Category Archives: News and Announcements

By / par Stéphanie Côté (CGO, NRC Herzberg / OGC, CNRC Herzberg)
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

La version française suit

DRAGONS Python Data Reduction Pipeline is Released

DRAGONS, Data Reduction for Astronomy from Gemini Observatory North and South, is Gemini’s new Python-base data reduction platform. DRAGONS offers a more streamlined approach to the data reduction of Gemini data, compared to the Gemini IRAF package. Its first public release, version 2.1.0, supports imaging reduction for the current facility instruments. For spectroscopy data, please continue to use Gemini IRAF for the time being, while work is on-going regarding the upcoming release of DRAGONS that will be including spectroscopy. To download DRAGONS, please follow the “Installation Instructions” here. For information and tutorials on DRAGONS, see the official Documentation.

If you have imaging data yet to be reduced, please consider DRAGONS for your reduction. You should start by reading and running the tutorial that matches your data, then we believe you will be able to replicate the process for your data. You are also encourage to share your feedback and inputs at DRAGONS Feedback Forum. We are particularly interested in your suggestions on how to improve the documentation.

IGRINS Visiting Gemini-South

IGRINS is a high-resolution (R~45,000), single-setting, near IR (1.45 – 2.5 microns) echelle spectrometer. It was built by a collaboration of the University of Texas and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute KASI, and has been used extensively on the 2.7m Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. It is an extremely powerful and unique instrument that obtains both broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution. It delivers the entire H and K windows, from 1.45 to 2.5 microns, in a single exposure, at high resolution, thanks to the use of a silicon immersion echelle grating and two 2Kx2K infrared detectors. With the latest low-noise detectors and volume-phase holographic (VPH) cross-dispersers, IGRINS has the sensitivity to attack a broad range of astronomical problems.

When IGRINS visited Gemini previously in 2018A it was the most requested instruments from Canadian users (even more than GMOS which doesn’t happen very often!). Beginning in February 2020, IGRINS will be installed on the Gemini South Telescope as a long-term visiting instrument. Observing time will be scheduled in Queue, Fast Turnaround and Poor Weather modes.

At Gemini, the slit size will be 0.34ʺ x 5ʺ. Optimal targets will be those with K-band magnitudes between 10-14, but objects between K=4 and 16 mags will be possible. A python based data reduction pipeline for IGRINS is available to the public.

Call for Proposals for Gemini Long and Large Programs and Subaru Intensive Programs

Watch your CASCA emails for an announcement coming very soon with all the details about the next Call for Proposals for Gemini Long and Large Programs, as well as Subaru Legacy Programs. The deadline will be April 1st 2020, with letters of intent due February 4th 2020.

Gemini Large and Long Programs (LLPs) are Principal Investigator-defined and -driven programs that, as a guideline, either require significantly more time than a partner typically approves for a single program or extend over two to six semesters, or both. Also note that through the Gemini-Subaru time exchange program, Canadians can apply for a Subaru Intensive program, which will follow the same rules and eligibility used for the Gemini Large and Long Programs. At most, one proposal will be selected from the Gemini community for observations on Subaru. But note that no proposals were received in the last 3 Calls (from Canada or USA) for Subaru, and so if you want to grab a lot of time on Subaru here’s your chance to jump on it!

Be aware that most of the observations for the LLPs are expected to be carried out in the Priority Visitor Observing mode, in which a visiting observer is placed in the telescope control room for a block exceeding their program’s time allocation, and elects when to carry out their program within that block. This may be when conditions are within their requirement, better than their requirement or even fail to meet their requirement. Whenever they are observing, the program is charged for the time at 100%. If time remains on the program after the priority visitor observing time is complete, the program carries on in the regular queue with priority given by the TAC-assigned science ranking band (1 or 2). Note that this mode is also available for Band 1 programs. Please indicate your interest to use this mode in the Technical Justification part of the proposal.

Gemini Science Conference 2020: See you in Seoul!

Come join us for the Gemini Science conference “20th Anniversary and Beyond”, June 21-25 2020, in Seoul, Korea. This will be a celebration of 20 years of Gemini’s forefront access to the entire sky, and a preview of the even more exciting things to come. Hosted by the Gemini partnership’s newest member, this meeting will feature the latest scientific results from Gemini, news on current instrumentation projects, updates on operations developments, and lively discussion of Gemini’s strategic plans for the coming decade. To make sure you get notified about registration etc please sign up here.

Recent Canadian Gemini Press Releases

Record-Breaking Protocluster Takes Fast-track

On September 26 an international team of astronomers led by Yuichi Harikane (U of Tokyo) and including Scott Chapman (Dalhousie), announced the discovery of the most distant large-scale cluster of galaxies that has been spectroscopically confirmed so far. Known as z660D, this protocluster with several galaxies confirmed at z=6.585 thanks to Gemini, was originally found by the HyperSuprime-Cam imager on Subaru. It shows that such large-scale structures already existed when the Universe was only about 800 million years old. Also surprising is the location of its ‘Himiko’ (enormous protogalaxy with huge gas halo) which is not near the center of the cluster but rather on the edge, 500 million light years away from the cluster’s center. The press release can be found here and the APJ preprint here.

Two Ancient Migration Events in the Andromeda Galaxy

On October 1st a press release was published about a study showing that M31 underwent two major accretion epochs, based on two very distinct populations of globular clusters. The Nature paper led by Douglas Mackey (ANU) and including Pat Côté and Alan McConnachie (HAA, NRC), report an analysis of the kinematics of M31`s globular clusters, and find two distinct populations rotating perpendicular to each other. One population is aligned with the rotation axis for the plane of dwarf galaxies that encircles M31. These separate cluster populations are interpreted as arising from two major accretion epochs, probably separated by billions of years.

Join the thousands and thousands of Gemini Observatory followers on Facebook: @GeminiObservatory and Twitter: @GeminiObs

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Le pipeline de réduction de données DRAGONS en python est disponible

DRAGONS, Data Reduction for Astronomy for Gemini Observatory North and South, est la nouvelle plate-forme de réduction de données Gemini en Python. DRAGONS propose une approche plus rationalisée de la réduction des données Gemini, par rapport au progiciel Gemini IRAF. Sa première version publique, la version 2.1.0, prend en charge la réduction de l’imagerie pour les instruments présents. Pour les données de spectroscopie, veuillez continuer à utiliser Gemini IRAF pour le moment, pendant que les travaux sont en cours sur la prochaine version de DRAGONS qui inclura la spectroscopie. Pour télécharger DRAGONS, veuillez suivre les «Instructions d’installation» ici. Pour des informations et des tutoriels sur DRAGONS, consultez la documentation officielle.

Si vous avez des données d’imagerie à réduire, veuillez considérer DRAGONS pour votre réduction. Vous devriez commencer par lire et exécuter le didacticiel qui correspond à vos données, puis vous pourrez répliquer le processus sur vos données. Vous êtes également encouragé(e) à partager vos commentaires et contributions sur DRAGONS Feedback Forum. Nous sommes particulièrement intéressés par vos suggestions sur la façon d’améliorer la documentation.

IGRINS visite Gemini-Sud

IGRINS est un spectromètre de haute résolution (R ~ 45 000) en proche-IR (1,45 – 2,5 microns). Il a été construit par une collaboration de l’Université du Texas et de l’Institut coréen d’astronomie et des sciences spatiales KASI, et a été largement utilisé sur le télescope de 2.7m Harlan J. Smith de McDonald Observatory. C’est un instrument extrêmement puissant et unique qui obtient à la fois une large couverture spectrale et une haute résolution spectrale. Il délivre l’intégralité des fenêtres H et K, de 1,45 à 2,5 microns, en une seule exposition, à haute résolution, grâce à l’utilisation d’un réseau échelle à immersion en silicium et de deux détecteurs infrarouges 2Kx2K. Avec des détecteurs à faible bruit et des disperseurs croisés holographiques en phase volumique (VPH), IGRINS a la sensibilité pour attaquer un large éventail de problèmes astronomiques.

Lorsque IGRINS a visité Gemini en 2018A, il a été l`instrument le plus demandé par les utilisateurs canadiens (encore plus que les GMOS, ce qui n’arrive pas très souvent!). À partir de février 2020, IGRINS sera installé sur le télescope Gemini-Sud en tant qu’instrument visiteur à long terme. Le temps d’observation sera cédulé en mode queue, Réponse rapide (Fast Turnaround) et Mauvaises conditions météorologiques (Poor Weather).

À Gemini, la taille de la fente sera de 0,34ʺ x 5ʺ. Les cibles optimales seront celles dont la magnitude en bande K est comprise entre 10 et 14, mais des objets entre K = 4 et 16 mags seront possibles. Un pipeline de réduction de données en python pour IGRINS est disponible publiquement.

Appel de demandes pour les Programmes Gemini Longs et Larges et les Programmes Intensifs sur Subaru

Surveillez vos courriels CASCA pour une annonce à venir très prochainement donnant tous les détails sur le prochain appel de demandes pour les Programmes Longs et Larges de Gemini, ainsi que pour les Programmes Intensifs sur Subaru. La date limite est le 1er avril 2020, les lettres d’intention étant attendues le 4 février 2020.

Les programmes Gemini Longs et Larges (LLP) sont des programmes dirigés par un(e) chercheur(euse) principal(e) qui, à titre indicatif, nécessitent soit beaucoup plus de temps que ce qu’un pays approuve généralement pour un seul programme, ou s’étalent sur deux à six semestres, ou les deux. Notez également que grâce au programme d’échange de temps Gemini-Subaru, les Canadien(ne)s peuvent proposer un programme intensif Subaru, qui suivra les mêmes règles et conditions d’admissibilité que celles utilisées pour les programmes Gemini Longs et Larges. Une seule demande sera sélectionnée de la communauté Gemini pour des observations sur Subaru. Mais notez qu’aucune demande n’a été soumise au cours des 3 derniers appels (provenant soit du Canada ou des États-Unis) pour Subaru, et donc si vous voulez obtenir beaucoup de temps sur Subaru, c’est votre chance!

Sachez que la plupart des observations pour les LLP devraient être effectuées en mode d’observation visiteur prioritaire, c’est-à-dire qu`un observateur(trice) visiteur est placé dans la salle de contrôle du télescope pour un bloc dépassant le temps alloué à leur programme, et choisit quand exécuter leur programme dans ce bloc. Cela peut être lorsque les conditions sont telles que requises, mieux que requises ou même moins bonnes que prévues. Chaque fois qu’ils observent, le programme est facturé à 100%. S’il reste du temps au programme après la fin du temps d’observation visiteur prioritaire, le programme continue dans la queue régulière avec la priorité donnée par la bande de classement scientifique attribuée par le TAC (1 ou 2). Notez que ce mode est également disponible pour les programmes en Bande 1. Veuillez indiquer votre intérêt à utiliser ce mode dans la partie Justification technique de la demande.

Conférence Scientifique Gemini 2020: Rendez-vous à Séoul!

Venez vous joindre à nous pour la conférence scientifique Gemini «20e anniversaire et au-delà», le 21-25 juin 2020, à Séoul, Corée. Ce sera une célébration des 20 ans d’accès de premier plan au ciel entier par Gemini, et un aperçu des choses encore plus excitantes à venir. Accueillie par le plus récent membre du partenariat Gemini, cette réunion présentera les derniers résultats scientifiques de Gemini, des nouvelles sur les projets d’instrumentation en cours, des mises à jour sur les développements des opérations et une discussion animée sur les plans stratégiques de Gemini pour la prochaine décennie. Pour vous assurer d’être tenu au courant de l`inscription à la conférence, etc., veuillez vous inscrire sur ici.

Communiqués de presse canadiens récents

Un proto-amas battant tous les records

Le 26 septembre dernier, une équipe internationale d’astronomes dirigée par Yuichi Harikane (U de Tokyo) et comprenant Scott Chapman (Dalhousie), a annoncé la découverte de l’amas de galaxies à grande échelle le plus éloigné qui ait été confirmé par spectroscopie jusqu’à présent. Connu sous le nom de z660D, ce proto-amas avec plusieurs galaxies confirmées à z = 6,585 grâce à Gemini, a été initialement trouvé par l’imageur HyperSuprime-Cam sur Subaru. Cela montre que de telles structures à grande échelle existaient déjà lorsque l’Univers n’avait que 800 millions d’années. L’emplacement de son «Himiko» (énorme protogalaxie avec un énorme halo gazeux) qui n’est pas situé près du centre de l’amas mais plutôt sur sa périphérie, à 500 millions d’années-lumière du centre de l’amas, est également surprenant. Le communiqué de presse est disponible ici et la prépublication APJ ici.

Deux anciens événements migratoires dans la galaxie d’Andromède

Le 1er octobre dernier, un communiqué de presse a été publié sur une étude montrant que M31 semble avoir subi deux époques d’accrétion majeures, étant donné ses deux populations très distinctes d’amas globulaires. L`article dans Nature signé par Douglas Mackey (ANU) et incluant Pat Côté et Alan McConnachie (HAA, CNRC), donne une analyse de la cinématique des amas globulaires de M31, et trouve deux populations distinctes tournant perpendiculairement l’une à l’autre. Une population est alignée avec l’axe de rotation du plan des galaxies naines qui encercle M31. Ces populations d`amas globulaires distinctes sont interprétées comme provenant de deux époques d’accrétion majeures, probablement séparées par des milliards d’années.

Rejoignez les milliers et milliers de suiveurs de l’Observatoire Gemini sur Facebook: @GeminiObservatory et Twitter: @GeminiObs.

By / par Robert La Montagne
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

La version française suit

The Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Quebec (CRAQ) is announcing its annual Summer School, which will be held on June 15-17, 2020 in Montreal, Quebec.

This year’s topic will focus on Cosmology. This 3-day school will introduce cutting-edge observational probes of cosmology such as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), intensity mapping, and gravitational lensing, with hands-on analysis examples including CMB mapmaking, MCMC parameter estimation, and machine learning. Instructors will include Adrian Liu, Cynthia Chiang, Matt Dobbs, Jon Sievers (McGill University), Yashar Hezaveh, and Laurence Perreault Levasseur (Université de Montréal).

The CRAQ Summer School is principally aimed at graduate students in the field of physics, astronomy, and astrophysics, although students who have completed an undergraduate program in physics will also be accepted.

There is no registration fee. However, we cannot offer traveling funds or cover lodging expenses.

Additional information about the program, registration and accommodation will be available soon on this site: craq-astro.ca/summerschool.

Email contact: Summer.School@craq-astro.ca

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Le Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ) annonce son école d’été annuelle, qui aura lieu du 15 au 17 juin 2020 à Montréal, Québec.

Le thème de cette année portera sur la cosmologie. Cette école, d’une durée de 3 jours, se concentrera sur les techniques de pointe permettant de sonder les phénomènes cosmologiques telles que le rayonnement de fond cosmologique (RFC), la cartographie d’intensité et les lentilles gravitationnelles; plusieurs exemples d’analyse, incluant la cartographie RFC, l’estimation des paramètres MCMC et les méthodes d’apprentissage automatique seront utilisés. Les professeurs seront Adrian Liu, Cynthia Chiang, Matt Dobbs, Jon Sievers (McGill University), Yashar Hezaveh et Laurence Perreault Levasseur (Université de Montréal).

L’école d’été du CRAQ s’adresse principalement à des étudiants aux cycles supérieurs dans le domaine de la physique, de l’astronomie et de l’astrophysique. Les étudiants ayant complété un programme de premier cycle en physique seront également acceptés.

Il n’y a aucuns frais d’inscription. Cependant, nous ne pouvons offrir de subside pour couvrir les frais de déplacement ou d’hébergement.

Les informations additionnelles à propos du programme, de l’inscription et de l’hébergement seront disponibles bientôt sur le site : craq-astro.ca/summerschool.

Courriel: Summer.School@craq-astro.ca

By / par Gerald Schieven (ALMA)
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

Continued Canadian Participation in ALMA

Canada participates in the ALMA consortium through an agreement between the National Research Council Canada and the US National Science Foundation. This ten-year contribution agreement is scheduled to end on 31 December 2020. To determine whether this agreement should be continued, and at what level, the NRC struck a review panel consisting of Erik Rosolowsky (chair; U Alberta), Sarah Sadavoy (Queen’s U), Nienke van der Marel (U Victoria) and Christine Wilson (McMaster U). The panel reviewed the participation of the Canadian community and the impact of ALMA on the broader study of astronomy, and conducted a survey of the community. The committee found that Canadians are receiving observing time and publishing high impact ALMA publications at rates commensurate with our investment in the facility, with approximately half of Canadian ALMA publications being led by Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) trainees. Furthermore, the general public has shown great interest in ALMA’s participation in the results from the Event Horizon Telescope. The committee recommended that NRC should therefore negotiate with the NSF for continued Canadian partnership in the North American executive of the ALMA observatory.

Cycle 6/7 Update

Observing in the last few months of Cycle 6 was affected by a few episodes of high winds and/or snow. Adding to some delays earlier in the observing cycle, this resulted in Cycle 6 completing 88% of the target of 4000 hours of observations. The observatory delivered 90% of pipeline-processed observations within 65 days of completion and 90% of non-standard observations within 118 days. Cycle 7 began successfully on 01 October 2019, with a smooth transition in both hardware and software. Observations have been going largely smoothly, but access to the telescope and normal operations have been impacted by the political unrest in Chile. Due to advisories from the JAO, NAASC and MAG member Gerald Schieven did not travel to Chile for a schedule AoD shift in November.

ALMA received 1773 proposals for Cycle 7, a 3.6% decrease from the record number set in Cycle 6. It is possible that some of this decrease may have been due to the advertised supplemental call for the ALMA Compact Array scheduled for the fall (see next paragraph). All proposals were ranked by the Proposal Review Committee in Atlanta, Georgia in June. Forty-three of these proposals had a Canadian PI and 247 had a Canadian PI or co-I. The global oversubscription rates were 4.4 and 4.2 for the 12m array and the ACA, respectively, indicating a continuing high demand for ALMA time. A/B grades were awarded to 398 proposals and C grades to a further 236 proposals. Of these proposals, Canadian PIs led 10 A/B and 4 C-graded proposals and Canadians were PIs or co-Is on 57 A/B and 36 C-graded proposals. In terms of allocated A+B time, Canadian PIs received 10.1% of the North American share, 5.7% from the 12m array and 16.7% from the ACA. Overall, 18.4% and 15.6% of 12m array and ACA time, respectively, was awarded to proposals with a Canadian PI or co-I. Of special note is the award of the first Canadian-led large program, VERTICO (Virgo Environment traced in CO), an ACA-standalone program to map 51 spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster led by postdoc Toby Brown at McMaster University. The number of unique Canadian PIs was 25 and there were 92 individuals on submitted ALMA proposals from 18 institutions in Canada.

The observatory held its second supplemental call for ACA-only proposals in fall 2019. Unlike in Cycle 4, when the deadline was approximately a month after the main ALMA call, this proposal deadline was set to October 1 and was advertised well in advance of the normal April proposal deadline. A total of 249 proposals requesting 8000 hours were submitted, giving an oversubscription rate of 3.2. This proposal call also served as a test of a new review model called Distributed Peer Review (DPR). Each PI (or designated co-I) received 10 proposals to review and rank, with the final observing queue built using the average of the received grades. Anecdotal evidence suggests this review model worked quite smoothly. The observatory anticipates holding another supplemental ACA-only call in fall 2020 for Cycle 8. In the long term, the observatory is considering using Distributed Peer Review for the main ALMA call in the spring starting in Cycle 9, although the details remain to be worked out.

ESO hosted a very successful pan-ALMA meeting, “Science and Synergies” in Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy. Scientific highlights included invited presentations from the 10 ALMA Large Programs from Cycles 4-6, spanning science topics from protostellar disks to evolved stars to nearby galaxies to the high redshift universe. The meeting was highly oversubscribed, with selection required both for attendees and for poster presentations. Unfortunately, a typhoon in Tokyo the weekend before the meeting meant that many Japanese astronomers were unable to get to the meeting.

ALMA North American Development Studies Cycle 7 / FY2020

In order to assure ALMA’s continued role at the forefront of science and technology, each ARC periodically awards funding for ALMA development studies and projects. Studies are funded for 1-2 years to assess the feasibility of software or hardware upgrades to the array, while projects are funded for 2-3 years to develop the technology. The results of the latest North American call for development studies has recently been announced. (See here for more details.) Eight proposals, two of which were from Canadian institutions, were awarded funding. Of these, five were hardware studies, and three software/archive. The two Canadian proposals are described below. For a discussion of the eight successful studies, see here.

ARCADE: ALMA Reduction in the CANFAR Data Environment (Kirk/ NRC)

NRC’s Millimetre Astronomy Group and the Canadian Astronomical Data Centre, in collaboration with McMaster University, are pleased to announce that they were recently awarded funding for the ALMA North American Cycle 7 Development Study program for their proposal entitled “ARCADE: ALMA Reduction in the CANFAR Data Environment”. One year of funding is provided for our group to further develop and scale-up our prototype system, ARCADE. The vision for ARCADE is to provide a stable cloud-based computing environment designed to handle ALMA data for all Canadian researchers. ARCADE will have ample storage space and processing power, and will come pre-loaded with all versions of CASA. Through its intuitive web-based interface, both new and expert users will be able to access the computing resources required for all of their ALMA data reduction and imaging needs. At present, we have been working on an early prototype of the ARCADE system with a small number of alpha testers. The development study funding will allow us to learn how to best scale up the system to handle many simultaneous users with independent resource allocations and to improve the system’s general usability through extensive beta testing. For more information, please contact the PI, Helen Kirk.

High-level Design and Integration of NRC TALON based Correlator for Increased Channels, Bandwidth and Baselines (Pleasance/ NRC)

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Center (HAA) has designed a Frequency Slice Architecture (FSA) Correlator/Beamformer (CBF) based on the NRC’s TALON technology for the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Mid Frequency Correlator/Beamformer (Mid.CBF). The TALON FSA CBF design is flexible in nature and easily adapted to other radio interferometers. This has been demonstrated with the inclusion of a TALON FSA CBF in the ngVLA reference design. The NRC was recently awarded a Cycle 7 ALMA Development study to investigate the potential of integrating a TALON FSA CBF into the ALMA observatory. The scope of the study includes several activities. The first activity is to studying existing ALMA interfaces to the CBF and understand current capabilities and the roadmap for future capabilities. The second activity is to document a high-level design for a suitable TALON FSA CBF including a detailed description of the capabilities, rack space, and power estimates for a CBF that handles the existing bandwidth and number of antennas. A key focus will be on minimizing the impact to other ALMA systems surrounding the CBF. The final activity is to describe how the presented architecture could be expanded to handle additional antennas and provide increased bandwidth and channels. There is the potential for follow on studies to present a detailed design and project plan for deploying a TALON FSA CBF at the ALMA observatory. The principle investigator for this study, titled “High level design and integration of NRC TALON based correlator for increased channels, bandwidth and baselines”, is Sonja Vrcic located at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) in Penticton, BC, Canada.

From / de Pauline Barmby, Bryan Gaensler (LRP2020 co-chairs / co-présidents PLT2020)
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

La version française suit

Canadian astronomers have provided enthusiastic input to the LRP2020 process. A total of 66 and 15 committee or community were submitted. The six LRP town halls in October and November included 38 and 12 discussion sessions. About 180 people registered to attend town halls, most for more than one event. Remote participants at each event numbered between 20 and 40. Between us, the co-chairs took about 100 pages of notes!

The town hall discussions ranged widely over many topics. Some recurring themes included balance between the competing priorities of infrastructure and human resources, need for coordination between the many funding agencies and structures that support astronomy, a strong desire for Canadian leadership (not just participation) in the projects that we choose, and interest in addressing questions of how Canadian astronomy fits into and serves Canadian society. Uncertainty over the future of astronomy on Maunakea was apparent in the discussion of several facilities, not just the Thirty Meter Telescope. Computing and data were identified as pressing issues, both immediately and in many future projects under consideration. Finally, the need for a long-term vision for astronomy in Canada was well-articulated by Alan McConnachie of NRC’s Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics: “a plan without a vision is just a shopping list.”

The next steps in the LRP process are for the panel to discuss the projects, facilities and recommendations contained in the white papers, and to decide on a set of priorities. Prioritisation will take place in December 2019 and January 2020 as the report-writing begins. A presentation of the draft recommendations will take place in June at the CASCA AGM in Toronto.

The activity associated with the town halls has prevented the LRP webpage from being as up-to-date as we’d like and we thank the community for your patience. The latest news on LRP2020 is available from the Slack workspace and through our Twitter handle @LRP2020. The panel can be contacted at panel@lrp2020.groups.io and the co-chairs at chairs@lrp2020.groups.io.

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Les astronomes canadiens ont contribué avec enthousiasme au processus PLT2020. Un total de 66 et 15 de comité ou communauté ont été soumis. Les six assemblées publiques du PLT en octobre et novembre comprenaient 38 et 12 séances de discussion. Environ 180 personnes se sont inscrites pour assister aux assemblées publiques, la plupart pour plus d’un événement. Les participants à distance à chaque événement étaient entre 20 et 40. Entre nous, les coprésidents ont pris environ 100 pages de notes!

Les discussions aux assemblées publiques ont porté sur de nombreux sujets. Certains thèmes récurrents comprenaient l’équilibre entre les priorités concurrentes de l’infrastructure et des ressources humaines, le besoin de coordination entre les nombreuses agences de financement et les structures qui soutiennent l’astronomie, un fort désir de leadership canadien (pas seulement la participation) dans les projets que nous choisissons, et un intérêt pour répondre aux questions sur la façon dont l’astronomie canadienne s’intègre et sert la société canadienne. L’incertitude quant à l’avenir de l’astronomie sur Maunakea est apparue dans la discussion de plusieurs installations, pas seulement du télescope de trente mètres. L’informatique et les données ont été identifiées comme des problèmes urgents à la fois immédiatement et dans de nombreux projets futurs à l’étude. Enfin, la nécessité d’une vision à long terme de l’astronomie au Canada a été bien exprimée par Alan McConnachie de Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics du CNRC: «un plan sans vision n’est qu’une liste d’épicerie».

Les prochaines étapes du processus LRP consistent pour le panel à discuter des projets, des installations et des recommandations contenues dans les livres blancs et à décider d’un ensemble de priorités. La hiérarchisation aura lieu en décembre 2019 et janvier 2020 au début de la rédaction du rapport. Une présentation de l’ébauche des recommandations aura lieu en juin lors de l’assemblée generale de la CASCA à Toronto.

L’activité associée avec les aux assemblées publiques a empêché la page Web du PLT d’être aussi à jour que nous le souhaiterions et nous remercions la communauté pour votre patience. Les dernières nouvelles sur LRP2020 sont disponibles sur l’espace de travail Slack et sur Twitter @LRP2020. Le panel peut être contacté à panel@lrp2020.groups.io et les co-présidents à chairs@lrp2020.groups.io.

By / par Kristine Spekkens (Canadian SKA Science Director)
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

There have been exciting developments in the SKA project over the last six months, and the project is progressing quickly. A detailed account of the recent history and current status of the SKA project in Canada can be found in the final report to the 2020 LRP Panel by Spekkens that was submitted at the end of September, as well as the SKA White Paper by Spekkens that recommends Canada’s continued participation in the project from 2020-2030.

The SKA1 Baseline Design is mature, and the main tasks of the SKA Organisation (SKAO) over the last several months have been a) the post-critical design review (CDR) closeout of element consortia and b) the planning and execution of System CDR. The only outstanding element CDR is that for the Dish (DSH) consortium, which has been pushed back to Q4 2020 to provide enough time for prototyping lessons learned to be incorporated into the design and for outstanding IP issues to be resolved. SKA1 System CDR was passed on 13 Dec 2019 – this is a major milestone for the project. Among the documents produced for System CDR, the revised operations plan and first complete cost book have improved the reliability of the costing estimates for SKA1. Both are scheduled for external review in Q2 2020 and constitute key inputs to the definition of the SKA1 Deployment Baseline (ie. the instrument that will initially be built), which will take place on the same timescale. The SKAO Board expects to endorse the SKA1 Construction Proposal, Operations Plan, and Business-Enabling Plan in Q3 2020 for transmission to the IGO Council (see below) to enable a construction start in Q2 2021. The next six months of the SKA project are thus arguably the most critical in its 20-year history, and Canadians are deeply engaged.

As SKA1 moves from pre-construction to construction, governance of the project will transition from the SKAO, a not-for-profit company in the UK, to an intergovernmental organisation (IGO) that is established by treaty convention. Among the seven countries that signed the convention in March 2019 (Australia, China, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), the Netherlands was the first to ratify it in August 2019. The IGO will come into existence when five signatories ratify the convention, which is anticipated in Q3 2020. This schedule implies that the IGO will become fully functional in Q4 2020 and will take control of the project in Q1 2021. In the interim, a Council Preparatory Task Force (CPTF) is representing the interests of current and anticipated IGO signatories, its main activities are focussed on drafting accession, procurement and IP policy documents. Among the 13 current SKAO members, only New Zealand has confirmed that it will not contribute to the SKA beyond pre-construction; a number of countries including Canada are therefore exploring mechanisms for participating in the IGO. Permission for NRC to participate in the CPTF as an Observer was obtained in April 2019. This represents an important step forward for Canadian participation in SKA1 construction and operations, with Full IGO Membership, Associate IGO Membership or an alternate Collaborative Agreement all being explored.

SKA Science Data Challenges offer an opportunity for the astronomical community to familiarize itself with the kind of data that SKA1 will produce in order. They inform the development of data reduction workflows, including demonstration of the quality and reliability with which one may extract science from the images to be provided by the SKA Regional Centres. The first Science Data Challenge focussed on SKA1-Mid radio continuum source detection and characterization. The next Challenge will feature datacubes containing HI emission and absorption, and is in the planning stages. Keep an eye on the SKA Canadian email exploder for the announcement, or check the main SKA web page.

As SKA1 ramps up towards construction, a large number of scientists, engineers, software designers, and support and administrative personnel will be hired, both in the UK and in the host countries (South Africa and Australia). Those interested should keep an eye on recruitment.skatelescope.org, which includes a “job alert” tool to set up personalized emails filtered by field of expertise, location, duration and employment type (permanent, contract, secondment, etc.). There are many opportunities to dip your feet in SKA waters, both for those not quite ready to take the plunge into permanent employment as well as those seeking permanent jobs. Expect this area to heat up significantly over the next year!

For more information and updates on the SKA:

• subscribe to the Canadian SKA email list by sending a blank email to all+subscribe@skacanada.groups.io
• visit the Canadian SKA WWW site

By / par Chris Wilson (McMaster University, JCMT Board Member for Canada)
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

New Large Programs to Start in 2020A

There have been a number of new large programs approved by the JCMT TAC and Board. These new programs will start collecting data in February 2020 and on average will take 3 years to complete. There will be an open enrolment period early in 2020. At this time, any researchers or students at Canadian institutions are eligible to join whichever of the large program(s) they are interested in. This opportunity will be advertised on the JCMT website and I urge you all to have a look at the new programs to see if there are any you would like to join. Depending on progress in other areas, this could be the last round of JCMT large programs for which Canadian researchers are eligible. Descriptions of the approved large programs will likely appear here.

Science

Results continue to pour out from the JCMT large programs. From the BISTRO survey, Simon Coudé et al (2019, ApJ) have used the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method to measure a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 120 ± 60 μG in the Barnard 1 cloud in Perseus. From the S2COSMOS survey, Simpson et al. (2019, ApJ) have published a catalog of 1147 bright submm sources across 2.6 square degrees of the COSMOS field. From STUDIES, Lim et al. (2019, ApJ, in press) have used a catalog of 256 sources to measure their luminosity function 450 μm as well as median redshifts and dust temperatures. From JINGLE, Lamperti et al. (2019, MNRAS) have applied a hierarchical Bayesian analysis to study the dust properties of 193 nearby galaxies. Results are also being published from the second generation of large programs. From the HASHTAG survey of M31, Li et al. (2019, ApJ, in press) used 12 fields surveyed in CO(3-2) to study the CO line ratios and correlation with star formation rate. From the NESS survey of evolved stars, Dharmawardena et al. (2019, MNRAS) used 450 and 850 μm observations of the detached shell source U Antliae to explore the shell structure, grain sizes, and measure the total dust mass.

The JCMT Users Meeting was held in Taipei in early November. The program included reports from most of the large programs, an update on the observatory status by Director Paul Ho, and presentations of individual results by students, postdocs, and senior researchers. The full program, including slides for many of the talks, is available here.

Observing and Proposals

Although the weather improved significantly early in the 19A semester, overall the weather statistics in 2019 have been worse than the historical average. In addition, the JCMT was closed for 27 consecutive nights due to the protests related to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope that blocked safe access to the summit. Since November 1, 2019, the JCMT has been carrying out fully remote observations from a control room in Hilo. Observers and students are still welcome to visit to observe from Hilo and to visit the telescope at the summit.

The fact that the CADC continues to host the JCMT data archive is maintaining our access to JCMT large programs for the moment. However, Canadians remain ineligible to apply as PIs for time on the JCMT and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. This is because we are not able to contribute any cash to JCMT operations. However, I encourage anyone who has a good idea for JCMT observations to reach out to colleagues in the U.K. or the EAO partner regions (China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan) to see if they would be interested to partner on a proposal. Band 5 weather contains to remain undersubscribed and counts as “free” in the time-allocation process.

New and Future Instrumentation

The 230 GHz-band receiver, RxA3m, was retired from the telescope in June 2018 due to increasing problems with helium leaks in its cryostat, among other problems. A replacement receiver called Namakanui has now arrived in Hawaii and is currently undergoing commissioning. It is expected to be available for science early in 2020. This receiver is on loan from ASIAA (Taiwan) and is the spare receiver for the Greenland Telescope. It is a 3-band receiver design; the 230 GHz-band cartridge is known as U’u.

A team of Canadian universities led by McMaster is preparing a proposal for the CFI 2020 Innovation Fund competition to seek to contribute funding to constructing a new 850 micron camera for the JCMT. This camera is planned to have 20 times faster mapping speed than SCUBA-2 with dual-polarization capabilities.

The JCMT website can be found here.

By / par Patrick Hall (MSE Management Group Member)
(Cassiopeia – Winter / hivers 2019)

Canada First to Sign MSE Preliminary Design Phase Statement of Understanding

On July 11, 2019, the MSE preliminary design phase statement of understanding was signed by Don Brooks, executive director of ACURA, after approval of this signature by the ACURA Institutional Council at its June meeting. The SoU was also signed the next day by Doug Simons, executive director of CFHT, and on July 22 by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research at Australian Astronomical Optics – Macquarie University. Signatures from France and from the University of Hawaii are expected soon.

The scope of work in the SoU begins with completing the preliminary design of MSE. Signatories to the SoU are under no financial obligation to MSE; the SoU merely specifies how any contributions that are made from signatories will be valued by the MSE project. ACURA’s role will be to represent Canada’s interests to the MSE Board during the preliminary design phase, and to be the recipient of ‘Beneficial Interest’ shares in the project from future contributions to MSE by Canada through peer-reviewed funding mechanisms such as CFI.

MSE in Long-Term Planning Exercises

An MSE Facility White Paper was submitted in September as part of the Canadian LRP 2020 process. MSE, and the future of Maunakea astronomy, featured in the discussions at the LRP Town Hall in Toronto in early November, and at other town halls that month.

In July, a facility white paper was submitted to the Astro2020 decadal planning exercise in the USA; the white paper is available as arXiv:1907.07192. In October, the MSE Project Office replied to an Request for Information for the Astro2020 Technical Readiness and Cost Estimate (TRACE) process. These requests were issued to only a select subset of facilities. A presentation to the Astro2020 panel is likely early in 2020.

In France, although the formal report of the Prospective planning exercise has not yet been released, consultations have concluded and we anticipate receiving the highest ranking (P0) for the facilities and infrastructure survey.

Meanwhile, a CFI proposal for approximately $20M plus $5M in-kind is on track to be submitted in January by Co-PIs Colin Bradley (UVic) and Pat Hall (York). If successful, this proposal will fund over half of the work necessary for the full preliminary design phase of MSE in both hardware and software. A several million dollar NSF Advanced Technological and Instrumentation proposal for science calibration system studies has also been submitted (PI Jennifer Marshall, Texas A&M and MSE Project Scientist).

Partnership Growth: MSE:UK Consortium Joins as Observer, Texas A&M as Partner

In July, a consortium of institutions from the UK joined the MSE Management Group with Observer status, The consortium is led from the UK Astronomy Technology Center (UKATC) in Edinburgh, part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and includes the University of Cambridge, the University of Durham, University College London and the University of Oxford. “The science for MSE is amazing and a great fit to the UK community,” says MSE:UK management group representative Ruben Sanchez-Janssen (UKATC).

In September, Texas A&M University formally became an MSE participant by declaring its intention to contribute in-kind and cash resources to MSE during the preliminary design phase. Darren Depoy now serves as the MG member from Texas A&M.

In December, Joan Najita replaced Adam Bolton as the MG representative from NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory in the United States.

At its December meeting, the MG approved a Principles for Partnership Building document which outlines the current views of the MG on the core principles of the MSE partnership, and is intended to serve as a basis for discussion with prospective partners. More on this document in the next Cassiopeia.

Last but not least, MSE Management Group member Laura Ferrarese (NRC-Herzberg) will serve as Chair of the MG in 2020.

Project News: MSE Meeting May 2020 in France; Sam Barden Joins Project Office

Members of the MSE Science Team are now receiving monthly newsletters from the Project Office, and monthly science team telecons have begun for project status updates and science discussions. Science Team membership has now topped 400 members!

Plans are underway for the next MSE project-wide collaboration meeting to be held May 18-20, 2020 in Nice, France. Canadian researchers who have not previously been heavily involved with MSE may be able to obtain travel funding to the meeting by applying to the program described at this link.

Sam Barden will join the MSE Project Office as systems engineer in February 2020. In addition to his practical 4MOST design & build experience, Sam brings over 25 years of wide field fiber-fed spectroscopic knowledge, specifically in VPH gratings and fiber optics that he pioneered for astronomical applications. Sam’s credentials will be a tremendous asset for MSE in the preliminary design phase and beyond.

CASCA 2019 at McGill University and MSE EPO

The MSE Project Office team attended CASCA 2019 at McGill University in Montreal June 17-21, helping to staff a joint CFHT/MSE booth to answer community questions about the project. Also at the meeting, MSE featured at the CFHT Lunch, and a poster was presented on the MSE EPO programme by Kelly Lepo (McGill). Dr. Lepo and Dr. Jesse Rogerson (Canada Aviation & Space Museum) are Canada’s representatives on the MSE Education and Public Outreach committee, co-chaired by Dr. Lepo and Mary Beth Laychak (CFHT). The committee is charged with coordinating EPO activities sponsored by, and relating to, the MSE project on both the national and international level. Ongoing MSE EPO efforts will be exhibited at CASCA 2020 at York University in Toronto, May 25-28.