2015 ALMA Summer School. August 17-21, Penticton, BC
Image credit: ESO/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org)
The 2015 ALMA Summer School on interferometric techniques, focussed on the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), will be held from 17-21 August in Penticton, BC.
The workshop is organized by members of the Millimeter Astronomy Group of the National Research Council in their capacity as members of the North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC), with the assistance of the Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia.
The workshop will be conducted by members of the NAASC and will include lectures on the basics of radio astronomy and interferometry, with a more detailed focus on the ALMA facility, its Observing Tool (OT) and data reduction software, CASA. In addition, there will be extensive opportunities to work hands-on with the ALMA OT, and CASA. Participants will be required to have a lap-top with CASA installed and will be provided with datasets which can be reduced in real time during the workshop, or bring their own ALMA data.
Topics to be covered include:
- Introduction to Radio Astronomy
- Introduction to Radio Interferometry
- Interferometric Calibration and Deconvolution
- Understanding the Path of ALMA Observations
- The ALMA OT
- Specifics of ALMA Observing Modes (subarrays, the ACA, polarization)
- Capitalizing on the ALMA Archive
- CASA and ALMA Data Reduction
The workshop will be held at the Dominion Radio Astronomical Observatory (DRAO) near Penticton. Bus transportation will be provided daily to and and from DRAO and the recommended hotels.
There will be an informal get-together at the Barking Parrot, located at the Penticton Lakeside Resort (one of the recommended hotels), on Sunday, August 16th for those who have already arrived in town. In addition, we will arrange a dinner at a local winery during the week of the meeting.
The registration fee is $250, payable at the time of registration. This fee includes lunch and coffee breaks at DRAO during the week and bus transportation to and from the meeting and the recommended hotels. There is a maximum enrolment of 30 participants. This is a hard limit, so those interested should register early.
