Submillimeter Array Call for Standard Observing Proposals
Mark Gurwell Center For Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
We wish to draw your attention to the latest Call for Standard Observing Proposals for observations with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). This call is for the 2020A semester with observing period 16 May 2020 - 15 November 2020.
SMA is a reconfigurable interferometric array of eight 6-m antennas on Maunakea jointly built and operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The array operates in the 230, 345, and 400 GHz bands.
The SMA configurations include antenna separations ranging between 9 m and 508 m. The small antennas allow access to low spatial frequencies (with projected baselines as short as 6-m) in the sub-compact configuration, and at the other extreme, the finest angular resolution with the very extended configuration at 345 GHz is ~ 0.25". The compact and extended configurations complete the range. The characteristics, performance and sky coverage of the SMA are both similar and complementary to those of the stand-alone Atacama Compact Array (ACA) component of ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), while providing full access to the northern sky.
The heart of the SMA backend is the SWARM correlator, able to process 8 GHz bandwidth (IF coverage of 4 to 12 GHz) for each receiver in each sideband, for a total of 32 GHz bandwidth, at a uniform 140 kHz resolution. We are currently expanding the correlator coverage by 50%, to 12 GHz bandwidth (IF coverage from 4 to 16 GHz) for each receiver in each sideband, for 48 GHz total bandwidth, while maintaining the fine 140 kHz uniform resolution. While not yet fully commissioned, we are working toward offering this new capability in 2020A as a shared-risk opportunity.
For more details visit the Proposal Information and Submission page.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR STANDARD OBSERVING PROPOSALS
- Submissions open: 6 February 2020 (on or before)
- Submissions close: 5 Mar 2020 21:00 UTC = 5 Mar 2020 16:00 EST = 6 Mar 2020 05:00 Taiwan
Questions or comments regarding the Standard Observing Proposals can be addressed to [email protected].