Introduction to ukirtserv

The UKIRT Service Oberving Programme (UKIRTSERV) is provided to the astronomical community as a means of completing short observing programmes which would not, or could not, obtain time through the usual telescope time allocation process. There is typically one night per month of Service observations during a semester, but this may be scheduled as single nights, 2-3 consecutive nights, or blocks of a few half nights every 1-2 months. The Panel for Allocation of Telescope Time (PATT) has awarded long-term status to the UKIRT Service programme. The programme is administered by staff of UKIRT at the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hawaii, who also carry out the observations, and it relies on scientific assessments from astronomers in the community

Mark Rawlings is the current project scientist for the UKIRT Service Programme. The email address for the programme is ukirtserv@jach.hawaii.edu.

Typical uses of the program are:

• short, self-contained observing programmes
• pilot/feasibility studies
• targets of opportunity
• completion of PATT programmes (where a short additional time is needed)
• occasional monitoring of objects (e.g., a few times per semester)

Applicants are not expected to include the observers as co-authors when publishing results, but the source of the data, the UKIRT Service Programme, should be acknowledged. However, observers are welcome to enquire about collaborations, especially if they have no experience with IR data reduction. Please let us know what you do with your data, and send us reprints, or at least references, if possible. This is important because we must be able to monitor the effectiveness of service observing vis-a-vis normal PATT time.

Applying for Service observations

Applications to UKIRTSERV are accepted via the online NorthStar system only. Because of the high demand for Service time, they must be carefully written, with accurate coordinates and precise observing procedures. In addition, they must require not more than three hours of actual time (including time on targets and overheads such as wavelength calibration and observing standard stars).

The deadlines for service proposals are given on the main UKIRT Service page. Proposals typically take two weeks to be refereed and inserted into the active queue. If you have particularly urgent observations, send an e-mail to ukirtserv and we will address these on a case by case basis. two weeks before the scheduled Service time. During the intervening two weeks, the applications are assessed by a committee appointed by the project scientist, comprising at least three assessors, one of whom is a UKIRT staff member.

Proposals are assessed for technical feasability by a UKIRT support scientist, and assessed for scientific merit by a group of referees appointed by the project scientist, one of whom is a UKIRT staff member, and one of whom is on the UKIRT PATT panel. At present the assessors are: Andy Adamson (UKIRT), Matt Burleigh (Leicester), Alastair Edge (Durham), Tom Geballe (Gemini) and Joana Oliveira (Keele). A summary of the relevant assessors' comments on each application will be sent to each applicant via e-mail.

Accepted programmes are incorporated into a target list from which staff astronomers select programmes to carry out at the telescope as conditions allow. Observers generally are expected to observe the highest graded proposals first, but may observe lower graded proposals ahead of higher graded ones in the interest of observing efficiency (e.g., if they use the same instrument configuration).

Applications may be rejected outright; this occurs mostly for technical reasons. They also may be referred back for modification, or reduced in scope either for scientific reasons or if it is believed by the assessors that they exceed the maximum time allotment. For urgent, borderline cases with relatively low grades (e.g. ~2.5), Andy Adamson may make a final decision on the queue admission, based on the referee comments, current loading of the queue, etc.

A successful application remains in the system until its observations are completed, the programme is withdrawn by the applicant, or until the deadline specified in the application has passed. If your observations don't get done within a reasonable time please feel free to confirm that they are still active - there is no need to re-apply, just e-mail a reminder. Please think carefully about withdrawal dates; too soon and your programme may be deleted from the target list before the observations are attempted; too long and the target may be observed after it is of little value, wasting telescope time. Please tell us ASAP if you lose interest in an object, or gain the data by other means.

Applications referred to UKIRTSERV by PATT

At times PATT may instruct applicants for "normal" observing time to apply to the Service instead. Such applicants must (re)apply to the Service programme and their proposals will be assessed in the usual way. Occasionally PATT will refer one of its applications to the Service Programme with an "A" grade. It is then the responsibility of the principal investigator to contact the Service Programme and for both of them to agree on a set of observations which fit into the three hour maximum allotment.

Data distribution

A summary of observations (without any detailed information) will be published on the web as soon as possible after the run. More detailed information will be sent separately to the principal investigator of each programme that has been observed.

Cassegrain

Mechanisms for distributing data to the investigators vary. Details depend on the instrument, volume of data and familiarity of the recipient with data of that type. Generally, raw data and the output from the oracdr pipeline are availiable to PIs. Small datasets (usually CGS4, IRCAM or small UFTI datasets) are made availiable via anonymous FTP, and the PI e-mailed with where to pick up the data. If the dataset is too large to reasonably FTP, we will distribute the data via CD-ROM or exceptionally, DAT tape.

WFCAM

Current policy is that, unlike the local FTP process for the Cassegrain instruments, WFCAM data are to be obtained from the WFCAM archive at Cambridge. PIs need to register for non-survey access to the WFCAM Science Archive (WSA). The relevant information is available here.

Backup programs

We are also interested in receiving projects that are possible under less than ideal conditions and which can be placed in a back-up queue. Suitable projects might be non-photometric imaging, photometry in poor seeing conditions and spectroscopy of bright objects. If you are interested in this option, feel free to contact Mark Rawlings with an expression of interest.

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