The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) is planning to start the observations for Cycle 8 2021, in October 2021. A Call for Proposals (CfP) with detailed information on the new cycle is anticipated to be issued in March 2021 and the deadline for proposal submission will be in April 2021. The purpose of this pre-announcement is to highlight aspects of the CfP to assist with early planning. It also contains information related to the proposal review process.
ALMA Cycle 8 2021 Pre-Announcement
Published: 18 Dec 2020
General information
Key (anticipated) dates for Cycle 8 2021:
| 17 March 2021 | Release of the ALMA Cycle 8 2021 CfP and Observing Tool, and opening of archive for proposal submission |
| 21 April 2021 | Proposal submission deadline |
| August 2021 | Results of the proposal review sent to proposers |
| 8 September 2021 | ACA Supplemental Call for Proposals released, and opening of archive for proposal submission |
| 1 October 2021 | Start of Cycle 8 2021 observations |
| 6 October 2021 | Cycle 8 2021 Supplemental Call deadline |
New in Cycle 8 2021
Cycle 8 2021 will offer antenna configurations from C-1 up to C-8 for the main 12-m Array, corresponding to baselines running from 0.16 to 8.5 km. Configurations C-9 and C-10 with maximum baselines of 13.9 km and 16.2 km, respectively, will again be available in Cycle 9. New capabilities that will be offered in Cycle 8 2021 include Solar observations in Band 5, a passive-phasing mode, high-frequency observations (Bands 9 and 10) with the stand-alone 7-m array, mosaicking of continuum line polarisation observations (Bands 3 to 7), spectral scans with the 7-m Array and up to 75 hours of full polarisation observations of a single field with the 7-m Array. An ACA supplemental call for proposals will be issued in September 2021.
The Proposal Review Process
ALMA will adopt a distributed peer review process of proposals submitted to Cycle 8 2021 requesting less than 25 hours. Larger programs will be reviewed by science review panels. All Cycle 8 2021 proposals will be reviewed using a dual anonymous procedure.
More information on the pre-announcement, on the Proposal Review Process, and full details on the offered capabilities can be found on the ALMA Science Portal. For additional questions regarding the Cycle 8 2021 Call for Proposals, please visit the Q&A page or contact the ALMA Helpdesk.