Round of statements of VALD Team members on 15 Sep 2008

• Ulrike

• Werner

  • engagement in EU project
    important to spread news about VALD, and to publish papers about VALD

• Marlene

  • VALD testing
    diploma thesis completed within 1/2 year

• Luca

  • VALD data verification using comparison stars
    future: use stars with higher metallicity or lower temperature
    PhD thesis completed until Feb/March 2009
    FWF project under evaluation - decision at end of Nov? (common project with Russian science foundation)

• Oleg

  • work on spectrum synthesis tools and model atmospheres
    e.g. EOS for molecules (together with Nik, Paul)
    collaboration with Luca (observing run at NOT for VALD data verification using hot sharp-lined stars)
    CRIRES observing programs, e.g. M dwarfs in K band (-> H2O lines), with Ulrike, Nik, ...
    modelling cool Ap stars (with Tanya)
    position in Uppsala until Feb 2009
    applications to various places

• Denis

  • VALD user
    

    model atmosphere calculations for CP stars
    

    VALD data as input for model atmosphere computations
    

    maintains master line list in special binary format containing "whole VALD" + predicted lines + molecular line list, to be included in VALD-3
    

    -> convert additional data (e.g. prediced lines) to VALD format

• Tanya

  • continues to work at INASAN until ?
    

    present main task for VALD:<<BR>>

    replace old Kurucz calculations by new ones (e.g. Fe I, S I)
    

    important for model atmosphere computations, many lines e.g. in infrared
    

    there are some differences between Kurucz data and NIST (energy levels) for Fe I (about 1000 levels in Kurucz data, compared to only about 500 in NIST)
    mirror sites in other countries? e.g. India

• Christian

  • making VALD administration as simple as possible (but safe)
    

    synchronization
    

    back-up of everything on Vienna server
    

    tools for collecting statistics
    

    prepared e-mail folder for testers
    

    employed at Vienna University computer center until retirement
    

    handling of distribution of predicted line lists in future?
    

    -> distribute to specific people (not via web interface or EMS)
    similar problem to distributing molecular line lists

• Nicole

  • analyses of magnetic Ap stars
    

    improving gf-values (with Tanya, Luca)
    PhD thesis completed by Oct 2008

• Nik

  • working on VALD-3 tools -> ready to be tested

• Theresa

  • writing application for post-doc position (FWF project)
    

    using VALD data for Zeemann doppler imaging + additional data from Tanya
    VALD testing

• Eric

  • main VALD responsibility: web interface, synchronization
    

    platform independency to be solved
    

    working on properties of pre-main-sequence stars (-> VALD user)
    position at St. Andrews until March 2009

• Friedrich

  • engagement in EU project -> spreading of VALD
    

    working on references for VALD data
    

    available for questions related to original software tools
    

    position clarified in Oct 2008, current funding until next summer