August 2015 Call for Proposals

Gemini North is accepting proposals for the Fast Turnaround (FT) pilot program. Here, we give information specific to this proposal cycle. Please see the other FT pages - particularly the rules - for general information about the program.

1. Important dates
   • Proposal deadline: 23:59, Hawaiian Standard Time (HST), August 31.
   • Reviews must be complete by 23:59 HST, September 14;
   • Results will be announced by September 21;
   • Observations must be ready by October 01 and will remain valid until the end of December;
   • FT observations will be merged with the queue and observed on queue nights. They will not be scheduled only on specific Fast Turnaround nights as was done previously.


2. Eligibility
   • PIs from all partners taking part in the FT program may apply for this cycle.
   • PIs from partner countries whose FT time for the semester has been used up should not apply for the remainder of the semester. Currently no partners have reached their limit. See the rules and Q&A for more information.


3. Acceptable RA ranges
   • Targets from RA~19 hrs to ~12 hrs can be accepted during this cycle. Note that RAs near 17 will only be accessible for a few hours during the first month (October). RAs near 10 will only be accessible for a few hours during the final month (December).


4. Available instruments and observing modes
   • Gemini North (only) is participating in the FT trial
   • GMOS, GNIRS, and NIRI will be available most or all of Sep-Nov. NIFS will be available only in the latter part of November. There is only one LGS run scheduled, also during the latter part of November. See the schedule posted here
   • GMOS' R600 grating is not offered for FT (or regular queue) observations. The R831 grating is not likely to be in the instrument frequently in 2015B, and users should consider whether one of the other gratings can meet their needs instead.
   • A GRACES run is scheduled for December. After the August GRACES block, when we know how many GRACES queue targets have been observed, we will make a decision about whether the instrument can be offered for FT programs. Please see the September CfP for further information.
   • MOS observations are now available for FT, subject to some caveats/restrictions
   • As discussed in the rules and Q&A, please contact the Fast Turnaround team in advance of the deadline if you would like to propose for an unusual instrument configuration or observing mode.


5. Time available
   • In 2015B, 20 hrs per month is available for FT observations. Very roughly, this implies:
     • i. 4 hrs of 20%-ile conditions (IQ=20, for example; see this web page)
     • ii. 10 hrs of 50%-ile conditions
     • iii. 14 hrs of 70%-ile conditions
     • iv. 17 hrs of 85%-ile conditions
   • PIs may propose for up to roughly the amount of time in their most restrictive observing conditions (see the rules).


6. PIT information
   • Proposals must be submitted using the version of the Phase I Tool specified on this web page (in the "Time Requests" tab, select Fast Turnaround Observing at Gemini as the proposal class).
   • In the Time Requests tab, select "Fast Turnaround Observing at Gemini" as the proposal class and specify the reviewer (and mentor, if appropriate). Note that this is where the reviewer is defined; changes cannot be made after the proposal has been submitted.
   • We have created new, shorter Latex/Word templates for FT proposals (GemPhase1_FT.tex/doc). We encourage users to use these new templates, although participants using the old templates will not be penalized (as long as they stick to the page limits)
   • Submitting the same proposal more than once during a given cycle (e.g. after correcting/editing a submitted version) should be avoided if at all possible.


7. Changes to rules/policies since last CfP
   • As noted above, multi-object spectroscopy with GMOS-N is now offered for FT programs.
   • Change made in July 2015: FT programs will now be merged into the regular queue and not reserved for separate FT nights.
   • Change made in July 2015: If <7 proposals are received, the program will not be cancelled (as happened earlier). We will instead send proposals to a standing panel of external reviewers, as well as PIs (or designated co-Is) reviewing each other's proposals in the usual way. See rule 12 and this blog post.