October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 1

Atacama Large Millimeter ArrayScience IPT Review

Bilateral Project Scientists:Al Wootten, (Lead)

Tom Wilson, (Deputy)

Ryohei Kawabe: ALMA-J Lead

October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 2

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 3

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

• ANASAC in North America• ESAC in Europe• JSAC in Japan

• Community outreach– Development and dissemination of presentation material– Production and distribution of community reports, newsletters– Workshop development and execution

October 2005 ALMA Cost Review 4

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 5

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 6

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 7

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 instruments– Instruments defined (basically duplication of instruments

commissioned at ATF already)– ICD with Site drafted, imminent submission