Main Headline Here

The Importance of SCUBA-2

Primary

  • To provide a unique wide-field sub-mm imaging capability at 450 and 850 microns
    • Up to 1000 times faster at mapping large areas than SCUBA to the same S/N
    • Up to 10 times faster at extracting known point-source fluxes
  • To address a wide-range of scientific issues including the ORIGINS questions: How galaxies, stars and planets form
  • To act as a wide-field "pathfinder" for the new generation of submm interferometers (e.g. SMA and ALMA)

Secondary

  • To keep the UK and the JCMT partners at the forefront of submm astronomy
  • To improve the scientific productivity of the JCMT (particularly at high frequencies)
  • To develop a foundation for UK expertise in superconducting detector arrays and readouts
  • To apply SCUBA-2 type technology to other areas of astronomy (e.g. for instruments on ELTs and space telescopes)

Milestones

Major Milestones

  • 01/07/99: Project start date
  • 26/10/99: Conceptual design review
  • 04/05/00: Array architecture down select
  • 31/10/01: Optical design PDR
  • 24/10/02: Systems analysis PDR
  • 20/11/02: Array technology Proof-of-Concept Review
  • 15/03/03: Cryostat PDR
  • 24/09/03: Data reduction pipeline PDR
  • 16/10/03: Multi-channel electronics PDR
  • 5-6/05/04: First Cryostat CDR
  • 30/06/04: Final Cryostat CDR
  • 09/09/04: Prototype 850 sub array to Cardiff
  • 20/05/05: Proto-type MCE to Cardiff
  • 06/07/05: Proto-type 450 sub-array to Cardiff
  • 08/08/05: Delivery of Dilution Refrigerator
  • 03/03/05: Array technology CDR (go for science-grade arrays)
  • 01/02/05: Start lab integration at UK ATC
  • 27/05/05: 1st Instrument Cooldown
  • 08/12/05: Cooldown with DR and 1K box
  • 14/04/06: Functional Verification (Phase I)
  • 21/03/06: Sensitivity evaluation with 450 prototype complete
  • 18/10/06: First 850 science-grade to ATC
  • 18/10/06: First 450 science-grade to ATC
  • 28/11/06: Start formal verification testing
  • 18/01/08: Acceptance Test Readiness Review
  • 08/02/08: Acceptance Test Complete
  • 17/03/08: Delivery to JCMT
  • 01/04/08: Commence Installation at JCMT
  • 05/06/08: Start of functional Check-out
  • 23/06/08: System Integration begins
  • 08/08/08: First Light on telescope
  • 15/09/08: Science Grade Wafers to Raytheon
  • 06/02/09: CE modules ready for first S-G arrays
  • 16/02/09: Hybridisation for remaining S-G arrays
  • 05/03/09: Cardiff Test for 1st science-grade array
  • 26/05/09: New Magnetic shields ready
  • 20/07/09: First S-G arrays ready for delivery
  • 07/08/09: Post-processing of remaining S-G arrays
  • 14/09/09: Re-commission with two S-G arrays
  • 23/11/09: Post-processing of remaining S-G arrays
  • 11/11/09: On-sky commissioning begins
  • 13/01/10: Science Readiness Review
  • 15/02/10: S2SRO begins
  • 24/03/10: End of SRO and Warm up
  • 09/04/10: Remove and ship 2 arrays back to UK
  • 29/07/10: Ship 8 arrays to Hawaii
  • 09/08/10: Array installation begins at JCMT
  • 29/09/10: Re-commission instrument - test arrays
  • 29/10/10: Re-commission instrument - on-sky
  • 18/11/10: Earliest Start of full science operations

Recent Accomplishments

  • Start of proto-type array production in June 2003
  • Successful PDR for multi-channel electronics
  • Contract for a liquid cryogen-free dilution fridge has been placed with Leiden Cryogenics
  • Contract for SCUBA-2 mirrors has been placed with TNO/TPD in Holland
  • Successful PDR for pipeline processing software
  • Contracts for Vacuum Vessel and 4K Structure have been placed with NTE (Poole)
  • Cost and Management Review completed October 2004
  • Demonstration of 2-D multiplexing on the proto-type sub-array
  • Completion of the 60K radiation shield detailing
  • Delivery of the final cold mirror
  • Release of the warm mirror drawings for manufacture
  • Final version of the DR software requirements document released
  • Release of Alex's report on sky removal
  • Funding for full term of instrument confirmed
  • Delivery of the prototype MCE to Cardiff
  • Delivery of the 60K radiation shield to the UK ATC
  • Completion of warm tests on the cold shutter
  • Successful completion of the bump bonding for the 450 prototype
  • High quality 450 science-grade detector wafers in hand
  • Continued good progress on data reduction/pipeline software
  • Tenders issued for instrument mounting frame and tertiary mirror module
  • CoDR report issued for the telescope infrastructure work
  • Start of instrument assembly and integration
  • Prototype Multi-channel Electronics (MCE) delivered to Cardiff
  • First instrument cooldown
  • Delivery of dilution refrigerator
  • 450 prototype array to Cardiff
  • Successful operation of the DR and pre-cool system in test cryostat
  • Integration of 1K box, focal plane units and DR into the main SCUBA-2 cryostat
  • Delivery of all warm mirrors to JAC
  • All production MCE modules (except power supply) in manufacture or test.
  • Successful demonstration of filtering and flux-jumping firmware
  • New FFT processing algorithm selected to enable real-time Quick-Look analysis of FTS data.
  • Cooldown#4 with first array installed in the maininstrument
  • New, in-house bonding jig UoE likely to improve quality of future detector wafers
  • Good progress on MCE hardware production and testing
  • Demonstration of Quick-Look for scan map observing mode
  • Internal design review for polarimeter revealed no major issues
  • Preliminary version of FTS pipeline released
  • Functional verification
  • Cooldown #5 and #6
  • First 850 and 450 Science grade to UK ATC
  • Completed formal verification testing
  • Acceptance tests completed
  • Provisional acceptance for delivery to JCMT
  • Initial deep etch trials have shown that the level of pixel undercut can be minimised
  • Heriot Wat University have demonstrated a laser dicing capability for future arrays
  • FTS measurements have confirmed the central frequency and bandpass for 850um filter
  • SCUBA-2 has arrived in Hilo10 March 2008
  • Successful FDR held for the Polarimeter
  • Commissioning grade arrays have arrived at JAC
  • MUX wafers for the science-grade array batch are close to completion
  • Completion and issue of report on the redesign of the cold electronics module
  • Succesful test of the data reduction pipeline using data from a simulated observing run
  • Completion of MUX wafer screening with potentially all wafers being science grade
  • cooldown of the instrument to base temperature
  • Final alignment checks of entire warm optical system
  • Good progress in integrating SCUBA-2 into the observing system
  • Successful Integration of the Survey Definition Tool with the JCMT OT
  • Achieved 1st light status on the JCMT on 8 August 2008
  • Science-grade wafers to Raytheon 12 September 2008
  • Test Programme Review 25 September 2008
  • Re-commence instrument testing 20 October 2008
  • Testing of new CE module at Cardiff
  • Good results from the tests of the newcold electronics module
  • successful demonstration of a SQUID-2 servo in engineering software to compensate for the magnetic pick-up
  • Completion of the hybridisation of the first two S-G arrays
  • New magnetic shields ready
  • Cardiff tests completed on 450 S-G array
  • Sucessful completion of the instrument testing with two new arrays
  • start of the on-sky commissioning
  • delivery of the 6 remaining arrays to the UK for post-processing
  • First interferograms with the FTS during laboratory tests prior to ARR
  • Successful Science Readiness Review with the go-ahead for S2SRO
  • Re-orientation of the C2 to resolve the trefoil aberration issue
  • Thermal conductance of the new CEM wire is close to modelled value
  • Identification of new observing strategies to possibly improve data quality
  • completionof the deep etch work on all 6 remaining arrays
  • Acceptance of the FTS and the polarimeter for delivery

Near Term Goals

  • Start Science Operations on JCMT by November 2010

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