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Scheduling Blocks

Scheduling Blocks are the key executable units of a project and contain all information necessary to execute a ``single'' observation i.e. the SB is the quanta of the ALMA scheduling system. SBs typically last one hour, this relatively short time required to take advantage of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions at the ALMA site. Therefore, SBs will often be repeated several times in order to achieve the desired sensitivity and will in general not be executed consecutively. Each SB execution is commonly referred to as an Execution Block (EB).

The SB contains a huge amount of information, including detailed information about e.g. the receiver and correlator setup that have usually been automatically generated from the scientific constraints entered in the Science Goals. Calibration information will also have been created, usually in the form of ``calibrator queries'' that prompt the telescope control system to search for a suitable calibrator at execution time based on a set of constraints.

If an SB has been automatically generated, it is still possible to edit the various parameters if required, although this may not be possible for general users of the telescope. Manual creation is a particularly laborious process and is intended for experienced observers and for observatory staff for developing and testing new observing modes.


next up previous contents
Next: Project Submission Up: Basic Concepts Previous: Observing Unit Sets   Contents
The ALMA OT Team, 2017 Dec 18