Atacama Large Millimeter Array Science IPT Review Bilateral

Atacama Large Millimeter Array Science IPT Review Bilateral Project Scientists: Al Wootten, NRAO Tom Wilson, ESO Ryohei Kawabe: ALMA-J Lead ALMA Cost Review October 13 -15 2005 October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 1

Overview • History – MMA Science group began formal life June 1998, – NA Group holds weekly (usually) telecons. • Joined with LSA science group June 1999. • Groups very dispersed but with centers in NAOJ, Garching, Cambridge, IRAM, Tucson, AOC and NAASC. – Pan-ALMA (including JP) telecons monthly. – Detailed agendas and minutes available on web of meetings since June 1998. October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 2

Work Description • Charged with setting high level science specifications and requirements – – – • Delivered high level Science Specifications and Requirements document Continuing interplay with rest of project Attend project reviews, often writing reports. Make certain that these are transmitted to other IPTs Check on flow downs and help develop alternatives, if needed Set up meetings of ALMA Science Advisory Committees – – – Interaction with Management IPT, JAO, Board ASAC-tending, as an ALMA Board Committee is a Project Scientist duty— dissemination of Reports, Agendas, Minutes Regional Project Scientists tend regional SACs • • Community outreach – – – • ANASAC in North America ESAC in Europe JSAC in Japan Development and dissemination of presentation material Production and distribution of community reports, newsletters, websites Workshop development and execution Design Reference Science Plan – – October 2005 More than ten dozen proposals from ~80 astronomers, populating 3 years of possible science experiments for ALMA spanning all disciplines Delivered December 2003, a dynamic document ALMA Cost Review 3

R&D Involvement • Develop and commission calibration strategies for ALMA – Site characterization, design of weather stations for site – Corrections for phase fluctuations due to atmospheric water vapor • Description of Water Radiometer (WVR) and software for these corrections • Simulations including WVR and Fast Switching (FS) techniques – Amplitude calibration device assessment, with SE, FE IPTs • Design the ALMA configuration, with consultation from Management, SE, Site, Antenna IPTs • Design imaging strategies and simulators October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 4

Commissioning • The JAO Project Scientist will commission ALMA as a scientific instrument with Science IPT resources – Experience gained by team at ALMA Test Facility working with SE, Computing, Antenna, FE and other IPTs – With JAO, SE and other IPTs, developing Commissioning Plan • Commences with arrival of third antenna to high site • Gradual handover to Operations staff – Deeply involved with development of the Operations Plan, with MIPT – Now providing ‘turno Project Scientist’ to the JAO in Santiago. October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 5

Near-term Deliverables • Configuration: Extended configuration design – Strawman available, redesign planned to accommodate environmental concerns, road and fiber design – Draft delivered end of year, ground truthed (with Site IPT), then final early next year – Concern: availability of personnel should antenna complement further decrease • Requirements – Clarifications on major items as a result of System Requirements Review – Continuing discourse with other IPTs – Documents on subsidiary items under development: RF Membrane, Solar Filter, Quarter-Wave plate, Amplitude Calibration Device October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 6

Near-term Deliverables (2) • The IPT will support Prototype System Integration activities at the ATF with evaluation of the prototype ALMA interferometer. – Begin implementation of the ALMA Calibration Plan at the ATF facility. – Further development of commissioning plan for Chile • Evaluation of ALMA Water Vapor Radiometer, to be installed on SMA – Mitigation plan owing to late availability of ATF – Uses two prototype instruments • Purchase, use of OSF weather station, purchase of AOS instruments – Instruments defined (basically duplication of instruments commissioned at ATF already) – ICD with Site drafted, imminent submission October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 7

Rebaselining Changes • Scope: IPT costs are mostly personnel – Site Characterization is BCP item – Commissioning WBS evolved from Science WBS: several positions shift to Commissioning as AIV proceeds. • Budget is determined by level of effort – Testing of prototype two element interferometer with prototype electronics at ATF by Science IPT staff assisted by other IPTs • Schedule dependencies – Schedule of prototype deliveries at ATF – AIV schedule in Chile October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 8

Issues • Phase correction remains challenging • Science is ‘top of the food chain’; schedule can get set back by any item below which is late October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 9

www. alma. info The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is an international astronomy facility. ALMA is a partnership between Europe, North America and Japan, in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded in North America by the U. S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), in Europe by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Spain. ALMA construction and operations are led on behalf of North America by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which is managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of Europe by ESO, and on behalf of Japan by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 10