[ASA] ESO Period 112 Call for Proposals

Mon Mar 6 13:54:50 AEDT 2023

ESO Period 112 Call for Proposals

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released the Call for Proposals for Period 112 (for observations between 1 October 2023 – 31 March 2024). Under the terms of the Strategic Partnership between ESO and Australia, Australian-based astronomers have access to the facilities of the La Silla and Paranal Observatories, specifically the: 

1.	3.6-m telescope (3.6 <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/u5n4Clx1NjioYkGYRtGR_qJ?domain=eso.org> )
2.	New Technology Telescope (NTT <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/xSOJCmO5glu5Q6XQytORdEl?domain=eso.org> )
3.	Very Large Telescope (VLT <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/z8O_Cnx1jniGRxwR9UNTVnn?domain=eso.org> ) 
4.	Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/P1wUCoV1kpfXy89y2S6YptU?domain=eso.org> ).

The proposal deadline is Tuesday 28 March 2023 at noon Central European Summer Time (9pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time, 6pm Australian Western Standard Time).

Complete details on how to apply can be found at the  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/ZHaECp81lrtzRykR4IJuNid?domain=eso.org.> P112 Call for Proposals web page. All applicants should consult the  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/nBobCq71mwfOMRBMYtrMCDT?domain=eso.org> Call for Proposals document for Period 112, and are required to update their  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/rVzNCr81nytAB6MBQiGxDr2?domain=eso.org> ESO User Portal accounts to submit or be on proposals. 

A wealth of information for Australian applicants can be found on AAL’s  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/nPDnCvl1rKiWk41kwU8GsBm?domain=astronomyaustralia.org.au> Australian ESO Forum. Any questions about policies or the practical aspects of proposal preparation should be addressed to the ESO Observing Programmes Office,  <mailto:opo at eso.org> opo at eso.org. Applicants who may wish to seek advice on proposal or observing strategies, optimal choice of instrument, etc. are invited to contact AAL’s ESO Program Manager at  <mailto:Stuart.Ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au> Stuart.Ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au.

What's new in Period 112?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the expected changes in instrumentation offered and procedures for Period 112 given in  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/tZ-UCwV1vMfLwP6wltRmlTH?domain=eso.org> Sec. 1.1 of the Call for Proposals. Among the items likely to be of most interest to the Australian community are:

1.	Joint VLT/I-ALMA proposals: ESO is introducing a joint channel for scientific programmes requiring both VLT/I observations in P112 and ALMA observations in Cycle 10. ESO may award a maximum of 50 hours of ALMA observing time on each of its arrays to Joint Proposals per year. Further details can be found on the Joint VLT/I-ALMA proposals page <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7awCCxngwOfJWB8WEu7EViF?domain=eso.org> . AAL is awaiting confirmation from the Observing Programmes Office of whether Australian-led proposals are eligible to submit Joint VLT/I-ALMA proposals under the terms of the Strategic Partnership.

1.	New Large Programme proposals accepted in P112: Large Programme proposals (those seeking >100 hrs over 1-4 Periods) are only accepted once per year during the Call for even-numbered Periods. Large Programmes can be requested to start either in the semester of the Call or in the subsequent semester (the following odd Period), but the programme can extend at most over four consecutive semesters from the semester of the Call (i.e., currently up to Period 115).

2.	ERIS: Several additional new modes and functionalities will be offered for ERIS <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7NUICyojxQTNBJDBOSnE1zG?domain=eso.org>  in Period 112. The bright magnitude limit for NGS has been removed, and the faint magnitude limit for LGS tip-tilt stars has been relaxed from RP=17 to RP=18. Seeing-enhancer mode is offered for targets without suitable tip-tilt stars. Non-sidereal and differential tracking modes are also offered. For NIX, the three sparse aperture masks are now offered, as well as detector windowing with four preset subarrays sizes.

3.	KMOS: The Calibration Plan has been updated concerning telluric star observations. Starting in P112, the observatory will only provide one telluric obtained in twilight at average airmass. Please check the KMOS News web page <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/YIb5CzvkyVCRjnDjWi1PKYH?domain=eso.org>  and the KMOS User Manual for Period 112 for further details.

4.	ESPRESSO: the Laser Frequency Comb (LFC) for ESPRESSO <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/L8ALCANpgjC9DV0DpUk5S5C?domain=eso.org>  is now fully operational and proposals requesting it for wavelength calibration will be accepted. Users will still need to clearly indicate the need for the LFC for their science.

5.	VLTI Configurations: From Period 112, ESO introduces the Extended configuration A0–B5–J2–J6, offering the longest baselines on the VLTI platform. It is offered for single-field operations with all instruments. Due to the redundancy with the Astrometric configuration, the current large configuration A0–G1–J2–J3 will no longer be offered.

6.	Simultaneous usage of HARPS and NIRPS on the 3.6m: NIRPS <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Z0dRCBNqjlCVLAqLWUMrlMU?domain=eso.org>  was successfully commissioned during Period 110 and is starting its operation in P111. NIRPS is a near-infrared (974nm-1919nmm), high-resolution (up to R = 90,000), cross-dispersed fibre-fed spectrograph optimised for stability and designed for the detection and characterisation of exoplanets around late-type stars. It can be used simultaneously with HARPS to collect spectra from 380nm to 1919nm (with a gap from 689nm to 974nm) in a single acquisition. Its ultimate goal is to reach a long-term stability of ≤ 1m/s, but for the first period of operation a more conservative value of 2-3 m/s is adopted. A Laser Frequency Comb for wavelength calibrations is expected to improve further the stability from Period 112 onwards. Users requesting to use both NIRPS and HARPS should select NIRPS instrument in P1 and declare the intention of using both instruments in the Special Remarks field of the proposal. Users should be aware that slightly larger overheads are expected when switching from HARPS alone to HARPS+NIRPS mode.

7.	SOXS to replace SOFI on the NTT: The installation and commissioning of SoXS <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/a4MvCD1vlpTB8Mp8YTxBoAz?domain=eso.org>  will start in Period 112. As a consequence, SOFI will be decommissioned and is not offered in P112. EFOSC2 is offered in P112, but is expected to be decommissioned during Period 112 at a date to be announced on the LPO News web-page <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/eR5DCE8wmrtWZnyZ4UDCiRO?domain=eso.org> .

We remind applicants of the following recent significant changes:

1.	Distributed Peer Review: With effect from P110, ESO introduced a Distributed Peer Review (DPR) process for proposals requesting a total time (including overheads) of less than 16 hours, with the exception of proposals including at least one ToO run; proposals for Calibration Programmes; Joint proposals; and DDT proposals. All other proposals submitted for P112 will be reviewed in the usual way by the OPC and its sub-panels. PIs of proposals qualifying for DPR accept that their proposals are reviewed by ten peers who have also submitted proposals in P112, and consent to reviewing ten proposals submitted by their peers as laid out in the DPR rules and guidelines. <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Go9MCGv0oyCJzqnz3umv3Hq?domain=eso.org>  The PI may elect to delegate the reviewer's role to one of the co-Is listed in the proposal.

2.	Visitor Mode: Requests for Visitor Mode observations may be submitted (and are encouraged for new users in particular) for P112, although any scheduled runs may need to be executed in Designated Visitor Mode <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/YUT-CJyBrGf8jyOj9F7jkIK?domain=eso.org>  instead for operational reasons. Direct Qantas services between Sydney and Santiago operate 3 times per week, as well as daily services on LATAM via Auckland. ESO will pay for the costs of one visiting observer per run, and may also cover the costs of an accompanying student.

3.	Scientific keywords: Starting in P110, a new set of scientific keywords replaces the traditional 4 OPC categories. From the p1 interface <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/qZVICK1DvKTqR9KR7H86p_F?domain=eso.org>  users must select at least two keywords, and at most five keywords (ten for Large Programmes). The keywords must be selected in decreasing order of relevance (i.e., the first selected keyword is the most relevant).

4.	Proposal anonymisation: The Dual-Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR) is now fully deployed, after being introduced successfully in Period 108. Applicants must formulate the scientific rationales of their proposals following these anonymisation rules and examples <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/MuFHCL7EwMfPzXqzBtX_jDY?domain=eso.org> , which includes a detailed description of the DAPR paradigm. Failure to abide by the DAPR rules may lead to the disqualification of the proposal.

Important Data Privacy Notice for all recent and intending Australian ESO applicants

ESO supplies AAL with telescope/instrument demand and time allocation data relating to Australian astronomers only. Australian ESO applicant data is used only for statistical purposes, and will only be published or made available to other third parties such as AAL member institutions, in aggregated and anonymised form. ESO’s data collection/use provisions are  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/oaMuCMwGxOt5n9PnBtoo4O6?domain=astronomyaustralia.org.au> available on the AAL ESO Forum for reference. It may be necessary to use automated data matching from data provided to the  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/KZdiCNLJyQUNg9LgkSw11Qy?domain=lens.datacentral.org.au> Data Central Lens proposal database to confirm the identity of ESO applicants. Applicants may opt out of providing data for Australian statistical purposes (including those from P101-P111 inclusive) by contacting  <mailto:Stuart.Ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au> Stuart.Ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au.

______________________________

Dr. Stuart Ryder
Program Manager (Mon, Wed, Fri)
Astronomy Australia Ltd.

T: +61 (02) 9372 4843

M: +61 (0419) 970834 
E: stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au <mailto:stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au> 

W:  <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/UCzjCOMKzVTABwYB1i8rzHT?domain=astronomyaustralia.org.au> https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/mBooCP7LAXf4LZgLzSg5_KB?domain=astronomyaustralia.org.au 

O: c/o AAO, 105 Delhi Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia

AAL endeavours to be an environmentally sustainable organisation built upon equity, diversity and mutual respect for its staff and stakeholders.

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