Call for Proposals on the Gemini, Keck, and Subaru Telescopes

The deadline for Gemini proposals in Semester 2010B has now passed. We will begin accepting proposals for Semester 2011A in early September 2010.

Poor weather and Director's Discretionary Time proposals are accepted at any time via the Phase I Tool. Such proposals are submitted directly to the Gemini Observatory for their consideration, and any time awarded is not charged to Australia's share of Gemini time.

This page contains a summary of the Gemini call for proposals, together with Australia-specific information and some hints on how to maximise your chances of getting data. It should be read in conjunction with the Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals web page, which gives more details on the operational modes available.

What's new in 2010B?

Starting in 2010B, new word limits will be strictly imposed for the abstract (200 words), science case (1000 words), and technical justification (1000 words) for all partner submissions using the Phase 1 Tool. The PIT will not allow a proposal to be submitted if any one section exceeds these limits. In practice, these limits are the same (or slightly relaxed in the case of the abstract) as those which ATAC has imposed for some time, but the word limits are now consistent across the Gemini partnership.
The GMOS-North detectors are currently scheduled to be replaced with more red-sensitive detectors during 2010B. New Z and Y filters will also be available to take advantage of the improved response in the red. We expect the new detectors to be available for science after December 1st 2010. Time requests for targets with 17 < RA < 2 should be based on the OLD detectors, and those for targets with 2 < RA < 13.5 should be based on the NEW detectors. Proposals for which the improved red response is necessary should not be submitted for targets with 17 < RA < 2. The Integration Time Calculator will be available for both the new and old detectors. The instrument will be unavailable for a four week period during the detector upgrade.
L-band observations with the Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) on Gemini South are now offered on a shared-risks basis.
Pending successful commissioning late in Semester 2010A, it is expected that a call for Science Verification proposals for the refurbished GNIRS near-infrared spectrograph on Gemini North will be made later in 2010B.
The Science Verification call for the near-infrared camera and multi-object spectrograph FLAMINGOS-2 is unfortunately delayed due to problems identified during testing.
The community should note that the Observatory welcomes proposals which use the full range of observing conditions. This includes proposals that can use cloudy (CC=90%-ile) conditions, which implies a loss of signal of at least 30%, and up to a factor of 6.

The Gemini Observatory has announced the 2010B Call for Proposals for use of the Gemini North and Gemini South Telescopes, as well as exchange time access (in classical mode only) to the HIRES instrument on Keck, and all facility instruments (except FMOS) on Subaru.

There are strict target accessibility limits in force. Targets for Gemini North should have 17 < RA < 13.5 and -37 < Dec < +79; for Gemini South targets should have 16 < RA < 12 and -89 < Dec < +28. Exceptions may be allowed for very short observations, or with relaxed observing constraints. There are additional constraints if a program requires unrestricted access (e.g. MOS programs that require pre-imaging, long observations, and multi-epoch observations), and also for all LGS programs at Gemini North.

The instruments available on Gemini North are:

the GMOS optical imager, multi-object, and integral field spectrograph.
the NIRI near-infrared imager and spectrograph.
the NIFS near-infrared integral field unit spectrograph. As NIFS and Michelle currently share the upward-looking port, NIFS may be available between Sep and Dec only.
the Michelle mid-infrared imager and spectrograph. As NIFS and Michelle currently share the upward-looking port, Michelle will likely be available for up to two short periods (most likely in August and/or January), depending on demand.

Both NIRI and NIFS can be used in conjunction with the ALTAIR adaptive optics system, using natural or laser guide stars.

The instruments available on Gemini South are:

the GMOS optical imager, multi-object, and integral field spectrograph.
the NICI near-infrared adaptive optics-fed, dual-channel coronagraphic imager.
the T-ReCS mid-infrared imager and spectrograph. Due to MCAO commissioning, T-ReCS availablity in the second half of 2010B may be limited..
the Phoenix near-infrared high resolution spectrograph. Due to MCAO commissioning, Phoenix availibility in the second half of 2010B may be limited.

The instruments available on Subaru are:

COMICS, a mid-infrared camera and spectrograph.
FOCAS, an optical imager and spectrograph with longslit, multi-slit, polarimetry, and spectropolarimetry modes.
HDS, an optical high dispersion spectrograph with a resolution up to R=160,000.
IRCS, a near-infrared camera with coronagraphic and natural guide star adaptive optics (AO188 after Nov 2010) modes, as well as longslit spectroscopy with resolution up to R=20,000.
MOIRCS, a wide-field near-infrared imager and multi-object spectrograph.
Suprime-Cam, a prime-focus optical wide-field imager.

Note that Subaru proposals can be submitted for a minimum of 1 night, and a maximum of 4 nights, in specific date ranges only:

Bright - Oct 17-26 or Dec 16-24,
Grey - Dec 11-15,
Dark - Nov 2-8 or Dec 31-Jan 6.

The only instrument available on Keck is HIRES, an optical high-dispersion spectrograph offering resolutions up to 85,000. Proposals must request between 1 and 2 nights in any one of the periods Aug 17-30, Oct 16-27, or Dec 14-25. All applicants for Keck/HIRES time must also complete a Keck cover sheet (you will need to register for a login name and password first), which should then be e-mailed to the Australian Gemini Office (ausgo -@- aao.gov.au) before the proposal deadline.

Note that exchange time on Subaru or Keck is "classical" observing time - someone will need to go to the telescope to carry out the observations. Australian observers should apply to the ANSTO-run Access to Major Research Facilities Program (AMRFP) to get funding for their trip; AusGO does not pay for observing travel. Note that AMRFP funds may be exhausted before the end of each funding round, so apply early!

Australian recipients of Keck time are welcome to use Swinburne's Keck remote observing station. Contact Glenn Kacprzak (gkacprzak -@- swin.edu.au) for further information.

Available Time

A total of 59 hours of time on Gemini North, and 60 hours on Gemini South will be available for ATAC to allocate. This is a 20% increase on 2010A, and reflects the fact that the long-term imbalance in partner share of charged time is improving. If one telescope is far more oversubscribed than the other, we may arrange a swap of nights with another partner country with an opposite imbalance, so as to even out demand.

ATAC encourages applications which can tolerate a wide range of observing conditions on Gemini. Note that by being able to relax their observing condition constraints, and avoiding the most sought-after right ascensions, ATAC programs in Band 3 have achieved a better-than-average completion rate. ATAC would also welcome more ambitious Gemini proposals seeking substantial fractions of Australian time, as well as large programs seeking time jointly with other Gemini partners.

Submitting a Proposal

The Gemini Phase I Proposal Tool (PIT) is a Java program which must be installed on the applicant's own computer (Solaris, Mac OS-X, Linux, or Windows); a new version is available for the 2010B round, and must be used. It can be downloaded from PIT Installation. Please see the Supporting Information web page for further details about:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to ask for a fraction of time in a multi-partner (Joint) proposal proportional to their intellectual involvement in the project, rather than divided up in proportion to the partner share of the proposers from different countries.

Prospective applicants should familiarise themselves with the various modes of observing offered by Gemini, as well as the web pages of the instruments they want to use.

The electronic submission process built into the PIT for Australian proposals will send the proposal XML file and associated attached files to the Australian Gemini Office at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, which is the service organization for ATAC. As part of the submission process, the proposal will be automatically validated and if errors are found, these will be reported via a pop-up window within the PIT. Invalid proposals are not accepted and it is the proposer's responsibility to fix the error(s). If validation is successful, receipt of the proposal XML file and attachment will be acknowledged and the proposal will be assigned a reference number. Again this occurs via a pop-up window within the PIT.

If time is being requested on both Gemini North and Gemini South for the one scientific program, then separate proposals need to be submitted for each telescope.

Poor weather proposals can be submitted at any time. These are submitted directly to Gemini and assessed by the Head of Science Operations at each Gemini telescope, so there is no need to worry about proposal deadlines (or getting the proposal past ATAC).

ATAC Specific Requirements

In the interests of consistency, ATAC now expects all applicants to list the full set of literature references cited in their scientific and technical justification sections as a text attachment to that section, rather than within the body of the section itself. Applicants may then use the full quota of 1000 words in each section for their science and technical cases, without worrying about the number or formatting of references cited.
You should enter raw text only (no LaTeX markup commands) into the PIT.
Abstract: should have a maximum of 200 words (but really, a straightforward summary of your proposal should need no more than 120 words).
Scientific (and Technical) Justification: These fields within the PIT need to be completed, with a maximum of 1000 words each. Note that the full list of References cited should now be included as a text attachment within the PIT. Up to three figures can also be attached; formats accepted include JPEG, GIF, and PDF but not Postscript. Postscript figures should be converted to PDF first.
Publications: limited to (a) PI and/or Co-I papers relevant to the current proposal, and (b) PI publications resulting from previous allocations of Gemini time, both within the previous two years only.
Previous Time Allocations: limited to the previous 4 semesters, include all Gemini allocations for this or other projects, as well as allocations (from ATAC or otherwise) on any other telescopes that are relevant to the current proposal.

Need Help?

All requests for assistance and information regarding new proposals, the available instruments, the PIT, etc, should be handled through the Gemini HelpDesk. This Web-based system will forward the query initially to AusGO staff, who may then escalate it to other National Gemini Office staff, or Gemini Observatory staff, as required.

Some hints on maximising your chances of getting time (and data!)

Due to the very high demand for a limited number of exchange nights on Keck and Subaru, ATAC applicants are strongly encouraged to consider submitting Joint proposals with other Gemini partners in order to improve their chances of getting exchange time.

ATAC proposals have to be read and assessed against a cohort of proposals extending across all of astronomy. ATAC members therefore have a wide range of backgrounds and expertise spanning all areas of astronomy. However, not all committee members may be experts in your area, and familiar with all its acronyms and jargon. Even when all acronyms are defined as they are used, the excessive use of acronyms can quickly exhaust the mental stack of even the most careful and committed reader. Proposals that assume all readers have an intimate knowledge of all the acronyms and jargon used across all of astronomy, and/or an infinite capacity for remembering new acronyms, may therefore put themselves at an unnecessary disadvantage when it comes to being easily read and understood by ATAC members.

Applicants are advised to clearly state (in your technical justification) a realistic minimum total time required for their project to be viable. Please note that there is no penalty involved in quoting a minimum time less than the requested time, as ATAC does not normally allocate less than the requested time. Indeed, allocations in Band 3 will sometimes be for larger amounts of time than originally sought, to partly compensate for the poorer observing conditions under which such programs will need to be executed. Such a statement could help you in two circumstances:

Firstly, if your proposal is ranked near the cut-off, there may not be enough Australian time left to give you your full allocation. Your statement will help ATAC decide whether it is scientifically useful to give you less than your requested time, or whether the time should be given to another smaller proposal. Several proposals that set "minimum time = requested time" have in the past been unsuccessful for exactly this reason.
Secondly, if your proposal asks for time from several partner countries, and Australia ranks it highly but other partners rank it poorly, it will help ATAC decide whether it is worth giving you just the Australian time, or whether this is scientifically useless by itself. This too is a not infrequent occurrence.

Applicants are also required to state clearly what you would do if your proposal was awarded time in Band 3. There is a special tab in the PIT to do this. Note that filling in this tab in no way reduces your chances of being ranked in Band 1 or 2; leaving it blank however can severely limit your chances of getting into any band. Proposals in Band 3 are very unlikely to be carried out if they require the best (and most requested) weather conditions. If your program is ranked in the highest bands, this will make no difference. But if it is ranked in Band 3, we will ask you (if necessary) to think about shortening it, downgrading the weather constraints, picking brighter targets or a wider range of potential targets, and otherwise increasing the chance that it will actually get done. If ATAC does not feel that these changes can be made in a way that preserves at least some useful science, your proposal may be dropped from the list and replaced by one with a lower scientific ranking, but more chance of being executed in Band 3. Gemini also offer several suggestions for making the most of Band 3 time.

Having a range of targets at different RAs and Decs can help your chance of being executed in the Gemini queue. List as many targets as you like, but insert a note explaining how many you actually are requesting time to observe. Where possible, try to avoid the most-requested RAs.

Due to the requirement that all Laser Guide Star targets receive clearance in advance from US Space Command, it is recommended that all such programs be split into blocks of no more than ~1.5 hrs each in order to be schedulable. Also, the need for Laser Guide Stars when observing calibration targets should be weighed up against the risk of not being able to schedule the calibration observations alongside the science target observations.

Getting your Phase II program completed early (for targets observable early in the semester) can do wonders for the chances of your program being executed. In some cases, programs allocated time in the next semester have been executed before the current semester has even finished!