ALMA's New Observation Cycle Kicks Off in October 2023

21 September, 2023 / Read time: 3 minutes

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is gearing up for another groundbreaking year of exploring the Universe as it prepares to kick off its 11th observation cycle starting on October 1, 2023. The selection process for high-priority programs (Grade A+B) has been completed, and the details are available on the ALMA Science Portal.

This year witnessed a remarkable level of engagement from the scientific community. One thousand six hundred thirty-five proposals underwent a comprehensive distributed peer review process involving 1098 individual reviewers. The ALMA Proposal Review Committee (APRC) convened from July 10-14 to review 44 Large Programs, and their efforts were complemented by 73 external Science Assessors who lent their expertise to the review process.

John Carpenter, ALMA Observatory Scientist, commented on the enthusiasm surrounding Cycle 10: "The overwhelming response we received from the scientific community for this cycle is not just a testament to ALMA's capabilities, but also a clear sign of the curiosity that drives us to explore the Universe. We're extremely excited to see what new frontiers we can unlock in the coming year."

The community submitted 1679 proposals, requesting an astonishing 29,500 hours on the 12-m Array. The subscription rate reached an all-time high of 6.9, indicative of the overwhelming interest and high-caliber science that ALMA continues to attract. Despite the best efforts to accommodate as many excellent proposals as possible, the highly competitive nature of the cycle meant that many worthy programs could not be scheduled.

The data reveals an increasing trend in the hours requested for 12-m Array time as the community continues to propose more ambitious programs. This has led to fewer total high-priority proposals being accepted, even though the total number of submissions remained high.

The Joint ALMA Observatory extends its most profound appreciation to the APRC, chaired by Dr. David Wilner and its diverse and esteemed panel members, and to the over a thousand reviewers who participated in the peer review process. Their tireless efforts and valuable contributions are pivotal for the success of the ALMA Cycle 10 proposal call.

Cycle 10 observations are anticipated to start in October, marking the beginning of another year filled with groundbreaking discoveries that push the boundaries of our understanding of the Cosmos.

A comprehensive ALMA Cycle 10 Proposal Review Process report is available on the ALMA Science Portal.

Additional Information

ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), NSTC and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

Tables & Figures