An ARC model for Chile A proposal for the best Chilean use of ALMA

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Diego Mardones, Universidad de Chile

ALMA stands for “Atacama Large Millimeter Array” and is also the spanish word for Soul

1. ALMA observatory: A world wide effort

• Construction between 2003 and 2013.

• US$1500 million by a European, North-American, and Eastern Asian consortium.

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World = ALMA partners + Chile + others

1. ALMA observatoryEarly Science observations with 16 antennas began in October 2011

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8 antennas on site in October 2010

• 32 antennas in 2012

• 48 antennas +ACA in 2013

• Full array available from 2014

<2 years for full ALMA

The ALMA observatory

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1. ALMA observatory• >260 Terabytes of data expected per year

• Chile has 10% observing time

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• 4 copies of full database: Chile &

• Regional Center (ARC) user support in Europe, USA, and Japan for

• proposal preparation, • data distribution• Pipeline for data reduction, resulting in fully calibrated images• Tools for spectral analysis, line fits, chemistry, radiation transfer

Charlottsville, USA Mitaka, Japan

The ALMA observatory

6ARCs really are integrated in ALMA

The ALMA observatory

732 astronomers, 18 computing, 6 administrative

The ALMA observatory

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2. Chile

• Young community of 100 astronomers +50 graduate students with few interferometry experts (~10%)

• JAO operates in Chile through agreements of each of the three ALMA executives:

• U. of Chile with AUI and NAOJ

• Conicyt with ESO

• Each executive

• grants 10% of its observing time to Chilean proposers

• supports Chilean astronomers as “members”

• provides some annual support to Chilean astronomy (ALMA-Conicyt fund)

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generates either union or fights

2. Chile, first option: just use the 3 ARCs

• Happening by default if we don’t do anything

• school of: “why bother if the ARCs serve us anyway, let’s spend the money on postdocs”

• Issues:

• Need to retrieve data from northern hemisphere, slow and expensive.

• difficult user support

• “left behind” software & analysis development and use

• Benefits:

• Access to broad range of ALMA expertise for help

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2. Chile, second: create new ARC

• Huge effort in human and computer resources.

• Dimensioned based either on data (~10%), or on community size (~2%).

• Hard to represent all of ALMA science with limited personnel.

• unlikely (and no need to) to replace all of the ARC expertise.

• But ARC personnel have duties in:

1. ALMA operations

2. Data services

3. User support

• Benefit: Chileans can support international communities …

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2. Chile, third way: ARC-node +network

• Keeps official access to 3 ARCS

• Communications with ALMA and with Chileans are critical

• Minimum personnel required:

1. astronomer for high level communications with ALMA & Chile

1. postdoc to coordinate user support between ALMA staff & Chile

1. postdoc to coordinate data services & distribution

1. computer engineer to coordinate software development

• Network and adequate information services to keep community informed/educated

• 1 staff + 1 postdoc from each Chilean institution.

• Dedicated hardware for ALMA data center, either 10% or 100% of data.

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mini-ARC

micro-ARC

3. A Chilean ALMA Center

• Is essential to support Chilean astronomers for competitive use of ALMA

• Only possible through combined expertise in computer sciences and astronomy, currently being implemented as

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1. Chilean-ALMA Network: led by Diego Mardones from UChile (2011-2012)

• 2010 ALMA-Conicyt US$130 000 grant 31100018: “Chilean Network Coordination for an ALMA Regional Center”

• 1 Faculty + 1 postdoc per participating institution.

• 5(8) Chilean Universities & the ALMA observatory.

• Establishment of computer servers and coordination with Computer Science efforts.

• Sharing of technical ALMA expertise.

• Organization of Chilean ALMA schools + tutorials, travel support.

2010: chair of ALMA-Chile committee which defined the Chilean access to ALMA time.

2002-2007: Chilean member of the ALMA Science Advisory Committee.

3. A Chilean ALMA Center

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2. Establishing Chilean ARC Functionality:

• 2011 ALMA-Conicyt grant 31110012: “Establishing a Chilean ALMA Regional Center” led by Diego Mardones (US$200 000; 2012-2013)

• Astronomers from Chilean ALMA Network + Computer Scientists from UTFSM (Mauricio Solar) and CMM

• Hiring of postdoc #2 to coordinate data services & distribution.

• Conicyt hired Ramiro Franco-Hernandez (postdoc #1, 2011-2015), head of user support.

part of ALMA system

Professors UTFSM: Mauricio Solar, Cecilia Reyes, Horstvon Brand, Luis Salinas, Hector AllendeOrganized International ALMA Common Software conferences 2007-2010

3. A Chilean ALMA Center

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2. Establishing Chilean ARC Functionality:

• Computer Sciences led by Mauricio Solar from UTFSM (27 people)

• 2008 ALMA-Conicyt grant 31080031: “Computer Science for ALMA: Strengthening Research and Development”

• 2009 ALMA-Conicyt grant 31090034: “Software Development for ALMA: Strengthening Collaboration Networks”

• Additional support from ESO, ALMA, NRAO.

Professors UTFSM: Mauricio Solar, Cecilia Reyes, Horstvon Brand, Luis Salinas, Hector AllendeOrganized International ALMA Common Software conferences 2007-2010

3. A Chilean ALMA Center

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3. Computing development proposals:

• 2012-2014 submitted joint Fondeff proposal: “Development of an Astro-informatics platform for large-scale data processing and an ALMA Regional Center” (US$500 000)

• Mauricio Solar (UTFSM) & Computer Scientists from UCh, UdeC, PUC, USACH, UTFSM;

• with Diego Mardones (UCh) & astronomers from UdeC & PUC.

• 2011 fondequip proposal to start the Chilean ALMA data archive (US$300 000 rejected; to reapply in 2012)

Mauricio Solar (UTFSM, IA & HPC); John Atkinson (UdeC, IA); Karim Pichara (PUC, data mining); Vistor Parada (Usach, Optimization); Marcelo Mendoza (UTFSM, data mining);Andrés Escala (Co-I of Kawacs; Chilean connectivity for astronomy).

ALMA data ratesn End of 2011: typically 1 MByte/s

n 10-100 GB/day,

n 2014 on:

n expected 1 TB/day, up to 300 TB/yr

n more data per unit time

n better sensitivity and image capability

n More shorter projects, say 10-30 min obs.

n Also advent of Large legacy projects, teams, …

n Full projects from 10 GB to 100 TB

3. Current Chilean Computing Resources

• Computer clusters at UChile and PUC are sufficient for hydrodynamical simulations and analysis of Early Science ALMA observations.

• U Chile Astronomy: 80 cores, 160 GB RAM,20 TB in discs, US$50k

• PUC Astronomy: 1024 cores, US$1 million

• National Lab for High Performance Computing (2011+); 2000 cores US$3 million

• Dedicated ALMA data computer US$250 000/yr

3. A Chilean ALMA Center

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3. Problems:

• No support from Conicyt, including active administrative and legal discouragement of current initiative … a war I never suspected or wished to be involved in.

• No long-term funding identified.

• 2 postdocs US$100 000

• computing, administration

• travel, publications

Mauricio Solar (UTFSM, IA & HPC); John Atkinson (UdeC, IA); Karim Pichara (PUC, data mining); Vistor Parada (Usach, Optimization); Marcelo Mendoza (UTFSM, data mining);Andrés Escala (Co-I of Kawacs; Chilean connectivity for astronomy).

Thank You