pressure (time) All | ESO All | ESO All | ESO All | ESO All | ESO

3 528 | 226 111 | 35 4825 | 2092 954 | 244 5.1 | 8.6 4 205 | 93 41 | 12 1442 | 620 181 | 49 8.0 | 12.6 5 130 | 74 25 | 15 670 | 378 160 | 108 4.2 | 3.5 6 868 | 355 185 | 56 6999 | 3011 1574 | 502 4.4 | 6.0 7 612 | 263 115 | 40 4557 | 1986 790 | 261 5.8 | 7.6 8 126 | 57 18 | 9 672 | 303 84 | 31 8.0 | 9.8 9 85 | 36 14 | 4 414 | 165 73 | 19 5.7 | 8.7 10 25 | 10 5 | 3 111 | 54 24 | 18 4.7 | 2.9 Total 2579 | 1114 514 | 174 19690 | 8610 3840 | 1231 5.1 | 7.0

ESO Annual Report 2018 25 G. Lombardi/ESOG.

26 ESO Annual Report 2018 The La Silla Observatory, which is located 600 km north of Santiago de Chile at an altitude of 2400 metres.

ESO Annual Report 2018 27 Publication Digest

For the second year in a row, in 2018 ESO Publications 1996–2018 1200 the total number of papers published exceeded 1000, almost exactly matching the record high of the previous year. This 1000 pushes the total number of data papers published since 1996 to over 15 000. The number of papers using data from the VLT/VLTI, the ESO survey telescopes 800 VISTA and VST, and APEX was slightly papers below that of 2017, while data from the ed 600 La Silla observing site led to even more re data papers than in recent years. The fe largest increase occurred for ALMA data . re No obtained during European observing 400 time, which generated 24% more papers than in 2017. 200

Publications from different sites 0 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 The VLT and VLTI once again contributed VLT / VLTI La Silla Survey telescopes APEX ALMA Total data to more than 600 refereed papers in 2018, almost reaching the all-time Refereed papers 1996–2018 using ESO data. Some from non-ESO telescopes or observations obtained high of 2017 (633 data papers in 2017 papers use data from more than one facility, 1996– during reserved periods (for example, national allo­ 2018. VLT/VLTI refers to papers using data generat­ cations of time) are not included. Survey telescope compared to 615 papers in 2018). As in ed from VLT and VLTI instruments, including visitor papers use data from ESO’s survey telescopes ­previous years one of ESO’s most flexible instruments for which observing time is recommend­ VISTA and VST. APEX papers use data from APEX, “workhorse” instruments — UVES — ed by the ESO OPC, for example, ULTRACAM and including visitor instruments for which observing ­produced the most papers, followed by the Precision Integrated-Optics Near-infrared Imag­ time is recommended by the ESO OPC (for example, ing ExpeRiment (PIONIER). La Silla papers use data Z-Spec). ALMA papers use data generated by X-shooter, MUSE, and FORS2. Two of from La Silla facilities, including visitor instruments ALMA. For APEX and ALMA, only papers based these instruments (X-shooter and FORS2) (for example, ULTRACAM). Papers based on data (entirely or partly) on ESO time are included. showed similar steep rises in the number of data papers during their early years, but that is surpassed by the very sharp increase of papers using data produced FORS2, MUSE, X-shooter productivity Number of refereed 160 using MUSE. papers per year based on FORS2, MUSE, and 140 X-­shooter data as a Among ESO’s survey telescopes, VISTA function of years after continued its increase in paper produc­ 120 the first publication. tivity, leading to over 100 refereed articles 100 papers again in 2018. VST data resulted in almost 50 papers. A growing number of ed 80 re papers deploy data from both survey refe 60 ­telescopes, using the VIRCAM camera . on VISTA as well as OmegaCAM on the No 40 VST, reaching a fraction of almost 8% 20 (11 out of 141) in 2018. 0 FORS2 The La Silla telescopes and instruments 1 2345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 MUSE No. of years since 1st publication X-shooter once again contributed data to over 230 refereed papers. In particular, data from the planet-finder HARPS contributed to a large number of papers (120 in 2018), Objects (PESSTO) and its extension but not run by ESO, and their papers many of which deployed data obtained ePESSTO, which have led to over 70 are not included in the ESO bibliography. from the ESO Science Archive (66/120, papers between 2013 and 2018. An i.e., 55%). The ESO Faint Object Spectro­ increasing number of telescopes at APEX has generated more than 680 graph and Camera 2 (EFOSC2) and the La Silla (for example, the MPG/ESO 2.2- data papers since 2006, using observing Son of ISAAC instrument (SOFI) have metre telescope, the Swiss 1.2-metre time from all APEX partners, i.e., MPIfR, been successfully used in the Public Leonhard Euler Telescope, and the OSO, and ESO. Until and including ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient ­Danish 1.54-metre telescope) are hosted 2018, 56% of all APEX papers used, in

28 ESO Annual Report 2018 ESO survey telescopes 120 The statistics presented here are derived from the ESO Telescope Bibliography telbib, a 100 database of refereed papers published by the ESO users community that links publications VISTA VST VISTA + VST with the data in the ESO Science Archive. The 80 telbib database has been curated and further developed by the ESO Library and Information papers Centre. It is compiled by scanning articles ed published in the major astronomical journals

re 60 for ESO-related keywords (for example, tele­

refe scope and instrument names). All telbib

. of 40 papers use, in part or exclusively, data from

No ESO facilities. Unless noted otherwise, statis­ tics derived from the telbib database only 20 include papers based on data from telescopes and instruments for which observing time was recommended by the ESO OPC. Telbib is 0 used to assist ESO management with evaluat­ 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 ing the Organisation’s productivity and impact.

Number of refereed papers using data from the The journals that are routinely screened for ­survey telescopes VISTA and VST. ESO-related keywords are: A&A, A&ARv, AJ, ApJ, ApJS, AN, ARA&A, EM&P, ExA, Icar, MNRAS, Nature, NewA, NewAR, PASJ, PASP, P&SS, and Science. Articles published in part or exclusively, data obtained during ESO Science Archive Facility other journals are added to telbib upon ESO time. retrieval. While the library applies text-mining scripts when screening the literature for ESO The ESO Science Archive Facility contains data papers, all papers are carefully examined The number of ALMA data papers data from ESO telescopes and makes by the curators before they are added to the deploying European observing time them available to the astronomy commu­ database. If necessary, authors or ESO staff increased from 150 to 186, i.e., a 24% nity. Principal Investigators of successful astronomers are consulted to verify that the paper genuinely used ESO data and to elimi­ increase compared to the previous year. observing proposals have exclusive nate as much doubt as possible. This remarkable rise brought the total access to their scientific data for the ­number of ESO time-based ALMA papers duration of a proprietary period, normally The public telbib interface telbib.eso.org pro­ to over 640 since 2012, when the first one year, after which the data become vides visualisations of search results including on-the-fly graphs and predefined charts. As of ALMA data paper was published. The available to the community at large. In 2018, the underlying data tables of all charts ALMA bibliography is maintained jointly addition to raw data, the archive also pro­ can also be downloaded from the web, offer­ by the librarians at ESO and the National vides various types of data products. In ing users more flexibility to process data Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in 2018, telbib records of papers using according to their needs. the USA as well as by the National Astro­ archival data displayed in the public inter­ Details about telbib, including information nomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). face were enhanced to provide more about the methodology used to screen papers, Publications based on the data from all comprehensive access to data products can be found on the following webpage: ALMA partners are recorded in telbib, but in the ESO Science Archive. As before, www.eso.org/sci/libraries/telbib_info.html. Access to records of all 2018 data papers only those based on European observing all telbib records are linked to raw data of written by the ESO users community is at time are counted in the ESO statistics, the Programme IDs used in the research. http://telbib.eso.org/ESODataPapers2018.php. unless otherwise noted. In addition, the library has identified all A separate listing of refereed publications by programmes for which data products ESO scientists with or without the use of ESO data can be found at www.eso.org/sci/libraries/ exist in the archive. If data products are telbib_info/AR/ESOStaffPapers2018.pdf. available, an additional link is displayed, providing direct access. A script is run regularly to identify new Programme IDs in telbib records for which data products have become available, as well as new data products for existing Programme IDs, making it as effortless as possible for researchers to access the data they are interested in.

ESO Annual Report 2018 29 Image created for publicity material for the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre.

30 ESO Annual Report 2018 Education and Outreach

This year ESO celebrated some remark­ ­coverage, particularly associated with the my. More than 70 publications and mer­ able and widely publicised scientific high-profile releases referred to above. chandise items were produced in 2018. achievements, as well as reaching millions of people around the world with striking In addition to the large number of high- astronomical images and a growing profile science results there were eleven The ESO Supernova Planetarium & range of creative videos and artists’ organisational releases, news items ­Visitor Centre impressions. The focus for Outreach in announcing the arrival of new telescopes 2018 centred around the opening of the and instruments across the ESO sites and On 26 April 2018 the ESO Supernova ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor marking other milestones for the Organi­ Planetarium & Visitor Centre was officially Centre and ensuring a smooth start to sation. Some highlights include the signing inaugurated in the presence of around operations while maintaining high quality of the Irish Accession Agreement and the 400 invited guests. The inauguration in all its other activities and products. agreement for Paranal to host CTA-South. was the culmination of years of hard work by the founding partners, involving the ESO Pictures of the Week continue to construction of the building and its con­ Press activities be a flexible way to report news items tents, and intense preparations by ESO that do not require a full press release staff and volunteers. The highly success­ In 2018, Outreach issued 41 press or announcement; these are also regular­ ful opening campaign included paid ­releases — the same number as the ly picked up by the media. The ESOblog advertising on the Munich transport sys­ ­previous year. Almost half of these were covers a range of topics that include tem, which had the potential to reach two science releases. Releases that had a technology developments at ESO, the million people. Almost 2000 invitations significant impact in the media include stories behind science discoveries, were sent out for different opening the GRAVITY observations of the centre and explaining how ESO collaborates events, and prior to the official opening, of the Milky Way, and the detection of a with other organisations, such as the approximately 3000 people participated super-Earth orbiting Barnard’s star (one ­European Space Agency (ESA) and in test visits. of the closest known exoplanets to the the European Organisation for Nuclear Solar System). The ESO user community Research (CERN), to drive progress. Since opening its doors to the public, continues to submit new results to ESO over 61000 individuals (a conservative for consideration as press releases, and estimate) have “experienced the Universe”. the demand continues to increase as Publications Of these, approximately 10% were school more telescope facilities become availa­ groups. On Facebook ESO has a review ble, producing more and more exciting ESO produces a wide range of print prod­ score 4.9 and 4.8 out of 5 in English and results. More than 50 formal interview ucts (for example, periodicals, posters, German, respectively. The ESO Super­ requests were received from media world­ brochures, and flyers), merchandise and nova listing on TripAdvisor scores 5 of 5, wide, with many more impromptu inter­ exhibition panels for audiences with a it numbers 104 in a list out of 348 things views occurring at major press events. range of scientific expertise, with the goal to do in Munich, and 29 of 68 Museums These resulted in widespread media of strengthening ESO’s brand in astrono­ in Munich. Throughout 2018, the centre ESO/M. Kornmesser ESO/M.

Artist’s impression of the surface of the super- Earth-mass exoplanet orbiting around the nearby Barnard’s Star.

ESO Annual Report 2018 31 and its operations have been continuous­ 800 The distribution of differ­ ly optimised based on expe­rience and ent activities in the ESO Supernova. visitor feedback. 709 600 List of Activities

– Almost 1200 individual presentations ings and screenings; 400

– 65 different activities, including plane­ Sh ow 358 tarium shows, education workshops, guided tours, scientific talks and cul­ 200 tural performances; 43 – presentations and screenings in 10 dif­ 70 0 ferent languages, approximately 25% Planetarium Guided Education Other of these were delivered in languages shows tours workshops other than German. – food and beverage sales – 4602 euros; ters, including hands-on activities, All activities, with the exception of private – other income – 14 004 euros. guided tours and scientific talks. group tours and commercial events, were – The majority of these participants offered for free in 2018, resulting in a rate Education (70/114) were German teachers, while of no-shows of around 10%. More than 5900 children and young the 44 remaining participants were from ­people and over 900 educators engaged 17 different countries, including six ESO Financial income with the ESO Supernova educational Member States and Chile. During 2018 a total of 232 227 euros was ­programme in 2018 (this is a conservative – Over 550 educators benefited from the raised from operations. This income can estimate as many school groups organ­ educational programme while accom­ be broken down as follows: ised their visits independently). Although panying school group visits. – onsite donations – 6930 euros; the majority of visiting school groups – More than 250 educators participated – shop sales – 55 580 euros; came from the local area, there were also in talks at conferences and meetings. – online donations – 2875 euros; school visits from other federal states and – partnerships – 65 461 euros; even other countries. Thanks to the initiative of ESO Fellows – tours – 10 650 euros; and Students, and financial support from – events and rentals – 60 472 euros; Educator engagement summary: the ESO Science Support Discretionary – approximately 100 requests for com­ – 114 educators participated in four Fund, around 6 000 people, including mercial events were handled; teacher training workshops, including 200 teachers, from eight ESO Member the first Danish teacher training at ESO, States and Chile engaged in ESO Super­ a two-day event held at the Headquar­ nova activities. ESO fellows, students and

Kindergarten 8 workshops Secondary schools 35 workshops

Primary schools 27 workshops

Above: The ESO Supernova was visited by 1565 ­students at all stages of their education. This chart shows the fraction of kindergarten, primary and ­secondary school pupils participating in hands-on education workshops.

Left: The geographical distribution of schools visiting the ESO Supernova.

32 ESO Annual Report 2018 other volunteers constructed telescope ESA workshop kits and took these out to sev­ eral Member States. In most cases, the equipment was left in the country to be used by educational institutions there.

In addition to the education programme run in situ at the ESO Supernova, ESO continued to support science education in our Member States and beyond. The two ESO-supported astronomy camps engaged approximately 70 students from around 15 different countries. ESO also continues to support the astronomical writing contest “Catch a Star”, which is organised by the European Association for Astronomy Education, awarding prizes to schools from Spain and Italy in 2018. ESO also continues to support the EIRO­ On 30 June 2018, the European Southern Observato­ Community coordination (strategy, Forum “Science in School” journal. ry (ESO) and ESA teamed up to produce the Asteroid ­promotion, distribution and social Day webcast, which was streamed live from the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. media)

Audiovisuals A major campaign was designed and Web and software development implemented for the ESO Supernova The production of HD, Ultra-HD and full- opening. It combined products and activ­ dome audiovisuals remains a core part The biggest single project in terms of ities addressed to a range of stakeholders of ESO’s outreach work. The ESOcast web and software development this year (from high-level dignitaries, to media, video podcasts continue to be a success­ involved the ESO Supernova. A total of planetariums, local community, partners, ful and well-received series. The ESOcast 104 info- and touch-screen kiosk applica­ staff, and others). Advertisements were Light, a shorter video product directed tions were developed. In addition, a new run in print magazines, online, and on at younger audiences, is very popular media archive was created to store con­ 914 screens in 137 trains and trams in and has reached more than two million tent specific to the exhibition. The ESO Munich, 141 posters were displayed in YouTube, Facebook and Twitter views. Supernova website underwent major Munich and Garching, and direct market­ structural upgrades and a large amount ing was targeted at hotels, taxi companies In 2018, continued effort was put into of content was made publicly accessible and tourist offices. recording more detailed interviews with via several new archives in parallel with scientists and engineers for use in video the already existing ESO archives. Other campaigns were implemented to productions. Four Ultra-HD/full-HD video promote scientific results, industrial compilations and several videos were The ESO Supernova programme and opportunities, products or services and produced for the ESA—ESO Asteroid Day booking system were released well before long-running partnerships. Highlights live webcast. This webcast engaged a the opening to ensure the public could include campaigns for the 2018 Open substantial number of viewers in the make reservations. In December the sys­ House Day, the Studentship and Fellow­ younger demographic and was a good tem was upgraded to include a payment ship programmes, the La Silla Total Solar example of collaboration between the system allowing the public to pay for Eclipse in 2019, and GRAVITY observa­ two agencies. planetarium shows, events and tours. tions of the centre of the Milky Way.

ESO’s online video and image archive As in previous years during which an IAU Physical products were distributed features thousands of videos and images General Assembly was held, time was ­worldwide, reaching over 27 000 people. and remains an essential resource for required in 2018 to work on the IAU The range of ESO shop products was ESO’s audiovisual content distribution. membership database (including the new expanded to include more books, CDs, Captions in multiple languages and an Junior Members). magnets, bookmarks, polo shirts, light advanced metadata system allow integra­ jackets and astronomical t-shirts. The tion with external platforms, enabling Infrastructure upgrades were made to address database grew with the addition quick and easy access that is furthered video storage and a more modern deploy­ of new groups, including German blog­ by the open Creative Commons licensing. ment system was implemented, which gers and education contacts. More than one petabyte of outreach will allow for easier distribution, increased products are distributed per year — more availability, and more flexibility on the ESO’s social media continued to expand, than any other astronomy organisation in server side. Around 2380 web content but the growth rate slowed, mostly as a the world. tickets were handled during this period. result of new regulations. The number of

ESO Annual Report 2018 33 Instagram followers, on the other hand, Left: A frame from the continued to grow rapidly. Around 20 000 ­winning video entry in the La Silla Public individual messages were posted on Competition. social media, sharing ESO news in dozens of languages. Below: On Saturday 13 October 2018, Highlights for social media include the ESO’s Head­quarters in Garching, Germany, second #MeetESO tweet-up competition, opened its doors for with almost 4.5 million people reached ESO’s annual Open on Twitter and 90 000 on Instagram. The House Day along with La Silla Public Competition reached other institutes based on the science campus 438 330 people on Twitter and 7469 peo­ in Garching. This year’s ple on Instagram. A Reddit Q&A session Open House Day also for the centre of the Milky Way press included events at the release reached over 9300 people. A live ESO Supernova Plane­ tarium & Visitor Centre. tweeting session for Asteroid Day was done in partnership with ESA. News rele­ vant to ESO’s user community is also now regularly being promoted on Twitter by the Science Editor.

Exhibitions and events

ESO had a total of 51 events and exhibi­ tions worldwide in 2018. Highlights from Europe include the Big Science Busi- ness Forum in Denmark (industry), the UNISPACE+50 in Austria (­government and state representatives/UN) the European Week of Astronomy and Space ­Science (EWASS) in the UK (scientists), IAU Gen­ eral Assembly in Austria (scientists), and

The relative popularity of the 41 ESO press releases in 2018. Google Analyt­ ics (green) measures the number of visitors to the news release webpage at www.eso.org. Eurekalert (yellow) counts how many journalists followed the news release link on its website (a 400 000 news aggregation and distribution site for journalists). Meltwater (red) is an 350 000 electronic press clippings service; it 300 000 measures the number of online news­ paper articles about a particular news 250 000 release. These three metrics have very 200 000 different values and so have been scaled to the range of the Google 150 000 Analytics values. The relative populari­ 100 000 ty of the 41 ESO press releases in 2018 was tracked using a number of 50 000 different measures. The most popular 0 l j t t r r r s u 3 o b p E E releases were the VLT’s first confirmed A -1 St ov l 81 97 67 TA 96 te te te

Ne Mil CT s SO OS BH Tr lips Pr

sc ne Op 70 pe

Star lpha

image of a newborn planet (eso1821) rmin

's ST

ca d to 24 as 25 -C 39 32 quarii e Ex

egme d

onau RA Nebu ES of LO ti TISS -A -black -a PI

clus clus d tula iv and exoplanet-related releases related rg Nebula r Ec rt te Fo 16 -s g- -A 5-G004 r TT to PR n -Lupu pt bell elan AP Supern -O y Way Astr to TRAPPIST-1 and Barnard’s Star D ERE di Or xile o

M1 32 aran da ES Oumuamua yman 41 TR

(eso1805 & eso1837), as well as superb 3- T- rg-A PH -T rg-Ir 38-Pho Sci- -Sci-PDS g- -A SO rg-Sola -Pho-R images from the narrow-field mode of 4-Ph -O -Sci -A o-Orio g-SPECU 7- -Pho-Ellip -O 8-Org-MA 21 -Sci-H -Pho-NGC -Sci-Hea -Sci-E -Sci-Radioactive Sci-Lonely -Pho-sta -Sci -` -Sci-Pro g-EL -O -Sci-Barnard rg-ESO 40 -Sci-Stars

MUSE (eso1824) and GRAVITY results -Sci-Massive -Sci-L -Pho-isola 29 36 Ph -Pho 27 5-Sci- 31 6-Or 18 -Pho -Pho-Carina 34-Pho-NGC 2- 14 30 25 -Or 26 12 23 20 Or 37 22 17 15 -O -Sci-E 9- 32 10 from the Galactic Centre (eso1825 and -Pho-S 33-Sci-Hyperion 16 24 35-Sci-Milk 28 39 1- 11 13 eso1835). 19

34 ESO Annual Report 2018 90 million+ Several hundred million reached via social media reached on ESO’s accounts via traditional media

269 238 79 207 21 626 Facebook Twitter Instagram friends followers followers

19 250 individual social media posts 1853 on 72 channels ESOshop in 18 languages orders sent

50+ 41 64 interview press media requests releases visits

1 planetarium and astronomy centre opened 61 000+ visitors since opening 106 commercial event offers handled

70 13 320 3598 print images videos products total total

Above: ESON members watch a ­planetarium show at the ESO Super­ www 2380 web content 365 distribution nova before its official opening. @3!G tickets resolved tickets resolved Left: Some key figures related to ESO’s education and outreach activi­ ties in 2018. 58 025 newsletter 25 ESON countries subscribers

29 493 contact 7458 weekend addresses visitors ESO Science Outreach Network

ESO operates the ESO Science Outreach several science festivals with a broad (17 000 people) with interactive activities. Network (ESON) to increase the visibility spectrum of visitors. The ESO Open Also, the ELT exhibition received around of ESO in Member States. Outreach House Day 2018 at the Headquarters 25 200 visitors at Biblioteca de Santiago ­specialists, press officers and educators in Garching was a great success and during the winter holidays. act as direct local contacts with the continued to attract a large number of media and organise the translation of visitors (5600). ESO-­related information into their local Media, VIP and weekend visits in Chile language. In total, ESON operates in In Chile, ESO participated in 35 events 25 countries (including the 16 Member and exhibitions with an estimated attend­ Over 60 media groups visited the ESO States), with information in 21 different ance of 120 000 people, for example sites in 2018, including from Le Monde, languages. News products are translated the Science Week (20 000 people), the Der Spiegel, TV Globo, Al Jazeera, New from English into 18 different languages. Festival of Engineering and Science Scientist, CANAL+, BBC and Discovery. In 2018, around 30% of the web pages organised by Universidad de Chile (16 000 Public weekend visits­ to La Silla and viewed on eso.org were translated by people), and Puerto de Ideas Antofagasta ­Paranal attracted 7458 people. ESON.

ESO Annual Report 2018 35 )/ESO atacamaphoto.com G. Hüdepohl (

36 ESO Annual Report 2018 Aerial view of Cerro Paranal, home of ESO’s flagship observatory, visible in the centre of the image.

ESO Annual Report 2018 37 Operations La Silla ­­Paranal Observatory

The Directorate of Operations is Operations for commissioning MUSE and the High responsible for all activities related to Acuity Wide-field K-band Imager (HAWK-I) science operations, including the The ESO VLT at Paranal operates with four with the AOF. Across all four UTs, preparation and execution of observ­ 8.2-metre UTs and a suite of seven first- 50 nights of commissioning time were ing programmes, the operation of the generation instruments and all five second- used for ESPRESSO. Of the available La Silla Paranal Observatory with its generation instruments. The Adaptive ­science time on the VLT, only 2.5% was La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor sites, Optics Facility (AOF) with four laser guide lost to technical problems and about and the delivery of raw and calibrated stars and a deformable secondary mirror 8.8% to adverse weather conditions. At data. This involves user support, data has converted UT4 into an adaptive tele­ La Silla bad weather accounted for loss­ flow management, operations techni­ scope that provides atmosphere-corrected es of about 15% and technical problems cal support and the development and images to its three instruments. The VLTI for about 1%. VISTA delivered 293 nights maintenance of a science archive as combines the light of either the four UTs of survey observations out of 347 sched­ provided by the DMO Division. The or the four ATs to feed one of the three uled nights (84%) and the VST delivered Science Archive Facility holds all of the interfero­metric instruments with a coher­ 305 nights of survey observations out data obtained with ESO telescopes ent wavefront. VISTA and the VST are in of 360 scheduled (85%). Both survey as well as highly processed, advanced regular survey operation. teles­copes were affected by about 14% products derived from them. Opera­ of weather losses. The technical losses tions also include ESO’s contribution At La Silla the NTT and the ESO 3.6-metre of VISTA and VST — at 2.0% and 0.7%, to ALMA operations and development telescope operate with an instrumentation respectively — were significantly smaller through the ESO ALMA Support Cen­ suite of three instruments. The La Silla site than those of the UTs and confirm the tre (EASC). also supports 13 hosted telescope pro­ positive trend of reduced technical losses jects, of which ten are currently operating. observed over the past years.

The Observatory provides operational Complementing regular VLT operations, support for APEX, a 12-metre submilli­ the VLTI was scheduled for 124 additional metre radio antenna on the Chajnantor nights to execute scientific observations plateau at an altitude of 5100 m; it has a using baselines with either the UTs or suite of heterodyne and bolometer facility the ATs. Of the scheduled VLTI science instruments, as well as Principal Investi­ time, 6.4% was lost to technical problems gator and visitor instruments. and 9.6% to bad weather. In 2018, 101 engineering nights and 66 commissioning The scientific community submitted 899 nights were invested in the continued and 917 Phase 1 observing proposals installation and commissioning of the VLTI for the La Silla Paranal Observatory infrastructure including new adaptive (including APEX) in Periods 101 and 102, optics (AO) systems for the ATs (NAOMI) respectively. This establishes the con­ and the continued commissioning of the tinuing high demand for ESO’s observing GRAVITY and MATISSE instruments with facilities. About 88% of the proposals the ATs and the UTs. received were for the Paranal site (VLT, VLTI, VST and VISTA). The combination of high operational effi­ ciency, system reliability and availability The Observatory continued its efficient for scientific observations of the La Silla operation, marked by the high availability and Paranal facilities continues to result of its telescopes and instruments and in high scientific productivity. In 2018 low technical downtime — key elements (2017) 615 (633) peer-reviewed papers for productive scientific observations. were published which were at least partly In 2018, a total of 1908 nights were based on data collected with VLT and scheduled for scientific observations with VLTI instruments at Paranal. In addition, the four UTs at the VLT and with the two 141 (152) referred papers were published major telescopes at La Silla. This is equiv­ referring to observations with VISTA and alent to roughly 87% of the total number VST at Paranal and 235 (231) referring to of nights theoretically available over ESO-operated telescopes at La Silla. 72 the whole year. The remaining 13% were (72) papers were based on APEX obser­ scheduled for planned engineering and vations, of which 48 (46) made use of maintenance activities to guarantee the data gathered during ESO’s share of the continued performance of the telescopes observing time. Since beginning opera­ and instruments, and also included time tions in 1999, the VLT and VLTI have pro­ for commissioning new instruments and duced a total of 8349 publications and The La Silla Observatory at night. facilities. On UT4 25 nights were invested add about a dozen every week.

ESO Annual Report 2018 39 The future site of the Technical Facility for ESO’s

)/ESO Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The VLT can be seen in the distance.

atacamaphoto.com the side of the parking lot, a shed for bikes and motorcycles was also added.

G. Hüdepohl ( Obsolescence Projects After the recoating of all primary (M1) and tertiary (M3) mirrors of the UTs in 2017, the M1 and M3 mirrors of the ATs were added to the queue of mirror coatings. With the recoating of all AT mirrors and the completion of the replacement of all M4-8 optics of the AT coudé optical trains, the transmission of the ATs has fully recovered its nominal performance. After this massive recovery effort on all UT and AT optics the regular optics main­ tenance programme will resume next year, beginning with the recoating of the The veteran workhorse instrument UVES, instruments and other equipment VISTA primary mirror using its dedicated which was commissioned at the very installed at Paranal from grid blackouts, and recently upgraded coating facility, beginning of VLT operations, still leads voltage spikes and frequency variations. followed by the primary of UT1 by the end the annual publication statistics of all of 2019. The time until the next UT coating ESO instruments with 137 (133) publica­ The start of construction of the ELT Tech­ is being used to refurbish the obsolete tions in 2018 (2017). It is now closely nical Facility (ETF) marked the first visible 8-metre coater control system by upgrad­ ­followed by the second-generation ins­ impact of the ELT at the Paranal premises. ing it to the standard Siemens S7 PLCs. truments X-shooter and MUSE which The ETF is located in the Paranal base­ produced 103 (102) and 99 (77) publica­ camp close to the Mechanical Workshop Telescopes and Instrumentation tions, respectively. For the first time these Building and covers an area of about 25 May saw the twentieth anniversary of two second-generation instruments sur­ 3400 square metres. The location chosen first light for the VLT — an anniversary passed the first-generation workhorse for the ETF meant that the Paranal heli­ that was initially celebrated at the obser­ instruments FORS2 and the VIsible port (called “ESO”, ICAO code “SHES”) vatory but also extended ESO-wide as ­Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) had to be relocated before the Chilean one of the major milestones in the history whose publication numbers for the first company Abengoa could start construc­ of the Organisation. time dropped to 80 (106) and 68 (88). tion work on the ETF. The new heliport was sited just outside the main entrance This year also concluded the successful gate of Paranal and was called “Paranal” commissioning of the AOF on UT4 with Paranal Observatory (ICAO code “SHPA”) by the Chilean civil the GRound-layer Adaptive optics aviation authority DGAC. With the author­ ­Assisted by Lasers (GRAAL) module­ for Infrastructure isation granted by DGAC the heliport has the HAWK-I instrument and the Ground 7 December 2018 marked one year since been operational since 10 July. Atmospheric Layer Adaptive optiCs for the Paranal Observatory was connected Spectroscopic Imaging (GALACSI) to the public electrical grid, over which Planned road maintenance activities at ­module for the MUSE instrument in all period not a single electrical blackout had Paranal this year allowed a number of foreseen AO modes. Both AO modules been registered. The choice of a rotary improvements to be made. The upper acquire the artificial laser guide stars uninterruptible power supply provided by part of the access road to the Paranal ­produced by the 4 Laser Guide Star the Belgian company Euro-Diesel as tele­scope platform was repaved, the Facility (4LGSF) and feed them to their Power Conditioning System (PCS) for the new access road to the hosted telescope wavefront sensing systems, which — observatory has turned out to be an area with the SPECULOOS and the Next- with the help of a real-time computer — excellent choice. Over the first 12 months Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) tele­ provide the required control signals to of operation the PCS registered and scope projects was paved for the first operate the 1170 actuators of the ­corrected about 60 events during which time to reduce dust contamination of the Deformable Secondary Mirror (DSM) at a the power provided by the central Chilean telescopes, and the contractor and visitor loop frequency of about 1000 Hz. Both electrical grid (SIC) deviated from the parking lot in the base camp was expand­ AO modules correct for the lowest layers nominal characteristics and hence effec­ ed, levelled, and paved — it now also of atmospheric turbulence encountered tively protected the sensitive telescopes, provides dedicated disabled parking. At in the first several hundred metres above

40 ESO Annual Report 2018 the telescope (the ground layer) providing As an alternative to the GLAO mode, a On 3 February 2018 ESPRESSO the instruments, not with diffraction-limited novel Laser Tomographic AO (LTAO) achieved first light in the four-UT mode. images, but with images with improved mode was commissioned for the first This was the first time that all four 8.2- image quality over a large field of view that time; this provides correction of selected metre UTs had worked together to feed a matches that of the HAWK-I and MUSE turbulence layers of the atmosphere at single instrument in this way. This method instruments. heights of 0, 3, 9, and 14 km above the of incoherently combining the light from telescope. Using tomographic methods the UTs, which is fundamentally different HAWK-I is a cryogenic near-infrared to reconstruct the turbulence profile of from coherently combining the light in the wide-field imager installed at the the atmosphere, the LTAO mode delivers VLTI, allows ESPRESSO to harness the ­Nasmyth A focus of UT4 with an on-sky diffraction-limited images, but over a light-gathering power of all four UTs to field of view of 7.5 × 7.5 arcminutes and smaller field of view. In the case of MUSE, study much fainter objects than can be a pixel scale of 0.106 arcseconds that the narrow-field mode (NFM) corre­ captured by a single UT, or by any other matches the improved image quality pro­ sponds to a 7.5 × 7.5 arcminute field of 8- to 10-metre-class telescope. It accom­ vided by GRAAL with the AOF in Ground view with an exquisite spatial resolution plishes one of the original goals of the Layer AO (GLAO) mode. During the com­ of 0.025 arcseconds. Because it is VLT by bringing the four UTs together to missioning of GRAAL with HAWK-I it unique, the MUSE NFM has been availa­ act as a 16-metre telescope, and makes was confirmed that the full width at half ble to visiting astronomers at Paranal ESPRESSO a powerful tool for measuring maximum of the stellar images could be since October but it was formally offered the variation of the physical constants systematically reduced by between 0.1 to the community in April 2019. across time and space and for analysing and 0.25 arcseconds, providing the the chemical compositions of stars in expected sharper images across the full ESPRESSO is a fibre-fed, cross-­dispersed, nearby galaxies. field of view. This mode was offered to high-resolution échelle ­spectrograph the scientific community on 1 October. located at the incoherent focus of the VLT While the first second-generation VLTI in the Combined-Coudé Laboratory instrument, GRAVITY, continued its inten­ MUSE is an integral field spectrograph (CCL), where it can receive light from any sive monitoring campaign of the Galactic located at the Nasmyth B focus of UT4. one or all four of the UTs. The single-UT Centre with the VLTI and the four UTs It has a modular structure composed of mode provides the necessary scheduling (see the Research Highlights on p. 14 for 24 identical integral field unit (IFU) modules flexibility to use any of the available four more details of the spectacular scientific that together sample, in wide-field mode UTs to optimally sample the radial-velocity results), the second-generation VLTI (WFM), a near-contiguous 1 × 1 arcminute curves of stars that potentially host exo­ instrument MATISSE steadily continued field of view with a spatial resolution of planets. With a radial-velocity precision of its commissioning on the ATs and the UTs 0.2 arcseconds. Spectrally the instrument better than 10 cm s–1, Earth-mass plan­ and achieved first light with the four ATs samples almost the full optical domain ets in the habitable zone of a low mass on 19 February. with a mean spectral resolution of 3000. star can be detected by this high-preci­ GALACSI in GLAO mode perfectly match­ sion, ultra-stable instrument. The single- MATISSE is a four-way beam combiner, es the WFM of MUSE and has been avail­ UT mode has been available to the scien­ combining the light collected by up to able to the community since 1 April. tific community since October. four of the ATs or UTs to perform both

The ESPRESSO instrument on the VLT used the combined light of all four of the 8.2-metre Unit Tele­ scopes for the first time in 2018. Spectra acquired during first light is shown on the left. On the right, the

ESO/D. Mégevand ESO/D. team members inspect these first observations in the VLT control room. ESO/D. Mégevand ESO/D.

ESO Annual Report 2018 41 spectroscopic and imaging observations. In so doing, MATISSE possesses the ­theoretical imaging power of a telescope of up to 200 metres in diameter and the Egner Sebastian capability to produce stunningly detailed images in infrared light from the L-band to the N-band of the electromagnetic spectrum using aperture synthesis image reconstruction techniques. With these capabilities, the instrument is expected to contribute to fundamental research areas in astronomy such as probing the inner regions of discs around young stars where planets are forming, studying stars at different stages of their lives, and the environment around black holes in AGN. Because of the excellent progress of the commissioning during the year, MATISSE was offered in selected modes to the community in April 2019.

On 20 October 2018 NAOMI saw first light after being installed on all four ATs. NAOMI was designed in collabora­ The four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes of the VLTI The first-generation instrument VIMOS tion with the Institut de Planétologie et have been upgraded with the New Adaptive Optics was decommissioned in March after Module for Interferometry (NAOMI). This picture d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) to shows the moment of first light for NAOMI, when the 15 years of science operation. The first- combat the effects of atmospheric turbu­ four telescopes were trained on the star Fomalhaut generation VLTI instrument Astronomical lence on the quality of the observations in the constellation Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Multi-BEam combineR (AMBER) and its performed by the VLTI — thereby improv­ Fish). fringe tracker, the Fringe-tracking Instru­ ing the sensitivity and performance of ment of Nice and TOrino (FINITO), were the ATs. By introducing state-of-the-art The start of science operations with decommissioned in September after 13 AO technology, NAOMI has improved MATISSE marks the completion of the years of science operation. In 2019, the the precision of the measurements per­ second generation of instruments at observatory is expecting the arrival of formed by the VLTI and achieves a better the VLT and the VLTI, almost exactly the upgraded CRyogenic high-resolution and more stable image quality — ena­ 20 years after VLT first light. X-shooter, InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES+) bling efficient, long integrations even KMOS, MUSE, SPHERE, ESPRESSO and and the implementation of the GRAVITY under degraded atmospheric conditions. the AOF at the VLT and GRAVITY and fringe tracker for MATISSE. The commissioning of NAOMI clearly MATISSE on the VLTI all began operating demonstrated improved performance of in the last ten years and provide a power­ Hosted Telescopes at Paranal GRAVITY, MATISSE and PIONIER under ful new suite of instruments to ESO’s sci­ The second hosted telescope project at all atmospheric conditions. entific community. Paranal, SPECULOOS, celebrated the first light of its four 1-metre telescopes in December. The telescopes are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto after the Galilean moons of Jupiter. SPECULOOS will carry out a photometric survey in the near-infrared designed to discover

ESO/MATISSE consortium ESO/MATISSE Earth-sized planets transiting the bright­ est southern ultra-cool stars. Full remote operation is planned to start in January 2019.

On 19 December ESO signed a hosting A colourised version of agreement with the CTAO and the the first MATISSE inter­ ­Chilean Government for the construction ferometric observations and operation of the southern array of of the star Sirius, com­ CTA at its Paranal premises. CTA is a bining data from the four Auxiliary Telescopes of next-­generation ground-based instru­ the VLTI. ment designed to detect very high energy

42 ESO Annual Report 2018 G. Lambert/ESO A. Besel/IAC Diaz)/ESO (G.P. - CTA/M

The SPECULOOS Southern Observatory sits in the Artist’s impression of the three classes of the 99 valley below VISTA, near Paranal. ­telescopes planned for the southern array of CTA.

gamma rays. Gamma rays are electro­ telescope followed in September. During is expected to improve our understanding magnetic radiation emitted by the hottest the coating of the 2.2-metre, a new baffle of stellar activity, which turned out to be and most “extreme” objects in the Uni­ was also installed at the M2 to improve the the main limitation in the detection of verse — supermassive black holes, stray light characteristics of the telescope. Earth-twins using HARPS and will there­ supernovae and possibly remnants of the fore lead to the improvement of exoplanet Big Bang. CTA will operate across two The HARPS Experiment for Light Integrat­ detection techniques. sites, one in each hemisphere, to maxim­ ed Over the Sun (HELIOS) was installed ise its coverage of the night sky. When on the catwalk of the 3.6-metre tele­ The NIRPS project continued with the construction is complete, the CTAO will scope. HELIOS is a solar telescope built construction of the ”red arm of HARPS” comprise 19 telescopes in the northern by the University of Geneva and the to create an even more powerful optical– hemisphere located at the Observatorio ­Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do near-infrared high-precision radial velocity del Roque de los Muchachos on the Porto. It feeds the HARPS instrument, machine. Installation and commissioning island of La Palma in the Canary Islands which is fibre-linked to the 3.6-metre tele­ are expected to take place during 2019. and 99 telescopes in the southern hemi­ scope. HARPS is one of the most power­ sphere, located not far from Cerro ful planet hunters in existence and spends The agreement for the construction ­Paranal. These telescopes will have three most nights monitoring stars for radial- and operation of the medium-resolution different sizes to cover three different velocity signals that indicate the presence (R = 5000) optical and near-infrared energy ranges. of exoplanets. During the day HELIOS (0.4–1.8 μm) SoXS spectrograph for the feeds the sunlight integrated over the solar NTT was eventually signed with an inter­ disc into HARPS to achieve very high national consortium led by the Italian La Silla Observatory precision spectroscopy of the Sun for National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). several hours per day. As well as learning SoXS addresses in particular — but not The La Silla Observatory continued to about the Sun itself, the HELIOS project only — the needs of the time-domain operate successfully and in line with its streamlined operations model. The La Silla 2010+ model supports the continued operations of two major telescopes and their instrumentation — the 3.6-metre Pirson ESO/T. tele­scope with HARPS, and the NTT with SOFI, EFOSC2 and visitor instruments.

This year has seen an intensive effort in La Silla to complete the recoating of the primary mirrors of the three major tele­ scopes; after the M1 of the 3.6-metre ­telescope was aluminised in October The HELIOS solar tele­ 2017, the M1 and M2 of the NTT followed scope attached to the catwalk of the ESO in April and November 2018, respectively, 3.6-metre telescope at and the M1 of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre La Silla.

ESO Annual Report 2018 43 research community and could start 1.54-metre telescope. This platform of the antenna (VERTEX Antennentechnik operating as early as 2020. SoXS will required the demolition and removal of GmbH, Duisburg, Germany)­ had com­ replace SOFI and EFOSC2 on the NTT. the building and dome of the former pleted the replacement of most of the ­Marseille-Lyon (MarLy) 1-metre and aluminium panels that form the surface of This new instrument complement for Grand Prisme Objectif (GPO) telescopes. the main reflector with new, high-precision La Silla provides an exciting new per­ The new platform can host up to 15 panels. The recommissioning of the spective for the La Silla Observatory into 65-centimetre telescopes, each equipped antenna and the instruments proceeded the mid-2020s and it has triggered the with a 110-megapixel camera covering during the first quarter of the year. Sci­ development of matching plans for the 2.7 square degrees on the sky to spot ence operations resumed on 15 April in required extension of the lifetime of the optical afterglows of gravitational wave “SciOps-R[emote]” mode. Work on observatory’s infrastructure and its oper­ events. The contract for the construction improving the surface accuracy continued ation model. and installation of the telescope towers during the science operations period and has been awarded and construction will an accuracy of 13 µm root mean square La Silla Observatory further continued to start early next year. (RMS) could eventually be achieved. support scientific projects at its hosted Since the aim remains to achieve less telescopes: the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre tele­ La Silla staff, frequent Visiting Astrono­ than 10 µm RMS, ongoing analysis of the scope (constructed by the Max-Planck- mers, and weekend visitors appreciate current limitations will continue.­ Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, that the access road to La Silla (Chilean Germany); the Danish 1.54-metre tele­ Route C-541) between the Panamerican The first of the new APEX facility receiv­ scope (Niels Bohr Institute of the Univer­ Highway (Chilean Route 5) and the ers was successfully installed at the sity of Copenhagen, Denmark and the ­Pelicano gate was paved by the Chilean telescope in August, adding Band 9 (at Astronomical Institute of the Academy Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MOP) 660 GHz) to the existing Band 5 (at of Sciences of the Czech Republic); the ­making road travel to La Silla safer and 180GHz) of the Swedish ESO PI receiver Swiss 1.2-metre Leonhard Euler Tele­ more convenient. for APEX (SEPIA) receiver. The new scope (Observatory of Geneva, Switzer­ Band 9 facility receiver for SEPIA, dubbed land); the Rapid Eye Mount telescope SEPIA660, records both sidebands (REM; Italian National Institute for Astro­ APEX Observatory simultaneously, with very good sideband physics, Italy); the Télescope à Action rejection at the level of > 15 dB at all fre­ Rapide pour les Objets Transitoires South APEX continued to operate its 12-metre quencies (> 20 dB in most cases). This (TAROT-S; Centre National de la Recherche antenna and its suite of heterodyne and new feature duplicates the frequency Scientifique, France); TRAPPIST-South bolometer facility instruments and visitor coverage per tuning, adds flexibility to the (Université de Liège, Belgium); the ESO instruments in a quasi-continuous 24-hour design of spectral setups covering multi­ 1-metre telescope (Universidad Católica operation mode, which maximises the ple lines, and reduces the noise level com­ del Norte in collaboration with the Pontifi­ exploitation of the exceptional conditions pared to the old double-sideband receiv­ cia Universidad Católica de Chile); and available at the Chajnantor site. In 2018, er that was used from 2016 to 2017. An the Multisite All Sky CAmeRA (MASCARA; a total of 232 days and nights were additional improvement is the extension Leiden Observatory) telescope. scheduled for science observations with of the frequency range, which now runs APEX, out of which 204 could be used, between on-sky fre­quencies of 581 GHz The Exoplanets in Transit and their resulting in more than 4354 hours of on- and 726 GHz. This range extends well Atmospheres (ExTrA) project by IPAG in sky science time. beyond the previous one (600–722 GHz) France celebrated first light in January and also makes this joint development by and continued commissioning during APEX operates under a new agreement the Group of Advanced Receiver Devel­ the year. Science operation is expected with revised shares between the MPIfR opment (GARD, Gothenburg, Sweden) to start early next year for a period of (Bonn, Germany; 55% share), ESO (32% from OSO, Sweden,­ the Netherlands five years. share) and OSO (Sweden; 13% share). Research School for Astronomy (NOVA, The new APEX agreement further estab­ the Netherlands) and ESO interesting as The civil works for the construction of the lishes an additional investment of 18.5 a potential future upgrade to the ALMA ESA Test-Bed Telescope (TBT) have been million euros over the period 2018–2022 Observatory. completed and the foundations await the in the antenna, instruments, infrastructure, arrival of the telescope. The civil works and five years of operation. The new receivers SEPIA345 (Band 7 at for the BlackGEM project (Radboud Uni­ 345 GHz) from OSO and the new FaciLity versity Nijmegen, the Netherlands and The first large investments were made in APEX Submillimeter Heterodyne instru­ University of Leuven, Belgium) — a tele­ the overhaul of the antenna and its infra­ ment (nFLASH) – Band 6 at 230 GHz and scope array that will search for optical structure and the upgrade of the 12-metre Band 8 at 460 GHz — from MPIfR are counterparts of gravitational wave sources antenna dish, the sub-reflector with its expected to arrive next year. — have started with the preparation of hexapod and wobbler and the supporting a new telescope platform between the quadrupod legs. By the end of last year, ESO 1-metre telescope and the Danish the company responsible for the upgrade

44 ESO Annual Report 2018 )/ESO wingsforscience.com

Aerial image of the APEX site, high

Clem & Adri Bacri-Normier ( on the Chajnantor Plateau.

ESO Annual Report 2018 45 The Milky Way above one of the ­Auxiliary Telescopes of the VLT. Y. Beletsky/ESO Data Management and Operations

The DMO Division is responsible for off­ The La Silla Paranal Observatory Users files for cycle configuration. A project sci­ site operations and user support for Workshop called “Getting science done entist from USD developed requirements the La Silla Paranal Observatory. Data with your observatory” was held at ESO and contributed to the project plan for obtained from ESO instruments are a Headquarters in March 2018, with the new exposure time calculators that will ­valuable scientific resource, and the ESO aim of enhancing ESO’s connection to connect with p1 and p2. Besides partici­ Science Archive Facility enables seam­ users. It received positive feedback with pation in Data Flow projects, USD mem­ less access to the large volume and high particular emphasis on the usefulness bers also collaborated with instrumenta­ quality of its holdings. The development of interactive demonstrations and hands- tion programme colleagues, in particular roadmap of the Data Flow System for on tutorial sessions. Further face-to-face assisting the CRIRES+ team, participat­ combined VLT and ELT science opera­ interactions with users included partici­ ing in the Final Design Review (FDR) of tions has been scrutinised by external pation in the ESO/NEON La Silla Observ­ the 4-metre Multi-Object Spectrograph review and is being efficiently­ implement­ ing school in January, the ITSO/AAO Telescope (4MOST), the ELT-MICADO ed according to a consolidated plan. Observational Techniques Workshop PDR and the Phase A review for the ELT in Sydney, Australia in May, and the orga­ Multi-object spectrograph MOSAIC, and nisation of the KMOS@5 workshop in leading the FORS upgrade project. User Support December.

The User Support Department (USD) USD led the deployment of a new web- Back-End Operations ­provides support to the users of ESO’s based Phase 2 tool (p2) for Visitor Mode, Paranal Observatory facilities, assists and over the course of 2018, p2 and its ESO’s telescopes and instruments pro­ the Science Operations Team at the programmatic interface were extended to vide excellent data to our astronomical observatory in efficiently executing Ser­ Service Mode observation preparation community. The steady increase in vol­ vice Mode observations, defines user for all Paranal instruments. Besides defin­ ume and complexity of these data poses requirements and oversees the develop­ ing requirements, overseeing the imple­ a continuous challenge for their scientific ment and implementation of front-end mentation of the tool and performing exploitation. ESO addresses the data observation tools. Through the operation its acceptance testing, the successful processing challenge in two ways: by of a helpdesk system, release and main­ implementation of p2 for Service Mode providing users with tools to process and tenance of up-to-date observing tools, entailed publishing new Phase 2 prepara­ calibrate the data as observed at the tele­ and documentation, USD acts as an tion documentation and tutorials for all scopes, so that science information important interface between the commu­ instruments. Feedback from users has can then be extracted; and by publishing nity and the observatory. The department been used to improve the tool and intro­ already processed and calibrated data is also responsible for the organi­sation duce new features. USD developed a ready for scientific exploitation. of travel for astronomers visiting the new finding chart generation software, observatory sites in Chile and for all which was added as a one-button-click ­matters related to the ESO’s Users Com­ action in p2. Support for the new Phase 1 Participants in the La Silla Paranal Observatory Users Workshop “Getting science done with your mittee (UC). tool (p1) included the preparation of a observatory” organised by USD at ESO Headquar­ first version of instrument configuration ters in March 2018. During 2018 USD received and reviewed Phase 2 observation material for 972 Ser­ vice Mode runs scheduled in Periods 101 and 102 and provided support for addi­ tional approved Director’s Discretionary Time (DDT) runs. The suite of supported instruments and instrument modes has been extended in the course of the year to include HAWK-I+GRAAL, MUSE+ GALACSI NFM and ESPRESSO. The majority of the 2447 helpdesk tickets handled over the course of 2018 by USD were for Phase 2 support, followed by tickets related to Paranal Operations, post-observation support, the User ­Portal, and others. The Visiting Astrono­ mer Travel Office within USD organised travel to the observatories for 597 astron­ omers. The integration of Visiting Astron­ omer Travel workflows with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) database was concluded in October 2018.

48 ESO Annual Report 2018 7HOOXULFVWDU 6FLHQFH The data processing workflow for the KMOS instrument, enabling 2S@MC@QCRS@Q the removal of the spuri­ ous contribution from the Earth’s atmosphere. 1DRONMRDBTQUD

"TADQDBNMRSQTBSHNM instruments was rolled out. This web-

SLNROGDQHB SLNROGDQHB 3DKKTQHB #@S@BTADR based solution works very reliably with LNCDKLNKDBjS SQ@MRLHRRHNMB@KBSQ@MR BNQQDBSHNM BNLAHM@SHNM good performance. )LQDOSURGXFWV The first release of the Archive Services Project was published in April, delivering web-based browsing and exploration ESO has a tradition of supporting Open As experience with ESO’s sophisticated of the archive with interactive, iterative Science as a way to maximise the scien­ instrument suite accumulates, the soft­ queries. The results are presented in real tific impact of its facilities and the broader ware tools to handle the data are con­ time in various tabular and/or graphic dissemination of scientific knowledge. It stantly improving. As an example of this forms, including interactive previews, has a long-standing policy that data from virtuous cycle, a new data processing allowing an evaluation of the usefulness ESO telescopes should become available pipeline was released for the KMOS of the data that can then be selected for for anyone after an initial period (typically instrument. KMOS operates in a region of retrieval. Additionally, programmatic one year) during which their use is the electromagnetic spectrum that is access is offered to the community by reserved for the teams that originally pro­ contaminated by the Earth’s atmosphere, realising various Virtual Observatory posed the observations. ESO has reaf­ which selectively absorbs the light at ­protocols (TAP, SSAP, DataLink). The new firmed its commitment to Open Science specific wavelengths (“telluric absorp­ archive science portal can be accessed by endorsing the European Open Sci­ tion”). Correcting for those spurious sig­ at archive.eso.org/scienceportal. ence Cloud. This is an exciting long-term natures is very important in order to European Commission ­initiative that properly use the data. For this purpose The Phase 1 project focused on develop­ aims to remove barriers to the reuse of a new data processing workflow has ments for a much-demanded renewal research data and tools. Within this con­ been implemented that allows the user to of the proposal submission system. Sev­ text, ESO is a partner in the European carefully model the contribution from eral interfaces with the existing system Science Cluster of Astronomy & Particle the Earth’s atmosphere so that it can needed to be maintained, and a hybrid physics ESFRI research infrastructures be removed and better reveal the science solution was designed in which the (ESCAPE) project, which is funded from signal from the cosmic source. downstream workflow after the new pro­ the European Union’s Horizon 2020 posal submission is still handled by the Research and Innovation programme in current system. The first operational 2018. This ambitious project fosters col­ Data Flow Projects deployment is planned for March 2019. laboration in multi-­messenger astronomy and particle physics by developing a Data flow applications and services The GuideCamTool was released for pan-European infrastructure and method­ ensuring end-to-end VLT and ELT opera­ the MUSE NFM and HAWK-I Fast Pho­ ology for the storage, analysis, and dis­ tion cover the proposal submission sys­ tometry modes. A feasibility study investi­ semination of large, complex datasets. tem (Phase 1), observation specification gating how to make the GuideCamTool and execution (Phase 2), archiving and available on the web and integrated into The benefits of multiple reuses of retrieval of raw frames, data reduction, p2 concluded positively. From 2019, sup­ science data, often for purposes other the ingestion of data products including port for more instruments will be imple­ than those for which the original obser­ catalogues (Phase 3) and their publication mented via the web. vations and experiments were designed, and exploration. These services ensure are apparent in the success of the ESO the astronomical value delivered to the Among many other smaller enhance­ Science Archive, in terms of both active ESO user community and a high opera­ ments, the start of ESPRESSO operations users and overall impact. In 2018, it tional efficiency both in Garching and at in 1UT and 4UT modes required addition­ attracted hundreds of new users to its the observatory. In 2018, a number of al functionality and upgrades to the Data customer base. Consequently, the Sci­ new software solutions were introduced. Flow System (DFS) chain of tools, such ence Archive boosts ESO’s science as the TaToo long-term scheduler, short- ­output, as measured by publications in For the first time in January 2018, term filtering/ranking of ESPRESSO refereed journals; a third of refereed Phase 2 observation preparation on UT2 Observing Blocks (OBs) from several tele­ papers published in 2018 that made use and the survey telescopes was carried scope queues, and upgrades to the Night of ESO data contain contributions from out using the web-based p2 application. Log Tool to compile ESPRESSO OB exe­ the Science Archive. In July, support for the remaining Paranal cutions from all UTs using the ICCF.

ESO Annual Report 2018 49 50 Otto and Lore are the names of the two ALMA transporters pictured here. These machines are built to survive in the harsh environment of the Atacama Desert and are able to position each antenna with millimetre accuracy. Russell/ESO A.

ESO Annual Report 2018 51 ALMA

ALMA is a large interferometer working at radio wavelengths ranging from 0.3 to 9.6 mm. ALMA was constructed between 1999 and 2014 through an international collaboration between Europe, North

America and East Asia, in cooperation ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) with the Republic of Chile. The ALMA Observatory comprises 66 high-precision antennas with state-of-the-art receivers located on the Chajnantor Plateau at 5000 metres above sea level in the dis­ trict of San Pedro de Atacama, in the Chilean Andes. The 12-metre diameter antennas can be arranged in various con­ figurations with baselines ranging from 15 m to 16 km. A spatial resolution as fine as 0.005 arcseconds can be achieved at the highest frequencies, a factor of ten better than the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (at optical wavelengths).

ALMA Operations and Science

During 2018 (Cycle 5), ALMA continued observations utilised 45. Science obser­ Aerial view of the inner area of the ALMA observatory to prioritise data processing and deliv- vations employing the full set of 66 anten­ at the Chajnantor Plateau. The main array is at the centre of the picture. ery, improving both the quality and timeli­ nas were also executed. While antenna ness of the data products. The fraction availability and the efficiency of on-sky of time dedicated to Large Programmes science execution increased, the obser­ the number of proposals received (1836) increased, with four additional pro­ vatory was again hit by major snowstorms and hours requested (19 600). grammes approved and mostly complet­ during the austral winter, resulting in a ed in Cycle 5. An example of the Large significant loss of observing time. The Looking ahead, the observatory com­ Programme science results is reported time lost to these extreme events was not pleted the ALMA Development Road- in the Research Highlights section of this as much as in Cycle 4, thanks to the map, which was adopted by the ALMA report (see p. 15). array’s being in a more compact configu­ Board and released publicly in 2018. ration and to improved snow recovery Now that the initial Level 1 science goals During Cycle 5, both the typical antenna procedures. Optimising the resilience to for ALMA have been demonstrated, this numbers per execution and the produc­ adverse weather conditions and the array roadmap defines new fundamental sci­ tive time available on sky expanded. recovery procedures remains a top priori­ ence drivers, which will determine the Thanks to optimisation efforts, the vast ty for the observatory in the coming year. ­priority of different possible future devel­ majority of 12-metre array observations opments. In particular,­ the ALMA 2030 were executed using more than the mini­ The Call for Proposals for Cycle 6 estab­ Roadmap highlights the increase in inter­ mum number of 43 antennas — typical lished yet another new record as regards mediate frequency bandwidth by at least a factor of two and the upgrade of the associated electronics and correlators as the highest priority technical develop­ ments that will allow new and more ambi­

J. C. Rojas/ESOJ. C. tious science goals to be achieved in the next phase of the observatory. A number of additional possible developments are also outlined. As a next step, an ALMA- wide working group is defining the tech­ nical specifications required to meet the goals in the ALMA 2030 Roadmap.

ALMA staff work continuously to keep the telescopes operational on the Chajnantor Plateau, even during snowstorms.

52 ESO Annual Report 2018 New ALMA Director

In early 2018, Sean Dougherty took up his post as the new ALMA Director. Sean has been Director at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) and THE ALMA Program Director for the Radio Astronomy Program for the National­ Research Coun­ DEVELOPMENT cil (NRC) of ­Canada since 2008. He has actively represented Canada’s­ con­ ROADMAP tributions to many radio astronomy facili­ ties in the world, and has also collabo­ J. Carpenter, D. Iono, L. Testi, N. Whyborn, A. Wootten, N. Evans (The ALMA Development Working Group) rated on many projects with NRAO, the Approved by the Board by written procedure pursuant Art. 11 of the Board’s Rules of Procedure Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and several other ­scientific organisations, including ALMA.

European ALMA Support Centre

The EASC is ESO’s offsite operations 1 unit for ALMA and a division of the Direc­ torate of Operations. It is one of the three ALMA Support Centres that are based ORIGINS OF GALAXIES ORIGINS OF CHEMICAL COMPLEXITY ORIGINS OF PLANETS at the three ALMA Executives in Europe, Trace the cosmic evolution of key elements Trace the evolution from simple to complex Image protoplanetary disks in nearby (150 pc) organic molecules through the process of star star formation regions to resolve the Earth North America and East Asia to support peak of star formation (z=2–4) by detecting and planet formation down to solar system forming zone (~ 1 au) in the dust continuum Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) and ALMA their cooling lines, both atomic ([CII], [OIII]) scales (~10-100 au) by performing full-band at wavelengths shorter than 1mm, enabling and molecular (CO), and dust continuum, at a frequency scans at a rate of 2-4 protostars per detection of the tidal gaps and inner holes onsite operation. The EASC comprises rate of 1-2 galaxies per hour. day. created by planets undergoing formation. the ARC, ALMA offsite technical mainte­ nance and development support, and Above: New fundamental science drivers for ALMA, Below: The top-level structure of the EASC, which is ALMA science and outreach. The high- as defined in the ALMA Development Roadmap are structured into four departments that are also linked also available online at: www.eso.org/sci/facilities/ to ESO’s education and Public Outreach Department. level scientific representation and scien­ alma/announcements/20180712-alma-development- tific guidance of the European ALMA roadmap.pdf. ­project are provided by the European Programme Scientist, who acts in close collaboration with the VLT/I and ELT Pro­ Director of Operations gramme Scientists to exploit the scientific synergies with ESO’s other major pro­ grammes. The EASC is the face of ALMA European for the European scientific community ALMA Support Centre and the international ALMA partners for Head of EASC ALMA operations. It is an important com­ (EU Operations Manager) ponent in the success of ALMA in terms of its performance as a scientific instru­ ment, and also for ESO as a partner in the ALMA ALMA ALMA ALMA ePOD Regional Centre Science Computing Technical ALMA ALMA project. ARC Department ALMA Programme Head of ALMA Team Outreach Head Scientist Computing Head of ATT Officer (Head of EU-ARC) (Head of IST-EU) (Head of ICT-EU) (Head of EU-IET) (Member of IEPOT) ALMA Regional Centre Grenoble, Leiden, Manchester, Ondřejov, use of the extensive expertise that exists The ARC is the department within the and Onsala, and a Centre of Expertise in Europe. EASC that forms the interface between in Lisbon. The ARC nodes are based at the ALMA observatory and the ESO locations with a long history in radio The year 2018 saw an increase in the ALMA users. The ARC department coor­ and/or millimetre observations, and their number of proposals submitted to ALMA dinates support to the European ALMA staff cover a range of expertise in interfer­ by the Cycle 6 deadline in April, with a community provided by the European ometry, (sub-)millimetre observations total of 781 proposals submitted by users ARC, a distributed network of regional and ALMA data reduction and ­analysis. in ESO Member States, a 12% rise com­ nodes located in Bologna, Bonn/Cologne, The ARC network thus makes optimal pared to the previous cycle. The European

ESO Annual Report 2018 53 ARC supported the call for proposals and proposal preparation by means of infor­ mation dissemination, community days and other events. The European ARC also continued its long-standing contribu­ tion to various ALMA tasks, such as the second level of Quality Assurance for Cycles 5 and 6 projects, the Phase 2 in Cycle 6 by assisting Principal Investigators with the validation of their Phase 2 mate­ rial, ensuring that scheduling blocks run optimally at the telescope, and the provi­ sion of scientific guidance to several key components of the ALMA software system used directly by the astronomical com­ munity (such as the ALMA Observing Tool, the ALMA Archive, and the Snoop­ ing Project Interface [SnooPI]).

The European ARC spent a significant part of 2018 assessing the needs of the European ALMA community and plann­-­ ing its future. Evolution towards more The ATT at ESO is the European part of ALMA Regional Centre Network all-hands retreat ­science-oriented support has already the ALMA-wide Integrated Engineering group photograph, Czech Republic, September 2018. been observed, whereby, in addition to Team (IET — also called IET-EU). It has the technical support, users benefit from provided remote (offsite) maintenance ALMA Computing the proximity to staff at the nodes and and onsite support of the ESO delivera­ exploit their scientific expertise to optimise bles throughout 2018. This included the The ALMA Computing Team at the EASC, their scientific output. At the same time, following: including partner institutes in Europe, new users continue to require more basic – In the antenna area, Tier 3 maintenance develops and maintains ALMA software support, as do users of recently devel­ tasks were taken care of, including mis­ subsystems in collaboration with similarly oped ALMA capabilities and non-stand­ sions to the site as necessary. In the sized teams in East Asia, North America ard observing modes. Over the course framework of the maintenance contract and Chile. A new group within the ALMA of 2018 these needs were met by more of the Antenna Control Unit Software, Computing Team was created in early than 60 face-to-face visits, a service pro­ an onsite Drive System investigation 2018 to carry out DevOps, software test­ vided exclusively by the ARC nodes. campaign has been organised. An ing and quality assurance for the software A number of these visits were funded by upgrade programme for the array snow subsystems related to Archive Services, the European Horizon 2020 RadioNet recovery project was initiated (azimuth Observing Preparation and Observatory Mobility for ARC Users (MARCUs) net­ skirt snow protection, feed-shutter Interfaces. working activity. design). An obsolescence assessment was also initiated. The technical improvements in the areas – In the front-end area specific technical of DevOps, Continuous Integration ALMA Technical Team and procurement support was given as and Test Automation (using the platforms necessary. ­Jenkins, Git, Docker, Ansible, Selenium) The ALMA Technical Team (ATT) in the – Contracts in Europe placed by the ATT now allow the automated deployment EASC is responsible for offsite technical are in effect for the offsite maintenance and verification of every single code support and hardware development pro­ of digitisers, digitiser clocks and the change. The overall ALMA Software jects. In 2018, the ATT provided support, correlator tunable filters, for the offsite Delivery Process has also been reviewed specific knowledge and assistance to the maintenance of the Band 5 Bias Modules and improved to better fit modern ALMA Observatory in the areas of anten­ and ALMA front-end Cartridge Power ­software engineering practices and the nas, antenna transporters, front ends, Distribution System (CPDS) cards, and current ALMA team structure. An essen­ calibration devices, water vapour radiom­ for the water vapour radiometer. tial component has been the adaptation eters, the back end, the correlator, and – In the transporter area, technical and of the software delivery workflow to site infrastructure (in particular, the anten­ procurement support was given for ­promote increased collaboration between na stations and the power generation and hydraulic hoses, X-Y table repair and scientists, developers and testers. Strong distribution system). In addition, ATT staff spare parts. collaboration and good communication managed the hardware development – In the power generation and distribution are the key factors for properly managing ­projects and contributed to development area, specific technical and procure­ the continuous evolution of software studies. ment support was given as necessary. requirements.

54 ESO Annual Report 2018 Plan-driven and Agile hybrid approach to software verification: new workflow scenarios resulting from ALMA Improved Software Verification Process phase-to-phase refined integration testing will be Scientist Developer Tester automated in the next cycle as regression tests. Planning

In this sense, several Agile-like practices Phase-A Phase-B Phase-C like Release Planning Meetings per sub­ Develop Deploy Deploy Feature Integration branch (Master branch) system have been introduced. They con­ Developer DevOps DevOps tribute to planning the release according Deploy Test Test to more immediate science needs DevOps (Feature branch) Manual/Automated Manual/Automated but consider development and testing functional + functional + integration tests integration tests resource availability. They also aim Test Tester Scientist to clarify and improve the requirements Manual/Automated functional tests Implement Design specification with the goal of reducing New integration tests New integration tests feature rejection by stakeholders after­ Tester Implement wards as a result of miscommunication. New functional tests Release For each feature A clear definition of roles and responsi­ bilities for individuals and teams within the new verification process ensures that become useful in the preparation for studies in 2018 covered a wide range of defined quality gates and other project increased data rates as ALMA evolves. topics: milestones are reached. As a result, – Next-generation ALMA Observing Tool: a better verification process is now in This study has been looking into how place. It should not only facilitate the ALMA Development the architecture of the main submission proper evolution of the software in terms and Phase 2 tool for ALMA can be of functionality, but also reduce the The ALMA partnership foresees continual upgraded to a web-based infrastruc­ ­technical debt and help with the continual upgrades and the development of new ture. To coordinate the activities with modernisation of the ALMA software. software, front ends (for example, addi­ major observatories worldwide, a work­ tional receiver bands) and other hardware shop was organised in June 2018. A A major problem for ALMA is that it never or system capabilities during the opera­ working group looking into federated had a simulator capable of generating tions phase. In 2018, two of the projects logins was set up as a result. data with the coherence necessary (co-)funded by ESO were completed: – ALMA re-imaging: Thanks to the imple­ to test the calibration software or produc­ the production installation and verification mentation of the pipeline, all ALMA ing the data rate equivalent to the full of all the Band 5 cartridges; and the data since Cycle 5 now have reduced 12-metre antenna array configuration. ALMA Integrated Alarm System, which data cubes available in the Archive. This problem, in conjunction with the lack will undergo formal acceptance proce­ This study demonstrated the feasibility of array testing time for computing pur­ dures at the observatory in early 2019. of reprocessing data going back to poses resulted in a testing regime that Additional small development projects Cycle 2 with the pipeline to substantially was far from desirable. approved by the ALMA Director to be improve the user friendliness of the executed under ESO leadership focus on ALMA archive. The plan is to complete In this context, the ESO-based Telescope the characterisation of new materials the ALMA re-imaging as a legacy pro­ Calibration team began a new initiative for lenses and vacuum windows at milli­ ject over the next three years. to change the simulation paradigm so metre wavelengths, the development and – Digital Front End Working Group: All that pre-existing ALMA datasets are used testing of critical components for the ALMA partners are joining this effort to to feed the simulation, starting after the Band 2 receiver, and the re-imaging of a look into the optimal long-term strategy correlation step. A current prototype of large fraction of the ALMA programmes for the ALMA signal processing from this design already exists, and covers for Cycles 2, 3, and 4 in order to enhance the antenna to the correlator. Upgrad­ both 12-metre and 7-metre array obser­ the legacy value of the Archive products. ing the digitisers could allow a gain in vations with the telescope calibration An example of a science highlight observing efficiency of ~ 12%, which is component as back end. The prototype obtained using the new ALMA Band 5 equivalent to adding six new 12-metre has been handed over to the computing receivers is reported in the Research antennas to the array. team at the observatory for integration Highlights section of this report (see p. 16). – Next generation digitisers: In a study into the regular regression and integration led by the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique test suites. de Bordeaux (LAB), (Université de ALMA Development Studies ­Bordeaux, France) a new generation of Increasing the scope of this initiative ­digitisers for ALMA are being designed would allow routine testing of incremental ESO is working with the community to and tested. At least one of the digitisers releases and inclusion of the archive keep ALMA at the forefront of technology offers the capability to cover substantial ­subsystem in the back end. It could also through upgrade studies. The active intermediate frequency bandwidths out

ESO Annual Report 2018 55 to 20 GHz, compatible with the ambi­ Common Astronomy Sofware Applica­ tious upgrades foreseen in the ALMA tions (CASA) data reduction software. 2030 Roadmap. – SIS wideband technology: To meet the goals of wider radio frequency and Band 2 studies intermediate frequency bandwidths, further development of the Supercon­ Band 2 is the last of the originally defined ductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) ALMA Bands that has not yet been either junctions is essential. This study, led built or approved for production. Devel­ by GARD (Sweden), initially concentrat­ opment of this receiver is currently the ed on Bands 7 and 9. Following ALMA subject of several advanced studies, the 2030 priorities, Band 7 development idea being to cover the full 67–116 GHz was prioritised, which may even allow atmospheric window. This means that the extension below the low-frequency current Band 3 frequency coverage is edge of this band. included in the new receiver, allowing for – Advanced tuning algorithms: The comprehensive spectral surveys and ALMA receivers are tuned using fixed multi-line observations over the entire tuning tables determined during com­ band using a minimum number of set­ missioning and major maintenance tings. Development studies are currently slots. ­However, environmental condi­ ongoing in two areas: the University of tions are known to vary, and further Manchester (UK) is working on the Mono­ optimisations can allow a substantial lithic Microwave Integrated Circuits improvement in both the receiver tem­ (MMICs) inside the Low Noise Amplifiers perature and stability by suppressing (LNAs), while INAF (Italy), in collaboration the Josephson current and demagneti­ with partners at the Universidad de Chile sation. This study led by NOVA (the and the NAOJ, is concentrating on the ­Netherlands) is using Band 9 as an passive optics required for the receiver. example, but the results may be applied Considerable progress has been made to most other receivers as well. in these areas over the course of 2018, – High cadence solar imaging: Solar with the noise levels for the LNAs now imaging is one of the ALMA science approaching the demanding levels goals, but it requires special observ- defined in the ALMA specifications for ing techniques as the Sun extends Band 2. Both studies are expected to beyond the primary beam of the ALMA conclude in the second half of 2019. antennas. Moreover, the solar surface varies on timescales of seconds. This Photo of the monolithic microwave integrated circuit study led by OSO (Sweden) aims (MMIC) designed by the University of Manchester to simulate how the cadence of time- (UK) and fabricated by the Northrop Grumman ­Corporation at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (USA). resolved observations can be imple­ The MMIC chip is the heart of the low-noise amplifier mented at the observatory and in the used for Band 2 and has a size of 1.3 × 0.9 mm. S. Otarola/ESOS.

56 ESO Annual Report 2018 Milky Way and star trails over ALMA. The darker spot at the centre of the picture is the Coalsack Nebula in the constellation Crux (the Southern Cross).

ESO Annual Report 2018 57 Programmes )/ESO atacamaphoto.com G. Hüdepohl (

58 ESO Annual Report 2018 Instrumentation for the La Silla ­­Paranal Observatory

Without a doubt the highlight of the Paranal instrument commissioning line region in a nearby quasar. The instru­ year has been the spectacular perfor­ ment is now fully available to the commu­ mance of GRAVITY in observing 2018 was another very intense year for nity and is in high demand. the Galactic Centre, building on many the commissioning of several instruments years of hard work to overcome sub­ under the governance of the Paranal Developing and capitalising on the suc­ stantial technical challenges. Instrumentation Programme. Even though cessful HARPS experience, ESPRESSO GRAVITY, MATISSE and ESPRESSO had is a spectrograph that aims to character­ This year the ELT Programme has been already been installed at the Paranal ise any instrumental drifts simultaneously impacted by the financial difficulties Observatory in 2017, their commissioning with science observations with an un­ experienced by Astaldi, one of the con­ (sometimes in parallel with normal opera­ precedented precision. It can observe tractors for the Dome and Main Struc­ tions) continued actively. In addition, major with any of the UTs (1UT mode), or with ture (DMS), which ultimately contrib­ activities were carried out at Paranal­ on all four UTs together (4UT mode, with a uted to a rebaselining of first light to the the two large infrastructure projects as collecting power equivalent to a 16-metre end of 2025. Despite this, significant part of the Programme: the AOF and the telescope). For this purpose, the project progress has been made across the VLTI Facility. included the procurement and installation board on the ELT, including approval of the four coudé trains from the UTs by Council of the HARMONI LTAO GRAVITY is a second-generation VLTI to the coudé laboratory. In order to obtain module (H-LTAO) as a Phase 2 item. instrument that combines the signals high spectral resolving power with a from four telescopes in the K-band and 16-metre equivalent aperture and main­ As in 2017, several instruments are in enables spectroscopic imaging and very tain high precision, ESPRESSO includes various stages of integration and com­ accurate astrometry. In 2018, while con­ several technical innovations for ESO, missioning on Paranal thanks to the tinuing the commissioning of the astro­ such as the significant use of optical Paranal Instrumentation Programme, metric mode and characterising all the anamorphism, pupil slicing, thermally sta­ these include: subtle effects present at a precision of ble detectors, and a system based on a – GRAVITY — commissioning of the under 100 microarcseconds, the GRAVITY laser frequency comb for extremely accu­ astrometric mode; Consortium published the first high rate and precise calibrations. – ESPRESSO — full commissioning; impact scientific results. These included – MATISSE — first light followed detailed studies of the orbit of S2 around After the integration of the instrument at by several commissioning runs with the Galactic Centre, the detection of Paranal and commissioning of the coudé both the ATs and the UTs; emission from near the event horizon of trains in 2017, ESPRESSO went through – successful commissioning of the the Galactic Centre black hole (see p. 14), full commissioning in 2018, and was GALACSI NFM of the AOF; and resolving the rotation of the broad- offered to the community in 1UT mode – the NAOMI project passed Prelimi­ starting from October 2018. The 4UT nary Acceptance Europe (PAE) Image of the circumstellar disc around the young mode has been offered for Period 103 and has been successfully commis­ star FS CMa (HD 45677) using VLTI PIONIER H-band (starting in April 2019). The commission­ sioned on the ATs. (blue) and MATISSE L- and N-band observations ing revealed unexpected light losses in (yellow and red) in the infrared H, L and N bands. some components of this complex sys­ This infrared image, which shows the accretion disc The Technology Development Pro­ around the central star, is the first interferometric tem. These were investigated and it was gramme continues to make substantial image obtained in either the L or N band. eventually determined that they originate progress on the development of key AO components for the ELT. The New Earths in the Alpha Centauri Region

(NEAR) experiment to search for habit­ MeillandA. able stars around Alpha Centauri also passed PAE and has been shipped to Chile.

Aerial view of the construction site of the Extremely Large Telescope, on Cerro ­Armazones, in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

ESO Annual Report 2018 59 from the front end and fibre injection sys­ ESO AOF team repre­ tem, which will be replaced in 2019. The sentatives receiving the OSA 2018 Paul F. ­operation of the instrument is otherwise ­Forman Team Engineer­ very smooth. ing Excellence Award, on 17 September at the MATISSE is a second-generation VLTI Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington instrument that provides closure-phase DC, USA. imaging and spectroscopy at interfero­ metric resolution of a wide range of ­targets, including asteroids, young stellar objects and AGN. After reassembly in Paranal at the end of 2017 and installa­ tion in the VLTI laboratory, first light was successfully achieved in February 2018, and the first fringes recorded. This initial run has been followed by several com­ missioning runs with both the ATs and the UTs. The commissioning has been very smooth and the instrument has been of awardees that includes the Advanced activity, during which the ATs were not offered to the community for proposals in LIGO Engineering Team and the Intel® offered to the community. All four tele­ the L and N bands. The actual sensitivity Silicon Photonics Solutions Group. scopes have been refurbished and the is better than the specifications, and in adaptive mirrors exchanged. The ATs some cases exceeds the goals set at the A realignment of the InfraRed Low Order have been commissioned with NAOMI beginning of the project. MATISSE is able Sensor (IRLOS) system in October allowed and on 20 October the recommissioning to produce images and its imaging capa­ a substantial improvement in the image of the four telescopes with the PIONIER, bilities have recently been demonstrated quality of the IRLOS wavefront path, bring­ GRAVITY and MATISSE instruments by the commissioning team. ing the performance closer to specifica­ began. The gain in closure phase and vis­ tion. The latter still remains limited by the ibility error with GRAVITY is about a Hawaii 4RG array, thus making a detector ­factor of three compared with the previous Infrastructure projects upgrade a desirable change. The team’s system for tip/tilt removal with avalanche analysis shows that two ­additional mag­ diodes (which was called STRAP). To With the successful commissioning of nitudes could be gained by using a differ­ operate the new system, new control the GALACSI NFM the AOF project is ent detector and the feasibility­ of this interfaces were also developed and ­virtually finished, concluding almost 15 upgrade is under study. Remaining activi­ included in standard operations. By the years of hard work. This mode is the first ties on the AOF include settling actions end of November, the ATs were success­ LTAO system in use at ESO and certainly defined from Provisional Acceptance fully operating with NAOMI. the most demanding one, able to pro­ Chile (PAC). AOF operations are very duce reasonable (10%) Strehl ratios in the smooth, making UT4 highly valued­ and Following the rather successful vibration R-band over the 7 × 7 arcsecond field much in demand by the ESO community. mitigation campaign on the UTs, a vibra­ of MUSE. Science verification of the NFM tion metrology system (VIBMET) was had to be postponed because of a laser developed and implemented at Paranal in failure, but this gave the team the oppor­ VLTI Facility March 2018, and is now in regular opera­ tunity to implement the “degraded mode” tion. With the VIBMET system it is pos­ for the MUSE WFM, which can now be The VLTI Facility Project, which began in sible to carry out measurements of vibra­ used with only three launch lasers in case the summer of 2014, is one year from tions in daytime, whereas previously they of emergency. completion. After most of the infrastruc­ were limited to night-time observations ture was upgraded to properly host and with GRAVITY. VIBMET still requires a In late August the AOF was awarded the operate GRAVITY and MATISSE, 2018 couple of minor improvements which will prestigious 2018 Paul F. Forman Team was mostly devoted to the integration in be implemented over the course of 2019. Engineering Excellence Award from Europe, PAE, shipment, installation and the Optical Society of America. This team commissioning of NAOMI for the four ATs. award recognises technical achieve­ Upgrades ments, such as product engineering, pro­ Following an intense system-testing cess, software and patent development, ­period in Garching, the NAOMI project The CRIRES upgrade project, CRIRES+, as well as contributions to society, such passed PAE in early July and was transformed this VLT instrument into a as engineering education, publication shipped to Paranal in August. Beginning cross-dispersed spectrograph to increase and management, and furthering public on 6 September, the assembly, integra­ the wavelength range simultaneously appreciation of optical engineering. The tion and verification (AIV) in Paranal took covered by a factor of ten. A new and AOF Team now joins a prestigious list place during three months of intensive larger detector focal plane array of three

60 ESO Annual Report 2018 CRIRES+ new circular and linear polarisation unit part of the instrument including the The first camera for the MOONS instrument: this uses the polarisation gratings shown here. MACAO system. With an aligned illumina­ large, fast camera has an innovative design and will host the detector in the centre of the optical path. tion source, the subsequent cool-down Hawaii 2RG detectors with a 5.3-μm cut­ revealed an overall vignetting of the pupil off wavelength replaced the previous images in both science and slit viewer, have shown that the image quality on the detectors. For advanced wavelength cali­ which has been fixed by realignment of detector shows some optical aberrations, brations, custom-made absorption gas the cold part optical train. In addition, which are being corrected. CRIRES+ will cells and an etalon system have been slit and decker positioning, detector cool- be installed on UT3, replacing VIMOS. added. A new spectropolarimetric unit down and warm-up rates and the science facilitates the recording of circularly and focus position were refined. linearly polarised spectra. The upgrade is Instruments in design and under supported by dedicated data reduction Various PAE tests were concluded. High­ ­construction software that allows the community to lights include a reduction of the thermal take full advantage of the new capabilities. background down to < 0.03 electrons The Enhanced Resolution Imager and pixel–1 s–1 including the K-band with a Spectrograph (ERIS) will be a new CRIRES+ will be operated in conjunction very uniform distribution on all detectors. AO-supported infrared instrument for with a 60-element AO system known as The measured dark current of the detec­ the J–M-bands (1–5 μm) at the UT4 Multi-Application Curvature Adaptive tors was a factor 10 lower, resulting in ­Cassegrain focus. The AO bonnette will Optics (MACAO). To prevent its obsoles­ < 0.003 electrons pixel–1 s–1. Slit position­ feed both an infrared imager (NIX) and cence, the MACAO system has been ing repeatability and coincidence are the upgraded SPectrometer for Infrared refurbished by replacing and upgrading excellent. Long-term stability tests for the Faint FIeld (SPIFFI) of the SINFONI instru­ the electronics boards. The membrane slit and decker function were all within ment. ERIS will use the AOF deformable mirror and the common path mirrors specifications. mirror and one of its lasers to improve have also been replaced to improve the both spatial resolution and sky coverage throughput of the instrument. The warm During the next cool-down, spectra in all compared to the current NACO and optics bench has been redesigned to wavelength bands were analysed and ­SINFONI instruments. allow better handling and secure installa­ showed a shift of about 200 pixels in the tion at the telescope. Additional obsoles­ direction of cross dispersion and unre­ The manufacturing, assembly, integration cence problems in the cold part have producible locking positions, not present and testing (MAIT) phase of ERIS began been tackled by servicing all closed-cycle after previous cool-downs. The problem and many components have already coolers and replacing the compressors was traced to a broken spider arm of been delivered to the consortium insti­ and He Lines. the cross-disperser locking mechanism. tutes. The AO and calibration subsystems This failure was mitigated by modifying­ are expected to be accepted internally Following the first successful acquisition the original mechanical design. Owing soon and the detector for the NIX imager of cross-dispersed spectra of calibration to the complexity of the spider arm and has been delivered by ESO to the con­ sources in the J- and K-bands, the its required thermal treatment, the sortium. In summer 2019 SPIFFI will be CRIRES+ PAE process began in May replacement part had a six-week delivery decommissioned and shipped to Europe 2018, and it passed the technical readi­ time and required an additional cool- for upgrading and integration with the ness review in June. The CRIRES+ cryo­ down before CRIRES+ could continue other ERIS subsystems. genic part was married with the warm PAE testing. The following cool-downs

ESO Annual Report 2018 61 The Multi-Object Optical and Near-­ The development of the data reduction an AO module, acquisition and guiding infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) is a pipelines is proceeding as planned. and fibre systems, and a back end, main­ 0.8- to 1.8-μm multi-object spectrometer ly the spectrograph complemented by a designed to work at the Nasmyth focus 4MOST will be a world-class facility for Fabry-Perot calibration unit. Both subsys­ of the VLT. The instrument will have 1000 multi-object spectroscopy in the visible tems are in an advanced phase of inte­ fibres patrolling a field 25 arcminutes in and will be installed on VISTA. Its unique gration in Europe and Canada, and the diameter. There will be two modes: one capabilities result from the combination front end is planned to have PAE in Q2 with a spectroscopic resolving power of a large field of view very high multiplex 2019, after which it will be shipped to the R ~ 4000, spanning the full near-infrared capabilities, and medium and high spec­ La Silla Observatory for integration at the wavelength range; and a higher-resolution tral resolutions in the visible range for both 3.6-metre Cassegrain focus. NIRPS will mode that gives R ~ 9000 in the I-band Galactic and extragalactic astrophysics. routinely observe simultaneously with window, and R ~ 20000 in a region of The baseline for the instrument is 2436 HARPS. HARPS-only observations will the H-band. MOONS has two main sub- fibres available simultaneously — 1624 also be possible, mainly in order not to components: the rotating front end — dedicated to low-resolution and 812 to compromise HARPS polarimetry. which is at the focal plane and houses high-resolution spectroscopy. 4MOST is the fibre positioners, acquisition system a very large project that includes, in addi­ SoXS, developed following the positive and the metrology system for the fibres tion to spectrographs, a fibre system and impact of X-shooter, will provide instanta­ — and the cryogenic spectrograph. auxiliary subsystems, and involves deep neous multi-order spectroscopy from modifications to the VISTA telescope, 350 to 1750 nm at the NTT. It is geared to All the major contracts have been signed. including a new large field corrector. the rapid follow-up of transient objects. Key components, such as the radiation It passed FDR in 2018 and, after INAF shield and the optical bench, have arrived Other VISTA modifications are led by confirmed the funding for the project, the at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre ESO. FDR has been split into two parts; agreement for the next phases has been (UK ATC). The cryostat, expected by the first was held in May 2018, while signed. The first components have been October 2018, has been delayed by six the second is scheduled for March 2019. ordered and some parts have already months. The first spectrograph camera is The procurement of the long-lead items been delivered by ESO. nearing completion and the collimator reviewed in 2017 is proceeding well, is ready for coating. The first two 4K × 4K especially the challenging polishing of science-grade infrared detectors have the large corrector lenses and the inte­ Projects in Phase A been delivered by the manufacturer to gration of the 2436 fibres in the Echidna ESO and a contract has been agreed for positioner system, developed in Australia. Before the design and construction the two deep-depletion CCDs. The The 4MOST operation scheme is unique phase, instruments undergo a Phase A first Detector Adjustment Module, which for an ESO instrument in that it allows study, in which the technical concept and allows the detector to be correctly posi­ scheduling of many different science the management plan are developed. tioned with respect to the camera, cases simultaneously during one obser­ has been delivered to Cambridge and is vation. A large effort is going into the ESO has defined an ambitious new instru­ ready for optical testing. Following the operations preparation, and the consorti­ ment to exploit the full potential of the delivery of the base plate which holds the um has been preparing for the call for AOF, preparing broad science cases and fibre positioners, the consortium is pro­ proposal readiness review in March 2019. requirements for an imager and spectro­ ceeding with the challenging production This is a key milestone prior to the issue graph to provide corrected AO images of the positioner and fibre system. Test of the first call for letters of intent from over a large field of view at optical wave­ benches have been developed to allow the community for Public Surveys. ESO lengths. The competitive Phase A call the testing of the 1000 units being pro­ contributes to the project in several for proposals was awarded to the Multi-­ duced. The positioners are now achieving ways, including with the detector system; conjugate AO-assisted Visible Imager the required accuracy but the lifetime seven of the ten detectors have been fully and Spectrograph concept (MAVIS), led testing of the production models has yet characterised. by a consortium of Australian institutes to be completed. Of particular concern (Principal Investigator: François Rigaut, is the mounting of the mini-lenses (which Australian National University, Australia). feed the light into the fibres) as it is prov­ La Silla instruments ing difficult to meet the required accuracy. The 20-year-old FORS2 requires an The secondary guiding system is now well Two new spectrographs are under devel­ upgrade. The use of a 4K × 4K pixel CCD developed and tests indicate that guiding opment for La Silla: one for the ESO detector will bring substantial observation­ will be possible on stars down to a mag­ ­3.6-metre telescope and one for the NTT. al and operational efficiency benefits. With nitude between 20 and 21 in the V band. the goal of extending FORS2’s lifetime for The control system is progressing and NIRPS on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope will another 15 years, its electronics and the electronics cabinets are nearing com­ complement HARPS by providing 1 m s–1 instrument software need to be brought pletion. A path analysis algorithm has precision spectroscopy over the Y, J and up to the present standards of the VLT. been developed which allows over 95% H infrared bands. NIRPS has two main The Phase A study of the FORS2 upgrade of the fibres to be positioned in all cases. subsystems: a front end, which includes started in Q1 2018, lasting about a year.

62 ESO Annual Report 2018 The Danish 1.54-metre telescope

P. Horálek/ESO P. at La Silla Observatory.

ESO Annual Report 2018 63 The VISIR instrument captured this stunning image of a newly-discovered massive binary star system in our Galaxy. This system is the likely progenitor of a long-duration gamma-ray burst. The scientists have nicknamed this system Apep after a serpent

ESO/Callingham et al. deity from ancient Egyptian mythology.

64 ESO Annual Report 2018 Technology Development

The ESO Technology Development pro­ gramme has been running since 2014 and aims to develop and secure the tech­ nologies that will enable ESO to success­ fully conduct its future scientific pro­ gramme. The development programme plays a key role in initiating new techn­ ologies for ESO’s instruments and tele­ scopes. In addition to working closely with industry, ESO also acts in partnership with different Member State institutes to enable advances in key areas.

AO technologies are important if future ESO facilities are to reach their full ­scientific potential. As part of a suite of AO-related development projects, of hundreds of Hertz and these have, ESO prototypes of the ELT wavefront-sensing cam­ ESO has three contracts running with among other applications, greatly eras which use two different high speed detectors, CCD220 (left) and the new LVSM (right). Most of the ALPAO (France) and Fraunhofer IOF/ improved the limiting magnitude perfor­ camera electronics and hardware have been devel­ Physik Instrumente (Germany) for the mance of the VLTI instrument GRAVITY. oped to be common to both. The ­cameras are fully design and prototyping of technologies This new development, in partnership integrated with onboard cooling and power supplies. for deformable mirrors. The develop­ with the Max Planck Institute for Extrater­ ments cover a range of mirrors, from restrial Physics (MPE, Germany) and the those with a few thousand actuators to NRC (­Canada), will increase the detector ness and observable contrast ratios. high-order mirrors for extreme AO with size to produce a 512 × 512 device with This will be used to search for potentially more than 10 000 actuators. Develop­ 24-µm pixels by mid-2020. The new larg­ habitable planets around Alpha Centauri ments have gone well, with both industrial er ­format will increase the range of appli­ the closest stellar system to the Earth. teams making excellent progress in 2018. cations in adaptive optics, interferometry A new VISIR front end was manufactured and possibly scientific detection. and includes wavefront sensing for driving Sensing the wavefront error is the first step in any AO system, and a serious The NEAR project progressed on sched­ ­limitation has always been the high- ule during 2018, having completed PAE The High Order Testbench (HOT) at the AO Laborato­ speed performance of detectors. A pro­ in November and its subsequent ship­ ry. It is designed to simulate an extreme AO system ject to deliver a new 800 × 800 high- ment to Paranal. The project will modify with realistic telescope conditions reproduced by star speed visible CMOS sensor module the VLT Imager and Spectrometer for and turbulence generators. The bench includes two deformable mirrors (a 52-actuator ALPAO mirror, and (large visible sensor module, LVSM) from mid-InfraRed (VISIR) to use the AOF on 32 × 32 Boston Micromachines), as well as a Pyramid Teledyne-E2V passed all design reviews UT4 to greatly enhance its image sharp­ Wavefront Sensor based on an ANDOR iXon camera. in 2018 and the devices will go into pro­ duction if testing is successful. In addi­ tion, a new camera able to host both the LVSM and older CCD220 sensor devices is being designed and prototyped in- HorálekESO/P. house at ESO. The camera will come in two versions, with a standard mainboard and housing but a specialised front-end board for each detector. The camera will be self-contained including cooling and power supply. The plans call for the cam­ era to be prototyped and tested at ESO, after which production will be outsourced to industry via an open call for tender.

Wavefront sensing in the infrared is also important, and a new project to develop a larger version of the very successful SAPHIRA infrared array kicked off in 2018. The original devices from Leonardo (UK) provide an effectively sub-electron readout noise at frame-rate frequencies

ESO Annual Report 2018 65 the DSM. The DSM of UT4 required firm­ ware changes to allow AO to function over both phases of the chop cycle. NEAR is funded by the Breakthrough ­Initiatives, which were founded in 2015 by Yuri and Julia Milner.

Although modern mirror coatings are of very high quality, their performance can be far from ideal if the telescope or instrument needs to cover a very wide wavelength range. This is certainly true for the ELT, where the protected silver coatings will restrict observations below 400 nm. We have therefore launched a longer-term project to identify new types of coatings which will give much better performance in the ultraviolet while main­ taining very high reflectivity out to the mid-infrared. Following an initial request for information in 2018, ESO will launch a call for tender for the production of mirror samples using various advanced coat­ ings. These will be tested by means of medium-term exposure in the UT domes.

Three of the four Unit Telescopes that make up the VLT. The four laser guide stars from the Adaptive Optics Facility of the fourth Unit Telescope (Yepun) shine above the observatory.

66 ESO Annual Report 2018 )/ESO atacamaphoto.com G. Hüdepohl (

ESO Annual Report 2018 67 The Extremely Large Telescope

The year 2018 has been full of achieve­ ments related to the ELT which are out­ lined here. At the same time, 2018 also saw some of the practical difficulties that

are very common in large projects such (ESO) Hüdepohl Gerd as this. In particular, several industrial contractors and instrument consortia have reported delays to inter­mediate milestones in their respective schedules. Most of these do not yet affect the final delivery dates of the products concerned. However this has required an adjustment to the global ELT schedule, in particular in view of the schedule of the DMS as detailed below.

On a strategic level, at its December 2018 meeting, the ESO Council approved a funding scheme allowing the construction of the LTAO module for the HARMONI instrument. This module had been moved into the so-called Phase 2 of the ELT in December 2014 to allow the immediate start of the ELT Phase 1, for which fund­ ing was available. In December 2017, fol­ lowing the reincorporation of the deferred M1 items into the funded part of the pro­ the ELT Technical Facility at Paranal The ELT Technical Facility is shown here under con­ gramme (see the 2017 Annual Report), and the Pre-Focal Station main system struction; it will house several preparatory assembly, integration testing and verification tasks, including the addition of the H-LTAO module into ­(PFS-A). Further contracts were signed the integration of the M1 segment assembly and the the funded ELT Programme constituted for various visible and infrared detectors coating of the mirrors. a major step towards enabling the full procured by ESO on behalf of the instru­ ­scientific potential of the ELT at first light. ment consortia.

This very positive development was made There was significant progress with run­ On 20 December 2018, the substrate for the ELT secondary mirror was technically accepted by the possible by the approval by Council, at its ning contracts, including the many design ESO team (in red) before being packed for delivery June meeting, of a new scheme concern­ reviews that were successfully concluded to Safran Reosc for grinding and polishing. ing Guaranteed Time Observing (GTO) for ELT instruments. In this scheme, con­ tributions from external partners can be SCHOTT compensated, within certain limits, by GTO nights. This was a very important step that allowed external funding of the second-generation instruments MOSAIC and HIRES — currently only funded for their Phase-A studies which are essen­ tially completed. It also allows external partners to make contributions towards first-generation instruments and some of the associated deferred items such as H-LTAO.

On the procurement front, seven new large contracts (above 500 000 euros) were signed during the year, bringing the total number of ELT large contracts to 30. These include the contract for the series production of the M1 Segment Supports, the design and construction of the M1 segment coating plants, the erection of

68 ESO Annual Report 2018 Pascal Lapeyre (ESO)

Panoramic view of the excavation for the auxiliary building which will surround the dome. and the production of hardware, such as

the first two M4 thin mirror shells that Pascal Lapeyre (ESO) were completed by Safran Reosc (France) and delivered to AdOptica (Italy) for later integration into the M4 adaptive unit. There was also the technical acceptance of the M2 blank on 20 December at SCHOTT (Germany) for later delivery to Safran Reosc for polishing. Also onsite in Chile, visible­ progress was made. The excavation was nearly complete and the lean concrete was poured for the founda­ tions of the ELT dome and auxiliary build­ ing at Armazones. The erection of the ETF at Paranal, which will house most of the ELT assembly and major maintenance activities (such as mirror recoating) pro­ gressed well.

At the same time, and as an inevitable ESO staff members visiting the dome site upon com­ The scientific significance and unique consequence of the many ongoing con­ pletion of the excavation. Lean concrete has been nature of the ELT will not be affected by poured on the rock and the opening to the 7-metre tracts, the first difficulties started to deep telescope main structure foundations can be this development, as the telescope’s appear. Fortunately, most of them were seen behind the staff. observational capabilities will remain just schedule delays resulting from the unparalleled. longer duration of the activity involved, not because of fundamental underlying agement and the Director General are issues, so there has been no formal following the situation very closely. In New industrial contracts impact on the delivery dates yet. However, view of these circumstances and of the one of these difficulties became a serious status of some other contracts, ESO Four new contracts were approved by concern in the last quarter of 2018. This management — supported by the ELT ESO’s Finance Committee in February, related to the financial situation of the Management Advisory Committee followed by three more in May. The first main partner in the ACe consortium (Italy) (EMAC) — decided to reschedule the contract concerns the ETF, a building in charge of the design and construction expected date of first light to the end of to be built at Paranal next to the existing of the DMS. Following several setbacks 2025 instead of the end of 2024. Despite mechanical workshop. The ETF will with large international projects that were the new baseline for first light, all running house a large fraction of the ELT assem­ due to global geopolitics (for example, contracts and agreements with the ELT bly activities, in particular the initial stor­ international sanctions), a legal procedure industrial contractors and institute part­ age and integration of the M1 Segment was put in place with the goal of prevent­ ners remain unchanged. ESO will contin­ Assemblies and the coating of the mirrors ing company bankruptcy. Temporary ue to work closely with its contractors M1, M2 and M3. Later on, during the solutions are being explored by the con­ and partners to ensure that all existing operational phase of the ELT, it will sortium and ESO to permit further pro­ contractual schedules are met, and that remain the main hub for major ELT optical gress on the DMS activities. ESO man­ the ELT is delivered as soon as possible. maintenance activities, notably recoating

ESO Annual Report 2018 69 the M1, M2 and M3 mirrors. The contract In April, a contract was signed with VDL was signed in March with Abengoa IDOM ETG Projects B.V. (the Netherlands) for (Chile) after a competitive procurement the series production of the M1 Segment bid and covers the design and erection Supports. VDL was already involved of the building. Soon after the contract under a different contract to design and was agreed, the preparation of the qualify the M1 Segment Supports, includ­ assigned 6500-square-metre parcel of ing the production of seven “qualification land began. A FDR was held in early models” on which intensive tests were August and excavation started immedi­ performed to fully verify the adequacy of ately there­after. The building mushroomed the design. Under the new contract — in the September–December period and awarded to VDL after a competitive bid 95% of the steel structure was completed — VDL will produce 931 segment sup­ by the end of the year. ports, including the seventh sector of the segments needed for maintenance rea­ The second contract, also signed in sons. These involve very high-precision March, with SCOR (UK) has applied a mechanics supporting the segment “con­struction all risk insurance” for the through a well-characterised whiffletree ELT, which has been effective since April support system on 27 support points. 2018. This insurance covers any material The shape of each segment can also be losses, personal injuries and third-party optimised by warping harness actuators, liability that may result from any activity part of the support concept. Each related to the construction, assembly, ­segment, about 1.4 metres across and integration and verification of the ELT weighing 250 kg with its support, will onsite (including Paranal and Armazones) be mounted on three position actuators until it is brought into operation. The ELT Pre-Focal Station as designed by IDOM (PACTs). (Spain). The Pre-Focal Station is on the Nasmyth platform and will be used to actively control the tele­ After a competitive procurement process, scope using three wavefront sensors. Following ESO procurement rules, in a third contract was signed in March with June a contract was signed with AGC IDOM (Spain) for the final design and Glass Europe (Belgium) for the design, construction of the PFS-A. The PFS-A is interface between the telescope and the manufacture and installation onsite 12 metres high, weighs about 32 tonnes, instruments. The movable arms will con­ of the coating plant for the primary mirror and is located on the Nasmyth platform. tain sensors to help precisely control segments. The coating plant will use a It contains three, very high-precision, the telescope’s pointing at objects on the process known as magnetron sputtering movable mechanical arms that can pick sky. They will also feed information to to coat each individual mirror segment off the light from stars to feed wavefront the active optics system which keeps with a thin layer of silver and a protective sensors used to control the image quality the telescope’s optics aligned and pro­ coating. A similar technology is currently delivered by the telescope before the duces optimum image quality despite the used to coat the 8.2-metre mirrors of the optical beam is passed onto the science constantly changing effects of winds VLT with aluminium. However, by using instruments. It essentially acts as an and other disturbances on the telescope. a more reflective silver coating the ELT will be able to gather more light, in par­ ticular in the blue part of the spectrum.

Finally, two contracts were signed on ESO/M.Zamani behalf of instrument consortia to procure some of the required detectors. The first was signed with First Light Imaging (FLI; France) and concerns the C-RED One Cameras which are necessary for the Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY (MAORY). The scope of the contract includes the design activity for a cold shield and the manufacture, assembly, testing and delivery of the fully functional

On the 19 April 2018 VDL ETG Project B.V. and ESO signed a contract for the manufacture, assembly, testing and delivery of the M1 Segment Supports. This picture shows representatives of VDL Projects and ESO outside ESO Headquarters.

70 ESO Annual Report 2018 cameras including a 0.8 to 2.5 µm Left: On 18 June 2018 ­SAPHIRA electron avalanche photodiode AGC Glass Europe and ESO signed a contract array (eAPD) detector with 320 × 256 for the design, manufac­ 24-µm pixels, a controller, cooling hard­ ESO/M.Zamani ture and installation of ware, power supply, cables and software. the coating plant for the By December 2018, two of the three M1 segments. C-RED One Cameras had been com­ pleted, accepted and delivered to ESO for intensive testing. The second one was signed with Teledyne for the infrared sci­ ence detectors required for the Mid-infra­ Below: Group photo red ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) of members from the (5 units, with a 2K × 2K format), and for ­HARMONI consortium in Lyon, France. The HARMONI and MICADO (17 units in total HARMONI spectrograph including options, with 4K × 4K format). will be one of the first instruments on the Before these contracts can be signed, a Extremely Large Telescope. long procurement process occurs during which the main technical requirements and a procurement strategy are defined, industry is consulted (via a request for information, RFI), the requirements and strategy are adapted accordingly if need­ HARMONI Consortium HARMONI ed, the future bidders are pre-selected (preliminary inquiry) and finally a competi­ tive selection process is launched (call for tender) followed by a strict tender evaluation, selection and final nego­tiation phase leading to a formal request for the award of a contract by the ESO Finance Committee. At the end of 2018, the fol­ lowing large procurement activities were ongoing: – M5 Mirror (blank and polishing): final negotiation; – MOSAIC, an optical to near-infrared PDR, which is scheduled for May 2019. – M5 Cell: Call for Tender issued; multi-object spectrograph (only Finally, the Phase-A studies for HIRES – mirror washing and stripping unit: Phase A); and MOSAIC have been completed and RFI ongoing; – HIRES, an optical to near-infrared high- the consortia are working with ESO to – MUSE-type CCD for HARMONI: resolution spectrograph (only Phase A). identify possible ways forward towards selection/negotiation; construction. – CCD220: selection/negotiation; 2018 has seen good progress regarding – cameras for LVSM and CCD220: prelimi­ ELT instrumentation. Following HARMONI The development of the scientific instru­ nary inquiry for manufacturing ongoing.­ PDR at the end of 2017, all critical actions ments is followed very closely by the ELT were successfully closed and the project Instrumentation Project at ESO and the continued to progress towards the FDR. ELT Programme Science Team, to ensure Science and Instrumentation The LTAO module for HARMONI has that the scientific goals will be achieved. been fully approved by Council and will The status of the programme was pre­ The scientific instruments currently part provide enhancement of sky coverage, sented at several international meetings of the funded ELT programme are: enabling key science cases for the ELT. and in particular during a five-day sympo­ – HARMONI, an AO-fed IFU spectrograph sium on “Early Science with the ELTs” at for the optical and near infrared; The other first-light instrument MICADO the IAU General Assembly in Vienna in – MICADO, an MCAO-fed near infrared had a very collaborative PDR meeting in August 2018; this was well received by imager with slit spectroscopy; November, as a result of which only a few the large international audience. – MAORY, Multi-conjugate Adaptive major actions were identified, hopefully Optics RelaY, feeding MICADO and an to be closed in Q1 2019. The adaptive auxiliary port; module MAORY is experiencing internal Active contracts – METIS, an AO-assisted imager/­ restructuring of the team and the PDR is spectrometer for the thermal infrared; now scheduled for the end of 2019. METIS By the end of 2018, 30 large (> 500 000 has also made good progress towards its euros) industrial contracts and instrument

ESO Annual Report 2018 71 agreements were in place. Under those that started a few years ago (since 2015) factories have started production of hard­

ware. The most significant hardware SAFRAN/REOSC deliveries in 2018 include the following: – Casting by SCHOTT of the first blanks for the M1 segments in January.­ – Delivery in the summer of the first two polished M4 thin shells from Safran Reosc to AdOptica for future integration into the M4 Adaptive Unit. – The formal final acceptance in Sep­ tember of two medium-voltage substa­ tions that were required to connect ­Armazones and Paranal to the Chilean national electrical grid in late 2017. – Delivery of the M2 mirror blank from SCHOTT to Safran Reosc in December.

In addition, many items of auxiliary ­equipment, prototypes and qualification models were produced. These include, amongst many other components: the blank for the critical M2 test matrix, a 1.8- metre, highly aspheric piece of Zerodur® that will be used for the very complex This M4 mirror shell segment will be one of six which and the dome had to be postponed to testing of the M2 by stitching interferome­ will form the M4 mirror. In a technical process lasting 2019. This was largely due to the financial 1.5 years Safran Reosc took a 35-mm thick disc of try; aluminium mirror dummies; various low-expansion glass-ceramic Zerodur® and reduced difficulty encountered by Astaldi, the handling tools for the M2 and M3 mirrors; its thickness down to 1.9 mm. main partner in the ACe consortium. six qualification models for the M1 Seg­ ment Supports; five qualification models The second-largest ELT contract is for for the M1 PACTs; 42 qualification models polishing the 931 segments (including for the M1 edge sensors; and a qualifica­ the 7th sector needed for maintenance/ tion breadboard for the cladding and for Since April ESO has had a permanent, re-coating) of the primary mirror (M1) the anti-seismic dampers of the dome. dedicated site manager who follows and signed with Safran Reosc in May 2017. To coordinates the work onsite with the con­ meet the challenge of producing about Here are some details of the DMS con­ sortium. In Europe, the design and devel­ one segment per day at the peak of pro­ tract, which was signed in May 2016 opment activities have progressed, with duction, Safran Reosc needed to design and remains the largest contract signed many design trade-offs being completed and build a completely new factory. This in ESO’s history. Even though progress for critical components, such as: the activity was almost completed in 2018. onsite has been hampered in part by the seismic isolators to be inserted below the An existing 4000-square-metre building financial situation of Astaldi (Italy) men­ foundations of the dome and of the tele­ (used to store aircraft engines) located in tioned earlier, 2018 resulted in good pro­ scope; the rotation mechanism (motor­ Poitiers (France) has been completely gress on both sides of the Atlantic. ised wheels) for the dome; and part of the refurbished by the company. Also, the dome steel structure. Also breadboarding procurement and installation have been The most impressive and visible sign of and qualification tests have been under­ completed for most of the machines this progress is undoubtedly the civil work taken for other components whose per­ required to process the segment blanks, onsite at Armazones. Following the site formance is difficult to validate by other from rough grinding to the final state-of- handover in May 2017, the ACe consor­ means. Examples of these include the the-art ion beam figuring (IBF). A crucial tium (Italy) mobilised and installed a base­ dome cladding — which needs to be very element of this process is the set of camp that can receive up to 500 workers. reliable in terms of air, dust and water metrology benches able to measure the It has excavated the mountain platform tightness, and able to perfectly withstand shape of the segment during the com­ to a depth of a few metres at the location extreme wind pressure — and the seis­ plete manufacturing process, as well as of the dome and telescope foundations, mic isolators mentioned above. to validate the final accuracy of the opti­ and started pouring lean concrete, on top cal surface down to a few nanometres. of which the concrete foundations of the Unfortunately, the overall progress at the This includes a very complex suite of dome and auxiliary building will be poured. system design level has not proceeded high-tech metrology benches. The PDR Those excavations further help to illustrate as planned and the formal global design of this means of metrology took place in the impressive size of the ELT to visitors! reviews of the telescope main structure the summer of 2018.

72 ESO Annual Report 2018 In optics manufacturing, there were accepted and are ready for polishing by Other activities also major achievements in 2018 under the sub-contractor AMOS (Belgium). the three contracts with SCHOTT for pro­ An amendment to the contract was also During 2018 several internal activities ducing the blanks for the primary (M1), agreed to include the procurement of consolidated aspects of the system ­secondary (M2) and tertiary (M3) mirrors a special gas-cooling supply system into and the managerial structure of the pro­ from SCHOTT’s low expansion ceramic the scope of delivery. gramme. material Zerodur®. The first (of six) M1 segment blanks of the validation series, The contract with the SENER group A System Verification Review (SVR) was intended to validate the whole produc­­- (Spain), signed in January 2017, for the undertaken by a panel of external and tion process, has been finalised with M2 and M3 Cell (i.e., support system) is internal experts in management and sys­ excellent results, and the completion of progressing in its design and develop­ tems engineering of large astronomical the other five was planned for January ment phase. The PDR was held over the projects. The goal was to assess the pro­ 2019. The blank for the M2 mirror was course of 2018 and some prototyping cesses and readiness concerning verifi­ completed and technically accepted on activities were undertaken, in particular cation aspects of the ELT Programme. 20 December for delivery to Safran on the hexapod positioning actuators that The documentation data package sent to Reosc for polishing in early January 2019. will be used to accurately control the the reviewers in May consisted of verifi­ The M3 blank was under the ceramisa­ position of the mirror units inside the tele­ cation plans, system analysis reports and tion process, which is expected to last scope structure. Those activities have other key documents. The subsequent until the first quarter of 2019. required a longer time to be finalised. review meeting was held in Garching However, the built-in margin in the con­ between 26 and 28 June. A report was As far as the two contracts with Safran tractor’s schedule should enable it to submitted by the board and a resulting Reosc for M2 and M3 polishing are con­ keep the final delivery date as planned. action plan addressing the various rec­ cerned, 2018 has seen the completion ommendations was prepared for imple­ of the refurbishment of the old VLT M1 The contract for the M1 edge sensors, mentation by the ELT team. This review polishing facility in St Pierre du Perray which was also signed in January 2017 included the telescope up to the prefocal (France) to accommodate the polishing with the FAMES consortium created station. There will be a second part of of M2 and M3. The auxiliary equipment by Fogale (France) and Micro-Epsilon the review including the first light instru­ (mirror dummy, handling tools, mirror (Germany), has also been delayed by a ments, which will be done when the stands, etc.) were designed, manufac­ few months owing to the difficulty of find­ instruments have reached a robust stage tured and tested. Progress was also ing a design compliant with all specifica­ in their design. made on adhesive qualification, design of tions, in particular, the noise of the sen­ dedicated test setups, and the manufac­ sors and their sensitivity to temperature A second programme-level review, the ture of the M2 Test Matrix. and humidity. The intense effort invested ELT internal cost review, was also initiat­ by the design team was fruitful, as the ed and completed in 2018. This internal The M4 Adaptive Unit, the oldest ELT latest positive results of tests on the qual­ review, recommended by the EMAC in manufacturing contract, signed in June ification models indicate. The PDR is November 2017, is intended to provide 2015 with AdOptica, passed FDR in scheduled for early 2019. Here also, the ESO management with a consolidated December 2017 and is now in full pro­ delays in those design activities are not view of where the programme stands in duction. Most of the small but numerous expected to impact the finaldelivery ­ date terms of cost, schedule and risks across components for the adaptive mirror actu­ of the final products (almost 5000 edge the Organisation, as well as its readiness ators (of which there are more than sensor pairs in total!). to start operating in 2025. The documen­ 5300!) have been ordered, such as mag­ tation package was delivered to the ESO nets, coils, “bricks”, mechanical parts, The contract for the M1 PACTs was internal board at the end of May, a series electronics, etc. Despite many technical signed with Physik Instrumente GmbH & of meetings were held with the manage­ difficulties, all six silicon carbide (SiC) Co. KG (Germany) in June 2017, and the ment team and key team members, and petals constituting the high-accuracy ref­ design phase is progressing according to a debriefing meeting took place internally erence body for the thin adaptive mirror plan. After a trade-off phase between the in mid-October. were sintered by the company Mersen design and components, five qualification Boostec (France) in 2018. Two have been models have been produced and are part Both reviews were discussed at the fifth accepted by AdOptica,­ two are ready for of an intensive testing campaign to fully EMAC meeting in early November. The acceptance and two are still in progress. validate their performance and reliability. committee praised the status of the The brazing is planned for the first quar­ The PDR for these is also scheduled for ­programme, particularly in terms of its ter of 2019. The manufacturing of the early 2019. international context and how it is being dedicated M4 Test Tower, an 8-metre- managed, while recommending an high tower ­holding the M4 unit, which can Throughout the year, ESO continued to adjustment to the date for first light, mov­ be used to optically test and calibrate the make on-demand calls to expert services ing it to the end of 2025 in order to work M4 adaptive unit, has progressed well. provided by Ramboll (Denmark), ISQ on a realistic baseline schedule that takes The blanks for the two large mirrors (0.6 (Portugal) and Critical SW (Portugal) as into account the various difficulties at the and 1.5 metres in diameter) have been part of the ongoing consulting contracts. contractor level.

ESO Annual Report 2018 73 Engineering Sener

74 ESO Annual Report 2018 The Directorate of Engineering (DoE) Mechanical Engineering Department cations, following up projects, partici­ provides engineering resources and (MEC) pating in reviews and performing inde­ services to all ESO programmes as pendent cross-check analyses. Typical well as to the operations teams at the MEC provides mechanical engineering examples of conceptual developments observatories and at ESO Headquar­ support to almost all ESO projects, includ­ for the ELT include the M1 manipulator, ters. In addition the DoE provides ing the ELT, Paranal Instrumentation Pro­ M5 switching mechanism, additional­ M5 Information Technology (IT) services to gramme, the La Silla Paranal Observatory alignment stage and M2 main­tenance the whole Organisation. and ALMA. The department members platform attached to the main structure. are responsible for the definition, design, All of these activities were carried out in In 2018 the DoE contributed to the analysis, procurement and assembly of close collaboration with the subsystem development of La Silla Paranal and mechanical, opto-mechanical, cryogenic contractors. ALMA instrumentation and infrastruc­ and ­vacuum systems for advanced tele­ ture as well as to their maintenance. scopes and instruments. The department A CAD model of the assembly compris- The directorate spends a large fraction operates the mechanical workshop and ing the current ELT main structure and of its resources on the ELT programme laboratory facilities in the technical build­ Nasmyth instruments was generated to and has been very active in following ing, manages the stock-keeping of stand­ better illustrate the occupied and availa­ up industrial contracts as well as in ard mechanical components and techni­ ble space on the Nasmyth platform. related design, prototyping activities cal gases and provides maintenance and and feasibility studies. operations support to the detector test MEC has developed a concept of the facilities. It operates several engineering ELT M2 Unit crane tool and the M2 Unit Many of the activities carried out by tools, for example, Finite Element Method installation procedure. Several design the DoE are under the governance of (FEM) for structural analysis, mechanical and analysis iterations were performed the Directorates of Programmes or computer-aided design (CAD) systems, to arrive at a consistent and compliant Operations and are therefore reported computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and design proposal. The virtual reality system on from different perspectives by product data management or configura­ of the ELT main structure developed in those sections. tion control. MEC staff are involved with the department turned out to be extremely the installation and commissioning of useful for realistically checking the various The directorate is also responsible for ­previously designed systems on the tele­ installation activities, for example, access the development and maintenance of scopes and instruments in Chile and sup­ to the hexapod flanges and sufficient the engineering standards used by all port onsite mechanical teams in upgrade space for the tools. projects. The laboratories, workshops projects. and integration halls are continuously Independent investigations of the ELT maintained and upgraded by our staff More than 50% of MEC contributions in dome rotation mechanism (trolley) design with the goal of providing the facilities 2018 were to ELT projects, including ELT have been carried out to cross-check the that the projects require. In addition to instrument follow-up. Department mem­ critical wheel-track contact and propose the strong engineering support provid­ bers were also deeply involved (25%) in an optimised track profile. In addition, the ed to projects, engineers in the DoE many Paranal Instrumentation Programme lifetime of the wheels has been analysed also assess new technologies as part and technology development projects. in light of experience with the VLT Enclo­ of the very small amount of time allo­ sure Rotation Mechanisms. cated to R&D activities, activities MEC made major contributions towards which are illustrated here with a few the development of conceptual designs examples. and analysis, preparing technical specifi­ Minuscule ELT project test bench.

Rendering of the M2 mirror (a SENER project) in position in the ELT telescope.

ESO Annual Report 2018 75 One of the MEC staff members is respon­ sible for the ELT AIV planning and man­ agement, with further support from several other MEC staff members. A typical example is the conceptual design of the M1 segment manipulator, which has been developed within the department as an important input for the technical specifi­ cation. Aspects like earthquake accelera­ tions and collisions with neighbouring segments are considered. MEC also made a significant contribution to the detailed design, and provided procurement docu­ mentation to the Minuscule ELT project (MELT) with the main purpose of validat­ ing the wavefront control (WFC) strategy.

For the characterisation of vibration damping, an isolation system for several Integration of the 4MOST detector. ESPRESSO science detector for red wavelengths. pumps of the ELT laser guide star and a corresponding breadboard test setup were designed and constructed in MEC. Tests were performed to predict the impact on interface forces. A baseline was selected and will be tested at the ESA vibration test bench under the ESA/ ESO collaboration agreement.

Another internal design development activity is the compressor support struc­ ture for the pulse-tube cryo-coolers. The main objective is to provide both an anti-vibration mount and an efficient earthquake isolation system.

A new mirror wheel blank for the NEAR optical unit was manufactured in the five- axis milling machine of the mechanical workshop. Thanks to the availability of ERIS NIX science detector. The ELT M1 segment concentrator. new CAD/CAM (computer-aided manufac­ turing) software features and techniques, electrical compliance verification for all tested on ­Paranal. Final installation is this very complex part could be produced ESO projects. The domain of expertise in planned for 2019. in-house at short notice. this department is large, covering instru­ ment and telescope control electronics The delivery of nine large-format CCDs The water cooling standard document and automation to detector systems for 4MOST, the fibre-fed spectroscopic was updated by MEC and released. design, production qualifications and tests. facility which will occupy the position of The 3D scans of all of the VLT UTs were VIRCAM on VISTA, continued ahead of completed and the CAD models and In 2018 the electronic components of schedule. The engineer responsible for ­layout drawings updated according to the NAOMI were finalised and brought to 4MOST retired in 2018 and this loss in current configuration. Paranal. The onsite commissioning went experience was mitigated by the early smoothly, leading to a successful first recruitment of a junior engineer. light in September. Electronics Engineering Department The MATISSE instrument using AQUARIUS Tests of the VISTA telescope control and Hawaii-2RG science detectors has The Electronics Engineering Department ­system electronics have been completed been successfully commissioned. is responsible for the definition, design in Garching. The altitude and azimuth ESPRESSO, which was made available and manufacturing of control electronics axis control using the new safety pro­ to the community with one UT, required and detector systems and subsystems grammable logic computer (PLC) and an intervention to improve the thermome­ for telescopes and instruments as well for drive from Siemens was successfully

76 ESO Annual Report 2018 Measuring soil resistivity on the ­Armazones platform. Photograph taken at the System Verification Review of the ELT at ESO Headquarters in June 2018. chanical stability of the ESO-delivered cry­ The design of the ELT AO was settled to ostats and to inspect the detector ­systems. produce a first prototype and the PDR department provides all the functions of was concluded successfully. This AO systems engineering, such as technical The ERIS setup with a Hawaii 2RG detec­ camera common platform will be able to coordination, design architecture, system tor was recently delivered to the consorti­ operate both L3CCDs and the new analysis, and system verification, includ­ um. There have also been many addition­ CMOS LVSM. ing configuration, interface and technical al developments to the Next-Generation performance management. Controller (NGC), driven by the fast pace The detector test cryostat CRISLER, is of the electronics industry, obsolescence now online and has been used recently Processes and Standards Group issues, and the need to offer new fea­ to test a Hawaii-4RG (H4RG) multiplexer In 2018, the Processes and Standards tures such as an increased frame rate of at 40 K. The Facility for Infrared Array Group worked almost exclusively on ELT 30 frames per second. Testing (FIAT) is close to completion and systems engineering. This is an ongoing acceptance. activity to ensure that the ELT follows a For the ELT, the prototype development coherent systems approach to meet the of the M1 electronics cabinets compo­ Soil resistivity measurements have been top-level requirements. It involves: require­ nents has proceeded with the M1 seg­ carried out at the Armazones platform. ments and interfaces management; ment concentrator and the M1 sector dis­ This resistivity is important for the equi­ keeping the technical budgets updated tributor. This was a joint effort between potential and protective ground of the according to the evolution of the subsys­ the workshop and the design engineer. ­telescope building and for safety. Further­ tems development; documentation and more both Siemens ABC 23 kV sub­ configuration management, with empha­ The control electronics for the warping stations were energised with grid power sis on the change control process; and harness of the ELT M1 segments are on May 2018 for the first time. verification management. Regarding the being prepared for production. At the last of these, a full ELT System Verifica­ moment some pre-series prototypes are tion Plan was developed and subjected up and running in several labs under dif­ Systems Engineering Department to review by external and internal experts. ferent test conditions in order to check While no major concerns were found, a their long-term stability. The production The Systems Engineering Department few recommendations to improve the of the full batch is planned for early 2019. consists of four groups. The Processes plan, as well as some other aspects relat­ and Standards Group and the System ed to ELT systems engineering, were The contracts for the delivery of all sci­ Analysis Group mostly support the ELT ­provided by the review board. Many of ence detectors for HARMONI, MICADO Programme. The Adaptive Optics Group these recommendations are now in the and METIS have been placed. The first and the Instrument Systems Group work implementation phase. two instruments also had successful together with the community to build reviews of their detector systems within and upgrade instruments for the La Silla The Processes and Standards Group the instrument PDRs. Paranal Observatory and the ELT. The also organised the completion of the

ESO Annual Report 2018 77 ELT System Hazard Analysis and the in delivering AO modules for the second- processes for instrumentation projects, ­processes by which the hazards are generation VLT instruments, participating supporting the central role of instrument going to be mitigated. in the ELT programme, and developing development as an ESO core objective the technology required by the next gen­ and competence. As a result of these System Analysis Group eration of AO systems. This year, the activities, the ELT programme is making The System Analysis Group leads the main highlights concern the AOF and the increasing use of instrument systems WFC analyses for the ELT and coordi­ Deformable Mirror (DM) technology engineering made by the group, including nates the Performance Analysis and development programme. interface management, requirements ­Verification group of the ELT programme. engineering and the coordination of engi­ In 2018, the group supported the pro­ During the first semester of 2018, the neering disciplines. gramme by developing the telescope AO group led the commissioning of the baseline in various areas: technical speci­ NFM of MUSE/GALACSI. This is the fication for M5; functional requirements for first LTAO instrument to operate on-sky. the phasing and diagnostic station; WFC Based on the use of the four laser guide commissioning scenario; and detailed for­ stars and the DSM of Yepun, the perfor­ mulation of the control interface between mance recorded on-sky has met all the telescope and the instruments. In this expectations. The key has been the defi­ context, the ELT Matlab ray tracing model nition and optimisation of the tomograph­ has been updated: the propagation of ic reconstructor allowing access to the errors for the evaluation of the telescope complete volume of turbulence on top of optical performance budgets has been the telescope. standardised and interfaced to the Dynamic Object-Oriented Requirements Under the leadership of the AO group, System (DOORS) requirement database; ESO has been investigating new tech­ and the models for the main wavefront nologies allowing the production of DMs sensors baselined in the Phasing and for ELT post-focal AO-assisted instru­ Diagnostic Station have been developed. ments. These developments have been successfully conducted by European The group was also engaged in manag­ industry, through three separate contracts. ing the Common Instrument System In December 2018, ALPAO (France) suc­ Segmented mirror with seven segments integrated Development for the ELT programme. cessfully assembled a 3228-actuator DM by the Optical Engineering Department to support experimental work on phasing with the laser guide Various milestones were achieved in with a clear aperture of 95 mm and a star. 2018: FDRs for the LVSM (including the best flat of 6 nm root mean square. This detector and package); PDR of the cam­ is the largest actuator count DM ever built eras ALICE and LISA (ALICE is the smALl in Europe. vIsible CamEra and LISA is the Large ­vISble cAmera); the start of the FREDA Instrument Systems Group camera procurement contract; and the Together with project scientists, the FDR of the H-RTC prototype contract. Instrument Systems Group provides technical system and project management It is essential for the group to stay leadership for both internal and external anchored in the reality of observatory instrumentation projects. operations. The group is therefore deploy­ ing VIBMET in Paranal. The second test Currently, the group supports seven campaign of this system took place in instrumentation projects for the Paranal March 2018. The group also supported Observatory, including the four first-­ the integration of the NAOMI systems and generation instruments of the ELT and participated in commissioning campaigns. two second-generation instruments, Finally, the group supported the GRAVITY each of which is at a different phase of its programme in monitoring the Coudé development. For example, the ELT Infrared Adaptive Optics (CIAO) systems instrument HARMONI completed its PDR and analysing vibration problems. in 2018, the VLTI mid-infrared instrument MATISSE was successfully commis­ Adaptive Optics System Group sioned at Paranal, and the AO system The Adaptive Optics System Group is NAOMI was installed and commissioned providing the ESO astronomical commu­ on all four ATs in September. nity with globally competitive AO observ­ Measuring the gravity-induced surface deformation ing capabilities, overcoming the limitation The group’s activities also include the of a coated ELT prototype segment with a multi- of atmospheric turbulence. It is involved definition of standard documentation and channel absolute interferometer.

78 ESO Annual Report 2018 Optical Engineering Department

The Optical Engineering Department supports ESO’s projects in the areas of optical design for telescopes and instru­ ments, active optics and WFC, metrology for telescope alignment, laser guide stars, optical fibre technology, and assembly, integration and testing of instruments. It also manages the optics laboratories and the integration facilities.

In 2018, the department included 15 staff members and a PhD student, all of whom actively provided optical engineering expertise to the ELT, Paranal Instrumen­ tation and R&D programmes in practically all their suite of projects. This includes the follow-up of the ELT mirror polishing contracts, the ELT mirror and instrument alignment strategy, the PFS, the phasing and diagnostics station, the MELT opto- mechanics, and the ELT laser guide star. Major contributions were also provided to the ESPRESSO, CRIRES+, NAOMI, MOONS, and 4MOST projects.

Beyond providing strong engineering support to ESO’s programmes, the 2500 Above: Testing Laser Guide Star tilt department continued to assess new detection on La Palma. technologies and methods to contribute to R&D efforts. This included the test of 2000 a novel method for precisely referencing the optical­ and mechanical axes of large 1500 optics based on a laser tracker and a ls xe computer-generated hologram. In addi­ Pi tion, experimental work was initiated 1000 to assess the feasibility of segmented mirror phasing with the laser guide star 500 Left: Laser Guide Star profilometer (LGS), using a 7-element mirror devel­ measurements, simultaneously show­ oped in-house. ing the lateral motion of a natural guide 0 star (yellow) and the mesospheric Laser Guide Star elongated profiles 23:0023:00 23:0223:03 23:0423:05 The department also provided a proto­ (red-blue) over ~ 3 arcminutes (i.e., a type optical test setup for measuring the Time (UT) scale of 0.16 arcseconds per pixel). surface deformation of an ELT segment caused by gravity, using a 24-channel time detection in collaboration with the Control Software and Engineering laser interferometer. German Space Agency (DLR) and ESA. Department

“Sensitizer” software was released to The optical department played a leading As members of the project teams, staff perform dedicated sensitivity analyses role in the ESO–ESA technology working in the Control Software and Engineering with OpticsStudio (USA) in the context of group, in particular in the area of LGS, (CSE) Department in DoE are involved Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance stray light analysis, curved detectors for in specifying, analysing, designing, imple­ (STOP) analyses. Finally, the department future optical instruments, active optics menting, verifying and maintaining supported ESO’s technology develop­ and phasing. control systems, and are responsible for ment programme in the area of laser the development of control software for development and advanced reflective During the year, department members (optical and radio) telescopes and astro­ coatings. Some field tests were conduct­ contributed to a total of seven conference nomical instruments over the full software ed on La Palma in the area of tilt detec­ publications as first authors and 21 publi­ lifecycle. tion using the LGS as well as LGS day­ cations as co-authors.

ESO Annual Report 2018 79 Relationship between IFW. A working version of most of the «block» the Instrument Control components is planned by 2021. «develops» Instrument System and the Instru­ ment Control System parts Framework. At the end of 2018, the alpha version Instrument Control System: ICS of the IFW was finalised and made availa­ ble to consortia, giving them the oppor­ tunity to get acquainted with the ELT «block» «block» development environment and with the Consortia ESO design choices and technologies of the ELT Control System. A seminar for con­ sortia is planned in 2019 to present and «block» describe the IFW to ELT instrument ICSFramework developers. «uses» parts low-level Framework: Low-levelFramework Science Operation Software high-level Framework: High-levelFramework ­Department

The Science Operation Software Depart­ One of the highlights in 2018 for CSE was for building control software for the ment is responsible for all science opera­ the preliminary delivery of the Instrument instruments covering the packages and tion software for end-to-end operations Control System High-Level Framework communication infrastructure required for of the ESO observatories, La Silla Paranal, (IFW) by a team of engineers across dif­ the control and monitoring of hardware VLT, ALMA and ELT. The department is ferent groups in the department. The IFW functions. The IFW reuses proven archi­ structured as three groups: Dataflow is part of the ELT Control System and is tectural and design patterns from the VLT Infrastructure, Pipeline Systems and Soft­ composed of a set of building blocks instrument framework, but is implement­ ware Engineering. In 2018, a major which provide generic functionality aim­ ed using new technologies defined by the undertaking in the Science Operation ing to simplify the implementation of the ELT development standards. The IFW is Software Department was the definition Instrument Control System by the ELT developed incrementally using the ELT of new Statements of Work for service instrument developers, and to facilitate its control software development process, contracts for the development and main­ operation and maintenance. The first which incorporates modern software tenance of VLT and ALMA dataflow appli­ users of the IFW are the ELT first light engineering techniques like agile devel­ cations and for the VLT pipelines. Calls instruments MICADO, HARMONI, METIS opment, continuous integration and qual­ for Tender were issued in July for the new and MAORY. ity assurance. This process assures service contracts starting in 2019. ­software that can run after every iteration The IFW consists of a set of software (normally one month), including docu­ As members of the project teams, staff components defining a standard archi­ mentation and tests. This allows the reg­ in the Dataflow Infrastructure Group tecture and providing common services ular delivery of a usable version of the develop tools for proposal submission, observation preparation and execution, archive ingestion and retrieval, data 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 organisation and execution of pipelines. 30/11 30/05 30/05 30/05 30/05 30/05 30/05 Highlights in 2018 included the release of Application Framework A V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 the ESO Archive Science Portal, and a Function Control A V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 similar development is ongoing for the Widget Library A V1 V2 V3 V4 ALMA Science Archive. In addition, all Phase 2 observation preparation will now Observation Coordination A V1 V2 V3 V4 be web-based using the p2 application, Technical Camera Control Software A B V1 V2 V3 V4 and the proposal submission features of Data Display Tool V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 the web-based Phase 1 system were Data Interface Tools A B V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 demonstrated to the Users Committee in Sequencer V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 April. Template Library V1 V2 V3 V4 The Pipeline Systems Group focuses Calibration Framework A V1 V2 on the scientific processing of data, esti­ Online Data Processing A B V1 V2 V3 V4 mating data quality with exposure time Test Framework A V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 Configuration Generator Tool A V1 V2 V3 V4 Schedule of the Instrument Control System high-­ Miscellaneous Libraries A V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 level framework (A: alpha, B: beta, V: version).

80 ESO Annual Report 2018 calculators, the measurement of scientific data quality, and high-performance com­ puting developments for ALMA/CASA. Highlights in 2018 included the continua­ tion of ESPRESSO commissioning, and preparation for GRAVITY acceptance. ESPRESSO began operating in 1UT mode, and the first public release of the pipeline was in December. The PDR of the ELT MICADO instrument took place in November.

The Software Engineering and Quality Group provides the tools necessary to support the development process, and the testing, integration and release of sci­ entific operation software. At the change­ over in observing period between March and April, the VLT Dataflow 2018 release was successfully installed on all data handling, instrument, offline and pipeline workstations of all VLT telescope con­ soles. The ALMA testing process was revised with the automation of scenarios for the observatory interfaces and archive services applications.

Information Technology Department

The ESO IT Department delivers services and supports users and science opera­ tions in their objectives to fulfil ESO’s mission. During 2018, IT harmonised the backup infrastructure across all sites, deployed the Science Operations Hub in Santiago and upgraded the analytic ­database server, providing the keyword repository and survey catalogues. The Science Operations Hub is a clustered file system and number cruncher for quality control activities.

IT introduced virtual meeting rooms to enhance the ESO-wide video communi­ cation system, allowing better connectivi­ ty with external participants. In addition, IT augmented the inter-site network con­ nectivity between Santiago, La Silla and Paranal including Armazones, supported the deployment of scientific instruments, and integrated the ESO Guesthouse net­ work into the ESO network infrastructure.

Science Archive user interfaces for the VLT (top) and ALMA (bottom).

ESO Annual Report 2018 81 Newly-forming stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) captured by the MUSE instrument on the VLT.

82 ESO Annual Report 2018 ESO/A McLeod et al.

ESO Annual Report 2018 83 Administration Fotos Brillux, Sven Rahm Fotografie

84 ESO Annual Report 2018 The Directorate of Administration Highlights to Council for approval. Consultation and ­comprises ESO’s administration in concertation with LSM representatives­ Garching and in Chile; it is in charge A main topic for the Directorate of Admin­ could be intensified by establishing a com­ of all ESO’s administrative matters istration during 2018 was the moderni­ mittee including management and LSM across the Organisation. Its functions sation of working conditions at ESO. A representatives, and another committee include human resources, financial mobile working scheme was ­successfully focusing onsite-related matters with par­ services, contracts and procurement, introduced in autumn and the flexible ticipation from site ­management, local facility management (including the working time system was extended. This HR and LSM representatives. supervision of civil construction is part of an effort to further empower works), logistics and transport, safety ESO staff members to reconcile the Regarding the Finance Committee, the coordination, ERP services and the demands of work and their private lives. Directorate of Administration was in operation of the ESO Guesthouse in A number of measures could be imple­ charge of presenting all of the contracts Santiago. The Director of Administra­ mented in 2018 to support families, for above 500 000 euros as well as contract tion is the Site Safety Responsible at example the introduction of partially paid amendments and single source procure­ Garching, Vitacura and the Santiago parental leave and financial support for ments above 250 000 euros for approval. Guesthouse, and represents ESO at daycare for young children of Internation­ These included a number of contracts ALMA’s Head of Administration meet­ al Staff Members. Regarding the working related to the ELT — ESO’s biggest pro­ ings as well as in CERN Pension Fund conditions of Local Staff Members, the gramme — for which the contracts and matters. The Administration Office revision of the Regulations for Local Staff procurement department has actively is in charge of the organisation of the in Chile (RPL) progressed well in consul­ imple­mented contract management, fol­ Finance Committee meetings. tation with Local Staff Member (LSM) lowing up on all commercial aspects in representatives. major contracts.

In order to maintain a productive ongoing All financial documents, such as the dialogue with the staff representatives, annual budget, the financial statements the Director of Administration, together and the long-term plan, are prepared with the head of the Human Resources by the finance department, which actively (HR) Department, regularly meets the manages ESO’s financial resources to International Staff Committees of Europe ensure the long-term financial sustaina­ and Chile to discuss potential issues and bility of the Organisation. possible improvements to working condi­ tions. Amendments to the Staff Rules and One of the most important milestones Regulations are brought to the Standing at the Garching site was the successful Advisory Committee (STAC), the Tripartite completion of the construction of the Group, the Finance Committee and finally ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre building, followed by its official inauguration in April. Since then, many visitors have enjoyed both the exhibition and the planetarium shows. At the Vitacura Campus and the Guesthouse in Santiago, several renovation works were planned to upgrade the infrastructure and further improve safety standards.

During 2018, the ERP team completed several projects, such as the integration of the Paranal warehouse system and the Point of Sales solution for the ESO Supernova shop in the ERP system. Efforts to attain paperless administration are ongoing and progress was made in 2018 by introducing online travel settle­ ments and HR action forms.

Vitacura Guesthouse seen from above. It was ­purchased in 1964 as a place where personnel The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor ­travelling from Europe to Chile could rest before Centre reception desk. going to the telescopes.

ESO Annual Report 2018 85 Finance and Budget

Financial Statements 2018

Accounting Statements 2018 (in €1000)

Statement of Financial Position 31.12.2018 31.12.2017 Cash Flow Statement 2018 2017

Assets Cash Flow Cash and cash equivalents 112 691 96 949 Net surplus for the year 13 290 267 Inventories, receivables, advances and other 40 658 125 385 Non cash relevant transactions 82 639 80 241 current assets Changes in current assets and liabilities –4 129 5 173 Non-current assets 1 231 388 1 110 911 Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities 91 800 85 681 Total Assets 1 384 737 1 333 245 Net Cash Flow from Investment Activities –76 810 –68 000 Net Cash Flow from Financing Activities 752 0 Liabilities Net Cash Flow = Net Increase/Decrease Short-term borrowing 0 0 in Cash and Cash Equivalents 15 742 17 681 Payables, advances received and other 168 110 163 814 current liabilities Non-current liabilities 577 443 546 843 Total Liabilities 745 553 710 657

Accumulated surpluses/deficits 577 267 577 000 Pension fund loss/gain 52 625 44 342 Other changes in net assets –3 998 979 Net surplus/deficit for the year 13 290 267 Total Net Assets 639 184 622 588

Total Liabilities and Net Assets 1 384 737 1 333 245

Statement of Financial Performance 2018 2017

Operating Revenue Contributions from Member States 191 059 164 959 Contributions to special projects 19 792 17 616 In-kind contributions 9 053 8 464 Sales and service charges 2 869 1 961 Other revenue 2 642 2 176 Total Operating Revenue 225 415 195 176

Operating Expenses Installations and equipment 3 075 2 515 Supplies and services 45 133 44 574 Personnel expenses 89 230 76 678 Depreciation of fixed assets 72 242 67 685 Other operating expenses 4 947 4 626 Total Operating Expenses 214 627 196 078

Net Surplus/Deficit from Operating Activities 10 788 – 902

Financial revenue 3 738 3 077 Financial expenses 1 321 1 974 Net Surplus/Deficit from Financial Activities 2 417 1 103

Non-periodic and extraordinary revenue 85 70 Non-periodic and extraordinary expenses 0 4 Net Surplus/Deficit from Non-periodic and Extraordinary Activities 85 66

Net Surplus/Deficit for the Period 13 290 267

86 ESO Annual Report 2018 Budgetary Reports 2018 Budget for 2019 (in €1000) (in €1000)

Income Budget Actual Budget Income Budget 2019 (Approved) Contributions from Member States 192 912 196 143 Contributions from Member States 207 002 Income from partnerships 9 871 10 395 Income from partnerships 10 432 Income from third parties 3 313 2 951 Income from third parties 1 423 Other income 4 329 3 122 Other income 4 109 Consolidated entities 2 654 2 378 Consolidated entities 2 652 Total Income Budget 213 079 214 989 Total Income Budget 225 618

Expenditure Budget Expenditure Budget 2019 (Approved) Programme 80 475 200 349 Programme 195 730 Technical infrastructure and production 6 990 9 190 Technical infrastructure and production 9 014 Operations 68 803 74 872 Operations 78 789 Science support 9 861 10 784 Science support 11 339 General activities 25 456 28 931 General activities 31 095 Cherenkov Telescope Array 172 510 Cherenkov Telescope Array 510 Financing cost 28 44 Financing cost 90 Consolidated entities 2 080 1 745 Predicted delays 20 000 Total Expenditure Budget 193 865 326 425 Consolidated entities 2 091 Total Expenditure Budget 348 658

The accounting statements for 2018 The operational cash flow increased by The approved income budget for 2019 show a surplus of 13.3 million euros. 6.1 million euros while the cash demand amounted to 225.6 million euros. It com­ This is a significant increase compared to for investments was also 8.8 million prised the regular contributions from the last year’s surplus of 0.3 million euros, euros higher than the previous year. This ESO Member States, including their addi­ and mainly results from Ireland’s special resulted in a slightly lower positive cash tional contributions for the ELT, income contribution. Ireland joined in September flow of 15.7 million euros compared to from third parties and partners, and other 2018 becoming ESO’s 16th Member the 17.7 million euros in 2017. The closing income. State. cash position at 31 December 2018 stood at 112.7 million euros. In December 2018, ESO signed the The net surplus from operating activities agreement with the CTAO to host the was 10.8 million euros. The net surplus As in the previous two years, the 2018 southern site of this new observatory in from financial activities of 2.4 million Financial Statements were audited by the Atacama Desert near the Paranal euros, mainly income from bank interest the National Audit Office of Finland*. Observatory site. The participating coun­ and positive exchange rate effects as well tries are currently in the process of estab­ as a small net surplus from non-periodic ESO Council approved the budget for lishing the CTAO European Research and extraordinary income, added to the 2019 in December 2018. The approved Infrastructure Consortium (CTAO ERIC), overall positive result. 2019 expenditure budget amounts to on whose behalf ESO will operate the 348.7 million euros, reflecting a consider­ southern site of CTA. On 7 March 2019, The net assets of the Organisation have able increase compared to 2018. A large ESO signed the notarial deeds to become increased by 16.6 million euros, mainly fraction of this is dedicated to ESO’s a shareholder of the CTAO gGmbH (the caused by the positive result of the year as main programme, the ELT Phase 1 and interim legal entity within the CTAO). well as the positive result from the yearly its approved Phase 2 items. In December revaluation of ESO’s pension liability. 2018, ESO Council authorised another Phase 2 item, the LTAO system for the HARMONI instrument, thereby enhancing its scientific performance. * Jari Sanaskoski (Director for Financial Audit), ­Pontus Londen (Principal Financial Auditor, Financial Audit), Pauliina Taavitsainen (Principal Financial Auditor, Financial Audit), Petri Nurmi (Principal Financial Auditor, Financial Audit), Jonna Carlson (Auditor, Financial Audit).

ESO Annual Report 2018 87 ESO/C. Malin

88 ESO Annual Report 2018 ESO’s Headquarters in Garching. On the left, the ESO Supernova Plane- tarium & Visitor Centre can be seen.

ESO Annual Report 2018 89 Contracts & Procurement

The main internal focus of the Procure­ ment Department in 2018 was on the support of operations, the conclusion of Rikke_Kolding ELT contracts, the follow-up of contract - management for the ELT Programme, Foto and the implementation of the adjudica­ tion principle of Best Value for Money (BVM).

The support for operations, mainly pro­ vided by the Contracts and Procurement team based in Santiago, has been going as planned. The Contracts and Procure­ ment team based in Garching is mainly supporting the operations of the ESO Headquarters and various programmes, of which the ELT is the largest. Whereas the operations support has been pro­ gressing according to plan, the support of the programmes in general, and of the ELT programme in particular, has required more effort and specific attention. At the start of the construction of the ELT, ESO introduced contract management Above: Group photo taken at the Below: ESO’s Director General, Xavier Barcons, for each contract with a value of over Big Science Business Forum (BSBF). speaking at the Big Science Business Forum (BSBF). 10 million euros. This aspect, along with the first issues arising from the ongoing ELT contracts, has required more time and effort than was originally foreseen.

Regarding the ELT programme, the Finance Committee approved six new contracts, which were all placed in 2018. This brings the total number of ELT con­ tracts placed after Finance Committee approval to 34. This number is lower than planned as a result of the delay in some planned activities and the affected con­ tracts will now be concluded in 2019.

In December 2017, Council approved BVM as an additional adjudication princi­ ple alongside that of the lowest-priced compliant bid. During 2018, a project took place to implement this additional adjudication principle in the processes tions with the Industrial Liaison Officers, Radiation Facility (ESRF), European and procedures. The building blocks of the Contracts and Procurement Depart­ ­Spallation Source (ESS), European X-ray this project were updating the proce­ ment welcomed new representatives from Free-Electron Laser Facility (European dures and tooling, training the staff of the Sweden, Australia and Ireland in 2018 XFEL) and the Institut Laue-Langevin Contracts and Procurement Department and arranged an introductory ­programme under the guidance of the Danish govern­ and finally training the internal users. for them. ment, was to provide a “one-stop-shop” ­During the last quarter of 2018, this last for European companies and other stake­ element was completed with multiple A major milestone in this respect was holders to learn about the future invest­ trainings for the users at each of the ESO the participation of ESO in the first ments and procurements of Europe’s Big sites in Europe and Chile. Big Science Business Forum that took Science organisations. This first forum, place at the end of February 2018 in with more than a thousand participants The main external focus of procurement Copenhagen, Denmark. The aim of this and representing 500 companies, was has been on improving relations with event, which was organised by CERN, considered a success, and a second industry. In addition to the usual interac­ ESA, ESO, the European Synchrotron forum is planned for 2020.

90 ESO Annual Report 2018 Facility Management, Logistics and Transport

The main focus for the Facility Manage­ Ribbon cutting at the ment, Logistics and Transport team in inauguration of the ESO Supernova Planetarium Garching was the opening of the ESO

ESO/H. Zodet & Visitor Centre. Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. The official inauguration ceremony took place on 26 April 2018; the building was ready in time and there was a smooth start to operations. The processes and stock management were set up for the Supernova shop, which sells merchandis­ ing products, and additional Facility Man­ agement staff were trained to meet new requirements related to reception, security and cleaning duties. The infrastructure and road system on the site had to be adapted to include a new public building, integrating, for example, a bus stop and parking places for buses and disabled visitors. At the Open House Day held in October, ­volume of shipments expected during the The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor ESO hosted more than 5000 visitors at its construction of the ELT and CTA. Centre was evaluated according to the Headquarters in Garching. standards of the German Sustainable The Santiago facilities team supported Building Council (DGNB). The criteria for The logistics teams in Garching and San­ the organisation of a number of science this evaluation are based on environmen­ tiago started to support ELT construction conferences, workshops, events, cere­ tal, economic, functional and technical activities. Planning work to analyse all monies and meetings at the Vitacura site, factors. Wherever possible, only materials aspects and details is ongoing, and the including the 93rd Committee of Council. with low emissions were used. The build­ first shipments have taken place. The The team also organised the popular ing was awarded the DGNB gold medal, extension of the freight forwarder contract Family Day, held in the garden at Vitacura, as can be seen on the façade near the was completed, with ELT shipments and the Santiago Year End Party. main entrance. being integrated. In addition, preparations have begun for supporting the construc­ Facilities administration in Santiago carried As part of ESO’s ongoing effort to improve tion of CTA-South near Paranal. As well out building maintenance and improve­ its environmental impact several measures as handling regular shipments for the ment works, such as the renovation of have been taken, such as, transitioning updates or upgrades of the instrumenta­ bathrooms, both at the ESO Santiago from the use of plastic to biodegradable tion suite at the La Silla, Paranal­ and Guesthouse and the Vitacura offices, and coffee cups, and providing metal cutlery APEX observatories, the logistics team in worked on plans for the expansion of to minimise the use of plastic in the cafete­ Santiago received test shipments for the available office space at the main office rias. In coordination with Paranal, the ELT M1 mirror and DMS contracts. Dis­ building in order to accommodate the small fleet of Vitacura cars acquired its cussions with the Chilean authorities growing number of staff working in Chile. first electric vehicle, taking the opportunity have taken place to streamline import for­ Building extension works are planned to to use electric cars in Chile to locally malities in anticipation of the massive begin in 2019. reduce the Organisation’s carbon footprint.

ESO Family Day in Vitacura.

ESO Annual Report 2018 91 Sylvie Robbe-Dubois/ESOSylvie

92 ESO Annual Report 2018 Sunset view from the VLT’s platform at Paranal.

ESO Annual Report 2018 93 Human Resources

The HR Department manages all services Staff departures Learning and professional development provided to ESO personnel in connection with their employment at ESO, from the The departures of staff in 2018 fall in the HR continued to deliver a wide range of definition of applicable policies to the following categories: development activities according to the execution and conclusion of employment Training Catalogues and the Fellow contracts. Within this remit, and in com­ Reasons International Local Staff Development Programme. The trend pliance with ESO’s Staff Rules and Regu­ Staff Member Member towards individualised training with short­ lations (SRR) as well as the Regulations Resignation 3 3 er modules continued during 2018; this for Local Staff (RPL), HR manages the Expiry of contract 3 – offers more flexibility to staff but does not following tasks: Retirement 5 – replace the more intense programmes. In − Planning, definition and execution of Disability or mutual agreement 1 – addition, a number of drop-in talks and overall policies and strategies for per­ Death 1 – awareness sessions were organised, sonnel resources. Total 13 3 open to all staff. The training courses and − Coordination of recruitment and selec­ talks had a particular focus on values tion to ensure a diverse and talented outlined in the ESO Way and Code of staff. Employee relations and communication Conduct. − Supporting employees with regard to the implementation of the applicable In 2018, five members of personnel cele­ No. of staff members Equivalent rules, regulations and contractual brated 25 years of service and three cele­ participating to (hours) terms. brated 35 years of service. ESO Chile 233 1352 − Training and professional development. ESO Garching 336 4064 − Payroll and general compensation Working groups formed to deal with the according to benefits and entitlements. transitory articles of the signed collective − Maintenance and storage of personnel contract in 2016 continued their activities Health and welfare and social security records. in 2018 on topics that included working − Occupational health and welfare. clothes, insurance cover, the impact of The annual CERN Pension Fund (CPF) − Social security matters. night shifts on health, day and night Information Meeting took place at ESO − Family matters connected with employ­ operations support shift coordinators, Headquarters in October. The yearly ment contracts, including day-care and emergency transport, and commuting. review with the health care provider provision of education at the European Cigna took place in October, resulting in School Munich. The working group reviewing the Regula­ some amendments to the scheme in − Performance management and tions for Local Staff Members in Chile, areas including optical care, skin cancer, advancement process. led by the Director of Administration, with midwifery, hearing aids, rehabilitation, − Settlement of travel claims. representatives from Local Staff Mem­ palliative care and transport cost. The bers and the Unions, continued and individual insurance premium remains made good progress. The conclusion of unchanged. Recruitment the review is expected to be presented to the Government of Chile in 2019. During 2018, HR published 59 vacancy Collaboration and representation notices and received a total of 1596 The HR Project Office rolled out the 180° of Human Resources applications. The number of completed feedback process in June 2018, thereby recruitments according to contract type introducing a new method to provide ESO continues to make use of the broad is as follows: feedback from teams to their managers networking capabilities made possible in the Organisation. Training and talks by the relationship with the Munich Dual Contract type No. of No. of aimed at supporting and structuring the Career Office, the objective being to sup­ campaigns applications process were delivered at Headquarters port the recently arrived spouses of ESO International Staff Members 15 360 and Vitacura. international employees in their search for Local Staff Members 5 443 jobs in the Munich area. Fellows, Paid Associates, 3 59 Students ESO was invited by the Federal Depart­ ment of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Switzer­ To support newly recruited or reassigned land to the International Career Day which staff members, ESO has established a took place in Basel on 15 March 2018. frame contract for the supply of reloca­ The International Career Day provides tion services to help find suitable accom­ young graduates with a unique opportu­ modation when a staff member moves nity to approach international organisa­ to Munich or its surrounding areas from tions and encou­ages them to consider abroad. pursuing careers with them. The ICD is the only event in Switzerland exclusively

94 ESO Annual Report 2018 Other 9.9% Austria Paid Students Italy 1.4% Associates 5.4% 15.6% 2.3% Sweden Belgium 0.7% 2.7% Portugal Fellows ­International Switzerland 0.9% 6.1% Staff 0.5% Members Poland Germany 62.5% 1.1% 30,7% Local Staff Member 23.8% Denmark The Netherlands 1.4% 2.9% Spain Ireland 7.7% 0.5% Finland Left: Distribution of Above: ESO personnel by category. In 2018, 709 United Kingdom France 0.2% 540 International Staff members of staff were employed at ESO, including 9.5% 14.5% Members by nationality. 540 International Staff and 169 Local Staff Members. devoted to international organisations, thus Girls’ Day at ESO Headquarters and technology. The Girls’ Day event at providing a forum for motivated young the ESO Headquarters in ­Garching in graduates to interact with the associated Girls’ Day took place on 26 April 2018. 2018 was fully booked, with 49 partici­ recruitment specialists. In total, 52 inter­ Since 2001, a total of 1.8 million girls have pants. It included two workshops, one national organisations participated and participated nationwide in this German focused on astronomy and the other on there were around 1800 visitors. event, during which enterprises, universi­ engineering. The workshops had four ties and research organisations offer ­stations offering different activities, some HR also participated in the Universidad approximately 10 000 events aimed at of which were hands-on and others more Técnica Federico Santa María job fair in female students from class 5 onwards theoretical. Following the workshops, Valparaíso and Santiago to present the (typically over 13 years old). These open the day concluded with a live video link to Directorate of Operations maintenance, events help girls to make well-informed Paranal, when there was a question and support and engineering internship pro­ decisions about their future and encour­ answer session with ESO’s engineers gramme. age them to choose careers in science and astronomers.

HR represented ESO at the Administrative Board Meeting of the European School (ESM) in September; 82 pupils registered for the academic year 2018/2019. HR continued to participate in the regular HorálekESO/P. meetings of the HR Advisory Group of the JAO in order to identify, discuss and resolve personnel issues that affected both organisations.

Engineering exercises at the 2018 Girls’ Day at ESO.

ESO Annual Report 2018 95 ESO/K. Muzic ESO/K.

96 ESO Annual Report 2018 Image of the star cluster RCW 38, taken with the VLT during the testing of the HAWK-I camera with the GRAAL adaptive optics system.

ESO Annual Report 2018 97 Organigram

Organisational Structure December 2018

Office of the Director General Director General Executive Office Internal Auditor Xavier Barcons Laura Comendador Elena Llopis Frutos

Directorate of Directorate of Directorate of Directorate of Directorate for Administration Engineering Programmes Operations Science Claudia Burger Michèle Péron Adrian Russell Andreas Kaufer Robert Ivison

Contracts and Information La Silla Paranal Data Management European ALMA ELT Programme Project Science Procurement Technology Observatory & Operations Support Centre Roberto Tamai Suzanne Ramsay Arnout Tromp Dieter Suchar Andreas Kaufer Michael Sterzik Leonardo Testi

Facility, Logistics, Control Software & Armazones Science Back-end Observing Instrumentatio n ALMA Computing Transport Engineering Operations Operations Programmes Programme Paranal Erich Siml Erich Schmid Office Jochen Haucke Mark Casali Steffen Mieske Martino Romaniello Ferdinando Patat

Electronic Paranal Maintenance, ALMA Technical Education and Finance Instrumentation Support User Support Public Outreach Engineering Support Renate Brunner Programme and Engineering Marina Rejkuba Lars Lindberg Roland Brast Luca Pasquini Maxime Boccas Silvio Rossi Christensen

Mechanical Technology Logistics and ALMA Regional Office for Science Human Resources Developmen t Engineering Facilities Centre Garching Heidi Schmidt Programme Paranal Franz Koch Mark Casali Christine Desbordes Martin Zwaan Eric Emsellem

Infrastructure Chile Optical Project Office for Science La Silla Chile Jean-Michel Engineering Management Ivo Saviane Itziar De Gregorio Bonneau Samuel Lévêque Florian Kerber Monsalvo

Science Operation APEX Software Lars Nyman Pascal Ballester

System Engineering Sebastian Egner

Inside the newly-completed ALMA residencia, which serves as accommodation for staff and astronomers visiting ALMA.

98 ESO Annual Report 2018 A. Caproni/ESO

ESO Annual Report 2018 99 Office of the Director General

The Irish Accession Agreement that

led to Ireland joining ESO. Núñez ESO/B.

100 ESO Annual Report 2018 In April 2018, the Office of the Director – ODG-X also supports Council with Legal and Institutional Affairs General (ODG) was slightly restructured the development and implementa­ to merge the activities of the Executive tion of ESO’s strategy when required The highlight for the Office of Legal and Office and Representation in Chile. It and provides executive and secretar­ Institutional Affairs this year was the now has two departments and is organ­ ial support to the Director General, ­signature of the agreements related to ised as described below. Council, the Directors’ Team, and ESO’s collaboration with the CTAO, the other auxiliary bodies. world’s largest gamma-ray observatory. The preparation and finalisation of these Executive Office (ODG-X) ODG-X also accommodates the Inter­ agreements engaged the office through­ national Relations Team (IRT) which is out the year. In total, three agreements The Executive Office supports the Direc­ chaired by the Director General­ and were signed: an agreement between tor General with his internal and external comprises two senior astronomers ESO and CTA on the construction and duties and includes the following units: from the Directorate of Science, two operation of CTA-South; an agreement – The Representation in Chile unit repre­ members of the Legal and Institutional between ESO and the Government of sents ESO and the Director General Affairs unit and the ESO Representa­ Chile on the CTA project in Chile; and an in interactions with the Chilean govern­ tive in Chile. Its main goals are to for­ agreement between CTA and the Chilean mental, regional and local authorities, mulate ESO’s ­policy on international National Commission for Science and as well as with diplomatic missions in relations, in line with guidance set Technology (CONICYT) on scientific col­ Chile. It coordinates the representation out by the ESO Council to coordinate laboration. With these agreements in of ESO’s political and legal interests in ESO’s international relations, in par­ place, ESO will join the CTA project as a Chile and promotes ESO’s positive rela­ ticular concerning current and pro­ full partner and the construction of the tionship with Chile at all levels: govern­ spective Member States, and to pro­ southern array of CTA at the Paranal ment, research organisations, universi­ mote the ESO programme within the Observatory can now begin. In parallel, ties, and society at large. international scientific community. ESO participated in negotiations with – The Legal and Institutional Affairs unit CTA partners on the establishment of the advises and assists the Director General CTAO ERIC. The ESO Council has with matters concerning the Organisa­ Internal Audit Office (ODG-A) expressed its intention to join the CTAO tion’s institutional relations, protocol ERIC as a founding member and the and diplomacy, defends ESO’s legal The overriding objective of ODG-A application for the establishment of the interests, and provides legal advice. is to provide independent, objective ERIC is expected to be submitted to the – The Internal Communication Office is assurance and consulting services European Commission in March 2019. responsible for strengthening and designed to add value and improve ­coordinating internal communication, ESO’s operations. The mission of the Besides the general legal support provid­ ensuring that ESO staff have access office is to enhance and protect organ­ ed to the Directorate of Administration, to accurate and timely organisational isational value by providing risk-based another area of focus was the ongoing information and encouraging commu­ and objective assurance, advice, and review of the Rules for Local Staff Mem­ nication and information sharing across insight. ODG-A helps ESO accomplish bers in Chile (RPL). Following joint dis­ the entire Organisation. its objectives by bringing a systematic, cussions with the Local Staff Unions and – The Corporate Policies & Risks Manage­ disciplined approach to evaluating and the Group of Non-Unionised Staff over ment unit deals with corporate risk improving the effectiveness of govern­ several days in April, the office — in close management, personal data protection, ance, risk management, and control collaboration with the Director of Admin­ data classification, corporate policies, processes. istration and the Human Resources and intellectual property matters, Department — prepared a final draft of including technology and knowledge The Internal Auditor reports directly the RPL in both English and Spanish. protection and licensing. to the Director General, but also has According to the agreement with the host – The Scientific Editor is responsible for a direct line to the Council President, state Chile, this draft will be presented to editing the ESO Annual Report and two in particular when dealing with audits the Chilean government for discussion. publications — The Messenger and the affecting the Director General or the Science Newsletter — via which the ODG. In Chile, the office supported the ELT ESO user community is kept informed programme in several areas. It helped to of developments, recent milestones ensure that construction companies and scientific results. obtained the necessary permits from the authorities, in particular, regarding the ELT basecamp. The office also provided advice on the update of the access policy to the construction site following its handover to the ELT DMS contractor.

ESO Annual Report 2018 101 Internal Communication Office

The Internal Communication Office (ICO) continued to produce, edit and publish ESO internal announcements and the weekly internal newsletter, which serve as the official channels for internal ESO-wide news. Over 400 announcements were published during the year.

The ICO provided advice on communica­ tions, editing, and other support for col­ leagues in all parts of the Organisation, in particular regarding complex or sensi­ tive topics. These included: communi­ cating changes to the Staff Rules and Regulations; updating the descriptions of employment conditions for Internation­ al Staff Members, Students, Fellows, and Paid Associates on ESO’s recruit­ ment portal in order to make them more informative and to emphasise the family- friendliness and work-life balance bene­ fits of working at ESO; and developing ESO’s Director General, Xavier Barcons (front right), cy, which closely follows best practice in a new policy for the use of salutations in and John Halligan T. D., Irish Minister of State for the field, including European legislation. Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Develop­ HR letters to staff. ment (front left), sign the Accession Agreement that The full implementation of the policy, led to Ireland joining ESO. which will take years, is currently ongoing. The ESO Annual Overview 2018 was organised by ICO from 19 to 21 March The other major area for CPRM is corpo­ 2018 across all sites, with the theme: interest related to ESO’s activities. The rate risk management, which focuses on ESO’s Organisational Goals for 2018. first two talks in the new series covered the maintenance of the ESO Corporate In a series of talks over three half-days, the NEAR experiment — which will Risk Register. The CRR is discussed on a speakers from across the Organisation search for potentially habitable planets regular basis by the ESO Directors’ Team. discussed how different parts of ESO around the neighbouring Alpha Centauri In 2018, in order to enhance transparency were working towards these goals, system — and the story behind ESO vis-à-vis the Member States, ESO decid­ describing what had been done so far, press releases. ed to report major corporate risks to the what was coming up and what challeng­ ESO Council and will continue to do so es they faced. The topics covered a Starting in mid-2018, ICO began to pro­ on an annual basis. broad range of scientific, technical, oper­ duce the ESO News for Diplomatic ational and administrative areas. The ­Missions in Chile newsletter — aimed at CPRM also takes care of ESO’s tech­ talks were accessible to a wide audience, embassies of ESO Member States in nology transfer policy. ESO’s activities not only experts. In a first for the ESO Chile — by providing content for editing, focus on in-house developments and Overview, the International Staff Associa­ and publishing three issues during the their exploitation. Currently ESO has tion and Local Staff representatives were second half of the year. three patents, and six commercial and also invited to give talks. six non-commercial license agreements; on the basis of which one commercial The popular “What ESO Really Does” Corporate Policies & Risks Management and two non-commercial licenses were series of informal internal talks by staff signed in 2018. continued during 2018, with four talks Personal data protection was undoubt­ in Vitacura and four in Garching, on edly a broadly discussed topic in 2018 topics ranging from science operations within Europe, and ESO also reflected on International Affairs to ELT instrumentation, and with a special the subject. In July 2018, ESO published talk marking the 20th anniversary of the its first Personal Data Protection Policy, 2018 saw several highlights related to VLT’s first light. Towards the end of the prepared by the Corporate Policies & international relations at ESO. After many year, the series was renamed “Happening Risks Management (CPRM) unit. ESO, as years of work between ESO and Irish Around ESO”, in order to encompass a an Intergovernmental Organisation, is not representatives, the Republic of Ireland wider range of topics, ranging from what subject to the European personal data officially joined ESO on 28 September staff and their colleagues do in all areas protection regulation and was therefore 2018, following the signing of the Acces­ of ESO’s programme to other subjects of required to fill that gap with its own poli­ sion Agreement by the ESO Director

102 ESO Annual Report 2018 General and the Irish Minister of State for Mariya Lyubenova Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and ­represented ESO at the historic UN space Development, Teachta Dála John Halligan, summit UNISPACE+50 on 26 September in Dublin. Irish repre­ Williams Andrew on the importance of sentatives attended their first ESO Council astronomy to society sessions in October and December 2018. and for STEM.

Following the signature of the ten-year strategic partnership in 2017, ESO–­ Australia relations developed positively during 2018, with the Director General and a small delegation making a high-­ level visit to Canberra, Sydney, and Perth to visit a number of astronomy and government representatives. Australia’s involvement in the scientific life of ESO and instrumentation continued to increase.

Progress was also achieved with respect to other prospective Member States. ­Discussions continued with Hungarian astronomers, and the community contin­ supported activities related to the Inter­ and common challenges. Also in ued to look for funding options to join national Asteroid Warning Network and attendance were Professor Jean-Pierre ESO. ODG-X staff supported the Director the Space Missions Planning Advisory Bourguignon, President of the European General and Council in developing a Group. From 18 to 23 June 2018, ODG Research Council, and Jean-Eric Paquet, strategy to clarify the situation with the staff and ESO astronomers attended a Director General of Research and Innova­ stalled accession process of Brazil. major international space conference tion in the European Commission. The ­Noting that the completion of the Acces­ (UNISPACE+50) organised by the United assembly highlighted the essential role of sion Agreement is unlikely to happen in Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. EIROforum in European science and the near future, Council decided to sus­ The goal was to ensure that astronomy also emphasised the value of fundamen­ pend the process until Brazil is in a posi­ and space science were considered an tal research. A further EIROforum DG tion to complete the execution of the integral part of a UN strategy on space Assembly took place on 1–2 October Accession Agreement, possibly through exploration. ODG staff also supported the 2018 in Cadarache, France, at the site of a renegotiation. Council reiterated that May biannual EIROforum DG Assembly the International Thermonuclear Experi­ Brazil continues to be a valuable potential in Brussels on 29–30 May 2018, at which mental Reactor (ITER). partner of ESO and expressed its desire the Directors General, or equivalent, of to welcome Brazil as a Member State in the eight EIROforum organisations con­ ESO delegation during a visit to CERN on the future. vened to discuss areas of shared interest 19 January 2018.

ODG-X staff and the Director for Science attended the 2018 board meeting of ASTRONET — a strategic coordination mechanism preparing to develop the next European Science Vision and Infrastruc­ Nikolas Rubiato, CERN Rubiato, Nikolas ture Roadmap for Astronomy. ESO is also an observer on the Astroparticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC). The Director for Science gave a keynote pres­ entation on ESO at the European Strate­ gy for Astroparticle Physics on 9 January 2018 in Brussels. The new strategy lists CTA as a high priority.

ESO was represented at meetings of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Febru­ ary and June 2018, during which ESO supported an IAU initiative on protecting the “Dark and Quiet Skies”. ESO also

ESO Annual Report 2018 103 ESO/B. Núñez ESO/B. Núñez

Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations of Chile vation ecosystem that will accelerate the ESO’s Director General Xavier Barcons and Federico ­Carolina Valdivia Torres and ESO’s Director General­ development of disruptive technologies Ferrini, Managing Director of the the CTAO, sign the Xavier Barcons sign an agreement that enables ESO agreement for the construction and operation of to host CTA-South at the Paranal Observa­tory site, and their progress to market. Many Euro­ CTA’s southern array within ESO’s Paranal site in as an ESO Programme. pean companies, including ESO suppli­ northern Chile. ers, submitted proposals to receive start­ up funding from ATTRACT to develop Relations with CERN and ESA were breakthrough detection and imaging con­ developed further, with a high-level visit cepts with market potential. by the Director General and an accompa­ Willy Benz remarked that bringing the ELT nying ESO delegation to the CERN facili­ to Chile is ongoing proof of this mutual ties in Geneva in January for a meeting Representation in Chile (ODG-R) appreciation. with the CERN Director General and all CERN Directors. The ESA–ESO Coordi­ 2018 was marked by the change in lead­ The ESO Representative in Chile, along nation Board was held on 18 January ership that began with the appointment with the other legal representatives of 2018 at ESO Headquarters in Garching. of Xavier Barcons as the new ESO Direc­ international observatories in Chile, had ESA and the Director General reviewed tor General in September 2017 and of the honour of meeting the Minister of the strategic relationship between the Claudio Melo as the new ESO Represent­ Public Works, Andrés Fontaine, and wel­ organisations and the progress of the ative in Chile in April 2018. On the Chilean coming the Minister of Environment, joint working groups on science, technol­ side, the President of the Republic of ­Carolina Schmidt, who visited Paranal in ogy and communications. Chile Sebastián Piñera’s second term October. On both occasions the main began in March 2018, bringing many new topic was the need to make progress Several developments were made in faces to the central and regional govern­ on the protection of Chilean skies against ESO–EU relations. ESO took steps to ment offices. Given these new beginnings, the growing problem of light pollution strengthen its involvement in the European the first priority was to get acquainted close to the professional observatories in Strategy Forum for Research Infrastruc­ and start the process of building trust the regions of Coquimbo and Antofagasta. tures (ESFRI) and also supported the with these stakeholders. launch of the European Open Science ODG-R had two main projects in 2018, Cloud (EOSC), a European Commission The ESO premises in Chile had the pleas­ namely to move forward with the prepa­ initiative to improve access to scientific ure of hosting the 93rd Committee of rations for the total solar eclipse event in data in Europe. As part of the EOSC initi­ Council Meeting. For the first time, the La Silla taking place on 2 July 2019 and ative, ESO became a member of the inaugural speech was made by the Under­ making the CTA-South agreement possi­ European Science Cluster of Astronomy secretary for Foreign Affairs Carolina ble. The total solar eclipse will be visible & Particle physics ESFRI research infra­ ­Valdivia, who was representing the Minis­ from the La Silla Observatory, in the same structures (ESCAPE), which was awarded ter of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Ampuero. year that the observatory celebrates 16 million euros in funding from Horizon The Undersecretary’s address to Council 50 years of operation. 2020 to implement the EOSC and to stressed the importance of astronomy in develop solutions for the large data sets the development of Chile, and the friend­ To celebrate this unique conjunction, handled by the ESFRI facilities. ESO also ship between ESO and Chile that has ESO is organising a total solar eclipse participated in the ATTRACT Consortium, lasted for over 50 years. The Council event at the La Silla Observatory. Approx­ which was awarded 20 million euros from President, Willy Benz, thanked Chile for imately one thousand guests are expect­ Horizon 2020 to create a European inno­ its friendship, support and commitment. ed to be at La Silla on that day, including

104 ESO Annual Report 2018 scientists, school children, dignitaries Both the eclipse event and the consolida­ respect to systemic risk mitigation is from ESO Member States, Chilean tion and implementation of the ELT coop­ required before the FDR. authorities, and the media. ESO has eration agreement are among ODG-R’s invested a lot of effort to make sure the priorities for 2019. These considerations, together with the Eclipse 2019 event in La Silla is a suc­ update and re-release of the system-wide cess, and one which raises awareness ELT hazard and risk analysis in 2018, of astronomy and ESO across Chile and ODG-A required a significant cross-departmental the world, as well as the pressing need effort, with different directorates and dis­ to protect the skies. Representation is The Internal Audit Plan was approved by ciplines contributing their expertise on working closely with ePOD and authori­ the Director General after discussion with general safety, electrical engineering, fire ties in Chile to coordinate the event. the Directors. The audit plan for the year protection, etc. 2018 included audits of travel, direct Since the beginning of the year close orders, HR processes, project cost allo­ Ongoing prevention activities consisted of communications were established with cation, approval chains and a review of defining new safety procedures and the Chilean authorities to address the the Host State agreements. The audits on updating them where necessary. In par­ remaining concerns related to the arrival travel, direct orders and Host State ticular, the diverging rules on lifting, hoist­ of CTA-South in Chile. The CTA agree­ agreements were completed and the ing, and craning in Germany and Chile ments between ESO and CTA, CTA and results are being discussed with the par­ required appropriately co-ordinated, CONICYT and ESO and Chile were all ties involved. The Internal Audit Office more fully integrated safety procedures signed in December, marking the official also worked on finalising the Internal to be developed. These will reduce start of CTA-South, an array of 99 tele­ Commitment working group proposal. uncertainties and contradictions and scopes tasked with detecting the flashes The accounts of the Staff Association for improve clarity and communication, thus of Cherenkov radiation created when the year 2017 were certified, and those of easing operations. high-energy particles interact with our the Welfare fund were checked. atmosphere. After the signing ceremony, Other ongoing activities included training, the ESO Director General, the Director An audit was carried out on the gender inspections and tests, and an increased for Operations and the ESO Representa­ equity of the planetarium shows at the co-operation in prevention and safety tive had the honour of meeting President ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor matters across site borders and responsi­ Sebastián Piñera, along with the Under­ Centre. ODG-A also followed up after an bilities. Concrete improvements as a secretary for Foreign Affairs Carolina accident on the ALMA premises and result of these activities included providing ­Valdiva and the newly appointed Minister ­analysed the insurance situation. Several support on prevention to the Vitacura of Science, Technology, Knowledge and issues and procedures were discussed offices, as well as to the Directorate of Innovation, Andrés Couve. and coordinated with the departments Engineering in matters of risk ­evaluation. involved; these included the implemen­ Chile — like many countries around the tation of International Public Sector Regarding participation in external activi­ world — is working hard to prepare for Accounting Standards, conflicts of inter­ ties, ESO passed the Chair of the ALMA the fourth industrial revolution (also called est, and Internal Commitment procedures. Safety Advisory Group (ASAG) for the Industry 4.0), which is marked by the The Internal Audit Office also supported 2018/2019 period to the NSF (USA). emergence of new technology break­ the external auditors in their preparations ASAG advises the ALMA Director and throughs in a number of fields including for the audit of the 2018 Financial State­ the ALMA Directors Council on preven­ automation and data exchange. As a ments. Furthermore, ODG-A assisted in tion and safety, security and environ­ result, another important topic of discus­ the reappointment of the External Audi­ ment-related issues and improvements. sion in 2018 was how to shape future tors for a period of three years. relationships with stakeholders in Chile The Chair of the EIROforum Safety ad- in order to use astronomy and partner­ hoc Group, which ESO had held for the ships with ESO to help prepare society Prevention and Safety eight years since the creation of the for this revolution. group, has successfully been handed Safety continued to actively support the over into the capable hands of co-chairs To celebrate the agreement to build the ELT project in 2018, focusing on the from the ESRF and CERN, thus securing ELT in Chile, ESO and Chile committed to preparations for construction onsite, con­ the future activity of this group. The first a cooperation agreement whereby ESO ducting design reviews and following up meeting in this new configuration was staff and young Chilean engineers are on prevention, safety and compliance. hosted by ESO in Q4 2018 in order to invited to work together on technological The slowdown in DMS activities in 2018, smooth the transition. aspects related to the development of the which followed a restructuring in the ELT and the VLT. In particular, this agree­ design setup within the project, could be The incident and accident figures for all ment reflects the mutual motivation to regarded as both a challenge and an sites in 2018 remained well below those learn, develop and incorporate aspects opportunity. In any case, thorough atten­ of similar research institutions. ESO’s related to Industry 4.0 at all ESO sites in tion to the state of preparation with commitment to safety, combined with its Chile. modern infrastructure and good state

ESO Annual Report 2018 105 of maintenance largely contributed to this satisfactory situation. There is no room for complacency, however, and the ELT will continue to provide challenges and even the occasional surprise on the pre­ vention and safety front because of its size and complexity — this is increasingly becoming apparent as the level of detail in the design increases and the construc­ tion activity onsite speeds up according to plan.

Under such constraints, it is essential that ESO remain on top of any prevention and safety challenges, not only to ensure that technical safety features are kept to the highest standards, but also to ensure that the safety culture, care and aware­ ness throughout management and staff remain as high as possible.

An ongoing challenge regarding safety at ESO, as in any other Organisation, remains that of communication, aware­ ness and compliance. In particular, in an international setting where there is no exact application of national legislation, this entails a large effort that is centred on instruction, documentation and train­ ing. Safety works on these aspects con­ tinuously, providing appropriate guidance and argumentation at all sites to further increase prevention efforts and make safety requirements mainstream.

With the Director General serving as chair of the ESO Safety Commission since 2017, the visibility of these prevention and safety activities has significantly increased, and ESO has taken a significant step ­forward in the implementation and inte­ gration of safety into its corporate culture. In 2019, Safety will continue to support ESO programmes. The ELT is the most prominent of these and CTA will be an upcoming challenge, but ensuring the safety of these new facilities does not come at the expense of other, smaller projects. Safety will continue its efforts to raise the standards of preparedness, safety, environment and security at all sites in Germany and Chile.

The four lasers of the Laser Guide Star Facility of the VLT enable deeper observations near the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds.

106 ESO Annual Report 2018 ESO/P. Horálek ESO/P.

ESO Annual Report 2018 107 Organisational Matters

108 ESO Annual Report 2018 Council

As its main governing body, the ESO entation by the external auditors, the Council determines the policy of the External Audit Report was approved, with Council and Committee of Council 2018 Organisation regarding scientific, techni­ discharge being granted to the Director cal and administrative matters. Both General. As a result of an intensive inter­ President Willy Benz Council and the Committee of Council — nal review, a number of amendments to the informal body of Council — normally the ESO Staff Rules and Regulations meet twice a year. However, in 2018, were presented to and approved by Austria João Alves Daniel Weselka there was a need for two additional Council. These changes represent a sig­ extraordinary Council meetings in March nificant improvement within ESO toenable ­ Belgium Sophie Pireaux and October. Both ordinary Council a better work life balance, focussed on Christoffel Waelkens meetings took place in Garching on family friendly initiatives. The Chair of the Czech Republic Jan Buriánek 5–6 June and 4–5 December. The first Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A) Board, Jan Palouš of the Committee of Council meetings André Moitinho, gave a presentation on was held in Vienna on 7–8 March, where the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Denmark Allan Hornstrup the delegates were welcomed by their the journal’s foundation; ESO has han­ René Michelsen Austrian colleagues. The second meeting dled the legal matters of A&A since its Finland Anna Kalliomäki took place at the ESO offices in Santiago foundation. Jari Kotilainen on 10–11 October, from where the dele­ gations were able to visit the ESO sites, The final meeting of the year took place France Guy Perrin Laurent Vigroux including ALMA, Paranal, La Silla and in Garching and a warm welcome was Armazones, the ELT site. All meetings extended to the Irish delegation members Germany Thomas Roth were chaired by the Council President, who were attending their first ordinary Martin Thomé Willy Benz. Council meeting with Ireland as a Mem­ (as of September 2018) Linda Tacconi ber State. The meeting commenced with At the June meeting, the Council Presi­ regular updates on the ESO programme Ireland Joseph Moore dent and the ESO Director General pro­ and included a presentation from the Tom Ray vided an update on a range of ongoing EMAC Chair. Council also agreed to a Italy Nicolò D’Amico events and actions, and the various final adjustment to the draft agreement Matteo Pardo Directors and Heads of Department pre­ on the hosting, construction, commis­ sented feedback on all aspects of ESO’s sioning and operation of the southern The Netherlands Amina Helmi programme, including the status of the array of CTA on the Paranal site in Chile. Mirjam Lieshout-Vijverberg La Silla Paranal Observatory, the ELT and During discussions related to finance, Poland Michał Rybiński ALMA. Council welcomed and unani­ approval was given for the ESO Budget Marek Sarna mously approved the admission of Ireland 2019 and the Forward Look 2020–2022. into ESO as its 16th Member State. The The appointment of the external auditors Portugal Paulo Ferrão Paulo Garcia appointments of the chair and members from Finland for a further three-year term of the Visiting Committee 2018 were was also agreed. Spain Rafael Bachiller also approved; these are Hans-Walter Rix Inmaculada Figueroa (Chair), Massimo Altarelli, Rebecca Elections took place for the appointment Sweden Hans Olofsson ­Bernstein, Sofia Feltzing, Robert of members to various ESO Committees, Catarina Sahlberg ­Kennicutt, Anne-Marie Lagrange, Hilton including the ALMA Board, Finance Com­ (Vice President) Lewis, Elena Pian and Patrick Roche. mittee, Observing Programmes Commit­ tee, Scientific Technical Committee (STC) Switzerland Xavier Reymond Bruno Moor The ELT GTO funding for instruments and the Tripartite Group. Elections for was discussed and agreed. This new the vacant post of Council Vice President United Kingdom Simon Morris model allows a close link to be main­ took place, with Daniel Weselka subse­ Isobel Hook tained between ESO and instrumentation quently being appointed to the position. (as of March 2018) Colin Vincent teams from the Member States, while at The delegates also took the occasion the same time providing the opportunity to meet ESO staff members from their for additional funding for these instru­ countries, with the Council President join­ Observers ments. The Financial Statements for ing personnel who were not nationals of Australia Matthew Colless 2017 were approved, as was the scale of Member States. Sue Weston contributions for 2019. Following a pres­

Top: Member State flags outside the ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany. Bottom: The ESO Council in Vitacura, Chile.

ESO Annual Report 2018 109 Finance Committee

The ESO Finance Committee has overall tered partnerships, and the Long Term Finance Committee 2018 responsibility for advising Council on all Care for Fellows and Students. On the matters of administrative and financial evening of the first day of the meeting, Chair Inmaculada Figueroa management. In 2018, there were two the Finance Committee attended a guid­ (Spain) extraordinary and two ordinary meetings. ed tour and a planetarium show in the All meetings were held at ESO Head­ ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor quarters in Garching and chaired by Centre, which had been inaugurated in Austria Sabine Hertgen Inmaculada Figueroa. At these meetings, April; the evening concluding with dinner Belgium Alain Heynen the Finance Committee received informa­ under the glass star roof. tion on recent developments at ESO, Czech Republic Pavel Křeček including CERN Pension Fund matters, The main subject of the 153rd meeting Denmark René Michelsen procurement statistics and industrial in September was the preparation of the return coefficients. budget and indexation. Finland Sirpa Nummila (Vice-chair) The 151st meeting in February focused The 154th meeting in November was the France Anne-Hélène Bouillon Guilhem de Robillard on urgent procurements for the ELT and first to be attended by the Irish delegate (as of April 2018) operational maintenance for the observa­ after the Accession Agreement was tories in Chile. signed in September. At this meeting, the Germany Bastian Rottländer Finance Committee recommended sever­ Ireland Sarah Flood The Financial Statements, the Scale of al items for approval by Council, including (as of September 2018) Contributions for 2019 and the External the 2019 budget, the Adjustment of Audit Report 2017 were presented at the Remuneration for ESO International Staff Italy Salvatore Vizzini 152nd meeting in May. After the reinstate­ for 2019, and the extension of the Pro­ The Netherlands Thijs Geurts ment of the International Staff Committee gressive Retirement Programme for at the end of 2017, ESO proposed a num­ another year. In total, the Finance Com­ Poland Konrad Dębski ber of amendments to the Staff Rules mittee approved 16 contracts exceeding Jagienka Chapanionek and Regulations to the Finance Commit­ 500 000 euros, eight amendments to (as of August 2018) tee for recommendation to Council which existing contracts and four single-source Portugal Filipa Batista Coelho included the recognition of legally regis­ procurements exceeding 250 000 euros.

Spain Fernando Mérida José Ramón Sánchez Quintana (as of April 2018)

Sweden Katrin Brandt

Switzerland Astrid Vassella

United Kingdom Maggie Collick Chris Woolford (as of May 2018)

Observer

Australia Brad Medland

The Void at the ESO Supernova Plane­ tarium & Visitor Centre is a stunning space that is used to host exhibitions and events. In this picture, it has been prepared for an evening event.

110 ESO Annual Report 2018 Scientific Technical Committee

The STC advises Council and the Director priority observing modes, and some wor­ The Scientific Technical Committee 2018 General on scientific and technical priori­ ries about the proposal review process. ties for ESO’s projects and programmes. Chair Denis Mourard (France) The La Silla Paranal Observatory provided a comprehensive overview of the numer­ 91st STC meeting ous activities on La Silla and Paranal Austria Franz Kerschbaum (including APEX). Highlights included the Belgium Hugues Sana Under the lead of a new chair, Denis connection of Paranal to the Chilean Mourard from the Observatoire de la Côte electrical grid (“first electrical light”) and Czech Republic Pavel Jáchym d’Azur, the STC met in Garching on the AOF on UT4, now delivering its first 24–25 April 2018. As usual, the meeting impressive science results. APEX was Denmark Jes K. Jörgensen (ESAC) was preceded by the sub-committee ramping back up after six months of Finland Alexis Finoguenov (LSP) meetings for the ELT (ESC), ALMA (ESAC) downtime, while La Silla was preparing and La Silla Paranal (LSP). for the next “hosted telescopes” on France Vanessa Hill behalf of the community. Germany Jochen Liske The STC was briefed on progress on the ELT programme over the previous six The Paranal Instrumentation Programme Ireland Paul Callanan months. Highlights included the approval presented the roadmap for the next years, by Council of the procurement of the full in which the number of ongoing instru­ Italy Livia Origlia primary mirror, a meeting of the EMAC ment projects slowly diminishes to fit Poland Grzegorz Pietrzyński — which recommended an internal cost within the programme budget envelope. review, and a large number of reviews First fringes with MATISSE and a road­ Portugal Sérgio Sousa linked to the procurement of major opto- map for VLTI visitor instruments were Spain Almudena Alonso-Herrero mechanical systems. Regarding instru­ highlights on the interferometry side. The (ESC) mentation, discussion focused on miti­ STC very much looked forward to a com­ gating the risk of delaying an AO solution munity workshop in 2019 to explore the Sweden Kirsten Kraiberg Knudsen for HARMONI, one of the first-light instru­ strategy for the VLT in the ELT era, pro­ Switzerland Francesco Pepe ments. Some concerns were discussed, viding an opportunity for the community as all of the instruments are struggling to bring fresh ideas to the table. The Netherlands Eline Tolstoy with mass, cost and schedule. However, overall, the STC continued to be The STC had a number of recommenda­ United Kingdom Ian Smail (ESAC) impressed with the progress and the tions aimed at improving ESO’s commu­ Chile Neil Nagar pace of the ELT programme. nication with the community, for example on the fraction of time committed to GTO, The ALMA team presented an update on and the policy for hosted telescopes. Members at Large science operations as well as the devel­ Mainly, though, the STC was in congratu­ Warrick Couch (Australia) opment vision recently endorsed by the latory mode given the achievements of the Eva Schinnerer (Germany, ESAC Chair) ALMA Board. The latter foresees science- last six months — ESPRESSO, MATISSE, driven technical developments on the GRAAL/HAWK-I, and MUSE with AOF. Observer medium- and longer-term future (5 to 15 years), centred on increasing the band­ Finally, a first discussion with the STC Australia Michael Ireland width and spectral resolution over a broad took place on preparing science priorities range of frequencies. Operations were across all formal “supplementary pro­ progressing towards Cycle 6, with over grammes” at ESO (APEX, VLT, ALMA and 1800 new observing proposals received ELT). by the Cycle 6 deadline. Cycle 5 was still ongoing, with an overall increase in observatory efficiency. The data process­ 92nd STC meeting ing backlog was under control and the data reduction workflow had been rede­ The 92nd meeting of the STC took place signed so that it could eventually be on 23–24 October in Garching, and was transferred to the JAO. also chaired by Denis Mourard. In his opening remarks, the Director General The STC welcomed the positive evolu­ reported the accession of Ireland and tion, especially on data processing, and gave a warm welcome to the new Irish supported the development roadmap, representative, Paul Callanan from Uni­ including ESO participation in some pro­ versity College Cork, and to all of the Irish jects. They expressed some concerns scientific community. As usual the STC about long delays in commissioning high- sub-committees for ALMA, ELT and

ESO Annual Report 2018 111 La Silla Paranal had met before the STC The committee noted an apparent The Paranal Instrumentation Programme meeting and provided reports. The decrease in community interest in partici­ presented an impressive list of achieve­ detailed agenda and most presentations pation in development programmes to ments, from the commissioning of the are available online. extend ALMA’s hardware and software NFM of MUSE and the major new results capabilities, encouraging ESO to pay fur­ from GRAVITY on the Galactic Centre, The STC received and fully supported a ther attention to this issue and to identify to the first commissioning of NAOMI with presentation from Gaitee Hussain about possible ways to promote sustainable four ATs and the performance of the new Code of Conduct at ESO, which community engagement. ­MATISSE, which is significantly better now extends to all ESO meetings, work­ than specifications. shops, conferences and visiting astrono­ At APEX, the SEPIA Band 5 receiver has mers. The aim is to maintain and enhance been reinstalled and there were impres­ Looking at future activities, the call for a the work environment at ESO, keeping sive results from the ongoing science phase A for a new visible AO VLT instru­ it safe and professional, valuing diversity verification of the new SEPIA Band 9 ment received one compliant proposal for and inclusion, and actively promoting receiver. Three Public Surveys had been an imager and integral-field spectro­ courtesy and respect. completed using the Arizona Radio graph, called MAVIS. The STC was also Observatory. very pleased to see that there was a date The ELT Programme presented the latest for the “VLT in 2030” workshop, which developments in the construction of The La Silla Paranal Observatory present­ it viewed as an important step towards both telescope and instruments, and the ed an overview of recent activities, high­ shaping the future of the VLT in the era of STC continued to be impressed by the lighting the decommissioning of AMBER the ELT. progress. The most noticeable advance­ after 13 years of operation and the ments were on the excavation and pour­ planned instrument moves including Following the work and recommenda­ ing of the lean concrete for the dome moving VISIR to the integration hall and tions of the Time Allocation Working foundations at Armazones, the produc­ then to UT4 for the NEAR experiment, Group, the STC was presented with vari­ tion of the various mirror blanks and M1 and SINFONI from UT4 to UT3. Activities ous options aimed at improving the pro­ segment supports, and the development in Garching were also reported, in par­ posal selection process and maximising of the telescope control system. ticular the DFS review, which includes the scientific return from ESO facilities. development of the new Phase 1 tool, the Discussion focused on steps already The status of the instruments was also unified Guidecam tool and the new implemented, such as moving to a yearly presented, with HARMONI close to Archive Science Portal. An important cycle for Large Programmes from P104, resolving all critical actions from its PDR highlight was the prestigious award of the and encouraging the submission of pro­ and MICADO starting the PDR process OSA Paul Forman Team Engineering posals with larger time requests. Future in November. Some concerns were dis­ Excellence to the AOF team, which possible steps were also discussed, like cussed about the procurement of M5, received the congratulations of the STC. a Fast-Track proposal channel and Dis­ and possible delays in the DMS contract, tributed Peer Review — for which an as well as schedule delay for some A group photo of the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) ongoing exploratory trial with 170 volun­ team, shortly after they were awarded the 2018 instruments. The STC was very support­ Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award teers from the community was launched ive in recommending that ESO proceed by the Optical Society (OSA). in August. to construction with the LTAO module for HARMONI and welcomed a new GTO scheme as a possible funding route for HIRES and MOSAIC. ESO/M. Zamani ESO/M. During its ALMA session, the STC noted with great satisfaction the successful delivery of the Band 5 receivers, a Euro­ pean development project. The go-ahead for a new European ALMA development project — an ALMA re-imaging project called Additional Representative Images for Legacy — was sought and given. The STC also noted good progress in the implementation of Band 2 receivers as an ALMA development project. The commit­ tee urged the JAO to define and adopt a written open policy to proactively inform the user community on any hardware or software issues — internal or external — that affect released data.

112 ESO Annual Report 2018 Observing Programmes Committee

During its meetings in May and Novem­ the UTs. The renewed suite of instru­ The Observing Programmes Committee 2018 ber, the OPC evaluated the proposals ments has significantly boosted the submitted for observations to be execut­ demand on the VLTI. ed in Periods 102 (1 October 2018– Bengt Gustafsson (Chair P102) 31 March 2019) and 103 (1 April–30 Sep­ The OPC reviewed 15 open-time propos­ Elena Pian (Vice-Chair P102) tember 2019). The numbers of proposals als for VISTA and 16 for the VST, of which Suzanne Madden (Chair P103) for observations with ESO telescopes 8 and 15 were scheduled, respectively. Badri Krishnan (Vice-Chair P103) in these two periods were 915 and 912, The VST allocation includes the proposal respectively. for the optical tracking of the Gaia space­ France Allard (P103) craft, part of the bilateral agreement Angela Bongiorno The proportions of submitted proposals between ESA and ESO, which has been Christopher Conselice (P103) (excluding Large Programmes) were running since Period 92 (2013). Roland Diehl 17.8%, 21.4%, 31.5% and 29.2% for A, B, Gerry Doyle C and D categories, respectively. In terms On La Silla, HARPS and EFOSC2 contin­ Johan Fynbo of time requested, the corresponding ued to be in high demand. Raffaele Gratton (P103) proportions were 19.7%, 20.9%, 31.2% Jacek Krelowski and 28.2%. This is in line with the slight No application was received by ESO George Lake (P102) shift towards stellar science (categories C within the framework of the continuing Rene Liseau and D) as compared to extragalactic sci­ agreement between ESO and ESA for a Richard McDermid ence (categories A and B) that has been joint telescope time allocation scheme Raffaella Morganti observed over the last few years. for coordinated observations with the VLT Goeran Oestlin and XMM-Newton. Time on both facilities Evelyne Roueff The OPC categories are specified in full was granted to two joint proposals that Maurizio Salaris (P102) at http://www.eso.org/sci/observing/ were evaluated by the XMM–Newton Ezequiel Treister phase1/p104/opc-categories.html. Observing Time Allocation Committee. Werner Zeilinger In 2018, MUSE, which is mounted on Yepun (UT4), is the VLT instrument with Targets of Opportunity Programmes the largest amount of requested observ­ ing time (478 nights). It was followed by The number of Target of Opportunity pro­ X-shooter (429 nights) on Kueyen (UT2), posals submitted in 2018 was similar to and by FORS2 (304 nights) on Antu (UT1). previous years. For Periods 102 and 103, As a result of the combined demand on the OPC evaluated 39 and 53 proposals, X-shooter and UVES, Kueyen (UT2) con­ respectively, of which 21 were scheduled tinues to be the most popular UT in terms in each period, amounting to a total of of time requested (675 nights). Although about 544 hours. FORS2 and X-shooter the conclusion of the technical activities were the most requested instruments for related to the AOF has significantly Target of Opportunity observations, with increased the availability of UT4 in Peri­ a total of 494 hours requested. These two ods 102 and 103, Yepun remains the tele­ instruments were allocated 43% of the scope with the highest ratio of requested Target of Opportunity time. The Target of to available time (4.6). Opportunity allocation at the two survey telescopes for programmes dedicated to In 2018, ESPRESSO was offered for the the identification of the counterparts of first time. A total of more than 300 nights gravitational wave sources remained sub­ were requested for this instrument by stantial (72 hours — 13%). A significant the community and the GTO consortium. amount of Target of Opportunity time The vast majority of ESPRESSO time was (about 150 hours) was also allocated to allocated on Melipal (UT3). the ENGRAVE programme on UT1, UT2 and UT4 for the follow-up of the third The demand for the interferometric LIGO–Virgo campaign on gravitational instrument GRAVITY, which was first wave sources. offered in 2017 with four UTs, remained large and was dominated by the science case following the periastron passage Calibration Programmes of the star S2 around the Galactic Centre. In P103 ESO offered MATISSE on the VLTI Calibration Programmes allow users to for the first time, with 61 nights requested complement the existing coverage of the on the ATs and 14 nights requested on calibration plans for ESO instruments.

ESO Annual Report 2018 113 Calibration Programmes are mostly eval­ Following OPC recommendations, 16 Director’s Discretionary Time uated by comparing the potential to new Large Programmes were implement­ enhance the outcome of future science ed in 2018 (eight in Period 102, and eight Proposals asking for Director’s Discre­ that can be expected from their execution in Period 103). The trend towards using tionary Time (DDT) may be submitted against the immediate return from science a large fraction of science time on the throughout the year for programmes that proposals in the current period that are La Silla telescopes for the execution of have an urgency that is incompatible directly competing for the same resourc­ Large Programmes is continuing; this with the regular proposal cycles handled es. In 2018 six Calibration Programmes has been encouraged by ESO and clearly by the OPC. In 2018, the ESO user com­ were submitted (four in Period 102 and embraced by the community in recent munity submitted 99 DDT proposals, two in Period 103). Five proposals­ were years. The total allocations to new and requesting about 552 hours. After taking recommended for implementation by the ongoing Large Programmes in Peri­ advice from an internal committee of OPC (three in Period 102 and two in ods 102 and 103 at the ESO 3.6-metre ESO staff astronomers, the Director for Period 103). telescope and at the NTT were 179 and Science, delegated by the Director Gen­ 100.5 nights respectively. This corre­ eral, approved 53 DDT proposals for sponds to 55.1% and 31.2% of the availa­ implementation, amounting to a total of Large Programmes ble science time at these two telescopes. 216.4 hours.

Large Programmes are projects that require a minimum of 100 hours of observ­ Public Spectroscopic Surveys ing time and that have the potential to lead to a major advance or breakthrough All the ongoing public spectroscopic in the relevant field of study. Large Pro­ ­surveys have been completed and no gramme execution can be spread over new call was issued in 2018. several observing periods with a maximum duration of four years for observations to be carried out with the La Silla tele­ scopes, and two years on the VLT/I and on APEX.

A total of 45 Large Programme propos- als were received in 2018, 23 in Peri­ od 102 and 22 in Period 103. Of these, five programmes were GTO Large Pro­ grammes from the instrument con­sortia of ESPRESSO (VLT), Architecture de bolomètres pour des Télescopes à grand champ de vue dans le domaine sub-­ Millimétrique au Sol (ArTéMiS; APEX) and the Laser Frequency Comb (LFC; ESO 3.6-metre).

This image shows a part of the Rosette Nebula in the constellation of Monoceros (The Unicorn). It was obtained with the FORS2 instrument on the VLT.

114 ESO Annual Report 2018 Users Committee

The UC is an advisory body to the ESO encouraging its quick deployment. They The Users Committee 2018 Director General representing communi­ suggested implementing a way to obtain ties of users from the ESO Member more structured feedback from the Chair Olivier Absil States and Chile and advising on opera­ observing proposal peer review panels. (Belgium) tional aspects and users’ feedback relat­ Following discussion of an analysis of ed to the La Silla Paranal Observatory possible biases in the handling and Austria Wolfgang Kausch and ALMA. As of 2018, the UC also review of ALMA proposals, the UC recom­ Czech Republic Michaela Kraus included a representative from Australia mended that ESO should continue moni­ for matters pertaining to the La Silla toring and investigating the causes of Denmark Lise Bech Christensen ­Paranal Observatory. biases and should implement measures as done by some other observatories. Finland Talvikki Hovatta The 42nd annual UC meeting was held at The UC also asked ESO to consider France Nicolas Bouché the ESO Headquarters on 26 and 27 April changing the start of the one-year pro­ 2018. The first day started with reports prietary period clock to start only after Germany Maria-Rosa L. Cioni from ESO — including a report from the the last observation in the run has been Italy Maria Teresa Beltran UC Chair and review of the last year’s completed. recommendations — and concluded with The Netherlands Karina Caputi a general discussion. The UC emphasised The second day of the UC meeting (Co-Chair) users’ continued high level of satisfaction focused on the future of European ALMA Poland Łukasz Wyrzykowski with the observing facilities, tools, and user support. ESO showed that support especially the support involving human for ALMA, while led and coordinated by Portugal Nuno Peixinho interactions. Two areas that received the European ARC at ESO, relies on some more critical feedback were related many experts from across seven ARC Spain María Rosa Zapatero Osorio to observing proposal evaluations and nodes and one Expertise Centre in data reduction pipelines. Suggestions Europe. As the ALMA community grows Sweden Sofia Ramstedt were made regarding exploring ways to and the expertise in the community con­ engage the community experts and data tinues to increase, a question was posed Switzerland Miroslava Dessauges centres to contribute to the development about the need to evolve the support. United Kingdom Danny Steeghs of pipelines and to increase the availabili­ ty of advanced products for ALMA. Two expert ALMA users invited to the Chile Sebastian Lopez Morales meeting, Cécile Favre and Frédérique The UC welcomed the phased imple­ Motte, stressed the importance of the Observer mentation of the recommendations of support provided by ARC nodes, now the Time Allocation Working Group and and in the future, which echoed the feed­ Australia Caroline Foster was satisfied with a demonstration of back collected by the UC. The need to the new ESO proposal submission tool, support observation preparations as well as data reduction and analysis will remain, especially for non-standard observing modes and Large Programmes.

The 2018 meeting emphasised the importance of a joint La Silla Paranal Observatory-ALMA UC meeting, where the synergies between the optical-infrared ESO and the submillimetre/millimetre ALMA facilities are discussed, combining experience and users’ feedback.

A cluster of ALMA antennas on remote Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert.

ESO Annual Report 2018 115 International Staff Association

The origin of a Staff Association that (ISCC). The ISCE and ISCC operate by the Finance Committee, the proposal ­represents Members of Personnel is ­jointly as the ISC on matters of common is submitted to the ESO Council for a final embedded in the International Staff Rules interest. The current ISA representatives decision. (“A Staff Association may be estab­ were elected in September 2017 with a lished”). These also define the associa­ two-year mandate. The Organisation In 2018, the STAC met 10 times to discuss tion’s primary function as follows: grants ISC members a quota of their time and provide recommendations on the to be devoted to ISC activities. Originally, ­following topics: “Within the framework of the present this time allocation was set at 1 FTE for − Children’s Allowance; Rules, and independently of the normal the ISC as a whole. Following a review of − Long Term Care for Fellows and hierarchical channels, the relations the actual time spent in the first half of ­Students; between the Director General of the 2018, it became very clear that this was − Recognition of Legally Registered Organisation and the members of the not sufficient to perform the ISC duties as Partnerships; personnel shall be either direct with the defined in any reasonable way, especially − Stand-by Duty; individual or on a collective basis with for the concertation process which needs − Affordability Clause; the Staff Associations as intermediaries.” sufficient effort and time to be effective. − Reimbursement of Childcare; This issue was raised by the ISA with the − Family Leave; However, the role of the International Staff Director General who recognised that the − Expatriation Allowance; Association (ISA) also extends beyond that ISC workload was substantial. As a result − Rent Allowance; officially defined in the ESO Staff Rules the allotted total time was increased to − Split of Household and Children’s and Regulations (SRR). The ISA Statutes 1.8 FTE. The ISC will continue to monitor Allowance; enhance this official role with additional the actual time spent in 2019. In view − Expansion of the Flexible Working aims, and in this context we have of major tasks ahead, for example the Time Policy; deployed activities in 2018 related to: Regular Review, a revision of the ISC time − Mobile Working Policy; − promoting unity and cooperation allocation might be required. − Establishment of the role of Ombuds between the various ESO establish­ at ESO; ments; In addition to the ESO Staff Rules and t − Personal Data Protection Policy; − safeguarding the rights and defending he ISA Statutes, the Recognition Agree­ − Regular Review; the interests of all members of staff, ment, signed jointly by the ESO Director − Extension of the Progressive especially as regards security of General and the ISA President at the end Retirement Programme; employment; of 2017, provides the framework for ISC − Rewards and Recognition Policy. − promoting the welfare of staff, including activities related to the representation of cultural, social and sports activities. ISA members. Except for the change in the Expatriation Allowance, all topics were unanimously All international Members of Personnel One of the main ISC tasks is to cooperate supported in their final formulation; many are members of the ISA by default. In with the Director General and his repre­ of these were developed over several addition, staff members may opt to con­ sentatives on improving the working sessions of the STAC and in parallel pre­ tribute financially to the ISA funds. As of ­conditions of the Members of Personnel; paratory meetings. The proposed change 31 December 2018, 43 International and participation in the STAC plays a to the Expatriation Allowance — namely Staff Members (ISM) and 43 fellows were major role in this process. In the STAC the reduction to zero over six years after registered. 373 ISM are also contributing both ESO management and the ISC are the start of an indefinite appointment for members, of whom 302 are based in represented; its role and way of function­ staff members who have their Duty Sta­ Europe and 71 in Chile. ing were renewed and extended in 2017. tion in Europe and who joined the Organi­ The STAC receives the proposed chang­ sation after July 2018 — was opposed The ISA funds are used primarily for legal es to the SRR and Administrative Circu­ by the ISC, as it was considered a risk to support, both for general matters and lars (implementation guides for the appli­ ESO’s future ability to attract talent. for single cases, as well as for social cation of the SRR), which are prepared Although the principles of Mobile Working activities such as the Garching children’s by the HR Department or the ODG and, were approved quickly within the STAC, Christmas party and summer party, and following the principle of concertation, it the ISC regrets that its practical introduc­ sports events. In 2018 20 500 euros were provides a recommendation to the Direc­ tion was made unnecessarily complicat­ spent on legal fees and 7000 euros on tor General. The recommendation can ed and took a lot of time. social activities. ISA funds are audited be unanimous, or outline the differences once per year and the result presented to of position should an agreement not be Owing to a lack of time, not only on the the General Assembly. reached. The Director General then part of the ISC but also on that of the decides which position will be posted to Organisation, several important organisa­ According to their Duty Station, ISA the Tripartite Group for advice. The Tri­ tional topics could not be reviewed and members elect four representatives to partite Group is constituted of represent­ concluded in 2018. The examples below one of the two International Staff Com­ atives from ESO governing Bodies (Coun­ show some of the topics concerned: mittees; one representing staff in Europe cil and the Finance Committee), ESO − An update of the procedure for the (ISCE), and one for staff based in Chile management, and the ISC. After approval annual staff performance review: the

116 ESO Annual Report 2018 current procedure is resource intensive quarterly meetings with the Director Gen­ CPF and will receive a substantially and was introduced more than 20 years eral, plus impromptu meetings as needed reduced transfer value. This issue, ago. This issue should be reviewed and with management and/or staff members, mainly affecting fellows, has also been if feasible a more efficient procedure have all made for a rather busy schedule brought to the attention of Finance should be considered. for the ISC in 2018. Commitee and Council delegates. − Professional/career development policy for staff: this is a long outstanding topic A new scheme, introduced in December Other highlights of 2018 were: supporting that is brought up very frequently by 2017, enabling direct, informal communi­ the selection process of the Ombuds; the staff members. In the interests of mak­ cation between staff members and the preparatory work for the definition and ing the optimal and most efficient use Finance Committee and Council delegates launch of the Regular Review process to of staff skills this topic needs the urgent of their home country continued this year. be held; and the setting up of a working attention of the Organisation. Staff in Chile had the opportunity to meet group in Chile for the analysis of the dif­ − Procedure for internal vacancies: the with Council delegates on 8 and 13 Octo­ ferential cost of living mechanism. current International Staff Regulations ber. Staff located in Garching could meet only foresee vacancies being published with Finance Committee delegates Having an efficient and smooth Regular both internally and externally to the on 6 November and Council delegates on Review is one of the most important goals Organisation. The ISC favours the 4–5 December 2018. The feedback for the ISC, and for this reason it has implementation of a dedicated vacancy received from participants at these meet­ been making substantial efforts this year procedure that only focuses on internal ings was positive, and the open exchange to support its preparation, which is ongo­ candidates. The ISC position is moti­ of information was appreciated. The actual ing. We have analysed the previous Reg­ vated by a) internal mobility within the impact of this information exchange is still ular Review that was presented to Council Organisation and b) the professional/ unknown but the ISA is hopeful that some in 2015, and have come up with a modi­ career development of staff. effect will already be noticeable in 2019. fied strategy that should avoid the issues encountered in the previous Regular We have asked the Organisation to sched­ With respect to the CPF, the ISC welcomes Review. We have presented this strategy ule the review of these important topics the improving financial health of the fund. to ESO management, the Director General and to allocate appropriate resources for Thanks to its active management the fund and the Tripartite Group, and it was next year. can benefit from the economic upswing unanimously accepted. We believe that a around the world. Our attention is focused strong basis has been established for the In November 2018 the STAC evaluated the on three specific topics related to the CPF: further improvement and modernisation way in which it functions and concluded 1. Mitigation of the double exchange risk of the overall working conditions, bringing that the process of reviewing and making for ESO staff who joined the CPF as of ESO out from an average institution to recommendations has gone well since 1 January 2014: this group of staff is a leading position in which it can act as a the Recognition Agreement was intro­ exposed to exchange rate fluctuations reference — as is already the case for duced. To increase efficiency within the between the euro and Swiss franc, not technology and science. In this review STAC a proposal was made to stream­- only when paying their contributions, particular attention needs to be given to line the workflow. The ISC strongly sup­ but also when receiving their benefits the housing conditions in both Munich ports the idea of having more brainstorm­ from the fund. This financial risk had and Santiago, as they have become ing sessions within the STAC in order been identified at the time of introduc­ financially very challenging for many. to increase the level of discussion. This ing the new pension scheme in 2014 aspect could not be given much attention and the Organisation has committed The Health Working Group reports to the in 2018 owing to the substantial workload itself to investigating measures to miti­ ISC and represents ESO staff on issues on the STAC resulting from reviewing the gate these risks. So far, unfortunately, related to health and health insurance many proposals listed above. no solution could be identified. within the Organisation. The working 2. Transferring savings from a previous group consults the Organisation on these Besides its participation in the STAC, pension fund into the CPF, especially matters at least twice a year. Slight the ISA is represented on various other transferring from a national pension updates to the terms of reference have official entities, including: fund — for example, this is currently been made, to increase the interaction − Finance Committee; not possible in Germany and Italy. This between the ISC and the working group − Tripartite Group; serious issue has also been brought to and to make the group more proactive; − Joint Advisory Appeals Board; the attention of the Finance Committee these will be in place from 2019. In 2018, − Indefinite Appointment Advisory Board; and Council delegates, since the active the working group discussed issues − Rehabilitation Board; support of Member States is essential ­related to ESO staff health coverage and − Disciplinary Board; to resolving the current impasse. proposed several changes which will be − CERN Pension Fund (CPF). 3. The unfavourable position of ISM and applicable from 1 January 2019. There Preparing for and attending the meetings fellows working for fewer than five was also a request for more transparency of the entities mentioned above, regular years at ESO while having contributed and more involvement of the staff in the monthly meetings with the Director of to the CPF: on leaving ESO an affected health coverage contract, as staff mem­ Administration and the Head of HR, and staff member is obliged to leave the bers contribute a significant amount.

ESO Annual Report 2018 117 Carlos Duran Carlos

118 ESO Annual Report 2018 Local Staff Representatives

Since November 2016, there have The following agreements were signed been two unions representing LSM: the during 2018 in order to comply with the “­Sindicato del Personal Local del transitory articles from the last Collective ­Observatorio La Silla–ESO” and the Contract Bargaining: “­Sindicato de Técnicos y Profesionales − working clothes; del Personal Local del Observatorio − La Silla Day Night Operators coordina­ Paranal–ESO”. Additionally, two staff tor allowance; ­delegates represent the “Group of Non- − the consequences of working at night. Unionized Local Staff Members”. The delegates from the three groups listed In addition, the LSM representatives were here represent their members through invited to meet the Visiting Committee regular communication with the ESO and also to be part of the selection board management. They all actively participate for the new Ombuds. In the latter, it was in the review of the RPL in Chile, a pro­ agreed that the Paranal Union and the cess that started in 2015. Non-Unionized Local Staff Members appoint one representative for all three The main activities in 2018 are summa­ groups. rised below: − On 27 February the Union Directors participated in the FOACH (Federacion de Sindicatos de Trabajadores de Observatorios Astronomicos de Chile) elections. − During April 2018 the representatives also had discussions that took place in Vitacura about the new RPL in order to harmonise them with new Chilean Labour Law; the staff and union repre­ sentatives are currently waiting for an answer from the Organisation regarding the Spanish version. − The representatives are currently par­ ticipating in several working groups, such as: Revision of Emergency Proce­ dure; Making of Paranal Site Manual & Paranal Security Procedures; Vitacura Safety; Performance Management and Professional Development. − There are a number of ongoing activi­ ties related to reviewing the Status of the Workload of the Telescope Instru­ ment Operators, Day Night Operators and Day Operators with the Chilean Ergonomic Commission. − Revision of La Silla Union Statutes according to the new Chilean Labor Law Requirements.

Working on the APEX telescope.

ESO Annual Report 2018 119 Diversity and Inclusion ESO/M.Zamani

It is the mission of the Diversity and Inclu­ An online presence was prepared and sion Committee to promote diversity and deployed to promote the work of the inclusion at all levels within ESO by fos­ group and provide all ESO staff members tering a culture and atmosphere of mutu­ with links to relevant literature and videos. al respect that values high performance Talking about the importance of diversity from employees of all backgrounds, gen­ and inclusion in an organisation is the der and culture. The Diversity and Inclu­ first step towards raising awareness and sion Committee was set up in 2017; it developing the corresponding targets reports to the ESO Director General and and strategies to achieve them. With this works closely with ESO management to preparatory work, the committee has promote and implement goals, policies contributed to setting the following 2019 and good practice pertaining to diversity. organisational goal for ESO: The committee integrates efforts from all ESO sites. “Adopt a diversity & inclusion organisa­ tional strategy, focusing on cultural and In 2018 the Committee organised talks gender dimensions, defining realistic for all staff members on diversity-related long-term goals and targets as well as matters such as unconscious bias and associated strategies.” gender in science with the goal of raising awareness of these topics. Some of its members participated in meetings of vari­ ous networks, such as the Gender Equal­ ity Network in the European Research Area (GENERA) and the EIROforum ad- hoc Working Group on Diversity and Inclu­ siveness, as well as international meet­ ings (for example, Gender Summit 15).

The committee places importance on learning as much as possible about the best practices in place in academia and the industry; in this spirit, some members of the committee also participated in for­ mal training courses in this area.

At the request of the Director General, the committee prepared several sets of recommendations. The first recommen­ dation aims to improve the hiring process at ESO to promote diversity within the Organisation. The committee examined the way that ESO vacancies are formulat­ ed and where they are posted, as well as the process by which candidates are shortlisted. Videos on unconscious bias were selected to prepare members of selection boards for their duties. The group also prepared guidelines on the A collection of images from a wide range of events material delivered by the education and held at ESO in 2018. From top to botom and left to right: Public Outreach Department regarding – The Diversity and Inclusion Committe organised a diversity (including planetarium shows, talk by Tomas Brage on “Gender equality in exhibitions, podcasts, etc...). Finally, physics. guidelines on the use of gender-inclusive – ESO Students and Fellows led an education initia­ tive in Ghana called the ESO Astronomy Research language were released to the manage­ Training programme. ment for approval. – Group photo from a workshop on star and planet formation called “Take a Closer Look”. – Poster session at the workshop “Imaging Stellar Surfaces”. – Talk by Karolien Notebaert dedicated to “uncon­ scious bias”.

120 ESO Annual Report 2018 Allison Man ESO/M.Zamani ESO/M.Zamani

ESO Annual Report 2018 121 VLT FORS2 image of the barred ­spiral galaxy NGC 1398.

122 ESO Annual Report 2018 Calendar of Events

January ALMA Board meeting. ALMA Operations ing Excellence­ Award. Washington DC, Support Facility, 11–13 April. USA, 17 September. ESO Workshop “Atacama Large-Aperture Submm/mm Telescope”. ESO Headquar­ ESO and VDL ETG Projects B.V. (the Signature of the Ireland Accession Agree­ ters, 17–19 January. Netherlands) signed a contract for the ment. ESO Headquarters, 26 September. manufacture, assembly, testing and deliv­ ESO Workshop “Planning ESO observa­ ery of the Segment Support Mechanics tions of future gravitational wave events”. for ELT M1. ESO Headquarters, 19 April. October ESO Headquarters, 31 January–1 February. 91st STC meeting. ESO Headquarters, ESO Open House Day 2018 on 24–25 April. 13 October, a day of public access to February the Garching research campus. Inauguration of the ESO Supernova ESO/NEON Observing School at La Silla. ­Planetarium & Visitor Centre. ESO Head­ ESO Workshop “Take a closer look: The ESO Vitacura & La Silla Observatory, quarters, 26 April. innermost region of protoplanetary discs 18 February–2 March. and its connection to the origin of plan­ Girls’ Day — part of a German nationwide ets”. ESO Headquarters, 15–19 October. Big Science Business Forum 2018. event. ESO Headquarters, 26 April. Copenhagen, Denmark, 26–28 February. ESO Visiting Committee. ESO Headquar­ 42nd UC meeting. ESO Headquarters, ters, 22–26 October. 26–27 April. March 92nd STC meeting. ESO Headquarters, 23–24 October. ESO Workshop “Diversis mundi: May The Solar System in an exoplanetary context”. ESO Vitacura, 5–9 March. 152nd Finance Committee meeting. November ESO Headquarters, 8–9 May. ESO Workshop “Imaging of stellar sur­ 154th Finance Committee meeting. faces”. ESO Headquarters, 5–9 March. 102nd OPC meeting. ESO Headquarters, ESO Headquarters, 6–7 November. 22–24 May. ESO Workshop “La Silla Paranal Users ALMA Board meeting. ALMA Santiago Workshop: Getting science done with Central Office, 14–16 November. your observatory”. ESO Headquarters, June 12–14 March. ESO Visiting Committee. ESO: all Chilean 147th Council meeting. ESO Headquar­ sites, 19–27 November. ESO Workshop “Local hard X-ray select­ ters, 5–6 June. ed AGN across the multi-wavelength 103rd OPC meeting. Munich, spectrum”. ESO Vitacura, 12–16 March. ESO and AGC Glass Europe (Belgium) 20–22 November. signed a contract for the design, manu­ ESO Workshop “Submillimetre single- facture and installation of the coating dish data reduction and array combina­ plant for the ELT M1 mirror segments. December tion techniques”. ESO Headquarters, ESO Headquarters, 18 June. 15–16 March. ESO Workshop “KMOS@5: Star and ­galaxy formation in 3D”. ESO Headquar­ ESO Annual Overview (internal review), August ters, 3–6 December. ESO: all sites, 19–21 March. ELT Symposium “Early Science with the 149th Council meeting. ESO Headquar­ ESO signed a contract with IDOM Con­ ELTs”. IAU General Assembly Vienna, ters, 4–5 December. sulting, Engineering, Architecture SAU Austria, 27–31 August. (Spain) for the production of the ELT First light for NAOMI AO VLTI module. ­pre-focal station. ESO Headquarters, Paranal Observatory, 7 December. 21 March. September ESO Workshop “The Galactic Bulge ESO Workshop “A revolution in stellar at the crossroads”. Pucón, Chile, April physics with Gaia and large surveys”. 10–14 December. Warsaw, Poland, 3–8 September. European Week of Astronomy and Space ESO and CTAO agreement to host Science. Liverpool, UK, 3–6 April. The VLT AOF team received the Optical CTA-South near Paranal. ESO Headquar­ Society Paul. F. Forman Team Engineer­ ters, 19 December.

ESO Annual Report 2018 123 The beauty of the Atacama Desert night sky.

124 ESO Annual Report 2018 ) twanight.org ESO/B. Tafreshi (

ESO Annual Report 2018 125 Glossary of Acronyms

4LGSF 4 Laser Guide Star Facility (VLT) CPRM Corporate Policies & Risks ETF ELT Technical Facility 4MOST 4 -metre Multi-Object Management ExA Journal, Experimental Astronomy Spectroscopic Telescope (VISTA) CRIRES+ Cryogenic InfraRed Echelle ExTrA Exoplanets in Transits and their A&A Journal, Astronomy & Spectrometer upgrade (VLT) Atmospheres (hosted telescopes, Astrophysics CSE Control Software and La Silla) A&ARv Journal, Astronomy and Engineering Department FDR Final Design Review Astrophysics Review CTA Cherenkov Telescope Array FIAT Facility for Infrared Array Testing AGN Active Galactic Nucleus CTAO CTA Observatory gGmBH FORS2 FOcal Reducer/low dispersion AIV Assembly, integration and CTA-South Southern array of the CTA Spectrograph 2 (VLT) verification process DDT Director’s Discretionary Time FREDA inFraRED cAmera (ELT) AJ Journal, Astronomical Journal DFS Data Flow System GALACSI Ground Atmospheric Layer ALMA Atacama Large Millimeter/ DGNB German Sustainable Building Adaptive optiCs for submillimeter Array Council Spectroscopic Imaging (AOF) AMBER Astronomical Multi-BEam DM Deformable Mirror GARD Group for Advanced Receiver combineR (VLTI instrument) Development (Sweden) DMO Data Management and AN Journal, Astronomische Operations Division gGmbH gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit Nachrichten beschränkter Haftung, charitable DMS Dome and Main Structure Antu VLT Unit Telescope 1 company with limited liability DoE Directorate of Engineering under German law AO Adaptive Optics DSC Directorate for Science GLAO Ground Layer AO (AOF) AOF Adaptive Optics Facility DSHARP Disk Substructures at High GRAAL GRound-layer Adaptive optics APEX Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment Angular Resolution Project Assisted by Lasers (AOF) ApJ Journal, Astrophysical Journal DSM Deformable Secondary Mirror GRAVITY AO -assisted, two-object, multiple ApJS Journal, Astrophysical Journal EASC European ALMA Support Centre beam-combiner (VLTI) Supplement Series EFOSC2 ESO Faint Object Spectrograph GTO Guaranteed Time Observing ARA&A Journal, Annual Reviews of and Camera 2 (NTT) H-LTAO HARMONI-LTAO mode Astronomy & Astrophysics EIROforum Organisation consisting of the HARMONI High Angular Resolution ARC ALMA Regional Centre eight scientific European Monolithic Optical and Near- ArTéMiS Architectures de bolometres pour international organisations infrared Integral-field des Télescopes a grand champ devoted to fostering mutual spectrograph (ELT) de vue dans le domaine sub- activities HARPS High Accuracy Radial velocity Millimetrique au Sol (APEX) ELT Extremely Large Telescope Planetary Searcher (3.6-metre) ASAG ALMA Safety Advisory Group EMAC ELT Management Advisory HAWK-I High Acuity Wide field K-band AT Auxiliary Telescope for the VLT Committee Imager (VLT) ATT ALMA Technical Team ENGRAVE Electromagnetic counterparts of HELIOS HARPS Experiment for Light ATTRACT Research initiative funded by the gravitational wave sources at the Integrated Over the Sun European Commission Horizon VLT (collaboration) HIRES Proposed ELT high-resolution 2020 programme, led by nine EOSC European Open Science Cloud spectrograph European research institutions, ePOD education and Public Outreach HR Human Resources including ESO. Department IAU International Astronomical Union au Astronomical unit (Earth–Sun ERIC European Research Infrastructure distance) Icar Icarus, Journal, Planetary Consortium science BlackGEM Telescope array searching for ERIS Enhanced Resolution Imager and ICCF Incoherent Combined Coudé optical counterparts of Spectrograph (VLT) gravitational wave sources Focus ERP Enterprise Resource Planning CAD computer-aided design IET (IET-EU) Integrated Engineering ESA European Space Agency Team (ALMA) CASA Common Astronomy Software Applications (ALMA) ESAC European Science Advisory IFU integral field unit Committee (for ALMA) CCL Combined Coudé Laboratory IFW Instrument Control System High- ESC ELT Subcommittee Level Framework CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research ESCAPE European Science Cluster of INAF Italian National Institute for Astronomy & Particle physics Astrophysics CIAO Coudé Infrared Adaptive Optics ESFRI research infrastructures system (VLT) IPAG Institut de Planétologie et ESFRI European Strategy Forum on d’Astrophysique de Grenoble CONICA High -resolution near-infrared Research Infrastructures camera (VLT, NACO) IRLOS InfraRed Low Order Sensor ESON ESO Science Outreach Network CONICYT Chilean National Commission for ISA International Staff Association Science and Technology ESPRESSO Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky ISCC International StaffCommittee for Exoplanet and Stable Chile CPDS Cartridge Power Distribution Spectroscopic Observations System (VLT) ISCE International Staff Committee for Europe CPF CERN Pension Fund ESRF European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

126 ESO Annual Report 2018 ISM International Staff Member nFLASH new FaciLity APEX Submillimeter RPL Regulations for Local Staff in IT Information Technology Heterodyne instrument Chile JAO Joint ALMA Observatory NFM narrow-field mode RTC real -time computer KMOS K-band Multi-Object NGC New General Catalogue SEPIA Swedish ESO PI receiver for Spectrograph (VLT) NGTS Next-Generation Transit Survey APEX Kueyen VLT Unit Telescope 2 (Paranal) SINFONI Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared LGS Laser Guide Star (VLT) NIRPS Near Infra Red Planet Searcher (3.6-metre) (VLT) LIGO Laser Interferometer NIX Infrared imager (VLT) SIS Superconductor- Gravitational-Wave Observatory Insulator-Superconductor LSM Local Staff Members NOVA The Netherlands Research School for Astronomy SMBH supermassive black hole LSP La Silla Paranal Subcommittee (Nederlandse Onderzoekschool SOFI Son OF Isaac (NTT) LTAO Laser tomography adaptive voor Astronomie) SoXS Son Of X-Shooter (NTT) optics NRAO National Radio Astronomy SPECULOOS Search for habitable Planets LVSM large visible sensor module Observatory EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars M# Mirror # NRC National Research Council (Paranal) MACAO Multiple Application Curvature (Canada) SPHERE Spectro -Polarimetric High- Adaptive Optics NSF National Science Foundation (US) contrast Exoplanet REsearch MAIT manufacturing, assembly, NTT New Technology Telescope instrument (VLT) integration and testing (La Silla) SPIFFI SPectrometer for Infrared Faint MAORY Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics OB Observing Blocks Field Imaging (SINFONI, VLT) RelaY (ELT) ODG Office of the Director General SRR Staff Rules and Regulations MarLy Marseille Lyon 1-metre telescope ODG-A Internal Audit Office (ODG) STAC Standing Advisory Committee (La Silla) ODG-R Representation in Chile (ODG) STC Scientific Technical Committee MASCARA Multisite All Sky CAmeRA TAROT-S Télescopes à Action Rapide pour (La Silla) ODG-X Executive Office of the Director General (ODG) les Objets Transitoires South MATISSE Multi AperTure mid-Infrared (La Silla) OmegaCAM Wide-field camera (VST) SpectroScopic Experiment (VLTI) TRAPPIST-South TRAnsiting Planets and MAVIS Multi-conjugate AO-assisted OPC Observing Programmes PlanetesImals Small Telescope Visible Imager and Spectrograph Committee (La Silla) MCAO Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics OSA Optical Society ULTRACAM Highspeed camera (VLT UT3: Melipal VLT Unit Telescope 3 OSO Onsala Space Observatory P74–79; NTT: P85–87) MELT Minuscule ELT project P# ESO Observing Period USD User Support Department METIS Mid-infrared ELT Imager and P&SS Journal, Planetary and Space UT VLT Unit Telescopes 1– 4: Spectrograph (ELT) Science Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun MICADO Multi-AO Imaging CAmera for PAC Provisional Acceptance Chile UVES UltraViolet-Visual Echelle Deep Observations (ELT) PACT position actuator (ELT) Spectrograph (VLT) MMIC monolithic microwave integrated PAE Provisional Acceptance Europe VIBMET vibration metrology system (Paranal) circuit PASJ Journal, Publications of the MOONS Multi -Object Optical and Near- Astronomical Society of Japan VIMOS VIsible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VLT) infrared Spectrograph (VLT) PASP Journal, Publications of the MOSAIC Multi-object spectrograph (ELT) Astronomical Society of the VIRCAM VISTA Infra¬Red CAMera MPG Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Pacific VISIR VLT Imager and Spectrometer for mid-InfraRed MPIfR Max Planck Institute for Radio PCS Power Conditioning System Astronomy (Paranal) VISTA Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy MUSE Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer PDR Preliminary Design Review (VLT) PESSTO Public ESO Spectroscopic VLT Very Large Telescope NACO NAOS-CONICA (VLT) Survey of Transient Objects VLTI Very Large Telescope Interferometer NAOJ National Astronomical PFS-A Pre-focal station (ELT) Observatory of Japan PhysRevLett Journal, Physical Review Letters VST VLT Survey Telescope NAOS Nasmyth Adaptive Optics System PI Principal Investigator WFC wavefront control (VLT) PIONIER Precision Integrated Optics Near- WFM wide-field mode NAOMI Adaptive optics system for the infrared Imaging ExpeRiment XFEL European X-ray free-electron ATs (VLTI) (VLTI) laser Nature Journal REM Rapid Eye Mount telescope X-shooter Wideband ultraviolet-infrared NewA Journal, New Astronomy (La Silla) spectrograph (VLT) NewAR Journal, New Astronomy Review RFI request for information Yepun VLT Unit Telescope 4 NEAR New Earths in the Alpha Centauri RMS root mean square µm Micrometre Region

ESO Annual Report 2018 127 ESO Europe Cover: ALMA antennas seen in silhouette against a darkening sky. Credit: ESO/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org) Headquarters Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 2 85748 Garching­ bei München Germany Phone +4989320060 Fax +49893202362 [email protected] www.eso.org

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APEX Chajnantor­­ Site ALMA Operations Support Facility II Región Kilómetro 121 Chile Carretera CH 23 Phone +56 55 2448 299 San Pedro de Atacama Chile All images are courtesy of ESO unless ESO La Serena Office Phone +56224676416 otherwise indicated. Avenida Panorámica No. 4461 Sector Aeroparque La Florida ALMA Array Operations Site Edited and produced by Department of Casilla 567 II Región Communications. La Serena Chile Chile ESO 2019 Phone +56 51 2272 601 ISSN 0531-4496 Fax +56 51 215 175 DOI: 10.18727/docs/3 www.eso.org