[ASA] Call for Gemini proposals in Semester 2016A

[International Telescopes Support Office]

      2016A Call for Gemini proposals


Proposals for Australian access to the Gemini telescopes for Semester 
2016A (1 Feb - 31 July 2016) are due by

*5:00pm AEST, Wednesday 30 September 2015.*

A separate call for Magellan proposals in Semester 2016A (with a 7 Oct 
2015 deadline) will be issued shortly. A call for proposals for 
Australian community access to the Keck telescopes in Semester 2016A 
(with a 10 Sep 2015 deadline) was issued earlier 
(http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/keck.html).


*What's new for Semester 2016A?*

  * Australia will cease to be a full partner in Gemini after 31
    December 2015. Astronomy Australia Ltd and the AAO have secured a
    limited-term partnership for 2016, providing a total of *7 classical
    nights* over Semesters 2016A and 2016B split between Gemini North
    and Gemini South. As a limited-term partner, Australia is
    *ineligible* to participate in the Gemini queue process, the
    exchange program with Subaru, or in the joint proposal process.
    Additionally, access to block-scheduled instruments is subject to
    scheduling constraints, and not guaranteed. The block-scheduled
    instruments in 2016A are *GSAOI, GRACES, DSSI, TEXES, and Phoenix*.
  * Proposals should request at least one, and at most two nights on any
    one telescope. Applicants must indicate in the Observing Conditions
    section the poorest conditions (principally the Image Quality and
    the Cloud Cover) they can use and still achieve their science goals.
    They should also specify a backup program (which may employ a
    different instrument if available) they would carry out if
    conditions are worse than this.
  * Although requests for queue mode on Gemini are not being sought in
    2016A, ATAC may identify a subset of highly-ranked but unsuccessful
    programs submitted for classical time as being suitable for a
    "mini-queue" of programs to be executed by the scheduled PI (with
    assistance from Gemini staff), in case conditions are not good
    enough for their primary program. Applicants who would like their
    proposal to be considered for the mini-queue if not allocated
    classical time should indicate this in the technical justification
    section of their proposal.
  * Target-of-Opportunity (ToO) proposals cannot be submitted as
    classical programs. However, applicants may request classical time
    to follow up targets whose location and characteristics may not be
    known at the time of submission (e.g. supernovae, new objects of
    interest from ongoing surveys, etc.).
  * The Hamamatsu CCDs <http://www.gemini.edu/node/12248?q=node/11395>
    offering improved and extended sensitivity out to 1 micron are now
    in regular use in GMOS-South
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos-0>. A number of
    recent issues with apparent banding and charge smearing appear to
    have been resolved through controller upgrades. Applicants for 2016A
    should be sure to select "CCD Type = Hamamatsu array" in the
    GMOS-South Integration Time Calculator
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos/itc-sensitivity-and-overheads?q=node/10479>
    in planning their proposals. Pending the delivery of CCDs and new
    video boards, a similar CCD array may be installed in GMOS-North
    towards the end of Semester 2016A; however applicants should assume
    only the current e2v Deep Depletion CCDs
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos/imaging/detector-array/gmosn-array-e2v-dd>
    will be available for science in Semester 2016A.
  * Student and early-career researchers involved in classical programs
    are eligible to apply for Gemini's "Bring One, Get One"
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/science-visitors-gemini/instructions-visitors/bring-one-get-one>
    travel subsidy program, when accompanying a senior observer.


        How to apply


Gemini proposals must be submitted using the 2016A release of the Phase 
I Tool (PIT). For full details on instrument availability and 
application procedures, please see:

http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/cfp.html

as well as the official Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals at:

http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/observing-gemini/2016a-call-proposals


        Need help?


For general enquiries about Australian access to Gemini, please contact 
the International Telescopes Support Office (itso at aao.gov.au) at the 
AAO. For technical queries about a Gemini Phase I proposal, please use 
the Gemini Helpdesk:

http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/helpdesk/?q=sciops/helpdesk


Stuart Ryder
Head of International Telescopes Support
itso at aao.gov.au



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*As of 1 July 2015, the Australian Gemini Office is now the 
International Telescopes Support Office. Please update your e-mail 
address book to use "itso at aao.gov.au" in place of "ausgo at aao.gov.au".*

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