UK ALMA Regional Centre Node Infrastructure Enhancement
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
ALMA will consist of 66 antennas, with baselines up to 16 km. ALMA covers all the atmospheric windows from 3mm to 300 micron wavelength. The top-level ALMA science drivers are: to detect CO in 'normal' (Milky Way precursor) galaxies at redshift 3 in <24 hours; to image the gas kinematics in proto-stellar and proto-planetary disks within 500 pc, and produce high-fidelity images at <100-milliarcsec resolution. The UK ARC Node is responsible for community/public outreach, community development and face-to-face ALMA user support from pre-proposal submission to advanced data reduction/analysis and ingestion of data products into the ALMA Archive. The ARC Node provides direct, expert support to the central ESO ARC including on-site testing and operations support at the ALMA sites in Chile. The UK ARC Node maintains and hosts the ALMA Observing Support Tool (OST), an online ALMA simulator used extensively by ALMA proposers worldwide. This proposal will provide additional investment in several aspects of the infrastructure at the UK ARC Node to enhance support for UK ALMA users.
Planned Impact
ALMA has a very wide impact ranging from the development and commercialization of a wide range of technology to public outreach. The UK ARC Node is especially active in public outreach.
| Description | This grant supported the purchase of high-end computing equipment and enhance computer network support. These enabled UK astronomers to make much more effective use of ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array, to study the evolution of the cold material in the universe tracing the formation of planets, stars and galaxies. |
| Exploitation Route | This research can be used to inspire school children to study STEM subjects. |
| Sectors | Education,Other |
| Description | European ALMA Regional Centre (ESO) |
| Organisation | European Southern Observatory (ESO) |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We support the European ALMA Regional Centre in the operation and upgrade of ALMA as well as the quality control of ALMA data and it's delivery to astronomers making observations with ALMA. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The European ALMA Regional Centre supports the UK ARC node by providing a range of support as well as coordinating the ARC node network across Europe. |
| Impact | The primary outputs are the publications and scientific results from UK astronomers using ALMA. |
| Start Year | 2014 |