Cycle 5: Quantities with Array API support, Improved Support for Masks and Uncertainties

[mhvk]

I request continued partial buy-out from my professorship at UofT to be able
to work one day a week on projects that are too large for the time I can
otherwise commit for astropy. Specifically, I propose,

• Facilitate Quantity becoming a container class that can handle not just
  ndarray but any type of array, i.e., also dask, jax, etc.
• Ensure Quantity is fully compliant with the new Quantity API being developped.
• Extend the same machinery to Masked and Distribution so that all main astropy
  classes can use arbitrary array classes.
• Also extend the machinery to the internal arrays used by Time.
• Speed up unit conversion and thus all of astropy by smarter conversion functions
  and caching.
• Finish my implementation of a Variable class that tracks uncertainties and
  their correlations analytically (based on the uncertainties package).

[kelle]

Do you mean 2025 here?

Suggested change

	semesters have been July-December 2024 and January to June 2026. It may be
	semesters have been July-December 2024 and January to June 2025. It may be

[mhvk]

No, the dates are correct: from my perspective, I've been paid for a day/week for two academic years, 2024/5 and 2025/6, and for the first I did most work in 2024, and for the second I expect to do most work in the Spring (which is when I got/will get teaching relief...). I mentioned this mostly to clarify why this calendar year I've not quite done as much -- there is quite a bit waiting for term's end!

[kelle]

Please include the remaining approved $36,000 from your Cycle 4 proposal in this one. I believe that would bring the total request to $90,000 for work done in FY25 and FY26.

[mhvk]

@kelle - thanks! One sees the risks of having a (really nice) situation where as far as I'm concerned, I just get teaching relief and do astropy, while not having to think about finances at all... (like not knowing the state of the invoices... sorry!).

I now updated the budget and performance part; hopefully it is clearer now!

[kelle]

I think this request would benefit from providing a budget range. For example, the teaching release in the Spring is already confirmed, so a minimum budget of $36,000 might makes sense. (That was also already approved in Cycle 4.)

[mhvk]

@kelle - OK, I now give a minimum for the previously allocated amount, a medium option that includes the minimum (I think) I can get some teaching relief for, and the full amount.

[kelle]

Please see your email for yet another plot twist in this saga.

[kelle]

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