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Daily Reports (2025/12/9-16, NIKA2 run 77, Cryo run 89)

Observers on-site: Simon, Yiqing, Monica, Philippe (in remote first 2 days)

Astronomer-of-Duty, Pool Manager: Angel Bongiovanni

Operators: Joaquin, Pedro

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

Similarly, if any beam maps (total power) are taken:

• Beam maps (99 sub-scans)
  Scan Nr	Target	Focus	Notes

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.

December 9th, 2025, Tuesday

• Focus sequences
  Scan nr	Target	Ar2	Ar1	Ar3	Polarized?	Notes
  121 - 125	1641+399	...	0.93	1.13	No	Marginal fitting for Ar2
  133 -137	2037+511	0.26	1.0	1.38	No	No so good for Ar3
  153 - 157	Neptune	1.0	...	...	No	Bad fitting for Ar1 and Ar3. Using 1.6 as a guess focus. Repeat
  158 - 162	Neptune	1.03	1.7	1.95	No
  181 - 185	Uranus	0.71	1.4	...	Yes	Bad fitting for Ar1 and Ar3. Using 1.4 as a guess focus. Repeat
  186 - 190	Uranus	0.66	1.4	1.72	Yes

  ||

  199 - 204 || Neptune || 0.95 || 1.7 || 1.95 || Yes || Reasonably Good

16:00 - 22.00 Monica: We started the observations , tau ~ 0.25 a bit unstable, no wind, very high clouds. DAQ started in total power. Bad kids (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3 / 8, 7, 29). After pointing and Focus calib_1scan in MWC349 (Scan 20251209s128) and NGC7027 (s130). Then skydip (s131). Then we move to project 152-25 (Science source WB89-152 ~ 70 min -DONE). Pointing & Focus & calib_1scan (s163) in Neptune. At 19:50 we move to polarimetry projects. New DAQ, bad kids (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3 / 17, 7, 39). Then move to project 170-25. Calib_1scan (s165). Continue with the science source (Tycho - 1 rep). See PIIC-QL sample (s170, 2 mm band) below. Calib_1scan in Neptune. move to nikaw-25 Pointing & focus & calib_1scan in Uranus.

22:00-04:00 Philippe (Remotely from Granada office): Observed a polarized focus sequence on Neptune (s199-s204) and a polarized calib_1scan on Neptune (s205), but opacity and stability were degrading, therefore switched to TP. New DAQ, bad kids (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3 / 28, 7, 73). Did 1 calib_1scan on Uranus (s209) and 1 skydip (s210) in TP. Then switched to EMIR, project 147-25. Checked reference position: neither N2H+, nor SO emission in reference position; no significant C18O emission emission either, but probably weak C18O in the off position; there is definitely 13CO, HCO+, and HNC emission in the off position used to observe the reference position in position switching --> Consider observing the reference position in frequency switching? Observed the two positions p1oh (s222) and p2oh (s2) used for internal calibration purposes, then took one pair of OTF maps (@147-25_W3OH_OTF_scX + 147-25_W3OH_OTF_scY) and started another pair (@147-25_W3OH_OTF_scX).