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NIKA2 Re-Commissioning: NIKA2 run 80, Cryo run 92

Observers on-site: Miren Muñoz, Mairi Nonhebel, Kaiyi Du, Stefano Berta, Ioannis Myserlis (remote), Angel Bongiovanni

Operators: Mario Cervera (day), Sergio Amaya (night)

Organization of shifts:
22:00-04:00 LT:
04:00-10:00 LT:
10:00:16:00 LT:
16:00-22:00 LT:

Initialization files:
run91*.ini (previous sweep)
run92*.ini (new sweep)

Tables (from 2026/03/24 ~15:00 LT to 2025/03/31 ~10:30:00 LT)

• Focus sequences
  Scan nr	Target	Ar2	Ar1	Ar3	Polarized?	Notes
  20260324s153-157	Uranus	0.27	1.25	n/a	no	Started at 1.0 mm; tadadada; Ar3 not available for now because of new sweep; Ar2 good fit; Ar1 fit is marginal
  158-162	Uranus	out	1.3	n/a	no	Started at 1.5 mm; Ar1 perfect fit; Ar2 out of range
  163-167	Uranus	0.28	out	n/a	no	Started at 0.5 mm; Ar2 perfect fit; Ar1 out of range

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

  Polarization beam maps (95 sub-scans)
  Scan Nr	Target	Focus	Notes

  Calibrators (calib_1scan)
  Scan Nr	Target	Focus	Notes

Preliminary plan

We wish to do the following:

• start in total power: point, focus (!), point, calib_1scan, beam maps (at least 2)
• analyze focus difference between Ar1 and Ar2
• analyze beam maps and produce DAFs RPPs for the new Ar3. Install the new RPPs for Ar3
• analyze the focus difference between Ar1 and Ar3
• perform many focus sequences to have some statistics
• polarimetry beam maps
• more total power beam maps
• out of focus total power beam maps
• total power deep field (HLS 091828), to derive the new, final NEFD of NIKA2 TP
• polarimetry deep field (3C286, M87, 3C353, ...?) to derive the new IQU NEFD of NIKA2-Pol
• 084-25 polarimetry
• 140-25, 146-25 polarimetry
• 196-25 total power
• test long subscans with our favorite, total power, 100 arcsec/s
• C/2025 R3 Panstarrs, polarimetry
• deep field 03h32m31.75s −27d46m51.5s, total power, 14x14 arcmin2, 100 arcsec/s
• test Sgr A* polarimetry scan strategy
• ... other wishes ...

Tuesday, 24th March 2026

The team arrives safely to the observatory we are all thrilled and super excited to test and use the new NIKA2++!

During maintenance, the new make-imbf is transformed into the default one. From now on we will use only the new make-imbf and the old one will be kept inactive. We verify that the directory where the make-imbf wrote is now the "production" directory and that users can read its content. We also run the PIIC QL manually on a couple of old scans, of which William newly produces the files using the new make-imbf and writing them here. The QL reads and processes these scans regurlarly. Well done!

We take over after maintenance at 14:45 UT. All is ready. We start with total power (TP). And we stop at scan nr zero, because we are in the clouds and the humidity is at 100%. The rain alarm rings loud!

Progress of the day:

• @17:45 UT we start!!! Total power, KIDs lost 17/8/14 (Ar3 without counting Box S)
• Uranus... the moment of reckoning... pointing... both Ar2 and Ar1 are out of focus, which is promising! ... focus ... the difference between Ar2 and Ar1 tonight is 1.0 mm.
• for now, we call it NIKA2+- for the moment. Sorry, we could not resist.