Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ORP (Opticon RadioNet Pilot)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28
ORP, the OPTICON-RadioNet Pilot, brought together two mature communities which have supported optical/IR and radio astronomy infrastructures and users for the last two decades. The forefront mission of ORP was to build bridges between them, while delivering efficient and effective Transnational Access and/or Virtual Access (TA/VA) for scientists to Europe’s excellent astronomical facilities, allowing Europe’s scientists to deliver world-leading advances irrespective of their national location.
ORP’s ambition for future legacy is then minimizing wavelength and cultural barriers for Europe’s scientists, so they may access the full range of the most suitable and most competitive infrastructures for their research with minimal procedural difficulty. New processes and tools have been developed. These have led to improved and simplified ways for Europe’s scientists to work together and to deliver globally competitive science.
In its role as a Pilot, ORP began discussions with a large range of infrastructure owners and operators, national agencies, and EC-funded Access projects in related and complementary subjects, to develop approaches for future interactions between our communities and EC funding opportunities.
ORP’s ambition for future legacy is then minimizing wavelength and cultural barriers for Europe’s scientists, so they may access the full range of the most suitable and most competitive infrastructures for their research with minimal procedural difficulty. New processes and tools have been developed. These have led to improved and simplified ways for Europe’s scientists to work together and to deliver globally competitive science.
In its role as a Pilot, ORP began discussions with a large range of infrastructure owners and operators, national agencies, and EC-funded Access projects in related and complementary subjects, to develop approaches for future interactions between our communities and EC funding opportunities.
ORP delivered Transnational Access and/or Virtual Access (TA/VA) to Europe’s most competitive radio and optical infrastructures to all qualified users on science merit.
Over the full project duration, calls for TA to the ORP world-class radio astronomy arrays and single-dish facilities exceeded contractual obligations, with most infrastructures issuing two calls per year. In total, 315 TA projects were supported, providing more than 8,400 access hours to 1,960 users. Forty percent of these projects were led by female Principal Investigators. Many infrastructures provided access beyond the agreed levels, consistent with the open skies policy. Additionally, ORP provided global virtual access to the data archives of the upgraded Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (ALTA) and the international LOFAR facility (LTA). The main user interest has been in the fully processed science level data, and primarily in the multi-frequency synthesis beam images. Improvement has been made for the virtual access, some 2 million files have been added to the LOFAR archive and the total volume increased by ca 4,9 PB. Two Apertif data collections have been released during the reporting period: the first-time domain data collection, including the data from the 2019 observing campaign that resulted in the detection of 5 Fast Radio Bursts; and a small data release of a 26.5 square degrees image of the Boötes constellation.
In the optical domain, ORP Time Domain Astronomy (TDA) provided virtual access (WP18) to a rapidly growing network of telescopes distributed worldwide, operating as a network using the BHTOM system developed for this project. Over 10000 observations were obtained and processed each week, and processed to science-ready with 99% reliability. The (virtual access) telescope network has been expanded bringing the total to more than 100 facilities. The optical Common Time Allocation Committee (CTAC) process continued with great success. There were open Calls each semester, with the number of projects approved determined on science merit by independent review until the semester budget (uniform per semester throughout ORP) was exhausted. Given the order of magnitude range in unit costs between the infrastructures the number of projects is not a robust measure, however over 400 proposed projects were submitted, with over 170 supported. 379 nights of telescope access over 12 different infrastructures supported 1617 users. Oversubscription remained about a factor of 2.5-4.
Access support systems included ongoing assistance for users of the ALMA infrastructure via a network of regional support centres. Over the project duration, 55 ALMA projects involving 745 users were supported, with 54% of these projects led by female Principal Investigators. The new support centres network for Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) users (in the UK, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium), supported and trained the growing VLTI community of users. Preparatory developments for VLTI hands-on instrument support and virtual access to adaptive optics control system data have been put in place, supporting very significant enhancements in VLTI scientific capability and user science opportunities.
The ORP training program successfully equipped hundreds of young researchers and engineers with hands-on and virtual skills across optical/infrared and radio astronomy. Flagship schools such as NEON and ERIS, alongside new initiatives in proposal writing, instrumentation, and multi-messenger astrophysics, achieved excellent feedback.
Over the full project duration, calls for TA to the ORP world-class radio astronomy arrays and single-dish facilities exceeded contractual obligations, with most infrastructures issuing two calls per year. In total, 315 TA projects were supported, providing more than 8,400 access hours to 1,960 users. Forty percent of these projects were led by female Principal Investigators. Many infrastructures provided access beyond the agreed levels, consistent with the open skies policy. Additionally, ORP provided global virtual access to the data archives of the upgraded Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (ALTA) and the international LOFAR facility (LTA). The main user interest has been in the fully processed science level data, and primarily in the multi-frequency synthesis beam images. Improvement has been made for the virtual access, some 2 million files have been added to the LOFAR archive and the total volume increased by ca 4,9 PB. Two Apertif data collections have been released during the reporting period: the first-time domain data collection, including the data from the 2019 observing campaign that resulted in the detection of 5 Fast Radio Bursts; and a small data release of a 26.5 square degrees image of the Boötes constellation.
In the optical domain, ORP Time Domain Astronomy (TDA) provided virtual access (WP18) to a rapidly growing network of telescopes distributed worldwide, operating as a network using the BHTOM system developed for this project. Over 10000 observations were obtained and processed each week, and processed to science-ready with 99% reliability. The (virtual access) telescope network has been expanded bringing the total to more than 100 facilities. The optical Common Time Allocation Committee (CTAC) process continued with great success. There were open Calls each semester, with the number of projects approved determined on science merit by independent review until the semester budget (uniform per semester throughout ORP) was exhausted. Given the order of magnitude range in unit costs between the infrastructures the number of projects is not a robust measure, however over 400 proposed projects were submitted, with over 170 supported. 379 nights of telescope access over 12 different infrastructures supported 1617 users. Oversubscription remained about a factor of 2.5-4.
Access support systems included ongoing assistance for users of the ALMA infrastructure via a network of regional support centres. Over the project duration, 55 ALMA projects involving 745 users were supported, with 54% of these projects led by female Principal Investigators. The new support centres network for Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) users (in the UK, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium), supported and trained the growing VLTI community of users. Preparatory developments for VLTI hands-on instrument support and virtual access to adaptive optics control system data have been put in place, supporting very significant enhancements in VLTI scientific capability and user science opportunities.
The ORP training program successfully equipped hundreds of young researchers and engineers with hands-on and virtual skills across optical/infrared and radio astronomy. Flagship schools such as NEON and ERIS, alongside new initiatives in proposal writing, instrumentation, and multi-messenger astrophysics, achieved excellent feedback.
ORP aimed to develop and implement a unified system that enables scientists to request access to a wide range of facilities through a single application portal. A prototype of the Proposal Submission Tool, named Polaris, is a central component of this system. Although the ORP project has concluded, Polaris is now mature enough for real-world deployment, with advanced integration efforts already underway. A pilot Multi-Facility Call for Proposals was opened in spring 2024, exploring a new access modality with cross-objective impact: providing classical Transnational Access to a suite of ORP-PILOT partner facilities across the electromagnetic spectrum through a single access and review process. This demonstrated viability in principle.
Direct collaboration between emerging optical interferometry support networks (VLTI) and experienced mm/sub-mm (ALMA Regional Centres) continued.
ORP teams developed innovative expansion of current global arrays of robotically-controlled telescopes dedicated to Time Domain Astronomy. Automated telescope scheduling software was tested and adapted to facilitate its adoption on multiple infrastructures from both optical and radio domains. This work has already nearly doubled the number of new infrastructures delivering science through ORP Time Domain Astronomy.
An ambitious training activities implemented the agreed policy: lectures on optical/infrared interferometry, on dark- and quiet-sky protection awareness, and on equity and inclusion, were routinely offered.
Efforts to raise awareness and activities on technical, political, and administrative levels to mitigate the effects of large satellite constellations on observatories have continued. Members of ORP initiated a study with the LOFAR radio telescope to measure unintended electromagnetic ("leakage") radiation coming from a large satellite constellation and to demonstrate its potential impact. ORP members worked on the improvement of public outreach activities to make the public and stakeholders aware of the worth of astronomy and the necessity of its protection.
Action on “Accessibility, equal opportunities and diversity” concentrated its efforts on two major areas: i. engaging the partners offering transnational and/or virtual access (TA/VA) in a reflection on best practices in the assignment of their telescope time to make their observing facilities more accessible; and ii. investing efforts in training the early-career scientists on EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) matters. First results after implementation of new approaches show improved success rates not only by female PIs, but especially by early-career scientists.
Direct collaboration between emerging optical interferometry support networks (VLTI) and experienced mm/sub-mm (ALMA Regional Centres) continued.
ORP teams developed innovative expansion of current global arrays of robotically-controlled telescopes dedicated to Time Domain Astronomy. Automated telescope scheduling software was tested and adapted to facilitate its adoption on multiple infrastructures from both optical and radio domains. This work has already nearly doubled the number of new infrastructures delivering science through ORP Time Domain Astronomy.
An ambitious training activities implemented the agreed policy: lectures on optical/infrared interferometry, on dark- and quiet-sky protection awareness, and on equity and inclusion, were routinely offered.
Efforts to raise awareness and activities on technical, political, and administrative levels to mitigate the effects of large satellite constellations on observatories have continued. Members of ORP initiated a study with the LOFAR radio telescope to measure unintended electromagnetic ("leakage") radiation coming from a large satellite constellation and to demonstrate its potential impact. ORP members worked on the improvement of public outreach activities to make the public and stakeholders aware of the worth of astronomy and the necessity of its protection.
Action on “Accessibility, equal opportunities and diversity” concentrated its efforts on two major areas: i. engaging the partners offering transnational and/or virtual access (TA/VA) in a reflection on best practices in the assignment of their telescope time to make their observing facilities more accessible; and ii. investing efforts in training the early-career scientists on EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) matters. First results after implementation of new approaches show improved success rates not only by female PIs, but especially by early-career scientists.