Page History

Date:02 Oct 2023

Time: 13:00 ET 

Link to Video recording

Passcode:   8$zcf9@#

• VLASS News:

Observing and data processing status: Amy Kimball and Mark Lacy

• • 3.1 now 99% QL imaged.
  • Working on last ~200 images
  • Prioritizing SE images (continuum, but effectively continuum and cubes as cubes need the continuum pipeline to run first).

1. Events:
   • ADASS (Astronomical Data and Software Systems) Conference - November in Tucson, AZ (abstracts for oral presentations due September 1)
   • Science at Low Frequencies (SALF) meeting - Amsterdam in December, hybrid, abstract deadline - 18th of August (but please register ASAP if you think you will attend in person). 
   • Mid-Atlantic Radio-loud AGN (MARLAM) Oct 12th - ML requested a short talk to give VLASS update
   • “Unveiling the dynamic universe: cosmic streams in the era of Rubin” Dec 11-15, Puerto Varas, Chile, https://cosmicstreams.cl
   • AAS New Orleans
   • April 2024: Massive Black Holes in the first billion years, Ireland: https://www.ucc.ie/en/physics/mbhconference/
   • May 2024:Cosmic Magnetism in the Pre-SKA Era, Japan  http://ska-jp.org/ws/SKAJP_MAGWS2024
   • July 2024: AGN populations across continents and cosmic time, Durham https://www.agnacrosscontinents.org/
   • IAU - summer of 2024, Cape Town 
2. Updates from working groups (please send by email/Slack or add here directly):
   
   • Extragalactic - Kate Alexander, Heinz Andernach
   • Galactic - Laurant Loinard, Joe Callingham
   • Transients - Gregg Hallinan, Greg Sivakoff
     • Dillon looking at 1.1/2.1/3.1 transients, ~1800 candidates, ~10% stars
   • Polarization - Jennifer West, Lerato
     • CIRADA working on 3D cutout tool.
   • Commensal - Wendy Peters, Chenoa Tremblay
     • COSMIC observing at L-band, but lots of RFI, filled 2PB
     • VCSS processing was on hold during A-config, but will restart soon. 
   • Data Products - Dillon Dong, Erik Rosolowsky
     • Dillon - working on products for Ep1 - Ep2 release, notes that modulation index much better going from 2-3-4 epochs
     • Shami - spectra of even a few pulsars interesting, coarse cubes fine, Dillon will send ML a list for SE prioritization. 
   • Science communication - Brian Kent, Eric Murphy
     • We welcome short science articles and features from community members - let your collaborators know.
   • EPO - Jacob Noel-Storr, Summer Ash
   • Other topics?
3. VLASS Epoch 4
   • • Science pitch write-up (Mark Lacy):here
     • Overleaf draft of SSG's white paper on VLASS Epoch 4 - Kristina Nyland
     • White paper plan: have working group chairs lead and organize input on their respective topics
       • Chenoa and Joe Lazio working on making more quantitative arguments for fast transients/SETI, looking at Ep 3 data.
       • Any SSG member should feel free to invite people to contribute to the case.
     • Community freedback solicitationHow to engage the community and solicit broader feedback? (Juergen):
       
       1. NRAO eNews article sent Sept 7th
       2. Summer AAS VLASS presentations
       3. Other ideas:
          • Social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. - individual SSG members would need to spearhead this; NRAO EPO does not solicit science content on social media)Especially in the more fractured current social media landscape.
          • Zoom webinar on new VLASS opportunities?
          • Action Item: further follow-up on this at next meeting

• • Timeline: 

• • • Proposal due date Dec 31st 2023

• • Proposal details and timeline
    
    • Kristina will write-out a formal timeline for completing the proposal.
    • Poll for meetings of working group chairs to discuss the epoch 4 proposal: https://www.when2meet.com/?21668364-gBZMD (one or more working group chair meetings starting in late October). Working group chairs will be asked to solicit input from other members of the SSG/broader community and compose scientific summaries of the opportunities/impact of a 4th epoch of VLASS.
    • Kristina will re-organize the current draft so that it's better suited for contributions from the working group chairs.
  • Heinz - mentioned to Tony Beasley at ngVLA meeting that C-config would be good. SM - data taking is data rate limited, so would take as long to do a pass of the sky in C-config as in B-config. ML noted potential issues for transient science.
  Aim to have good draft complete by end of October
• SE Image prioritization

• SSG/community interest in this?
• Input on requestform?
• Chenoa had feedback requesting prioritization of overlap with existing surveys.
• Joe has a list of radio stars, sent to Steve and Mark.
• ML priortizing Stripe 82 (one of Joe's stars in that); North Ecliptic Cap, any other favorites?

• Future meetings: (subject to change; check your email/Slack for updates)

• • November 13th? (Nov. 6th (clashes with ADASS) or 13th?, at 1pm EST / 11am MST / 17:00 UTCis during ADASS)

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Reference material:

• Terms of reference document: pdf 
• VLASS Slack workspace and SSG channel (contact Bryan Gaensler)
• Confluence page