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Proposals & Updates for Time on Optical/IR Telescopes

FORMS

Time on all Optical/IR UAO telescopes is allocated in two semesters: February-July (A) and August-January (B). Proposal deadlines are now October 1 and April 1, or a nearby date  (Oct 2, 2023 for 2024A) if the time falls on a weekend: See the call for proposals email.  Late proposals will not be considered.

GTO proposals are due Oct 23, 2023.

INSTRUCTIONS

All proposers (general and GTO partners) should submit electronically the completed latex form and the processed pdf version to a site to be announced later. Passwords will have been provided in the respective Call for Proposals from the TAC Chair. Unless you receive special permission from the TAC Chair, the proposals must be submitted by the deadline.

Make sure to download the current proposal template file  soprop.tex and class file soprop.cls, which are required to produce the pdf file that is uploaded by the electronic submission form. Your proposal will not be processed by the automated account if you use an outdated version of the template files. They are attached (unchanged, actually) to the cal lfor proposals.

The new submission site is https://mtnops-tac.as.arizona.edu/. Proposals will not be accepted at this site until Sept 18 to allow tests, fixing last semester's hiccups, to be made.

 

NEWS & UPDATES ABOUT TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTS

 
Sept 8, 2023: MAPS, MagAO-X updated and VATT especially updated. New instrument, Binospec IFU:

We update these notes whenever we're given new news. It's always safest to contact the PI of an instrument or someone at the observatory in question.

 

Binospec IFU: From Grant Williams: "The Binospec IFU will be available for the 2024A semester.  We will likely be commissioning it in October and/or November.  Ben or I will briefly summarize its capabilities at the September 19th Observer's Lunch." (Sept 2023) Here is a useful link. (Oct 27, 2023)

MAPS: No availability in 2024A. Here is updated information on the instrument: "The adaptive optics system (f/15 secondary) on the MMT is under significant renovation. Improvements to the system include an updated ASM, new pyramid WFSs, and upgrades to the ARIES and MMT-POL instruments (Katie Morzinski, Craig Kulesa). A separate program to upgrade MIRAC-5 (Jarron Leisenring) using MMTAO has also begun.  Engineering and commissioning of MMTAO/MAPS has begun, but we are unable to offer community AO science for the upcoming semester." (Sept 2023)

Vatt: VATT will have a very short 2024A observing "semester".  They will be refurbishing the telescope/observatory to enable automatic and remote operations hopefully starting in early April.   Therefore, only  February and March will be available for observing.  They don't plan to be back in operation until the start of 2024B. (Sept 2023)

LBT: Proposers need to also submit Phase I Tool (PIT) form by noon on April 3 as well. The PIT form is available at  https://sites.google.com/a/lbto.org/proposal-submission/. Dr. Eiichi Egami is the main Steward contact.

MMTCam: MMTCam should only be used for ToO imaging projects, and projects that require shallow u band imaging. Note that there is no guiding with MMTCam. Non-ToO imaging projects, particularly those needing deep exposures, should use Binospec, where guiding is possible and the noise is much lower. ToO projects can of course use Binospec, and indeed current ToO projects have time assigned on both instruments.

MMT Red Channel: Red Channel is NOT available because of serious CCD issues. Contact Joannah Hinz for details. (Sept 8, 2021).

MagAO :  superceded by MagAO-X.

MagAO-X:  Will be offered in 2024A. Talk to Jared Males for information about 2024A. (Sept 2023)

Michigan/Magellan IFUM- Mario Mateo is the PI of a set of three IFU systems for Magellan/Clay. Contact him (mmateo@umich.edu) for more information and to propose. Here is some information: Three fiber-fed IFUs: Low Surface Brightness (LSB) at 1.90 arcsec/spaxel and 18x20 spaxels, Standard-seeing (STD at 1.09 pixels per spaxel with 23x24 spaxels, High Resolution (HR) with 0.54 arcssec per spaxel and 27x32 spaxels. Resolutions range from 1000 to 38000. All three modes support three different resolutions;  IFUs user-deployable but only one can be used at a time; Optical Layout: Hexagonal lenslet array defines field. Barlow lenses modify field scale to make lenslets, fiber mounts more manageable;  Occultors (focal plane masks) available to block bright sources in field;  User-selected slit mechanism to choose spectral resolution (at cost of light loss); IFU-M fibers feed MSpec (the spectrograph for M2FS) and can use all MSpec features (order isolation, spectral resolutions, CCD configs, etc.); contact Mario or the TAC Chairman for a table of IFU parameters and other information.

 

MAGELLAN/M2FS: proposals for M2FS require agreement from PI (Dr. Mario Mateo, UMichigan) and require adhering to specific guidelines. Proposers should contact him well in advance of our deadline. Observers with ongoing M2FS projects should (a) remind Mario that  this project has been approved by M2FS team in the past, (b) ask if it's still approved, and (c) provide an estimate for number of nights. The Steward contact is Dr. Edward Olszewski. M2FS is a pair of fiber-fed spectrographs (on Clay)  that can operate at high resolution (echelle), medium resolution (echellette), or low resolution (regular grating) in many possible configurations (for instance, echelle in one spectrograph and low-res grating in the other). New configurations are possible with the purchase of relatively-inexpensive order-blocking filters.
 
MAESTRO: Not supported indefinitely. (Sept 2023)
 
 
WIFIS (Wide Integral-Field Infrared Spectrograph): Is available on the 2.3m Bok telescope. There are two ways to propose. First (and recommended) are joint proposals with the WIFIS team (Dae-Sik Moon and Suresh Sivanandam). Second, the team has agreed to support a limited number of independent programs (proposers should consult with them on technical details) as long as enough nights of joint programs are scheduled (5 nights). Information about the WIFIS instrument is available in this published paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.03512. Contact Dr. Suresh Sivanandam for details.
 
90prime: Please read https://so-90prime.github.io/#23b and talk to Dave Sand.
 
SPOL: Through Steward Observatory's partnership with KASI, a new lens that has very good transmission of light down to the near-UV atmospheric cutoff at about 3200 Angstroms is now available for use in SPOL.  Previously, polarimetry at wavelengths to the blue of about 4000 Angstroms had been impossible.  Science programs not needing measurements of polarization at wavelengths <4500 Angstroms should still utilize the old "red" lens because of its superior throughput in the red and the fact that it is able to  reach an acceptable focus over a broader wavelength range than the new "blue" lens.  In addition, a new, larger aperture for imaging polarimetry has been installed in SPOL.  The new aperture measures 100" x 60" at the 90" and 61" telescopes and  37" x 22" at the MMT. (Contact Paul Smith for information.)
 
Arizona Robotic Telescope Network (ARTN): Remote observations with the 61" Kuiper telescope and Mont4k CCD imager are now past the initial engineering phase, and are ready to enable new opportunities in both traditional and time domain observations.  We encourage shared risk science programs using the Mont4k CCD imager in queue mode, and remote operation of the telescope is also an option.  Interested parties should contact Dr. David Sand.  Please be prepared to discuss the types of observations you may want in terms of cadence, exposure time, observational strategy and total time request.  Nearly all observational configurations are available including target of opportunity observations. Some automated, real time data processing is done. For the next semester, the ARTN team will provide observers to oversee the operations of the queue (and ensure the telescope closes for weather & safety issues) while the science team can remotely work from home. 
(March 5, 2022)
 
 
 
Proposals for Time on ARO Telescopes

The Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) at regular intervals solicits proposals for the 10-meter Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) located on Mount Graham, Arizona, and the new ALMA Prototype 12-meter Telescope (12m) located on Kitt Peak, Arizona. There will be an email call for proosals. The new ARO website is HERE.

 

 

(Sept 9, 2023)

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