From rhills at alma.cl Mon Jan 5 13:24:06 2009 From: rhills at alma.cl (Richard Hills) Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:24:06 +0000 Subject: [asac] ASAC telecon this Wednesday Jan 7th Message-ID: <49625046.8050307@alma.cl> Just to let you know that there will be a telecon this Wednesday. Contact Information * 2009-Jan-07 14:30 UT * Note: Line noise may be muted by pressing *6 which works thru the call center. * Duration: 1 hr * USA Toll Free Number: 877-874-1919 * Toll Number: +1-203-320-9891 * Passcode: 185064 * Leader: Richard Hills Agenda page will be set up a.s.a.p. but main purpose is to get focussed on the face to face meeting plans. Best wishes for 2009! Richard -- ******************************************************************* Richard Hills Phone: +56 2 467 6175 ALMA Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6104 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642 Santiago, Chile Mobile +56 97 608 1582 ******************************************************************* From rhills at alma.cl Wed Jan 7 09:19:26 2009 From: rhills at alma.cl (Richard Hills) Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:19:26 +0000 Subject: [asac] ASAC telecon this Wednesday Jan 7th In-Reply-To: <49625046.8050307@alma.cl> References: <49625046.8050307@alma.cl> Message-ID: <4964B9EE.8020509@alma.cl> Starting soon. There is a skeleton agenda at https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/ASAC7Jan09Agenda > > * 2009-Jan-07 14:30 UT > * Note: Line noise may be muted by pressing *6 which works thru the > call center. > * Duration: 1 hr > * USA Toll Free Number: 877-874-1919 > * Toll Number: +1-203-320-9891 > * Passcode: 185064 > * Leader: Richard Hills -- ******************************************************************* Richard Hills Phone: +56 2 467 6175 ALMA Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6104 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642 Santiago, Chile Mobile +56 97 608 1582 ******************************************************************* From apeck at alma.cl Wed Jan 14 13:24:14 2009 From: apeck at alma.cl (Alison Peck) Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:24:14 -0300 Subject: [asac] travel details for ASAC meeting Message-ID: <7502213B-E51D-4FDD-BF26-58E9E6D09CF3@alma.cl> Dear All, I know that we've had a lot of staff changes down here and you're probably getting confused with the new policies and procedures, but it looks like everything is pretty much under control for the ASAC f2f meeting. A reminder, could you please send your itineraries for international and internal flights to Claudia (creyes at alma.cl) so that she can arrange for a taxi to take you to and from the airport? If you have already sent this info, could I impose upon you to send it again in case it got lost during our 2 months of reviews and meetings before Christmas? Also, please send Claudia your passport number for your "ALMA Camp Admission form." This is just a formality, but you will need it to get into the OSF. And people who are ALMA staff who wish to visit the AOS should send your medical certificates to Claudia ASAP as well. Fax or scanned copy is fine. If you are not paid by one of the Executives, you will just sign a disclaimer, as usual. Thanks! We are looking forward to seeing everyone! -alison ******************************************************************* Alison Peck Phone: +56 2 467 6128 Deputy Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6101 Joint ALMA Office Mobile: +56 98 294 5143 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 skype&gmail: apeck13 Santiago, Chile http://www.alma.cl/~apeck/ ******************************************************************* From rhills at alma.cl Fri Jan 16 13:19:43 2009 From: rhills at alma.cl (Richard Hills) Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:19:43 +0000 Subject: [asac] Update on arrangements, etc. Message-ID: <4970CFBF.6060605@alma.cl> Dear all, Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. This has been a busy week. Several things: 1) if you would like to get a flavour of what is going on here in Chile at the nitty-gritty level, the place to look is: http://wikis.alma.cl/bin/view/AIV/AIVCoordinationMeetingMinutes If you then go down to the Minutes section you will find links to the weekly meetings, where Joe does an incredible job of keeping track of what is going on and looking ahead to what deliveries are expected when. The latest one is for today - 16Jan09. 2) below is the latest version of the ASAC agenda, which is of course still evolving. I realised that there were a number of topics that needed to be added that we had not talked about recently - e.g. we need some discussion on the Scientific Specifications. Please let Andrew Blain know if you think that there are other things that are missing. 3) attached is the current state of the logistics table. This is believed to contain all the information that we have had but it is likely that we have missed a message or two in all the various comings and going here. It is also likely that I have got some of the details crossed over in editing the spreadsheet. Please send corrections / updates to Claudia. Note that the fact that, for example, there are some question marks in the hotel bookings just means that we have not had confirmation from you of your plans - we are holding reservations for you. One more logistics question - if you are one of the people arriving at the airport on the morning of the 27th and going on to San Pedro that afternoon and would like us to reserve a room for you at the airport hotel so you can freshen up, do please let Claudia know. (As far as I know there are no free showers and the like at Santiago airport. I fear that we cannot provide this - you or your executive will have to cover the cost of it yourselves.) Best Richard Planning for the ASAC f2f meeting at the ALMA Operations Support Facility on Jan 28th and 29th. Times very approximate at present. Presenters in (Brackets). Tuesday 27th afternoon fly from Santiago to Calama and then bus to San Pedro. Most people will be on the 16:05 flight from SCL. Should get to San Pedro around 7:30pm. Evening ? informal discussion, look around San Pedro, find your own dinner. Wednesday 28th 08:00 Bus from hotel. 08:45 Start tour of OSF. 10:15 Coffee and Closed session - if needed (Blain) 10:30 Welcome & Introduction (De Graauw) 10:40 Construction Status and schedule (Kurz) 11:10 Discussion of Milestones (Hills) 11:30 Software Review (Glendenning) 12:20 Software Testing and Acceptance (Peck) 12:40 Observing Tool update (Testi) 13:00 Lunch. During this lunch period we will also do the health checks for the people who are intending to go up to the high site. 14:00 Software CASA (Brogan) 14:50 ARC?s (Nyman) ~15:40 End of session. Get warm clothes, water, oxygen, etc. 16:00 Bus leaves for high site. Need to decide if there are people who don?t go up whether they stay at the OSF and do e-mail, go back to San Pedro in separte transport or do some touristy thing. 18:30 Bus get back to OSF (Is 2.5 hours about right?) 19:15 Arrive in San Pedro. Clean up. 20:00 ASAC Dinner in San Pedro. Thursday 29th 08:00 Check-out, Bus from hotel to OSF. 09:00 Closed session - if needed (Blain) 09:15 Regional Reports (Chairs of Regional SACS and/or regional Proj Sci?s) - should include some discussion of the time allocation process. 10:00 Development (Blain) 11:30 Discussion of ALMA specifications and plans for updating them (Hills) 11:40 Visitor program (Peck) 11:50 Added Scientific Tools (Wootten) 12:00 Closed session / start writing 13:00 Lunch ? go over to the canteen for this one? 14:00 Continue closed session? 15:00 Feedback. Plans for report to the Board. ~ 15:30 Leave OSF on bus to Calama. Flight back LA355 18:40-20:40 Friday 30th Morning (at least from say 10:30?) Open house at Alsacia (our office in Santiago) for Sci staff to meet ASAC members. Sandwich lunch at ~12:30. -- ******************************************************************* Richard Hills Phone: +56 2 467 6175 ALMA Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6104 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642 Santiago, Chile Mobile +56 97 608 1582 ******************************************************************* -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Logistics for ASAC Meeting Jan 27-29, 2009 Stgo-SanPedro ASAC.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 163328 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rhills at alma.cl Mon Jan 26 07:22:07 2009 From: rhills at alma.cl (Richard Hills) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:22:07 +0000 Subject: [asac] Video connections Message-ID: <497DAAEF.10506@alma.cl> This is for those of you hoping to join some or all of the meeting by videocon. We do definitely plan to have a video system set up in the meeting room. This will be able to handle up to 4 calls. We think it is best if we call you, at least first time around, so please send us the IP address of the device you are planning to use. (Send it to Claudia and the helpdesk - addresses above.) You also need to tell us at what time you want us to call you. Let's use UTC for that. We plan to do a test tomorrow (Tuesday). I suggest 13:00 UTC. If that is no good for you please suggest another time for doing a test. Best Richard -- ******************************************************************* Richard Hills Phone: +56 2 467 6175 ALMA Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6104 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642 Santiago, Chile Mobile +56 97 608 1582 ******************************************************************* From kkohno at ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp Wed Jan 28 06:15:33 2009 From: kkohno at ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp (KOHNO Kotaro) Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:15:33 +0900 Subject: [asac] EASAC view on the proposed ALMA science milestones Message-ID: <8eaeefc80901280315t28fa4bfcr22070e000cd6a47@mail.gmail.com> Dear Richard and ASAC members, The attached is a letter describing the EASAC view on the proposed ALMA science milestones. Because the time for the discussion on the science milestones this morning is very limited, I am circulating this letter in advance. with my best regards, Kotaro -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ALMAscienceMileStones090127-submitted.doc Type: application/msword Size: 27648 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rhills at alma.cl Thu Jan 29 13:00:02 2009 From: rhills at alma.cl (Richard Hills) Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:00:02 +0000 Subject: [asac] Friday meeting Message-ID: <4981EEA2.1020108@alma.cl> We have reserved the Lincancabur meeting room in the El Golf office starting at 9:30. Note that this is the older ALMA Office - address below, map attached. The Alsacia meeting room was booked. You may need to show you passports at the desk in El Golf. Say you are going to ALMA on Floor 18. You need to type 18 into the lift button before getting into it. We still expect to see you for lunch in Alsacia at 13:00. Best Richard -- ******************************************************************* Richard Hills Phone: +56 2 467 6175 ALMA Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6104 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642 Santiago, Chile Mobile +56 97 608 1582 ******************************************************************* -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: santiago chile - Google Maps.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 90822 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rhills at alma.cl Thu Jan 29 13:05:31 2009 From: rhills at alma.cl (Richard Hills) Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:05:31 +0000 Subject: [asac] Map with locations Message-ID: <4981EFEB.4040700@alma.cl> Sorry attached the un-annotated version. -- ******************************************************************* Richard Hills Phone: +56 2 467 6175 ALMA Project Scientist Fax: +56 2 467 6104 Av El Golf 40, Piso 18 Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642 Santiago, Chile Mobile +56 97 608 1582 ******************************************************************* -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ALMA locations.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 96734 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kkohno at ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp Thu Jan 29 19:37:11 2009 From: kkohno at ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp (KOHNO Kotaro) Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:37:11 +0900 Subject: [asac] development plan discussion Message-ID: <8eaeefc80901291637x618356f9k865c0d4694693f3f@mail.gmail.com> Dear Andrew and ASAC members, Thank you for the discussion in the afternoon session; on the development plan, I was so stimulated by the discussion (a f2f meeting is indeed a very good style to stimulate discussion, as pointed out by Douglas!) that I built a matrix for clarification. Note that my basic question during the discussion was why the priority of the new digital system(including 2nd generation correlator) is so low. In this matrix, you can easily see what kind of the performance will be improved by a proposed development item, although it is very preliminary and incomplete one (so many ?s). For instance, in order to improve the sensitivity, you can find 3 development items (add more antenna, build a new digital system, and develop a lower noise receiver). Note that building the new digital system (including multi-bit digitizer) will immediately result in a ~10% improvement of sensitivity, which is almost equivalent to adding 5 more antennas in terms of the improvement of sensitivity (as pointed out by Morita-san). Developing a lower noise receiver is another important option to improve the sensitivity, of course, but the current ALMA receivers are already achieving extremely low noise. Frederic kindly pointed out that the receiver development will widen the band width, but it may mean that more correlator power must be needed anyway to process the whole spectral signal from such a wider band receiver. It could be also true for the case of multi-frequency feed or multi-beam receivers; they may inevitably need enhanced correlator power to process the whole data. In summary, I agree with that "add a few antenna", "receiver technology", "multi-beam", and "multi-frequency feeds" will be indeed high-priority items, but I also feel that the priority of the new digital system/enhanced correlator system could be similar to that of these current high-priority items. Anyway, please take a look of this matrix, and please correct me if you find any incorrect descriptions. Unfortunately, I can't attend the tomorrow's meeting, but I do hope that this matrix could be helpful for the clarification of this difficult discussion on the prioritization; such a matrix could be a worth adding to the final report to the board, I think. with my best regards, Kotaro at SCL -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ALMAdevelopmentplan-matrix.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 20992 bytes Desc: not available URL: