JAC Style guide: template
 PATT ITAC Report for Semester 96B(SCUBA)
Allocations The SCUBA applications were processed via the normal procedures, with nominal allocation being made by the partner TAG's. The final allocations were made by the ITAC. The figures below are in addition to the 95 applications requesting heterodyne observations that were processed for the first half of the semester.
Applications to be considered
UK status 81
Canadian status 34
Netherlands status 26
International status 25
University of Hawaii 16
TOTAL: 182
The PATT ITAC meeting was held at the ROE, Edinburgh, UK on 29th October 1996.
Status of Applications
The range of science requested in these applications was clearly indicative of the immense interest of the astronomical community in making observations with SCUBA. The objects to be studied range from studies of solar-system objects such as Pluto/Charon, comet Hale-Bopp, asteroids; galactic objects such as pre-protostellar cores, T Tauri sources, molecular outflows, AGB stars, Vega-type stars, planetary nebulae; and extragalactic objects such as normal spirals and ellipticals, starburst galaxies, radio-quiet & radio-loud objects, quasars & blazars, studies of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect.
The applicants included many PIs familiar to the JCMT community from past applications using UKT14. In addition there were several applications from observers more normally associated with heterodyne observations. In addition, there were a number of proposals from PIs who have not been regular users of the JCMT. A small number of non-regular applicants submitted through the Canadian and International channels, with slightly higher numbers using the UK routing, but the most significant number of first-time applicants resulted in an almost doubling of the Netherlands applications.
Time Available (in 16-hour nights)
No. of night set aside in semester 96B 78.0
Engineering & Commissioning 5.0
Other PATT usage 13.0
University of Hawaii (10%) 6.0
Available for PATT science: 54.0
The above table indicates the order in which nights are removed from the total available. This winter period covers from 12th December 1996 through 28th February 1997 inclusive. A number of nights during this period have previously been scheduled for heterodyne observation.
Some time has already been allocated out of the original 78 nights for the delayed commissioning of RxB3, and for some previously allocated programmes requiring A-band observations which were unable to proceed due to the unavailability of RxA2.
The SCUBA allocations were actually made in hours of observing time (including overheads) and have been converted to 16-hour nights to allow consistency with other reports. There were 43 hours (2.69 nights) left unallocated. It was understood that it would be extremely unlikely that there would be sufficient good weather to enable the queues to be completed and therefore the unallocated time would be absorbed into weather loss or unscheduled E&C time. The time allocated will be scheduled into partner 'blocks', of 3-4 shifts in length, for ease of scheduling, flexibility, and simplification of the accounting.
Awards (in 16-hour nights)
UK status 26.50
Canadian status 11.75
Netherlands status 10.00
International status 3.06
University of Hawaii 6.0
TOTAL allocation: 57.31
The panel felt that they had treated the International applications fairly and had given allocations of time to those that were deemed practical and doable with the currently available parameters for SCUBA observing. Although a considerable number of hours (49hrs) were awarded to International applications, this does not translate into a large number of 16-hour nights, as shown in the table above.
Use of the Allocated Time
The allocations made by the ITAC for this period are to be observed in serviced mode. There will be no visiting observers, nor will there be any opportunity for PIs to eavesdrop on the observations. The Director, however, requested whether the communities could provide experienced continuum observers to both assist with the observations and also to begin SCUBA experience for the communities. The UK have already offered two observers and we await the reply from Canada and the Netherlands. The ITAC have delivered two ordered queues (one for high-frequency observations - 450 microns or very sensitive 850 microns, the other for lower-frequency observations - typically 850 microns) graded by scientific merit.
The SCUBA personnel will decide which queue to operate at any time. Facilities are in place to insert low-frequency (A-band and some B-band) fallback applications should the weather not be appropriate for continuum obserations. In addition, some of the designated shifts may be used for necesary SCUBA commisisioning or other tests. If SCUBA is not in a fully commissioned state to begin with the highest ranked proposal, the list will be scanned until the highest doable proposal is found.
Use of Daytime Periods
It was noted that Comet Hale-Bopp was a day period object during this observing period. The ITAC recommendations for day period allocations were noted and will be accepted by the Director JCMT and scheduled if possible.
Engineering & Commissioning
The general quota of E&C time for Semester 96B was discussed and allocated at the previous ITAC meeting. This time was completely scheduled during the first half of the semester and it is only for exceptional reasons that further time has been sought.
Six extended days (equivalent to 3 shifts) have been set aside for re-grouting and welding the remaining 5 joints on the antenna azimuth track.
A further 7 shifts have nominally been set aside for other, non-SCUBA E&C requirements that may be neccessary during the period. Should these shifts not be required then they will be returned to the SCUBA 2nd round observing queues.
Fallback Programmes
A number of applications, requesting A-band and some B-band observations, have been approved by the ITAC to be included in the schedule should the weather or the status of the SCUBA instrumentation be inappropriate for continuum observations. These inserted programmes will be apportioned according to the partner funding ratio after 10% has been given to the University of Hawaii. Applicants on these fallback programmes have been informed by the JCMT Scheduler that their time may be scheduled and the PIs have been requested to complete and submit serviced observing templates. These fallbacks will be done in serviced mode by JCMT staff.
Modification of the Semester 97A Application Submission Date
SCUBA will be warmed up in mid-November with the aim of installing modified versions of the 450 micron and 850 micron filters in the slots currently occupied by the 350 micron and 750 micron filters, and making minor repairs to other aspects of the instrument (such as correctly aligning the two arrays with respect to each other). The 350/750 combination is not being offered at present. It is hoped that the modified filters will improve the NEFD sensitivities at both frequencies.
RxB3 is scheduled for commissioning in early December. This instrument replaces (it goes in the same bay in the receiver cabin) the current workhorse, RxB3i, and offers several more observing features in addition to a likely improvement in sensitivity for all B-band observations.
In order to accommodate the possible significant improvement with the sensitivities of the SCUBA filters, and to be able to offer the facilities of RxB3, the Director JCMT has decided, after consultation and approval from the PATT Chairperson and Secretariat, the ITAC members and their respective TAG's and the UH representative, to postpone the submission deadline for applications requesting time in Semester 97A from 30th November 1996 until early in 1997.
Semester 97A will be a 5-month semester, beginning on 1st March 1997 and ending on 31st July 1997. The closing date for applications for this semester is now 10th January 1997 (for ALL applications). The national TAGS will meet in mid-February with an ITAC meeting towards the end of that month.
The Allocations Table
Listings in the following table reflect the allocations made by the ITAC.
Graeme Watt, JAC
(ITAC Technical Secretary & JCMT Scheduler)
Last Modification Date 1997/03/12 - Last Modification Author: Graeme Watt (gdw)
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