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

The following example will generate a hexagonal 12x12 mosaic, centered at the position RA=01:33:51.00 DEC=+30:39:37, with pointing separations of 6 arcminutes. The schedule will start at 20 LST, with the bandpass calibrator J1733-1304 (NRAO530), followed by the mosaic, and ends with the flux density calibrator 3C48. Each pointing will be visited twice

Example: File:Makeschedule.txt

CASA <35>: inp makeschedule
---------> inp(makeschedule)
#  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          = 'MyMosaic'        #  Source Catalog Name in SCT
resource_cat        = 'NRAO Defaults'   #  Resource Catalog Name in RCT
resource            = 'C wide band'     #  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(...)