1. Science Operations Phil Edwards 14 November 2016
Astronomy and space science

2. Outline ATCA Parkes Mopra Tidbinbilla ASKAP LBA 2017APR Feedback
A Rorschach test
Parkes
Mopra
Tidbinbilla
ASKAP
LBA
2017APR
Feedback
Now with added science highlights!
Science Operations| Phil Edwards

3. ATCA
ATCA forum convened last week to discuss rapid response observations
The portal includes information on which observations can be over-ridden by which NAPA
Rapid response science re-opens the debate about whether rapid response projects should be allowed to over-ride any project – so long as that observation can be rescheduled.
Implications for ATCA scheduling
Science Operations| Phil Edwards

4. Science Operations | Phil Edwards

5. ATCA Legacy Projects
Legacy Projects are large, coherent science investigations, not reproducible by any combination of smaller projects, that generate data of general and lasting importance to the broad astronomy community.
Legacy Projects typically require more than 2000 hours over the lifetime of the project, with the expectation of over 300 hours to be allocated per semester.
It was initially stated that up to 25% of the observing time may be allocated to Legacy Projects.
An international Time Assignment Committee was tasked with reviewing all Legacy Projects, and with making recommendations for a balanced program of ATCA Legacy Projects.
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

6. ATCA Legacy Projects
The TAC recommended two projects be given the highest priority:
C3132, GAMA Legacy ATCA Southern Survey (GLASS): A Legacy 4cm Survey of the GAMA G23 Field,
C3157, Deep Imaging of the Circum-galactic Medium with ATCA
The TAC also recommended that two further projects be supported at a lower priority:
C3145, Dense Gas Across the Milky Way - The ‘Full-Strength’ MALT45
C3152, A Comprehensive ATCA Census of High-Mass Cores.​
C3132 (555 hr) and C3157 (453 hr) were allocated time in 2016OCT, with the intention to start scheduling C3145 and C3152 in 2017APR based on a favourable funding profile.
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

7. ATUC recommendations on Legacy Projects
ATNF should make every effort to ensure that Legacy Projects, once approved, are able to be completed …
ATUC is in principle open to the possibility of increasing the fraction of time devoted to Legacy projects …
…care should be taken to ensure that the diversity of science areas from approved proposals … remains well balanced across the full suite of Legacy and non-Legacy projects.
Science Operations| Phil Edwards

8. Duty Astronomers
DAs play an important role in training observers and as first point of contact, especially after hours
All Astro staff, postdocs, and co-supervised students* are expected to be DA
Being DA is a great way to learn!
… but there are fewer and fewer staff and postdocs who are experienced ATCA observers
The dynamic of being DA has changed with the SOC
As a result, ATCA support staff are having to spend more time training DAs, and responding to after-hours issues
Science Operations| Phil Edwards

9. Duty Astronomers
We are anticipating that ATCA Legacy Projects will be more self-supporting
We will trial Perth based DAs for “Legacy Project weeks”
We are open to suggestions:
Have first time DAs shadow an experienced DA?
Broaden the pool of candidate DAs?
Do away with DAs and require all teams to have a project expert?
Continue the current scheme, but with more training videos and checklists?
Is ATUC aware of any dis-satisfaction with the DA scheme?
Science Operations| Phil Edwards

10.
Science highlight! | Phil Edwards

11.
Science Highlight! | Phil Edwards

12. A Rorschach test Matthewson et al. 1985 ApJS
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

13. A Rorschach test Matthewson et al. 1985 ApJS
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

14. Parkes Presentation from Jimi to follow
Breakthrough Listen is to be allocated 1533 hr per year.
Allocated 535 hr in 2016OCT, so will be allocated 998 hr in 2017APR
Parkes in 2016OCT dominated by P892 (830 hr) and P456 (630 hr)
Four of 28 proposals were not allocated any time, several others received significantly reduced allocations
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

15.
Science Operations| Phil Edwards

16. Successful Parkes PAF – ASKAP PAF fringes, Oct 2016
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

17. Mopra
CSIRO entered an agreement with a UNSW to provide the Mopra telescope for observing for one year from mid-March 2016, on a full cost-recovery basis
This is likely to be extended for at least 6 months
Some Mopra time is being made available for participation in LBA observations
Can Mopra be used as a satellite down-link station?
Could constitute an Australian contribution to WFIRST
Would require some significant changes
“Molecular Line Emission Towards High-Mass Clumps: The MALT90 Catalogue,” Rathborne et al. 2016, PASA, 33, 30
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

18.
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

19. Tidbinbilla 48hr single dish, 83hr LBA obs in 2015OCT + 2016APR
DSS-36 opened, DSS-45 retired
70m L-band upgrade deferred to February 2017
Two papers with Tid single dish data this year
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

20. ASKAP Survey Science Projects
EMU
WALLABY
CRAFT
VAST
COAST
VLBI
DINGO
FLASH …

21. ASKAP Survey Science Projects
EMU
Emu Plains
WALLABY
Willoughby
CRAFT
Wollstonecraft
VAST
Breakfast Point
COAST
Coasters Retreat
VLBI
Hobartville (BI)
DINGO
FLASH …

22. ASKAP Survey Science Projects
EMU
Emu Plains
WALLABY
Willoughby
CRAFT
Wollstonecraft
VAST
Breakfast Point
COAST
Coasters Retreat
VLBI
Hobartville (BI)
DINGO
Paddingoton
FLASH
Gordon! …

23.
Science Highlight | Phil Edwards

24. LBA observing time (in hrs) by year & band
‘04
‘05
‘06
‘07
‘08
‘09
‘10
‘11
‘12
‘13
‘14
‘15
20cm 36 37
107
142 58 65 44 20 84 64
223 55
13cm 54 91 51 11 70 75 32
6cm 22 60 42 14 95 88 72 31
114 48
113
3cm 98
192
127 99
226
168
290
247
148
210
236
15mm 24 12 21
105 57 82
106 56
9mm 4 3
total
244
333
341
366
505
396
519
463
445
473
490
514

25. Recent LBA publications
“e-VLBI observations of GRB afterglow with an Australasian radio telescope network,” Moin et al RAA, 16 (11) 164
“Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment … : A test case of the Mars Express Phobos fly-by,” Duev et al A&A 593, A34
“Real-time detection of an extreme scattering event: Constraints on Galactic plasma lenses,” Bannister et al Science, 351, 354
“Coincidence of a high-fluence blazar outburst with a PeV-energy neutrino event,” Kadler et al Nature Physics, 12, 807
“The TANAMI Multiwavelength Program: Dynamic SEDs of Southern Blazars,” Krauss et al A&A, 591, A130
“Radio and gamma-ray properties of extragalactic jets from the TANAMI sample,” Boeck et al A&A 590, A40
“The Gamma-Ray Emitting Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS : II. The Radio View,” Schulz et al A&A 588, A146
“H I emission and absorption in nearby, gas-rich galaxies II. … NGC 5156,” Reeves et al MNRAS 457, 2613
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

26. East Asia VLBI Workshop
EAVN 2016| Phil Edwards

27. TAC & Call for Proposals
Call for proposals for 2017APR to be released this week
Proposal deadline Thursday Dec 15th
Science Operatioms | Phil Edwards

28. Observer feedback
Science Operations | Phil Edwards

29. We acknowledge the Wajarri Yamatji people as the traditional owners of the Murchison Radio Observatory site.
Thank you
Phil Edwards Head of Science Operations t E w
CSIRO Astronomy and space science

30. Science Operations | Phil Edwards

31. Recent LBA publications
“e-VLBI observations of GRB afterglow with an Australasian radio telescope network,” Moin et al. RAA, 16 (11) 164
“Parallaxes of 6.7-GHz Methanol Masers towards the G305.2 High- Mass Star Formation Region,” Krishnan et al., arxiv.org/abs/
“Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment … : A test case of the Mars Express Phobos fly-by,” Duev et al. A&A 593, A34
“Real-time detection of an extreme scattering event: Constraints on Galactic plasma lenses,” Bannister et al Science, 351, 354
“Coincidence of a high-fluence blazar outburst with a PeV-energy neutrino event,” Kadler et al Nature Physics, 12, 807
“The Gamma-Ray Emitting Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS : II. The Radio View,” Schulz et al. A&A 588, A146
“H I emission and absorption in nearby, gas-rich galaxies II. … NGC 5156,” Reeves et al MNRAS 457, 2613
EAVN 2016| Phil Edwards