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Call for GBT Proposals - Trimester 08A

DRAFT * Not for release until Friday 7th at the earliest * DRAFT

Call for GBT Proposals - Trimester 08A
Deadline: 1 October 2007, 5:00 P.M., EDT

The 1 October 2007 deadline will cover the 08A observing period from 1 February 2008 through 31 May 2008. We will accept proposals for the following fully commissioned receivers: 290-920 MHz (PF1), 910-1230 MHz (PF2), 1.15-1.73 GHz (L), 1.73-2.60 GHz (S), 3.8-6.1 GHz (C), 8.0-12.0 GHz (X), 12.0-15.4 GHz (Ku), 18.0-26.5 GHz (K), 26.0-39.5 GHz (Ka) and 38.2-49.8 GHz (Q) receivers. Details of all GBT observing modes are described in the proposer's guide at: The Proposer's Guide for the Green Bank Telescope; proposers should also consult the more general document The Performance of the GBT: A Guide for Planning Observations before submitting a proposal.

Available observing modes include spectral line (including cross-polarization), continuum, pulsar, and VLBI/VLBA. Pulsar modes include the Pulsar Spigot, the Spectral Processor and the BCPM (Berkeley-Caltech Pulsar Machine) through agreement with its developers. The VLBA back end with Mark5A disk recorder may be used as a high-time resolution (> 2 ns) back end for single-dish observing.

The 26-40 GHz (Ka-band) receiver has been modified to improve its performance. Details can be found at: http://wiki.gb.nrao.edu/bin/view/Observing/KaModificationsNewsletterOct2007. For planning observations the most important modification was the conversion from a dual feed, dual channel receiver to a dual feed, single channel receiver. The modifications increased stability, which should substantially improve baselines for wide-line observations. Unlike the previous design, the receiver is now usable up to 39.5 GHz. Lab tests imply that system temperatures will be 40 K at 27 GHz, 30 K at band center, and 65 K above 36 GHz. This is at least 15 K lower than those from last year. On good to moderate weather days, the improved system temperatures should compensate for the reduced sensitivity due to the loss of the second channel.

Two new, 8-bit Spigot modes are now available for "expert-style" observations (i.e., controlling the Spigot with a command-line interface). The new modes (14 and 54) provide 2048 lags across either 800 or 50 MHz bandpasses. The resulting spectral resolution is two better that the previous "workhorse" modes (2 and 42), yet with identical sampling time (81.92 us) and overall data rate.

As we continue to develop the capabilities of the GBT, demand for telescope time continues to increase. The following information on recent Proposal Statistics may assist observers as they develop their proposals. We especially encourage proposals that are outside of the 15-21 LST range and that observe below 10 GHz, where the proposal pressure is less.

We will not accept Large Proposals (http://www.nrao.edu/administration/directors_office/largeprop.shtml) at this deadline.

Proposals requesting GBT participation in HSA, VLBA or global VLBI observations should be submitted to the VLBA only, not to the GBT. Proposers requesting joint GBT and VLA observations must submit separate proposals for each instrument and indicate in these proposals that they are a joint request.

The Observatory continues to offer financial support for graduate and undergraduate students performing research with the GBT through the Student Support Program. Awards of up to $35,000 are possible. Applications are made in conjunction with GBT observing proposals, and will be accepted at the 1 October 2007 deadline. Student support applications are now made through an integrated feature of the proposal submission tool. Information about the program can be found at the NRAO Student Observing Support Program

We remind proposers of the NRAO policy requesting a Plan of Dissertation as part of the support for PhD? dissertations using NRAO facilities. If the proposal is part of a dissertation thesis and a Plan of Dissertation has not been submitted in the past (or one has been but there are major changes) please email the plan to Carl Bignell (cbignell@nrao.edu), clearly indicating the student's name.

Proposers must use the NRAO proposal submission tool available at the GBT Proposal Submission Tool. In order to access the web proposal tool, proposers will need to first register a user name and obtain a password. Both the principal investigator and the contact author must be registered users. On this registration form you will be asked contact information which will be used for notification about proposal status, telescope schedules, funding, etc. We encourage proposers to register early.

The policy for observing with the GBT, including a description of the strict restrictions concerning remote observing, can be found at GBT Observing Policies.

Proposal receipt will open on 12:00 EDT (noon) Friday, 14 September 2007 and will close at 5:00 P.M. EDT on Monday, 1 October 2007.

Questions about the proposal process may be addressed to Carl Bignell (304-456-2165 or cbignell@nrao.edu). Technical questions about GBT hardware, software, and observing modes may be addressed to Ron Maddalena (304-456-2207 or rmaddale@nrao.edu). Questions about the proposal submission tool should be sent to proposal@aoc.nrao.edu.