ARCSAT proposals

Ideas for proposals

Here are a few very broad ideas for proposals that you can use as a starting point. You are encouraged to come up with your own ideas, but if you are stuck, these can help you get started.

  • Eclipsing exoplanet transit light curve (determine period and other orbital parameters).

  • Cataclysmic or short period variable star light curve (ditto).

  • Radial profiles of elliptical vs spiral galaxies.

  • Estimate star formation rate from continuum-subtracted H-alpha imaging.

  • Extragalactic SN observations.

  • Observations of asteroids/comets. Determine orbital parameters.

  • …

Pre-proposals

Before you start working on your final proposal we ask you that you send us a few lines (no more than 2-3 paragraphs) describing your idea and some example targets that you’re planning to observe. Based on this we may suggest some changes to your proposal, especially if it does not seem doable with the ARCSAT telescope and instrumentation. The pre-proposal is due on Friday, April 18.

A few things that your pre-proposal should touch on, but very briefly:

  • What do you want to observe?

  • What targets? No need to be very specific at this point, but at least specify the type, class, and magnitude of the targets that you are considering.

  • What exposure times do you expect to need? What filters?

  • Can you reach the target magnitude and obtain the necessary S/N?

  • What analysis do you plan to do on the data and what is the final goal of your study?

You are welcome to think of more than one project. You can also consider a primary project and a backup or secondary project that you are not so sure that will work. In that case the secondary project should be not take too much time to complete or be done once you are confident that you have enough data for the primary project.

As soon as you have formed your team, please edit this spreadsheet with the names of your team members (and optionally a team name!) Team should be limited to 3-4 students.

When you are ready to submit your pre-proposal, please use this form.

Full proposals

Based on the feedback from your pre-proposal you will be asked to submit a full proposal. The proposal is due on May 5th at 5pm PDT. Only one proposal needs to be submitted per team. A space in Canvas will be created for each team to submit their proposal.

The proposal must be a document in PDF format, no longer than 3 pages including figures and references. Style is not taken into account but the proposal must be written in a clear and concise manner, and formatted correctly. It must include the following sections/contents:

  • Title: the title of your proposal in a descriptive and concise manner.

  • PIs: the names of all team members.

  • Abstract: a short summary of your proposal (no more than 200 words).

  • Introduction: a brief introduction to the science case and the motivation for your project. Why is it important? What is the expected impact of your project?

  • Proposed observations: this is the main section of the proposal. Describe what observations that you want to carry out, the targets that you wil observe, exposure times, expected signal-to-noise, etc. Make sure to include details about your targets (coordinates, magnitudes, etc.) and a single plot with the staralt for all targets (you can use an average night in the middle of May).

  • Time requested: how much time do you need to complete your project? Discuss what half-nights would be best for your project, giving as many options as possible. ARCSAT observations can happen between May 7 to 15, and May 26 to June 5 (including weekends). Does any of your targets need follow-up observations outside your allocate time?

  • Alternative targets: if your main targets are not observable, what are your alternatives?

  • Additional observations: here you can optionally include other secondary observations that you’d want to carry out if time allows. This is not mandatory and you can skip this section if you do not have any additional observations.

  • Filters needed: which filters do you need for your observations? Refer to the list of available filters. Note that only square 2x2 inch (50x50 mm) filters can fit in the ARCSAT filter wheel. We will always request a full set of Sloan filters (ugriz) although we may remove the u and z filters to make room for other requested filters if necessary. Provide a short justification for your choice of filters.

  • Calibrations needed: describe what calibrations you will need for your project. This includes bias, darks, flats, and spectrophotometric standards, if needed.

  • Analysis: describe how you plan to analyze the data. What results do you expect to obtain and how will you present them? You don’t need to go into too much detail here, but you should have at least a rough idea of what you want to do with the data.

You can add additional sections if you feel that you need them, but make sure that you do not exceed the page limit.