QuickStart Service Observing Program Overview

QuickStart is intended to be a one-time opportunity for community scientific use of Gemini North prior to the start of normal operations. The Gemini Observatory will endeavour to make available at least one week of telescope time each month for the QuickStart program starting 1 August 2000 and continuing until 31 January 2001. There will be a separate call for proposals for the first semester of normal use once the Gemini facility Near-IR Imager (NIRI) has successfully passed its laboratory acceptance tests.

QuickStart Instruments

Two instruments will be available, Hokupa'a/QUIRC and OSCIR.

• Hokupa'a/QUIRC are the University of Hawaii 1-2.5um Adaptive Optics module and near-IR imager. They were used to obtain some of the images for the Gemini dedication.
• OSCIR is a University of Florida 8-25um imager/spectrometer.

These visiting instruments will also be available for use after the start of normal operations.

QuickStart Proposals and Constraints

QuickStart applications should be submitted via your national Gemini proposal process. The submission deadline varies slightly from country to country, in the range 31 March - 14 April 2000. Specific details for each partner country can be found by following the links to National Gemini Office pages in the Phase I overview. Theer are several key dates in the proposal process.

The assessment and ranking of proposals within each partner country will be via National Time Allocation Committees (NTACs) in what will be the normal manner for Gemini Phase I proposals. Assembly of the QuickStart program (using a simplified version of queue merging), definition of scientific ranking bands and resolution of conflicts by the ITAC will follow the procedures described in the Phase I overview and the QuickStart program schedule. The Observatory would like to encourage QuickStart observations that illustrate the capabilities of the Gemini North telescope and are likely to produce scientific results quickly. All QuickStart observations will be subject to the normal Gemini proprietary data period of 18 months.

There are several constraints on QuickStart observations. As the observations will be executed in a service mode by Gemini staff we will attempt to match them to current conditions in a limited version of the normal queue mode. Therefore Phase I QuickStart proposals must specify  the poorest acceptable conditions under which the observations should be executed. This set of QuickStart observing condition constraints is a simplified version of those that will apply during normal queue operations (see the full obs. constraints for more information).

All observations require the use of at least one peripheral wavefront sensor (WFS) guide star and, additionally for Hokupa'a/QUIRC, an AO wavefront reference source. (Normally this would be a separate WFS star although, in some circumstances, an object with strongly-peaked surface brightness profile can be used) . As the technical feasibility of a proposal relies in part on the availability of guide stars, all proposals must identify suitable WFS stars.

The following operational modes will not be offered during QuickStart: observation of non-sidereal objects, "quick response" observations, remote observing, eavesdropping, time-specific observations (e.g. those that require synchronisation with another telesope or precise periodic monitoing) and targets below 30 deg elevation (AM=2). Requests for target-of-opportunity events should be made directly to the Gemini Director (director@gemini.edu).

The minimum requested time (including estimated overheads) should exceed one hour per observation. In this context consider each new target a separate observation but exposures through different filters as part of the same observation. Details of the observing overheads are included in the instrument (performance and use) pages.

The observers will obtain standard flat fields and will select appropriate spectroscopic standards (estimated photometric magnitudes are probably accurate to 10%) for ratioing and approximate flux calibration. If your observations require more precision, or if you wish to specify the calibrations to be performed, please provide details in the technical justification part of your proposal.

The amount of QuickStart time available will depend on the demands of telescope engineering and instrument commissioning. Estimates of the time for each partner are listed below assuming a nominal usage of one week per month for the period 1Aug2000-31Jan2001:

These nominal values assume 10 hrs/night and exclude Gemini staff time, weather and other losses.

QuickStart Observation Definition and Execution

Successful QuickStart applications will be executed by Gemini staff in a service mode. Each application will be assigned a Gemini staff member as Contact Scientist who will communicate with the applicants if necessary to refine details of the observations. There is no "PhaseII" or Observing Tool for QuickStart observation definition.

Observing time used during the QuickStart program will be accounted and charged against the relevant partner share.

Gemini staff will perform quality assessment on the data before it is distributed. Both the raw and QA products will be included in the dataset.

QuickStart Questions and Answers

All questions concerning QuickStart proposals should be made using the Gemini HelpDesk. This web-based system will send the request to your National Gemini Office staff in the first instance who will then escalate it to Gemini staff if necessary.

The amount and distribution of telescope time available for the QuickStart program is also subject to reassessment as part of the Gemini Operational Readiness Review, scheduled for 1-2 May 2000.

Last update March 17, 2000; Phil Puxley