ALMA Phase Correction Workshop

ALMA imaging observations – particularly on long baselines – are often limited more by phase fluctuations than atmospheric transmission or PWV. To enable more long-baseline or high-frequency observations, or improve existing data, we need to look at ways to improve the phase correction.

The aims of this workshop are:

1. Review the methods that could improve ALMA phase correction and image fidelity. Including (but not limited to) baseline accuracy, WVR corrections, pressure and other environmental fluctuations, cycle times, online/offline WVR correction.
2. Summarise the results from the related test observations during the 2014 and 2015 long-baseline campaigns, and identify and quantify the methods that do produce noticeable improvements.
3. Make recommendations for changes in ALMA software, hardware and/or observing methods which will improve phase correction

Please, find the workshop presentations and summary in the password protected area (password notified by email, no username required):
Link to online presentations and presentations review.

LOGISTICS

The workshop is jointly organized by the ALMA observatory and Allegro, the Netherlands ARC node. It will be held at Leiden Observatory from May 30 – Jun 3. Participation is by invitation only.

-Accomodation
Hotel occupancy in Leiden is expected to be high for this period and you are urged to book early. A block reservation has been arranged at the IBIS hotel, opposite Leiden Centraal railway station: Link to Ibis hotel

This booking is held until 18/04/2016. After this date rooms that have not been reserved will be canceled. Workshop attendees receive a discounted price. Reservations need to be made via email to H8087-RE@accor.com mentioning the booking code STER280516:
o Single room incl. breakfast: €81.50 (€ 79 room plus € 2.50 tax per person/per day)
o Double room incl. breakfast: €97.00 (€92 room plus €2.50 tax per person/per day)

-Transportation
For those of you staying at the IBIS hotel situated adjacent from Leiden Centraal Station there will be taxis arranged to take you to the university and back each day. There will be enough space for ~15 people in total.

	Leave Ibis	Leave University
Monday	13:00	18:00
Tuesday	08:30	18:30
Wednesday	08:30	17:30
Thursday	09:30	17:30
Friday	09:00	12:30

As an alternative there are regular buses from the station, buses 43 (direction Den Haag) or bus 57 (direction Nieuw Vennep). These take around 7 minutes. Please see the link below for more specific details if you will be coming by bus.

Instructions on how to get to Leiden Observatory, including transportation from Schiphol Airport, can be found here:
https://www.lorentzcenter.nl/howto.php
And a site map can be found here:
https://www.lorentzcenter.nl/map_LC_hotels_stat_web.php

Note these specify the route to the Lorentz Center, which is in the forward leaning building in the photo. Leiden Observatory and Allegro are located on the 4th and 5th floor of that same building. Note that this is not the old Observatory in the center of Leiden. The workshop will be held on the First and Second floors of the joining building – The Huygens Building (HL) – in either rooms 204 or 106 (see directions below).

-Directions inside the building:

Room 106:

Room 204:

Allegro offices:

-Remote participation:

WEBEX link for remote participation (only Mac and Windows OS):

https://meetings.webex.com/collabs/#/meetings/detail?uuid=M6YLWHU19C3ENKOPN2PJFMIJCE-EIHZ&rnd=692476.57822

This is be open every day of the meeting, you simply click and follow the instructions below (see also Webex_Getting_Started ).

Instructions:
– Use a Windows or Mac OsX computer (NOT Linux) and point the browser to the provided link.
Firefox works, but there are sporadic reports of Safari not working. To be safe, also quit
Skype before you start since under some conditions it can latch on the mic/speaker.

– After signing in (your name and an email address) click the large button on the left “Connect to Audio” –> “Call Using this Computer –>
(select correct audio devices –> be sure to hit “OK” (audio won’t work in meeting until you hit the “OK”). (See page 1 & 3 of the attached guide).

– If possible, use earphones with a microphone.

– Note there are tabs (upper left) for different pages, so check those first if you can not find your way.

– On the right there are buttons to open “Participants”, “Chat” etc. panels. If you make your window large enough it
is possible to have both panels open at the same time. Chat will work even when audio/video is not working
(assuming the person on the other end keeps an eye on it).

– The gear box above the video panel allows you to set the video source (it default for a mac to the camera
on the notebook display which may be closed and you’ll have to then set it to the camera on the external display.)

– The “audio” button below the participants list opens the audio selection/test panel.

-Conference dinner:
The evening meal will be on Wed 7 pm at the Belgisch Bier Cafe Olivier – Hooigracht 23, 2312 KM Leiden.
Find directions from Leiden Centraal station to the restaurant here:

And the menu here: Menu_Olivier_Eng

 

PARTICIPANTS

Name
Anita Richards
Richard Hills
Satoki Matsushita
Yoshiharu Asaki
Bill Dent
Ed Fomalont
Ray Blundell
Juan R. Pardo
George Bendo
Scott Paine
Dominique Broguiere
Taehyun Jung
Neil Phillips
Michael Bremer
Bojan Nikolic
Antonio Hales
Allegro

 

Requested remote participation (see instructions here):

Name
Crystal Bogan
Todd Hunter
Liz Humphreys
Alan Roy