Dear Colleagues,

The SMA is a reconfigurable interferometric array of eight 6-meter antennas on Maunakea jointly built and operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The array operates in the 230, 345, and 400 GHz bands.

We are happy to announce that we are now accepting Standard Proposals for use of the Submillimeter Array (SMA).  The deadline for Standard Proposals is 07 March 2019 at 21:00 GMT.

The SMA has recently completed significant upgrades in observational capability, with more under way. Currently, the SMA observes simultaneously with two orthogonally polarized receivers, one in the 230 GHz or 345 GHz band and the other in the 240 GHz or 400 GHz band (with full polarimetric observations available using the 230+240 GHz or 345+400 GHz combinations).

The SWARM correlator processes 8 GHz bandwidth for each receiver in each sideband, for a total of 32 GHz, at a uniform 140 kHz resolution. This 32 GHz frequency coverage can be continuous where the tuning ranges overlap for the two orthogonally polarized receivers. In short, the SMA now provides flexible, wide band frequency coverage that delivers high continuum sensitivity and excellent spectral line capabilities (at 140 kHz spectral resolution).

A full track offers continuum sensitivity of 200 or 600 micro-Jy (1 sigma) at 230 or 345 GHz in good weather conditions (precipitable water vapor 2.5 mm and 1.0 mm, respectively). The corresponding line sensitivities at 1 km/s resolution are 35 and 80 mJy. The small antennas allow access to low spatial frequencies in the subcompact configuration, and at the other extreme, the finest angular resolution with the very extended configuration at 345 GHz is ~0.25". The compact and extended configurations complete the range.

Thus, in some ways, the characteristics and performance of the SMA are both similar and complementary to those of the standalone Atacama Compact Array component of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. For more information about SMA capabilities, visit the SMA Observer Center website and explore the set of SMA proposing tools. Current and archived SMA Newsletters available online provide a sampling of the wide variety of science possible with the SMA.

For more details visit our General Proposal Information webpage.  Please note that the Large Scale program, with a proposal deadline of 13 Feb 2019, required an NOI to be submitted in January. 

Questions or comments regarding the call for standard proposals can be addressed to sma-proposal@cfa.harvard.edu.

Sincerely,

Mark Gurwell

Incoming SMA TAC chair