[ASA] Call for Australian Subaru Proposals in Semester 2018A

[International Telescopes Support Office]

      2018A Call for Australian Subaru proposals


Proposals for Australian time on the Subaru 8.2m telescope on Mauna Kea 
in Semester 2018A (1 Feb - 31 July 2018) are due by

*1:00pm AEST, Thursday 7 September 2017.*

Separate calls for Magellan and Blanco proposals in Semester 2018A, as 
well as ESO access in Period 101 (Apr-Sep 2018) will be issued shortly.


      Background

The Subaru 8.2 metre 
telescope<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/aYDOBJi5aYaC2?domain=subarutelescope.org> located 
on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii is operated by the National 
Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/2mpABDcNW8WI5?domain=nao.ac.jp>). In 
December 2016 Astronomy Australia Ltd negotiated a new collaborative 
program with NAOJ, providing 5 nights in Semester 2018A and 5 nights in 
Semester 2018B (possibly extending into 2019A) for the Australian 
community on the Subaru telescope. Australia will also make technical 
contributions to the Subaru program, and Japanese astronomers will get 
access to 4 nights on the AAT in 2018. Following the end of AAL's access 
to the Gemini and Keck telescopes after Semester 2017B, Subaru will be 
the only northern hemisphere facility available to the entire Australian 
community in 2018.


      Instruments

The facility instruments currently available on Subaru are:

  * AO 188
    <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/6eKdBDsqO8OiG?domain=subarutelescope.org>,
    a 188 element natural or laser guide star adaptive optics system
    delivering diffraction-limited images in the near infrared to
    instruments including IRCS, SCExAO, and CHARIS.
  * COMICS<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/NX12BDUO6q6Cn?domain=naoj.org>, a
    mid-infrared camera and spectrograph covering wavelengths from
    7.5-25 microns.
  * FOCAS
    <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/bZ89BmugMaMHV?domain=subarutelescope.org>
    provides optical imaging, longslit and multi-slit spectroscopy over
    a 6 arcmin field of view.
  * HDS <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Jb1WBnU87k7iW?domain=naoj.org>, an optical
    high dispersion spectrograph with a resolution up to R=160,000.
  * HSC<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Xq1VBlSE0b0Fp?domain=subarutelescope.org>
    provides optical imaging over a 1.5 degree diameter field of view.
  * IRCS<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/78eDB7U1oXoSL?domain=naoj.org>, a
    near-infrared (0.9-5.6 microns) camera with coronagraphic and
    polarimetric modes, as well as longslit spectroscopy with resolution
    up to R=20,000. IRCS is normally used in conjunction with natural or
    laser guide star adaptive optics fed by AO188.
  * MOIRCS<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/EM1LB5Uea5atn?domain=naoj.org> provides
    imaging and low-resolution longslit or multi-object spectroscopy
    from 0.9-2.5 microns over a 4 x 7 arcmin field of view.

In addition some visitor instruments are available by collaboration with 
the instrument PI:

  * SCExAO <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Rv1VB2fKLgLi7?domain=naoj.org> delivers
    high contrast images of the innermost surroundings of bright sources.
  * CHARIS<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/vxwbB0TJGdGSk?domain=scholar.princeton.edu> provides near-infrared
    coronagraphic imaging and low-resolution spectroscopy of exoplanets,
    disks, and brown dwarfs with SCExAO+AO188.
  * VAMPIRES<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/nbpeB1UpGDGIz?domain=naoj.org>
    enables diffraction-limited imaging in the visible with polarimetric
    capabilities.

  Further information on Subaru instruments can be found on the Subaru 
Instrumentation 
page<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/1RkoBZsvAqATX?domain=subarutelescope.org>.


      Applying for time

The policies and process for Australian access to Subaru time are as 
follows:

 1. Researchers affiliated with a research institute in Australia can
    submit proposals as a PI.
 2. Collaboration with Japanese astronomers is encouraged, but is not a
    requirement for submitting a proposal.
 3. Full details on proposal submission can be found on the Subaru
    proposals page <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/V81oBdUvznzTN?domain=naoj.org>.
    Australian proposals should be submitted directly to Subaru using
    the Subaru ProMS (Proposal Management System
    <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/5vY4BRf3QLQtg?domain=subarutelescope.org>).
    You will need to register for a ProMS account if you do not already
    have one.
 4. Applicants are required to explicitly specify *"[AUS Time]"* in the
    title of their proposals to distinguish these from regular proposals.
 5. Australian time has the following restrictions:
     1. Time exchange programs (proposals to use Gemini or Keck
        instruments) are not eligible.
     2. Service mode programs, ToO programs, and HSC queue-mode programs
        are not eligible. This is because for these programs the
        execution is not guaranteed. Proposals using HSC will be
        executed in classical mode.
     3. Subaru Intensive program proposals are not eligible.
 6. Australian proposals for Subaru time will be assessed and ranked by
    the Subaru TAC. Proposals will be made available to ATAC for their
    consideration, and the ATAC Chair will be given the opportunity to
    convey ATAC's view of the relative merits of each proposal to the
    Subaru TAC.
 7. The Subaru TAC will allocate observing time to the Australian
    proposals in the order of proposal score until the total number of
    nights allocated reaches five, even if their scores are below the
    threshold for normal proposals to be approved.
 8. If, when the total number of nights allocated to the Australian
    proposals reaches five, there are more Australian proposals above
    the threshold for normal proposals to be approved, the Subaru TAC
    will still allocate observation time to them as a part of open-use time.
 9. Australian programs will be executed in classical mode, meaning the
    observer(s) should be present either at the Mauna Kea summit or NAOJ
    Mitaka HQ remote observing room. Australian PIs awarded Subaru time
    through this process will be eligible for travel support from ITSO
    <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/gn9mBLUNxXxIR?domain=aao.gov.au>. However funding to
    support observer travel in 2018A is limited, and observers may not
    be fully supported.


      Need help?

Further information about Australian access to Subaru can be found at on 
the Subaru ITSO web pages <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/oDLWBaT9MgMt5?domain=aao.gov.au>. Please 
direct any questions to the International Telescopes Support Office 
(itso at aao.gov.au) at the AAO.


Stuart Ryder
Head of International Telescopes Support
#ITSOaao


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