IRAM Memo 2015-2 NOEMA sensitivity estimator
Keywords: astro-noema-sensitivity-estimator

Next: Contents Contents

# IRAM Memo 2015-2
NOEMA sensitivity estimator

J. Pety, J. Boissier, E. Reynier, S. Bardeau

June, 18 2024
Version 5.0

1. IRAM (Grenoble)

### Abstract:

This memo describes the equations used in the NOEMA sensitivity estimator available in the online sensitivity estimator (`https://oms.iram.fr/tse/#noema`), to be used for proposal preparation and in the `GILDAS/ASTRO` program (so-called detailed estimator, independent of NOEMA call for proposals).

- Contents
- The interferometric point source sensitivity from first principles
  - System temperature
  - Power and sensitivity measured at the correlator output for one baseline
  - Quantization efficiency
  - Collecting the measurements from all baselines
  - From the temperature power to the flux
  - Signal decorrelation
  - Noise vs signal
- The interferometric extended source sensitivity
  - Starting from the point source sensitivity
  - We yield the interferometric extended source sensitivity
  - Interpretation
- In practice
  - Line vs continuum system temperature
  - The number of polarizations
  - Actual computations
- Observing mode and elapsed telescope time
  - Single-source, single-field observations
  - Track-sharing, single-field observations
  - Mosaicking
  - Dual band observations
    - Python implementation
  - Frequency cycling observations
    - Python implementation
- Bibliography
- About this document ...