Design Considerations for the Next ALMA Correlator to be held 11-13 February 2020, in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

The purpose of this meeting is to bring together experts on the ALMA system and modern digital correlator design in order to (1) discuss ALMA design requirements for the next generation ALMA correlator that enables the ALMA2030 vision; (2) share pros and cons of recent and currently under design correlator architectures; and (3) identify challenges for implementing and deploying a new ALMA correlator. Ultimately we hope this meeting encourages and informs the submission of viable designs for the next ALMA correlator in the near future.

Tthe deadline for abstract submission is December 20.

ALMA Post-Doctoral Fellow
JAO, Santiago - OSF, San Pedro de Atacama

The JAO is offering postdoctoral fellowship positions to join the ALMA science operations group in Santiago, Chile. ALMA Postdoctoral Fellows will be appointed for a period of three years and will spend 50% of their time dedicated to their personal scientific research. The remaining time will be spent in support of ALMA operations, including observing at the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF) near San Pedro de Atacama for hands-on interaction with the telescope.

The deadline for this vacancy is 16 December 2019.

In response to the state of emergency declared over the last few days in Chile, ALMA is reducing to minimum operations, i.e. no science observations, and keeping just essential services to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees, and the Observatory. This measure applies to both the main offices in Santiago and the Observatory operations near Calama and San Pedro de Atacama, and will be reassessed daily. All ALMA staff are well, and the Observatory facilities are safe.

By popular demand, the EU ARC has implemented a service which permits ALMA users to request the calibrated data for a given dataset (Member Obs Unit Set, MOUS) to be made available for download. The service is open both for ALMA PIs or Delegees with proprietary ALMA data and for archival users wanting to use datasets for which the proprietary time has expired.

The Supplemental Call is open to Regular Proposals (i.e., no Large Programs) without time constraints that propose to use standard observing modes, as allowed for ACA stand-alone proposals in the Main Call. Proposals may request to use the 7-­m array only or the 7­-m array plus Total Power array. It is anticipated that approximately 2500 hours on the 7-m array will be scheduled in the Supplemental Call. For more information please visit the dedicated ACA Supplemental Call page.

Welcome, the new as-fast-as-you-type query interface for the ALMA. This amazing new ALMA query interface features the classical result table, in addition to an expanded view of the observations on-the-sky through AladinLite, as well as a totally new viewer to visualize the spectral coverage of the observations - all in one easy to use package.

The Phase II submission period is now open for all PIs to submit the science goals of their accepted Cycle 7 projects. The Observing tool has also been updated with the Phase II version. Your project may also be required to pass a technical feasibility assessment as part of the Phase II process in order to be added to the observing queue. Further information on the Phase 2 process, including how you can delegate the Phase II preparation to one of your colleagues, is available in the Phase II Quickstart Guide at http://almascience.org/documents-and-tools/cycle7/phaseii-userguide.

Subsequent to the ALMA Cycle 7 proposal result outcomes, ALMA kindly requests the participation of all PIs to submit feedback on the consensus reports received informing them of their ALMA Cycle 7 results. One survey should be completed per proposal submitted.

The surveys are strictly confidential and anonymous, but provide the means to gauge and improve the reviewing process. The deadline for completing the survey is 5 September 2019. To complete your survey please follow the link here.