Logistics

The workshop will be held at the National Solar Observatory in Boulder, on the 3rd floor of 3665 Discovery Drive, beginning at 10 AM local time. Please arrive early if possible, as access to the third floor is restricted - someone will be available to let you in from approximately 9:30 to 10:00. If you arrive late and need access to the building, please email me at johnathan.stauffer@colorado.edu.

NSO is a short walk from both the CU Stampede and RTD Jump buses. Parking is available in CU lot 544, but may require payment.

Zoom information will be sent out to participants in advance of the workshop.

The workshop will start at 10:00 AM  Mountain time and go until about 3:00 PM (1600 - 2100 UTC), and will be split between lectures and "hands-on" demonstrations. For the demos, you'll need the following:
  1. The latest ALMA pipeline version of CASA (currently version 6.5.4). You can download it here (https://casa.nrao.edu/casa_obtaining.shtml) for both Linux and MacOS. If you only have Windows, you can run the Linux version of CASA in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) without too much trouble. Please let me know ASAP if you have any trouble installing CASA!
  2. CASA Analysis Utilities (https://zenodo.org/records/7502160), which contains some useful Python tools for analyzing CASA data.
  3. This file (https://almascience.nrao.edu/almadata/sciver/2015AR149ptBand6/Sunspot_Band6_CalibratedData.tgz). This contains some solar data that we will use for imaging and data combination tutorials. (You can ignore the scripts included in the tarball - they are written for CASA version 4, and won't work anymore. I'll send out updated scripts prior to the workshop).
  4. This file (https://bulk.cv.nrao.edu/almadata/public/ALMA_firstlooks/twhya_firstlook.tgz). It contains some (non-solar) data that we will use for an interactive imaging hands-on. If you feel enterprising, you can try to run through the imaging tutorial here (https://casaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=First_Look_at_Imaging_CASA_6.5.4) to make sure your version of CASA is working properly. 
  5. SunPy (https://sunpy.org/)
  6. SunCASA (https://github.com/suncasa/suncasa-src)
The last two are optional, but will be used to demonstrate how ALMA data can be coaligned with other solar datasets (such as SDO/AIA). SunCASA can be a bit finnicky to install (as it requires an install of modular CASA, separate from the installation listed above - just follow the install instructions and hope for the best!), but isn't strictly necessary.

Connect with NRAO

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."

AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.