Green Bank Telescope (GBT) Proposals
The 3 August 2015 deadline is for the Semester 2016A GBT observing period: 1 February 2016 – 31 July 2016.
Details of all GBT observing modes are in the The Proposer's Guide for the Green Bank Telescope. Proposers should also consult the more general document The Performance of the GBT: A Guide for Planning Observations. Proposers should make sure that they are familiar with the latest versions of these documents before writing their proposal.
The GBT receivers, backends, and observing modes that are available in Semester 2016A are listed in Tables 1 and 2 below.
Table 1: GBT Receivers
| Receiver | Frequency Range |
|---|---|
| Prime Focus 1 | 290-920 MHz |
| Prime Focus 2 | 910-1230 MHz |
| L-band | 1.15-1.73 GHz |
| S-band | 1.73-2.60 GHz |
| C-band (linear only - see below) | 3.8-8.0 GHz |
| X-band | 8.0-11.6 GHz |
| Ku-band | 12.0-15.4 GHz |
| K-band Focal Plane Array (7 pixels) | 18.0-26.0 GHz |
| Ka-band | 26.0-39.5 GHz |
| Q-band | 38.2-49.8 GHz |
| W-band | 67-93.3 GHz |
| ARGUS (shared risk - see below) | 75-115.3 GHz, Private PI instrument |
Table 2: GBT Backends and Observing Modes
| Backend | Observing Modes |
|---|---|
| Versatile Green Bank Astronomical Spectrometer (VEGAS) | Continuum (see below), spectral line |
| Digital Continuum Receiver (DCR) | Continuum |
| Green Bank Ultimate Pulsar Processing Instrument (GUPPI) | Pulsar |
| Mark V Very Long Baseline Array Disk Recorder | Very Long Baseline Interferometry |
| Caltech Continuum Backend (CCB) | Continuum |
| JPL Radar backend | Private PI instrument - Open for Public Use |
| Radar | Private PI instrument |
C-band: Proposals wishing to use the GBT C-band receiver should only use linear polarization outputs. The circular polarization of the receiver is currently not preforming correctly and we will not accept any proposals to use the circular polarization output of this receiver.
C-band VLBI on the GBT: NRAO will only accept proposals for VLBI Stokes I continuum observations using the GBT C-band receiver. All other VLBI observations requesting the C-band receiver on the GBT will be disregarded. Please see the HSA section of the call for proposals for more details.
VEGAS:
Continuum: All modes of VEGAS may now be used for continuum observations. We were not able to update the Proposal Submission Tool to reflect this situation before the proposal call was released. Proposers should use the spectral line modes of VEGAS to choose the desired bandwidth and then note in the technical justification that the observations will be for continuum measurements.
Pulsar: VEGAS pulsar modes are not yet released for use. Proposals for VEGAS pulsar observations will not be accepted.
ARGUS: Observers interested in shared-risk observations using the ARGUS instrument should contact the NRAO helpdesk for further information. All ARGUS proposals must have permission from the instrument development team.
VLBI: All Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) proposals requesting the GBT should include any needed setup and overhead time in the time request of their proposals. HSA proposals requesting the GBT should provide a justification for needing large aperture antennas. C-band VLBI observers should see C-band note above.
470-700 MHz RFI Digital TV transmissions above 470 MHz will make observing very difficult with the 450 and 600 MHz feeds of the PF1 receiver. Available RFI plots do not show the strength of these signals as they overpower the system: they are too low by a factor of 10 to 50. Observers should consult the GBT support scientists before submitting a proposal for these feeds.
MUSTANG: NRAO will not accept any proposals to use MUSTANG, MUSTANG1.5 or MUSTANG2.0 at the 3 August, deadline.
Mapping If you are considering mapping with the GBT such that there are major turns or moves (end of rows in raster map, change in position for pointed maps, etc.) that occur with a cadence faster than every 30 seconds, you will need to consult with a GBT support scientist to ensure that the GBT can safely withstand the stresses induced by the mapping motions.
Scheduling
The GBT is scheduled by the Dynamic Scheduling System (DSS). The DSS system is fully described in theGBT Proposer's Guide and the GBT Observer's Guide.
GBT Proposal Preparation
Proposers should consult the The Performance of the GBT: A Guide for Planning Observations and the GBT Observer's Guide. All proposers, including pulsar proposers, should use the GBT Sensitivity Calculator. Please see the Calculator’s User's Guide for instructions. The Sensitivity Calculator results can be cut and pasted into the Technical Justification section of the proposal. This will streamline the creation of your Technical Justification and will increase your chances of getting a positive technical review. If you are planning on making maps with the GBT, you should use the GBT Mapping Calculator tool.
The GBT observing policies describe the telescope's remote observing restrictions.
Proposers requesting GBT participation in High Sensitivity Array (HSA), Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), or global Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations should consult the VLBA, HSA, and VLBI section of this Call.
GBT Shared Risk Observing
Observers requesting instruments that are shared-risk will be expected to travel to Green Bank for observations. The observers will be expected to help commission the instruments, to help debug observing and data reduction software, as well as helping to develop data reduction and calibration schemes.
Proposals to use ARGUS (75-115.3 GHz) will be accepted with the instrument development team's permission. NRAO will consider shared-risk proposals for Semester 2016A observations with this instrument.
Limited Time for "Fixed" and "Windowed" Observations
Due to varied pressures on the GBT's schedule, the amount of time that can be accepted for fixed time observations (e.g. VLBI, pulsar transit observations, etc.) and windowed observations (e.g. monitoring observations) will be limited for the proposal call.
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