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 ground­based 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 world­class 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/sub mil 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 8.2­metre 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 sub millimetre 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 tele scopes and will become the operational centre for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and the Cherenkov Telescope Array South (CTA­South). 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 ground­based observa­ tory in the world and its operation yields S. Otarola/ESO S. many peer­reviewed 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 CTA­South, 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 state­of­ the­art 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 long­awaited 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 long­range 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, two­object, multiple tions of the ELT, they could truly appre­ astronomical community and its high­ beam­combiner, 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.