CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility
ATCA Users Guide
Preface
About this Guide
Conventions
(1) The Australia Telescope Compact Array
/1./The Australia Telescope Compact Array
/1.1/The Australia Telescope National Facility
/1.2/Overview of the ATCA
/1.3/Planning a proposal
/1.4/Centimetre Observations (20–3 cm bands)
/1.5/Millimetre-wave observations (12mm–3mm)
/1.6/Choosing an Observing Frequency
/1.7/Choosing Angular and Frequency Resolution
/1.8/Additional Observing Notes and Techniques
/1.9/High Time Resolution, Pulsars, Planets and VLBI
/1.10/Other Things to Consider
/1.11/Submitting a proposal
/1.12/Successful Proposals
(2) Preparing for Observations
/2./Preparing for Observations
/2.1/How to Prepare a Schedule File
/2.2/How to Prepare a Mosaic File
/2.3/Scheduling Strategy
/2.4/Observation Requirements
/2.5/Pre-observation Checklist
(3) Observing
/3./Observing
/3.1/Continuum Observations
/3.2/Zoom Modes
/3.3/Monitoring and Trouble Shooting
/3.4/cm Observing Startup Checklist
/3.5/mm Observing Startup Checklist
(4) After your Observations
/4./After your Observations
/4.1/Archiving Your Data
/4.2/Report Your Experiences
/4.3/Data Analysis
/4.4/Publishing Results
 A. Technical Reference
B. caobs
C. cacor
D. spd
E. vis
F. People to Contact
Index
[Printable Guide] [Printable Chapter]

1.1 The Australia Telescope National Facility

The ATNF is managed as a National Facility by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Formerly part of the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics, it became a separate division in January 1989. The ATNF became a National Facility in April 1990. In December 2009, ATNF becamse part of a new Division, CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS), together with NASA Operations (including the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex), and CSIRO Space Sciences and Technology. The Australia Telescope continues as a National Facility, providing world-class observing facilities for astronomers at Australian and overseas institutions.

The ATNF employs about 185 staff, including about 40 astronomers, with the majority of staff located at its headquarters in Marsfield, a suburb of Sydney (although Marsfield is sometimes referred to as Epping, a larger neighbouring suburb). The Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) headquarters are co-located with ATNF at Marsfield.

Besides the ATCA, the ATNF operates the 64-m radio telescope at the Parkes Observatory (300 km west of Sydney) and a 22-m antenna at Mopra, 120 km south of the ATCA. In addition, the ATNF negotiates time with the CSIRO-administered 70-m and 34-m antennas at the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking station outside Canberra. The ATNF telescopes are used together, in conjunction with the University of Tasmania telescopes at Hobart and Ceduna, as part of the Long Baseline Array for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations.

The ATNF is currently structured into four themes: Operations, Astrophysics, Technologies, and ASKAP. ASKAP (the Australian SKA Pathfinder), is being constructed by ATNF in Western Australia, will be an array of thirty-six wide-field 12-m antennas operating in the 0.7–1.8 GHz range. It is expected to be operational in 2013. More details are available at http://www.atnf.csiro.au/projects/askap/.

A biannual newsletter is produced by the ATNF which includes recent news items, scientific articles and time assignment information. It is archived at http://www.atnf.csiro.au/news/newsletter/. ATNF Annual Reports are available from http://www.atnf.csiro.au/the_atnf/annual_reports/.