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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:
23:00-05:00 LT: Stefano + Kaiyi
05:00-11:00 LT: Mairi + all
11:00:17:00 LT: Angel + all
17:00-23:00 LT: Miren + Kaiyi + all

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	1.2	no	Started at 1.0 mm; tadadada; Ar2 good fit; Ar1 and Ar3 fit is marginal
  158-162	Uranus	out	1.3	1.25	no	Started at 1.5 mm; Ar1 perfect fit; Ar2 out of range
  163-167	Uranus	0.28	out	out	no	Started at 0.5 mm; Ar2 perfect fit; Ar1 out of range
  171-175	Uranus	out	1.22	1.18	no	started at 1.5 mm; Ar1 perfect fit; Ar2 out of range
  206-210	0851+202	out	1.36	1.31	no	Started at 1.4 mm; Ar1 and Ar3 perfect fit; Ar2 out of range

  Beam maps (99 sub-scans)
  Scan Nr	Target	Focus	Notes
  20260324s169	Uranus	1.3	Focus optimized for Ar1
  20260324s177	Uranus	1.22	Focus optimized for Ar1

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

  Calibrators (calib_1scan)
  Scan Nr	Target	Focus	Notes
  20260324s170	Uranus	1.3	TP, Focus optimized for Ar1
  178	Uranus	1.22	TP, Focus optimized for Ar1
  182	Betelgeuse	1.22	TP, Focus optimized for Ar1

Preliminary plan

We wish to do the following:

• OK start in total power: point, focus (!), point
• OK analyze focus difference between Ar1 and Ar2

• calib_1scan, beam maps (at least 2)

• 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 (whole team together) and night (Stefano and Kaiyi):

• @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 focus difference Ar1-Ar2 is +1.0 mm.
• two beam-maps on Uranus, focused on Ar1 (scans 169 and 177)
• calib_1scan (170, 178, 182)
• deep field (TP) on HLS091828: 12 repetitions (1 rep = 4 scans of 4 minutes each)
• @00:40 UT the beam maps have been reduced, the Ar3 RPPs are ready and installed.
• Now we go back to the focus sequences taken so far and we check the Ar3 focus. We update the Table above consequently.
• The focus difference Ar3-Ar1 seems to be roughly -0.05 mm
• @01:30 UT we switch to NIKA2-Pol. Lost KIDs 17/7/11 (Ar3 without counting Box S).
• the new make-imbf does not produce the files of scan 20260325s18

Wednesday, 25th March 2026

04:00-10:00 UT Mairi. This is the progress of the shift:

• ...
• ...