Subaru/Gemini Time Exchange Program

This is the instruction for Subaru users who intend to apply for Gemini telescope time through the Subaru/Gemini Time Exchange Program in S12B/2012B. Please note that there are two steps in proposal submission (see below).

1. Details

Directors of Subaru Telescope and Gemini Observatory agreed to continue a time exchange program for the semester which corresponds to 'S12B' of Subaru and '2012B' of Gemini, both begin at 2012 August 1 and end at 2013 January 31. This time exchange program is coordinated so that astronomers in each community can mutually access to some of the unique instruments of each telescope.

In S12B, normal (non-ToO) observations with Gemini telescope will be executed in a 'classical' or 'queue' mode whichever you prefer. Proposals requesting Target of Opportunity (ToO) observations, except Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) programs, can be submitted to Gemini, where accepted ToO programs will be executed in a queue mode.

Scientific merits of the proposals are reviewed and determined in each TAC independently (namely, proposals from the Subaru community using Gemini are reviewed by Subaru TAC). Those who have direct access to Gemini time must refrain from submitting proposals to this program.

2. Available Instruments and Observing Time

Gemini instruments available to the Subaru community in S12B are as follows.
GMOS (North or South)
NIFS (North)
NIRI (North)
Michelle (North)
GNIRS (North)
Altair (Adaptive Optics; AO) (North)
~~T-ReCS (South)~~ (decided to be unavailable in 12B)
NICI (+NGS-AO) (South)
~~FLAMINGOS-2 (South)~~ (decided to be unavailable in 12B)

For Altair , AO with both laser guide stars (LGS) and natural guide stars (NGS) are available with the combination of NIFS, NIRI, and GNIRS.

LGS-AO and NICI-AO backup program : Since both good seeing and photometric conditions are needed for successful LGS-AO and NICI-AO observations while the success rate is not high (~25%), those who intend to conduct such AO observation must prepare a backup program. For NIFS + LGS-AO proposers, NIFS without LGS-AO (namely, NGS-AO or without AO), GNIRS without LGS-AO, and GMOS are available as backup instruments. For NIRI + LGS-AO proposers, NIRI without LGS-AO, GNIRS without LGS-AO, and GMOS are available. For GNIRS + LGS-AO proposers, GNIRS without LGS-AO, and GMOS are available. For NICI-AO proposers, GMOS and T-ReCS are available. For LGS-AO and NICI-AO proposers, the scientific importance of the backup program is also taken into account in the proposal evaluation process.

The unique capabilities of available Gemini instruments, compared to the existing Subaru instruments, are briefly summarized below for the Subaru community.

A brief summary of Gemini instruments
GMOS	GMOS is an optical spectrograph with the Nod and Shuffle capability. Higher sensitivity than Subaru FOCAS may be expected depending on observing modes. GMOS has an integral field spectroscopic capability.
NIFS	NIFS is an infrared integral field spectrograph. LGS/NGS-AO is available. Higher sensitivity than Keck OSIRIS may be expected, particularly in the K-band.
NIRI	Infrared imaging with LGS/NGS-AO is possible.
Michelle	Mid-infrared 7-26 micrometer observations are possible. Michelle will most likely be available only for one or two short periods during the semester, depending on demand.
GNIRS	Infrared JHK longslit or cross-dispersed spectroscopy with LGS/NGS-AO is possible.
T-ReCS	Mid-infrared 8-26 micrometer observations of southern sources are possible.
NICI	Near-infrared coronagraphic imaging observations of southern sources are possible. NICI has a list of protected targets which cannot be observed by the community. NICI observations require good seeing and cloud cover no worse than thin cirrus, i.e. IQ70 and either CC50 or CC70.
FLAMINGOS-2	Near-infrared imaging (6.1' diameter circular field) and multi-object spectroscopy (R = 1200-3000 within a 2'x6' quasi-rectangular field) of southern sources are possible.

Note that the above summary is not comprehensive. Please refer to the Gemini webpage for the details of the instruments and telescopes.

We anticipate that the amount of the observing time available in S12B is 4-8 nights , but the actual number of exchange nights is dependent on the oversubscription rate of both telescopes and scientific evaluation by each TAC. The minimum amount of requested nights for each classical program is 1 night. However, for queue observations, proposals can be of any length, and programs which require repeated observations of short exposures are welcome.

All Gemini instruments listed above are available for ToO programs. There are two types of ToO observations. Rapid ToOs require observations within 24 hours, while Standard ToOs will have a slower response time of more than 24 hours. The PI must specify whether the observations require Rapid or Standard response. Rapid ToO programs will be charged for time spent on any observation that the Rapid ToO interrupts; both Rapid and Standard ToO programs will be charged for all on-sky calibrations.

Target coordinates : For Gemini North, targets should be limited to RA = 17:00 -> 13:30 hours and declination -37 -> +90 degrees. For Gemini South, targets should be limited to RA = 16:00 -> 12:00 hours and declination -90 -> +28 degrees. There are additional restrictions for LGS-AO observations, which should be limited to RA = 18:00 -> 12:30 hours and declination -27 -> +68 degrees. Since individual instruments may have additional RA limits imposed, it is important to check the Gemini 2012B Call for Proposals, which will be released on around 2012 March 1 (MST).

3. Proposal Preparation for Programs using Gemini Telescopes

Table 1. Guide for Proposers Applying for Gemini Time
Phase-I Subaru Submission	Step 1. Proposers should submit their proposals via the webform by the deadline in Subaru S12B Call for Proposals (namely, noon, 2012 March 9, JST).
Phase-I Gemini Submission	Step 2. They also need to cast their proposals to Gemini by the electronic submission using PIT (Phase I Tool) by the deadline described in Gemini 2012B Call for Proposals (2012 March 31 MST).
Phase-II Submission	Step 3. For the accepted proposals, Phase-II submission to Gemini Observatory is necessary.

3-1. Step 1. Phase-I Submission to Subaru PROMS

Proposers intending to apply Gemini observations via this Subaru Call for Proposals should access the ProMS 2.0 page to fill the webform. Proposals from the Subaru community to use Gemini are treated as one of the Subaru Open Use Programs and are reviewed in the same way as other Subaru proposals.

How to complete the Application Form:

Please follow the instructions detailed in 'How to Submit'.

"1-9"(Scheduling Requirements):: If your request "queue" observations, please provide detailed information here.
"1-13"(Observing Method and Technical Details):: Describe by referring to Gemini webpage.

3-2. Step 2. Phase-I Submission to Gemini

All the proposals requesting Gemini time should be submitted to the Gemini's Phase I Application, too, by the deadline for Gemini's semester 2012B Call for Proposals (2012 March 31 MST). Gemini has released a new Phase 1 Tool, please be sure to download the latest version from their website. With the new Tool, the science and technical cases, with Figures, Tables and References, are attached as a single PDF file. Latex and Word templates are available for download from the Gemini page, which explain the required content and page limits. We understand this is an inconvenient way as you need double submissions, but it is needed to match with the current proposal processing systems of Subaru and Gemini. The information you give in Gemini Phase-I submission is used when the program is accepted and goes to Phase II. The target names cannot be hidden in Gemini Phase-I submission.

Please read the instruction in Gemini 2012B Call for Proposals carefully, when available (around 2012 March 1 MST). Subaru users should use Gemini PIT and submit their proposal by the deadline 2012 March 31 (MST). Please select "Subaru" for the "partner" in PIT submission tab page.

Table 2. Gemini Phase I Submission
Deadline	Subaru users should submit their Gemini Phase I application by 2012 March 31 (MST).
Submission	Please use Gemini PIT and select "Subaru" as the "partner" in the "Submit" tab page.

3-3. Step 3. Phase-II Submission to Gemini

The PIs of the accepted programs have to make the Phase-II proposal submission to Gemini by themselves, following the instruction in the web page, Phase-II Overview.

4. Phase-I Contact

Please contact .