JCMT Operational Models

The JCMT Board has decided to initiate consultation with the community on the subject of models for the future operation of the JCMT. The Board appreciates the advice which the community has given, particularly in the last year or so, and seeks its help again during this important time for the JCMT.

There area number of factors underlying this consultation, but one of the primary issues is the impact that decisions on future instrumentation, particularly SCUBA 2, may have on the resources that need to be committed. To set the context, I have outlined below a summary of the developments over the past year or so with respect to operational models. The Board has been working with the Director JCMT to develop operational models for the facility which will help ensure the maximum scientific return for the resources available but will also provide some flexibility to allow the development of new instrumentation.

Over the last year or so, the resignation of Telescope Support Staff for the JCMT and the necessary time required to recruit and retrain replacements has led to difficulties in maintaining the 16 hour a day operation. In addition, problems with the reliability of a number of the heterodyne instruments, and the time required to upgrade these, have further eroded the JCMT staff and management's ability to routinely meet its operational targets.

However, during the recent months there have been a number of notable successes, including the replacement of the carousel drive motors and the telescope surface adjuster electronics. Significant progress has been made in understanding and putting in place the mechanisms to improve the accuracy of the dish surface. In between poor weather, SCUBA has continued to deliver world-beating science and we are eagerly looking forward to the completion of the ACSIS and Harp-B instrumentation projects.

After the last Board meeting, the Director JCMT was asked to put together a project which would lead to remote operation of the JCMT (initially from Hale Pohaku) as a means to get back to 16-hour nights as quickly as possible, albeit only with SCUBA in the first instance. This would have maintained the current TSS shift pattern of 5 nights on and 10 nights off, but would 'lose' the daytime TSS. In January 2001 an alternative model was proposed by the JCMT management and accepted by the Board. The new pattern has been agreed on a six-month trial basis starting in February 2001, with a review at the end of May 2001. Briefly, the new shift pattern involves half-shifts to cover for the late afternoon early evening slot, and a different nights-on days-off pattern, but the upshot is that 16-hour operation has been resumed. The downsides are that there is no daytime TSS to help out (but this is the same as the remote operation of course) and there is extremely limited scope for extended observing unless JCMT management is sure that there is going to be a lengthy spell of super dry weather, for which it can attempt (and has already done so) to obtain additional coverage.

In summary:

• the support staff have agreed to work a new shift pattern, giving back 16-hour nights immediately;
• full coverage is given for all instruments;
• pressure is removed from the Remote Operation project;
• the new shift pattern it will be reviewed at the end of May.

Assuming that the new mode of support operates well, then it is still intended to move towards eventual remote operation of the JCMT, initially from Hale Pohaku. A full assessment of the costs, benefits, timescale and impact on observing will be made to the JCMT Advisory Panel (JCMTAP) and Board in the coming months.

The Board notes that the development of SCUBA2 has been given a very high priority by the JCMTAP. The Funding Agencies are considering their priorities and will consider whether it is possible to support SCUBA2 at the May 2001 meeting of the JCMT Board.

As part of this process, the JCMTAP sought the community's opinion, at the end of 2000, on whether savings from changing the JCMT's operational model together with the remaining uncommitted resources within the Development Fund, should be targeted towards the development of SCUBA2. As a result of the extensive replies, the Panel gave tacit approval that, if this was the only way to obtain a SCUBA-2, it should be supported. However, there were clear differences between the various national communities.

One possible model for operating the JCMT in the era of Harp-B and SCUBA2 (if developed) is to concentrate on predominately 'wide-field' programmes adopting mainly or wholly queue-based observing, and building on the remote operation of the telescope. This would require a major change to the current model and could not be implemented on a short timescale. It would also be dependant on the timely delivery and reliable operation of Harp-B and (especially) SCUBA2. Greater efforts would also be made to find ways by which the sharing of staff effort with UKIRT (which is planning to move to a similar mode of operation) could support the JCMT and reduce risk. Adoption of such a model could well free up resources to be targeted towards funding the development of SCUBA-2.

The JCMTAP will, over the next couple of meetings, be advising the Board on this proposal and the priorities for the JCMT for the coming years.

If you have any comments that you feel the JCMTAP should consider and that will inform the debate, or views on the development of remote operation and a focus on 'wide-field' programmes using Harp-B and SCUBA2 can you please forward them to Professor Walter Gear (walter.gear@astro.cf.ac.uk), Chairman of the JCMTAP, by 1 May.

Regards

Ernie Seaquist
JCMT Board Chairman