By Erik Rosolowsky (U Alberta), Joan Wrobel (NRAO)
(Cassiopeia – Autumn 2022)
More details on all items may be found here.
ngVLA Key Science Goal 1: Unveiling the Formation of Solar System Analogues on Terrestrial Scales. Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF
New Eyes on the Universe: SKA & ngVLA Conference
The SKA and the ngVLA are pleased to announce a landmark radio astronomy science conference designed to highlight the complementarity and synergies between these premier radio observatories of the 21st century. To be held in Vancouver, Canada the week of 30 April 2023, this conference will review, discuss, and extend the cutting-edge science opportunities enabled by the unprecedented SKA-ngVLA coverage across three decades of radio frequency (50 MHz to 116 GHz).
ngVLA Special Session: Chemical Probes of Astrophysical Systems
The NRAO and the ngVLA will convene a Special Session titled “Chemical Probes of Astrophysical Systems” at the January 2023 American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle, WA. Invited presentations by Eliza Kempton (UMD), Brett McGuire (MIT), David Meier (NMT), Stefanie Milam (GSFC), Dominique Segura-Cox (MPE), and Kamber Schwarz (MPIA) will be featured. Contributed iPoster presentations on any ngVLA theme are welcomed.
ngVLA Site Selection Begins in Mexico
In September 2022, the NRAO began supporting a Mexican astronomer’s work to select and develop antenna sites in northern Mexico for the ngVLA.
ngVLA Completes Its Technical Conceptual Design Review
The ngVLA successfully completed its Technical Conceptual Design Review in July 2022. This verifies that the technical design is likely to meet all the performance-driving requirements. This successful milestone sets the stage for the Programmatic Conceptual Design Review, to be run in March 2023 by the US National Science Foundation.
Computational Astrophysics in the ngVLA Era: Synergistic Simulations, Theory, and Observations
Held in June 2022 at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute in Manhattan, New York, USA, this conference brought together 80+ theoreticians, modellers, and observers. Their 50+ presentations dealt with the computational astrophysics and observational challenges for the next generation of observatories, with a focus on the ngVLA.
VLA/VLBA to ngVLA Transition Advisory Group (TAG)
This group will determine how to transition operations between the currently operating VLA/VLBA to the ngVLA during construction process. TAG membership, including Stefi Baum (Manitoba), was announced in May 2022. The TAG will develop, quantitatively assess, and evaluate a set of possible transition options that can be prioritized on their scientific promise, cost, and technical/personnel impacts. It is anticipated that the TAG’s final report will be delivered by mid-2023 to the NRAO and the US National Science Foundation.