Daily Reports (2026/10/6-13, NIKA2 run 81, Cryo run 93)
Observers on-site: Rémi, Giorgos, Mairi, Miren
AoD: Ioannis
Operators: Pedro, Sergio
Please fill the Table with the Ar1,2,3 focus values as follows. At best, make one table per day.
Focus sequences
Scan nr
Target
Ar2
Ar1
Ar3
Polarized?
Notes
20261007s25-29
Mars
1.85 mm
1.71 mm
1.70 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s33-37
Mars
1.76 mm
1.63 mm
1.59 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s43-47
1156+295
2 mm
1.75 mm
1.75 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s48-52
1156+295
2.2 mm
1.75 mm
1.8 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s53-57
1156+295
2.05 mm
1.78 mm
1.8 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s58-62
1156+295
2.3 mm
1.85 mm
1.83 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s65-69
1641+399
2.35 mm
1.7 mm
1.74 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s70-74
1641+399
1.9 mm
1.75 mm
1.75 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s75-79
1641+399
1.9 mm
1.69 mm
1.71 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261007s80-84
1641+399
2.22 mm
1.93 mm
1.96 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs, with the original focus script (0.4 mm steps)
20261007s97-101
1641+399
2mm
1.5mm
1.52mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs, with the original focus script (0.4 mm steps), a2 not well constrained
20261007s162-166
2200+420
1.05 mm
0.7 mm
0.71 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
Focus sequences
Scan nr
Target
Ar2
Ar1
Ar3
Polarized?
Notes
20261008s1-5
1.36 mm
1.09 mm
1.09 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs
20261008s11-15
1.55 mm
1.09 mm
1.10 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs. Starting on A1 value. Not great at 2mm. Using peak values
20261008s16-20
1.55 mm
1.18 mm
1.18 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs. Starting on A2 value. Using peak values
20261008s25-29
1.51 mm
1.09 mm
1.11 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs. Starting on A1 value. Using peak values
20261008s31-35
1.41 mm
1.14 mm
1.14 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs. Starting on A2 value. Using peak values
20261008s40-44
1.47 mm
1.09 mm
1.08 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs. Starting on A1 value. Using peak values
20261008s45-49
1.51 mm
1.17 mm
1.17 mm
no
with run92.ini and old DAFs. Starting on A2 value. Using peak values
Similarly, if any beam maps (total power) are taken:
Beam maps (99 sub-scans)
Scan Nr
Target
Focus
Notes
20261007s30
Mars
1.71 mm (Ar1)
run93, new sweep
20261007s39
Mars
1.63 mm (Ar1)
run93, new sweep
20261007s181
0316+413
0.8 mm (Ar1)
run93, new sweep
20261008s8
0316+413
1.1 mm (Ar1)
run93, new sweep
20261008s23
Uranus
1.18 mm (Ar1)
run93, new sweep
20261008s38
Uranus
1.14 mm (Ar1)
run93, new sweep
20261008s52
Uranus
1.51 mm (Ar2)
run93, new sweep
Please keep track of sweep changes: it makes our life easier when building the DAFs/Kidpars.
Changes of sweep
Sweep
Scan Nr
Time
Notes
OLD
up to 20261007s29
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261007s30
beammap
OLD
20261007s31-38
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261007s39
beammap
OLD
20261007s42-
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261007s180-
beammap
OLD
20261007s182
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261008s7-
beammap
OLD
20261008s9
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261008s22-
beammap
OLD
20261008s24
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261008s37-
beammap
OLD
20261008s39
for pointing & focus
NEW
20261008s51-
beammap
Pool-Account usage: Accounting of observing times
Calibration observations like pointing, focus, and calib_1scan (the latter in case of NIKA2-Pol only, aimed at characterizing the instrumental polarization) which are conducted before and during project observations are part of the project time. Note that all proposals include such overheads in the time and sensitivity estimates. This holds for total power and polarimetry observations.
Other calibration observations which are important for all projects like beam maps, skydips, or calib_1scan for absolute flux calibration may be accounted under the pool account (nikaX-YY, where X = s,w and YY = year).
- When conditions are unstable and it is unclear whether project observations make sense at all, calibrations may be accounted to the pool account.
October 6th, 2026, Tuesday
10:30-15:30 : 3/4 observers arrived at the telescope. Rémi planned to arrive later today. Weather horrible. Maintenance ongoing.
Antenna parked all day, clouds, wind, and rain.
October 7th, 2026, Wednesday
07:00LT: pointing and focus tests with old sweep (run92). Difference between Ar2 and Ar1 ~0.35 mm. Difference between Ar3 and Ar1 practically 0.
10:00 - 11:30LT: new sweep by M. Calvo. We now have new run93.ini files.
11:45LT: starting NIKA2 observations to get beammaps for the new sweep. Back to run92 for pointing and focus on Mars. DAQ started, lost KIDs Ar1/Ar2/Ar3: 129/6/14; traces look fine. Opacity between 0.3 - 0.5. Peak-to-peak in Ar2 +/- 4-5 Jy/beam. Focus differences: Ar1 - Ar2 = -0.14 mm, Ar1 - Ar3 = 0.01 mm.
12:45LT: moving to run93 for beammaps. Lost KIDs Ar1/Ar2/Ar3: 21/8/30. To be understood if box I is lost or not. Beammap (20261007s30) focused on Ar1.
13h25LT: back to run92 for pointing and focus before another beammap. Lost KIDs Ar1/Ar2/Ar3: 140/7/15. Moving back to run93 for beammaps. Beammap (20261007s39) focused on Ar1.
14h30LT: focus tests with run92. Using the original focus script (with 0.4 mm step) starting from scan 20261007s80.
16h55LT: we try a mini pointing session making use of the sources in the PCCS catalogue provided by S. Berta (we have had to remove the "G" from the names in the end... 13 characters otherwise...) Opacity is ~ 0.35 (tau225 GHz), but a lot of clouds. We can not point, p2p fluctuations @Ar2 of +/- 20 Jy/beam.
19h00LT: We resume. Sky is stable (<5 Jy/beam) and tau around 0.3.
Summary:
Scan |
Source |
Azimuth |
Elevation |
tau_225GHz |
Azimuth Corr. |
Elevation Corr. |
91 |
034.61+11.84 |
164 |
59 |
0.3 |
-5 |
-5 |
92 |
039.53+28.08 |
202 |
69 |
0.28 |
-3 |
-6 |
94 |
022.98+42.17 |
232 |
53 |
0.28 |
-3 |
-7 |
96 |
1641+399 |
285 |
71 |
0.28 |
-5 |
-8 |
104 |
039.28+62.77 |
274 |
43 |
0.26 |
-2.5 |
-7 |
109 |
1641+399 |
287 |
60 |
0.28 |
-4.5 |
-9 |
141 |
071.50+55.61 |
305 |
28 |
0.24 |
-2 |
-4.2 |
143 |
133.77+42.32 |
351 |
21 |
0.26 |
-0.5 |
-5 |
145 |
141.27+25.05 |
372 |
24 |
0.27 |
0 |
-2 |
147 |
W3OH |
396 |
41 |
0.26 |
-2.8 |
-4.2 |
154 |
121.67-05.69 |
400 |
57 |
0.26 |
-6 |
-4 |
157 |
112.91-09.88 |
401 |
68 |
0.26 |
-6.5 |
-3 |
159 |
098.48-15.81 |
402 |
84 |
0.27 |
-8.7 |
-1 |
161 |
2200+420 |
307 |
81 |
0.24 |
-3 |
-4.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average |
|
|
?? |
?? |
?? |
|
SD |
|
|
?? |
?? |
?? |
|
October 8th, 2026, Thursday
00:30LT Stable (=/-2 Jy/beam) and good opacity (~ 0.25). Better beammaps are needed. We move to 0316+413 for first beammaps, waiting Uranus to be high.
1am --> 7am (Rémi): stable weather and opacity ~ 0.25 for the entire shift.
- 2 beam maps on 0316+413 with focus and pointing optimized for A1, plus several pointing and focus
- 2 beam maps on Uranus with focus and pointing optimized for A1, plus several pointing and focus
- 1 beam maps on Uranus with focus and pointing optimized for A2, plus several pointing and focus Remarks:
1) the focus offset difference between A1/3 and A2 is about 0.3. However, the A2 (FWHM_x x FWHM_y)^1/2 is alway >21" and the beam is elongated: at best we have ~20"x25". The shape is not the same as the one we use to have. Issue with the current DAFs? The dichroic? Lateral focus (but this should also affect A1/3)? Other? 2) The best focus can vary by up to 0.1mm for A1/3 depending if we start from the current A1/3 or A2 value: systematic positive shift when starting with A2 value.
October 9th, 2026, Friday
October 10th, 2026, Saturday
October 11th, 2026, Sunday
October 12th, 2026, Monday