The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) new observation cycle –Cycle 11- kicks off on October 1, 2024, starting a new exciting period of astronomical discoveries.
The review process of observation proposals has been completed and showed, once again, the incredible enthusiasm of the scientific community, which submitted 1,712 proposals requesting a record-breaking 31,608 hours on the 12-m Array. This led to an oversubscription rate of 7.4, the highest ever for ALMA.
The ALMA Proposal Review Committee (APRC) met from June 24 to 28, 2024, to evaluate 42 Large Programs, with additional input from 82 external Science Assessors. Furthermore, 1095 individual reviewers participated in the distributed peer review process, contributing nearly 17,000 reviews. Full details of the review process are available on the ALMA Science Portal.
John Carpenter, ALMA Observatory Scientist, remarked on the enthusiasm surrounding Cycle 11: “The rising demand for ALMA time reflects scientists’ ambition to explore the mysteries of the Universe. We’re eager to see what discoveries this cycle will bring.”
As a result of the review process, ALMA has selected 245 high-priority proposals (Grades A and B), allocating 4,107 hours on the 12-m Array, 2,204 hours on the 7-m Array, and 2,203 hours on the Total Power Array, including four Large Programs recommended by the APRC. Grade C proposals have also been selected as backups to ensure flexibility and maximize ALMA’s scientific output.
This year’s proposal review process saw several improvements based on community feedback. ALMA continues to refine its procedures to ensure fairness and impartiality. Issues identified during the review were addressed quickly, and new tools were introduced to enhance the proposal review process. The ALMA Observatory thanks the ALMA Proposal Review Committee and the many reviewers whose efforts are crucial to the success of Cycle 11.
Cycle 11 observations will begin on October 1, 2024, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries in fields ranging from cosmology to planetary science. For more detailed information, including a complete list of the Grade A and B proposals, visit the ALMA Science Portal.
See this post featured at the Joint ALMA Observatory website.
About NRAO
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
About ALMA
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in Taiwan and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).
ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.
