ALMA: the first year of observations

Andreas Lundgren; Lars-Ake Nyman; Masao Saito; Baltasar Vila Vilaro; Gautier Mathys; Paola Andreani; John Hibbard; Sachiko K. Okumura; Ken'ichi Tatematsu; Bill Dent; Mark G Rawlings; Eric Villard; Lewis Ball

doi:10.1117/12.926622

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13 September 2012 ALMA: the first year of observations

Andreas Lundgren, Lars-Ake Nyman, Masao Saito, Baltasar Vila Vilaro, Gautier Mathys, Paola Andreani, John Hibbard, Sachiko K. Okumura, Ken'ichi Tatematsu, Bill Dent, Mark G Rawlings, Eric Villard, Lewis Ball

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Proceedings Volume 8448, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems IV; 844802 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926622
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a major new interferometer operated on Llano de Chajnantor at 5050 m altitude in the Chilean high Andes. This location is considered one of the world's outstanding sites for submillimeter astronomy. ALMA is still under construction, but science observations has started already in what is commonly known as ALMA Early Science Cycle 0. The purpose of ALMA Early Science Cycle 0 is to deliver scientically useful results to the astronomy community and to facilitate the ongoing characterization of ALMA systems and instrumentation as the capability of the array continues to grow. Early Science will continue through Cycle 1 and until construction and commissioning of ALMA is complete. This publication aims to give an insight into the challenges we face operating telescope of this scale at Chajnantor, a plateau 4800{5100 meter above sea level in one of the driest places of earth. It also will also present statistics from the proposal submission, describe the path from an accepted proposal to a calibrated data product, and nally an outlook for the future.

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Andreas Lundgren, Lars-Ake Nyman, Masao Saito, Baltasar Vila Vilaro, Gautier Mathys, Paola Andreani, John Hibbard, Sachiko K. Okumura, Ken'ichi Tatematsu, Bill Dent, Mark G Rawlings, Eric Villard, and Lewis Ball "ALMA: the first year of observations", Proc. SPIE 8448, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems IV, 844802 (13 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926622

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