CASA Contributed Task: makeschedule

Download task files: Download task files: File:Task makeschedule.py, File:Makeschedule.xml

Task to create complete schedules for JVLA observations that can be imported as a scan lists into the OPT, including initial setup, observations of flux and banpass calibrators, pointing scans, and phase calibrators. The task can run either on a pre-defined 'pointing_file' in SCT format, or it can generate a mosaic either in equatorial (J2000.0) or galactic coordinates centered at a specific 'position'.

If many sources at different positions in the sky are observed, the program will pick the closest phase calibrator from 'phase_cals' and group sources related to each phase calibrator together. The task will then schedule the groups in the order of the list of phase calibrators given in 'phase_cals'. Phase calibrators with no associated targets will be ignored.

The task will try to optimize the sequence of pointings, by always selecting the closest remaining target source for optimization = 'simple'. The 'complex' optimization can reduce settling times and gain a few seconds on source, but it runs much slower (in particular for large mosaics with a few hundred pointings). This is only recomended for mosacis with very short time per pointing (e.g. 12 seconds).

Output files are:

  pointings.pst         -- File with pointing positions in SCT format to be read into the OPT.
  scan_list_xxLST.opt   -- Scan list to be imported to the OPT (import scans) for the specified LST start time.
  regions.reg           -- Region file for ds9

Example:

1. makeschedule :: Task to create JVLA schedules for mosaics or observations of large source lists.

pointing_file = # Input file

    frame          = 'equatorial'      #  Coordinate frame (equatorial or galactic)
    position       = '1:33:51.00,30:39:37' #  Central position of mosaic (hh:mm:ss.s,dd:mm:ss.s)
    delta          =          6        #  Pointing spacing (arcmin)
    x_points       =         12        #  Pointings in RA (l)
    y_points       =         12        #  Pointings in DEC (b)
    poi_type       = 'hexagonal'       #  Options: 'hexagonal' or 'rectangular'

start_LST = 20 # Start LST time setup_time = 8.0 # Initial setup time (min) cal_order = 'BTF' # Order of different parts of the schedule (F=Flux cal; B=bandpass cal; T=target

                                       #   sources- including phase calibrators)

flux_cal = '3C48' # Flux calibrator ('3C48','3C147','3C286', or '3C138') flux_time = 2.0 # Time on flux calibrator (min) bp_cal = 'J1733-1304' # Bandpass calibrator => same as flux_cal

    bp_time        =        4.0        #  Time on Bandpass calibrator (min)

n_visits = 2 # number of cycles scan_time = 33 # Duration of each pointing (sec) cal_time = 60 # Duration on phase-cal (sec) cal_freq = 20 # Max. time between phase-cal scans (min) do_poi = True # True: Do reference pointing; False: Do not do this.

    poi_freq       =       60.0        #  Time between reference pointing scans (min)
    poi_res        = 'Primary X band pointing' #  Resource for pointing
    poi_time       =      180.0        #  Time for reference pointings (sec)
    max_diff       = [15.0, 15.0]      #  Do new reference pointing if new calibrator is not within x deg (az,el) of old
                                       #   reference pointing

phase_cals = ['J0137+3309'] # List of phase calibrators. optimize = 'simple' # Options: 'simple' (optimize for ra,dec) or 'complex' (optimize for az,el) start_first_poi = True # True: Start with first pointing in list; False: Start with closest pointing to

                                       #   calibrator

use_loops = True # True: Group all scans between phase-calibrators into a loop; False: Do not do

                                       #   this.

group_name = # Source group name in SCT source_cat = 'Methanol' # Source Catalog Name in SCT resource_cat = 'RSRO' # Resource Catalog Name in RCT resource = 'C-Band + RRL (Galaxy)' # Resource Name in RCT beam = 12 # beam in arcmin (regions) plot = [1, 0, 1, 0, 0] # Plot start,end,raster,slew,uptime max_scan_length = 120 # Maximal scan length (sec) async = False # If true the taskname must be started using makeschedule(...)