1. 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
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, websites
Workshop development and execution
Design Reference Science Plan
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
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 AOS instruments
Instruments defined (basically duplication of instruments commissioned at ATF already)
ICD with Site drafted, imminent submission
October 2005
ALMA Cost Review

8. 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

9. 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

10.
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