Astrophysical research with ALMA: A great opportunity and the free user
support


M. Barta & the Czech ARC-node team

European ALMA Regional Center - Czech node,
Astronomical Institute ASCR,
CZ-25165 Ondrejov

Abstract:
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ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array) is by far the largest
project of current ground-based observational facilities in astronomy and
astrophysics. It is built and operated in the world-wide cooperation (ESO,
NRAO, and NAOJ) at altitude of 5000m in the desert of Atacama, Chile.
Because of its unprecedented capabilities, ALMA is considered as a 
cutting-edge research device in astrophysics with potential for many
breakthrough discoveries in the next decade and beyond. In spite it is far
not exclusively solar-research dedicated facility, science observations of the
Sun are now possible, and started recently in the past observing Cycle 4 (2017).

In order to facilitate user access to this top-class, but at the same moment
very complicated device to the researchers lacking expertise in radio/mm
interferometry, a network of three ALMA Regional Centers (ARCs) has been
formed in Europe (EU ARC), North America (NA ARC), and East Asia (EA ARC)
as a user-support infrastructure and interface between the observatory and the
user community. One of the seven nodes of European ARC is hosted by Ondrejov
Observatory, Czechia. This node has a unique expertise among entire EU ARC
network in solar research with ALMA and coordinates all solar-oriented EU ARC
observing projects.

After an introduction to ALMA, the roles of ARCs and hints how to
utilise their services will be presented. Finally, peculiarities of solar
observations that demanded development of the specific Solar ALMA
Observing Modes will be briefly discussed and the results of Commissioning
and Science Verification observing campaigns (solar ALMA maps) will be shown.

The talk is intended as a brief overview of ALMA capabilities and
introduction to free services provided to users by European ARC and 
its node in Ondrejov. Deeper-interested audience is invited to the subsequent 
practical sessions (workshop) on how to submit an observing proposal and 
how to use the ALMA data.

In spite the utilisation of ALMA for solar research is stressed because of
speakers research interest, neither ALMA capabilities nor EU ARC support is
limited to this - the Ondrejov node is used to provide support in all
branches of astronomy research (we have already supported projects in solar phys.,
interplanetary matter research, ISM, galactic physics, etc.).