All applicants are urged to read and heed the advice from the Chair of AATAC on p.28-29 of the Feb 2007 AAO Newsletter on improving your chances of getting time.
UK-based AAOmega/2dF applicants who wish to be considered for Travel & Subsistence support from STFC, should pay special attention to the guidelines on Question 5 given below.
Please be sure to read all these instructions carefully, and if you have any queries or difficulties, please contact the AATAC Technical Secretary (Heath Jones: aatac -@- aao.gov.au) well before the proposal deadline.
Don't forget that you are required to add on a 33% allowance for bad weather to the total time you estimate you will need to reach the desired signal-to-noise, plus readout, slewing, and acquisition time. AAO staff astronomers will derive their own estimate, then apply this same 33% factor in their recommendations to AATAC.
Prepare your proposal using the AATAC LaTeX style file (save it as a text file called `aatac.sty') and blank template file which you should fill in. This form is based upon the old ATAC and PATT2 forms, but is not identical to either; thus you will be required to import the information from any old proposals into this new form. We will not accept proposals submitted using the old ATAC or PATT2 forms. There is an example of a proposal to show you how to fill in the LaTeX template (the figure embedded in the example can be found here). A complete set of the style files, template, and example proposal is contained in this tar file.
Missing fonts: The `aatac.sty' file uses 12 point, sans-serif bold font for the proposal title, No. of nights requested, etc. Most LaTeX installations should have this font available, but if not, then Metafont should automatically generate it. If you notice any of these elements still missing, then you may have to employ this version instead, which doesn't use bold font (save it as `aatac.sty' in the directory where your proposal file is located). When you upload the proposal to us, it will be re-processed with the standard version of `aatac.sty', with bold font where necessary, but word spacing and text justification should not be affected.
You should submit the completed LaTeX template using the form interface below. Do not send the compiled PostScript version of the LaTeX - this is not required.
Your LaTeX file will be processed as it arrives to check for any faults. A further confirmation that we have been able to print it successfully will be sent once off-line processing is complete. This will normally be within 3 days of submission. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, or wish to check on any other aspect of your submission, please contact aatac -@- aao.gov.au.
Any of the applicants listed on the proposal may submit the proposal via this form. However, only the person listed as the Principal Contact will receive an e-mail acknowledgement when the proposal has been received, and printed without problems.
Do not make any changes to the `aatac.sty' style file. We use a standard style file to process your LaTeX which will not contain any changes that you may make locally. Personal macro definitions can be added to the submitted LaTeX file, but should be added at the start just after the \documentstyle command to ensure they work.
AATAC strongly encourages applicants seeking time for the same project but with more than one instrument to submit only a single application. This application should detail the required breakdown of time between the two instruments in the text, note this (if possible) on the front page (in the format x+y), and discuss any special scheduling constraints for the different instruments in section 4 of the form as well. These rules apply equally to ordinary proposals and those seeking long term status.
If there are any special scheduling constraints (e.g. your 4 nights need to be scheduled as two runs of two nights a week apart, or you would prefer grey time with a waxing rather than a waning Moon), then please give details here, rather than in the scientific/technical justification or on the Instrument Request Form.
Please fill out only one of the Dark, Grey, or Bright fields in the form, unless you are specifically requesting a combination of more than one. If you can use either of Dark/Grey (or Bright/Grey), then mention this in the Technical discussion, but do not put (say) "7 Dark or 10 Grey", as the software which processes your proposal will not distinguish this from "7 Dark plus 10 Grey", and the panel may not look favourably upon your request for 17 nights!
Something else to keep in mind is that there are never more than four grey nights in succession. Thus, if you require more than four grey nights in total, you should indicate in your technical justification how many extra bright or dark nights would be required to make up the balance, since there is no guarantee your project can be scheduled across two separate grey blocks.
As with previous STFC policy, Travel and Subsistence (T&S) will not normally be awarded for AAOmega 2dF MOS time allocated by AATAC to UK-based PIs. Observations for UK-based applicants (i.e., those normally supported by STFC) will be conducted by the 2dF/AAOmega Fellow or other AAO staff. However, where the number of UK nights to be carried out by the 2dF/AAOmega Fellow in a semester is too large, or a compelling case can be made that real-time interaction with the applicant at the telescope would strongly benefit the efficiency or success of the program, the Deputy Chair of AATAC may recommend T&S support where appropriate. UK-based applicants who wish to be considered for such support should indicate this in Section 5 of the AATAC application form, and must justify their request in the technical case of the proposal. Requests for T&S after the schedule is released will not be considered. T&S for AAOmega/2dF is still expected to be the exception rather than the norm, and the final decision on whether such support can be offered rests with the Chair of PATT.
In light of the increasingly limited staff resources available, please give active consideration to the level of support required during your observing run. The AAO encourages experienced users of UCLES and IRIS2 especially to consider whether they would require a support astronomer to be present at the telescope for the first night at all. Assistance with setting up, and general guidance, may just as effectively be provided via the new high-speed data link from the AAT to the outside world. Depending on scheduling, a support astronomer may choose to be present for the duration of your run, in order to support a subsequent run. However, with the exception of AAOmega MOS observations with the 2dF robotic fibre positioner, an AAO support astronomer will normally only be present at the telescope for the first night.
AATAC requires that applicants list here all applications for this, or any related projects, regardless of whether they were granted time or not.
A scientific case should be included in the application. This should be no more than three pages including all references and figures (additional pages will be ignored), and in 11pt (or larger) font. We will strictly enforce this limit. If you are applying for long term status seeking substantial amounts of time, you may be allowed to submit extra material with prior permission from the committee (in the first instance you should contact the AATAC Secretary Helen Woods: hmw -@- aao.gov.au). Such extended cases will have a strict five page limit.
Although there is some freedom in the layout of the science case, applicants are advised against submitting densely-packed pages of text; no inter-paragraph spacing; or margins set too close to the edge of the paper (<10 mm), as these tend to make a bad first impression. Full technical details, outlining how you derived your time estimates, constraints on the observing such as phase of moon, and any special requests should be included in the scientific case. If you are applying for time for the same project using different instruments (e.g., IRIS2 + SPIRAL on the AAT) you should submit only one application. Outline carefully in the case the relative requirements of the different instrument set-ups, including the split in observing time between the instruments.
If the observations are essential to the completion of a student's PhD thesis, then a full explanation must be given in the science case. Both the name of the student involved, and that of their supervisor, must be given in Section 1 of the AATAC form. No special consideration is given to proposals involving PhD students, except when attempting to schedule proposals near the cut-off, when some priority may be given.
The case can either be written in LaTeX within the template, or submitted as a separate Postscript file.
We recommend the use of Version 1.10 of psfig.sty for embedding graphics. The style file as used by us (which we strongly suggest you use as well to ensure compatability) can be found here (save this as text to a file called `psfig.sty'). While there are numerous "hacked" versions of psfig.sty around, Version 1.10 is the one officially distributed by CTAN, and therefore most likely to be found on your system. If you prefer to use the epsf style file get this copy. We have prepared some examples and hints for how to embed Postscript figures within LaTeX using the psfig package.
Note, do not use the version of psfig loaded using a \input command; there are considerable differences in the processing of these, and your submission will fail if you this version. Also, do not enclose the Postscript filename in any sort of quotation marks, as this may also cause your submission to fail. Beware of including multiple figures within a \centerline, or tabular environment; see the "Embedding Graphics Files" page for hints on how to avoid trouble. Please make sure that you send Encapsulated Postscript files that will print in the final version. Note that multi-page PostScript files will not process correctly when embedded. If you have a file in this format, or you must include more than the maximum of 6 figures which can be uploaded via our Web interface, then consider the second option for submitting your science case.
If you have your science case as a PDF file, then we require that you convert it first to Postscript (e.g., using the pdf2ps utility), before uploading it.
The form interface below will allow you to submit up to 5Mb total. To save time in sending the file to our server you can gzip the Postscript file(s) first if you wish (this should make them a lot smaller). However, you must be consistent - don't try to submit a mixture of straight Postscript and gzip'd Postscript files for the same proposal (the software will not let you do this anyway). At the moment we only accept gzip for compressing files.
Note: If you do submit gzip'd files, the interface assumes that it will be called file.gz, and that file is the name of the Postscript file referred to in the LaTeX file.
If absolutely necessary, you can make very large graphics files available by anonymous ftp or the Web. Email the locations of such files to Heath Jones (aatac -@- aao.gov.au).
Multiple Postscript files (i.e. more than one figure) can be embedded in your text. The form below allows you to submit up to 6 separate graphics files. If you must include more than 6 figures, then consider submitting your science case as a separate Postscript document, as explained above.
You may include colour Postscript figures with your application, but you should be aware that only black-and-white hardcopies are distributed to AATAC members.
AATAC supports the AAO Director's need to minimise the number of instrument changes on the AAT. This is achieved in part by grouping together programs using like instrumentation and, as a result, it is necessary to schedule some proposals a month or more away from their optimum time (see this memo from the AAO Director for further details). The AAO does not wish to preclude access to rarely-used instruments, and therefore has asked AATAC to identify programs of sufficient scientific merit that they must be given time whatever the instrument. However, border-line projects will have a greater chance of success if they make use of frequently-used instruments. AATAC leaves the actual choice of which equally-ranked projects near the cutoff to allocate time to the AAT Scheduler.
If you make a mistake before you submit the proposal, you can use the back button on your browser to return to this page. If you realise after you've submitted the proposal that you have made a mistake, please email Heath Jones (aatac -@- aao.gov.au) as soon as possible to explain what is wrong. Don't resubmit the proposal using this Web-based system. We will send instructions on how to replace an incorrect application. You must tell us about any errors by the day after the deadline at the latest - we will start to process all applications then, and any errors will not be corrected.
To start the electronic submission process all you need do is enter the number and format of the graphics files you want to include in this proposal (you can leave this box empty if you have no associated Postscript files to send). Note, that all graphics files need to be in the same format, and we currently only accept gzip for compressing files. Don't count the LaTeX file in this total - we've done that already.
Problems? If you have problems with your browser in uploading these data, it may be that:
Ready? OK, here we go...
If you have any problems with this form please contact Heath Jones (aatac -@- aao.gov.au) with the details.
Return to "Applying for time through AATAC" .
Heath Jones, aatac -@- aao.gov.au