First Results from [CII] Survey of 4 < z < 6 Galaxies Published

Images of [CII] emission from 4 < z < 6 galaxies observed by the CRISTAL survey. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / HST / JWST / R. Herrera-Camus.

The CRISTAL ([CII] Resolved ISM in STar-forming galaxies with ALMA) Large Program has recently published a press release and a science paper revealing the structure of star formation as traced by [CII] in a sample of 39 galaxies at 4 < z < 6. The results reveal that these galaxies exhibit a diverse range of morphologies within these systems, including rotating discs, mergers, tidal structures, and clumpy star formation. This systematic study of these high-redshift sources will provide a baseline for understanding galaxies in the early universe.

 

UK ARC Node at the National Astronomy Meeting

07-11 July 2025
Durham University
Durham, United Kingdom
Website

The UK ALMA Regional Centre will once again be represented at the National Astronomy Meeting. Please feel free to stop by the stand within the exhibition area to talk to our staff about anything related to ALMA.

 

2026 European ALMA School

26-30 January 2026
Leiden Observatory
Leiden, Netherlands
Website

The biannual European ALMA Schools have been set up to provide a series of instructional sessions oriented towards novice and intermediate ALMA users. These sessions cover such topics such as introductory interferometry, data calibration, synthesis imaging, the ALMA Science Archive, analysis techniques, and future ALMA developments.

The Allegro ARC Node will be hosting the second European ALMA School in Leiden in January 2026, with a pre-announcement released last month. Registration will be opening later in July, but for now, people who are interested in the school can go to the website to sign up for updates. Note that participation will be limited to a total of 70 participants and that participants will need to pay a nominal registration fee of €75.

 

New ALMA uv Coverage Assessment Tool (assess_ms) Released

Website

Following the introductory I-TRAIN session last month, the new uv coverage assessment tool assess_ms has now been released. This tool provides detailed information on how the uv coverage of ALMA observations related to the final images that can be used to extract more detailed information on final expected beam shapes and maximum recoverable scales as well as provide better insights into the spatial structures that can be reconstructed using ALMA data.

To download the tool and to get more information about how to use it, see the assess_ms website.

 

ALMA Band 2 Development Reaches Halfway Mark

On 18 June 2025, the 33rd Band 2 receiver was sent to the ALMA Operations Support Facility in Chile, marking the halfway point in the production of the new Band 2 receivers. These new receivers will cover the frequency range from 67 to 116 GHz, which will effectively cover all of the current Band 3 frequency range as well as a significant section of the spectrum at lower frequencies. The additional frequency coverage will enable observations of the carbon monoxide "snow line" in protoplanetary discs and the detection of new lines from complex organic molecules in nearby galaxies.

Notably, the new Band 2 will have bandwidths 4 times wider than most current ALMA receivers, which makes the receivers fully compatible with the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade. These receivers will provide superior coverage for spectral scans and improved sensitivity to continuum emission.

For more information on the Band 2 receivers, see this announcement on the ESO website. Also note that a workshop in Bologna, Italy, on science with Band 2 is planned for February 2026, with more details to be announced later.

 

UK ALMA Regional Centre Support Information and Contact Details

The UK ALMA Regional Centre Node is available to provide support to people working with or interested in working with ALMA. This may include help with preparatory data analysis, including the use of archival data, proposal and observing preparation, data calibration and imaging, and subsequent data analyses. We can also provide computing facilities for ALMA data processing and training for individuals or groups of people.

If you have any ALMA science results that they want to share with the UK ALMA community, please contact us, and we will endeavour to include those results in our next newsletter and on our website.

For any ALMA-related queries or support requests, please contact the UK ARC Node via the following:

ALMA Helpdesk: help.almascience.org
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.alma.ac.uk