Click the title of each proposal to read the abstract
Science Collaboration Key Projects (includes time from all Partners)
| Title | PI name | PI Institution | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transiting Exoplanet Characterisation Key Project | Bayliss, D. | Australian National U. | 267.5 | |
| Characterising the steady stream of exoplanets that are now being discovered is one of the most exciting fields of current astronomical research. We are finding a wide diversity in the population of exoplanets that far exceeds that seen in our own solar system - inflated Jupiters, super-Earths, packed multi-planet systems, and retrograde orbits just to name a few. And there is no better way to characterise exoplanets than by targeting transiting exoplanet systems. This proposal will address seven key exoplanet science themes by intensively monitoring carefully selected transiting exoplanet systems, including the soon-to-be discovered exoplanets from the exciting Kepler K2 mission. For each exoplanet system we will observe the transit (or eclipse) events using the southern ring of the LCOGT 1m network of telescopes. We will develop and test novel methods to reach the highest possible photometric precision, many of which are only available on this LCOGT 1m network, and which will open up new and unique regions of parameter space to our project. This work will also benefit other users of the network who require high precision time-series photometry. We have assembled a large and experienced team of 21 scientists to undertake the scheduling, data reduction, and analysis involved in this project. We have members from all of the LCOGT partner institutes, each of whom has committed (subject to local TACs) to adding hours from their own institutes budget to this project. | ||||
| Echo Mapping of AGN Accretion Flows | Horne, K. | St. Andrews U. | 500 | 340 |
| Our goals are to measure black hole masses and quasar distances out to redshift ~2 by exploiting light travel time delays to resolve micro-arcsecond structure of accretion flows onto supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN). LCOGT is the enabling technology for mass production AGN echo mapping, with FLOYDS for spectroscopy and the 1m scopes for imaging, providing long high-cadence lightcurves. Time delays from the lightcurves give us the radii of emission line and continuum regions around the accreting black hole. The emission-line widths and time delays (weeks-months) give us the black hole mass (Mbh). We will measure Mbh at high redshift by monitoring Hbeta+MgII for 10 AGN at z~0.35, MgII+CIV for 10 at z~1.6, and CIV for 2 lensed quasars at z=2-2.3. We then calibrate the Hbeta+MgII+CIV size-luminosity relations to find Mbh for thousands more AGN. To measure quasar distances, we will use the LCOGT 1m scopes for ugriz lightcurves and measure continuum delays (days) increasing from blue to red, thus probing the accretion disk T(R) profiles, measuring accretion rates (M dM/dt), and distances (D). With D for ~70 quasars out to z~2 we can independently probe the cosmic expansion history with different systematics and at higher redshifts than Type Ia supernovae. If NASA approves the Kepler 2 ecliptic plane survey, we will exploit the unique opportunity to target AGN in the K2 fields. | ||||
| The Next-Generation Sample of Supernovae | Howell, A. | LCOGT | 1030 | 250 |
| In the study of supernovae, we are leaving the serendipity era, when we had to learn from what nature provided by chance, and entering the database-driven era, when we can ask questions by comparing statistically significant groups of supernovae. This project will obtain light curves and spectra of 100 Type Ia and 100 core-collapse supernovae per year over three years. We will start light curves and spectroscopy within hours of discovery, and focus on those SNe caught soon after explosion. The goals are fivefold: (1) observe supernovae soon after explosion to search for signs of their progenitors, (2) obtain a large homogeneous sample of supernovae for next generation cosmological studies, (3) obtain a large sample of supernovae for statistical studies comparing groups that are split into different populations, (4) obtain some of the first large samples of the recently discovered classes of rare and exotic explosions, (5) obtain the optical light curves and spectroscopy in support of studies at other wavelengths and using other facilities including UV observations, IR imaging and spectroscopy, host galaxy studies, high resolution spectroscopy, and late-time spectroscopy with large telescopes. | ||||
| Exploring Cool Planets Beyond the Snowline | Street, R. | LCOGT | 2732 | 100 |
| This proposal aims to explore the one regime in exoplanetary science which remains hardly touched: the population of planets of all masses predicted to form in the cold outer reaches of planetary systems between 0.5-10AU, but which are difficult or impossible to find by most planet hunting techniques. Microlensing is uniquely sensitive to this parameter space and has proven capable of detecting even Earth-mass planets from ground-based observations alone. But to fully characterize these unpredictable and non-repeating events demands high precision photometry with 24/7 monitoring over several weeks, as well as highly responsive scheduling and great flexibility to handle the rapidly evolving targetlist. LCOGT's robotic, queue-scheduled network is ideal. Over the last few years, our team have developed a unique system designed to take maximum advantage of LCOGT's resources in order to detect and characterize cool planets discovered from the subtle photometric anomalies they cause in microlensing lightcurves. Over the course of this Key Project we will double the number of known cool and low mass exoplanets, a population that is a critical test of planetary formation models. | ||||
LCOGT, Inc.
| Title | PI name | PI Institution | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accretion in Young Binaries | Ardila, D | IPAC | 155 | |
| Most stars are born in binaries, and the evolution of protostellar disks in pre-main-sequence (PMS) binary stars is a current frontier of star formation research. PMS binary stars can have up to three accretion disks: two circumstellar disks and a circumbinary disk separated by a dynamically cleared gap. Theory suggests that mass may flow in an accretion stream from a circumbinary disk across the gap to circumstellar disks or stellar surfaces. The accretion rates should be dynamically modulated on the orbital period. Continuous, multi-orbit, multi-color photometric observations with dense phase coverage are required to detect and characterize these modulated accretion streams, if they are generally present. The 1-m LCOGT network is designed for this observational challenge, and we propose to study three choice PMS binaries (P < 40 days) with active accretion and protostellar disks. Each binary will be observed 20 times per orbit in UBVRIY, and in Ha and Hb filters if available. This unprecedented wealth of data will directly test the predicted phase modulations of accretion streams, determine accretion luminosities, and reveal the presence of accretion hot spots, all as a function of orbital parameters. These observations will guide an extension of the accretion paradigm from single young stars to multiple systems and inform the physics of planetary growth around single and binary stars. | ||||
| Asteroseismology of Massive Stars - Testing the Network's Continuous Observation Capabilities | Arcavi, Y | LCOGT | 50 | |
| The physics governing the evolution of massive stars is still not well understood. Asteroseismology is one of the most promising ways to gain insight into this problem by providing novel observational constraints. Massive star oscillations are typically made up of several, very close few-hour periods. Disentangling the full oscillation spectrum of such stars requires both high-cadence and long-term observations. To date this has been achieved only for a handful of cases, but they demonstrate the power of asteroseismology in revealing hitherto unobservable stellar parameters. The unique capabilities of LCOGT make it the only facility capable of performing the required observations for large samples of stars, supplying (for the first time) significant constraints on theoretical models. Here we propose to conduct a "beta-test" for these observations by performing continuous multi-color photometric monitoring of the massive oscillating star HD 129929. This star has been studied by Aerts et al (2003), who (using 20 years of observations) were able to map its main oscillation frequencies. Observing a star with a known oscillation spectrum will allow us to test the accuracy of our observing, reduction and data analysis techniques, as well as to demonstrate the high-cadence capabilities of the LCOGT network. Should the test prove successful, it will pave the way for unprecedented future observations which have the potential to solve many outstanding mysteries involving massive stars. | ||||
| SPIRITS: Search for Unusual Transients in Nearby Galaxies | Bally, J | U Colorado | 96 | |
| Synoptic monitoring of 189 nearby galaxies to an r-band magnitude of 21 with a cadence of 1 month is proposed. The proposed LCOGT monitoring program is synchronized with a SPIZER Space Telescope campaign to identify several new classes of infrared transients produced by embedded supernovae, LBV eruptions, eruptions of red and blue supergiants, novae, and flares produced by dynamical interactions of massive protostars. LCOGT observations will provide visual wavelength photometry of transients and their light curves required for their classification. The first set of Spitzer observations have already detected several dozen variable sources during the 1st month of this program. More than half have visual counterparts with r-band magnitudes brighter than 20. Though most are likely red supergiants, at least one is the recent supernova in M82 whose light curve continues to be monitored with Spitzer as part of the SPIRITS program. The primary goal of this program is to identify and characterize new classes of high-luminosity transients. Two-band Spitzer/IRAC colors alone can not be used to disentangle extinction from dust temperature. Visual photometry is required to determine if IR-detected transients are obscured or not, and to identify which ones are suitable for visual-wavelength (as opposed to IR-wavelength) follow-up. | ||||
| Optical Photometry for HST and Spitzer Reverberation Mapping Programs | Barth, A | U Cal Irvine | 35 | |
| Reverberation mapping uses temporal monitoring of the continuum and broad emission-line variations in AGNs to determine the size, structure, and kinematics of the broad-line region and of the dusty torus. The results are used to derive the best available constraints on the masses of black holes in Seyfert galaxies and quasars and the spatial distribution of hot dust around the AGN. Well-sampled optical light curves are a crucial ingredient for these measurements. In this proposal, we request coordinated photometric monitoring in queue mode to measure the continuum variability of targets from our ongoing space-based reverberation mapping programs. NGC 5548 is currently the target of the largest multiwavelength AGN monitoring program ever attempted, with HST UV spectroscopy occurring daily through the end of July, and coordinated with ground-based spectroscopic monitoring, X-ray observations and Spitzer IR imaging. Zw 229-015 is the target of an ongoing Spitzer IR monitoring program to measure dust reverberation, and the Spitzer program will continue through February 2015. For both targets we request V-band monitoring at the LCOGT 1-m telescopes in order to measure accurate light curves for the optical AGN continuum, which are a necessary complement to the HST and Spitzer observations. | ||||
| Continuing the LCOGT Monitoring of Eta Carinae and other Galactic transient's light echoes | Bianco, F | New York University | 10 | 8 |
| Outer Solar System Studies | Bianco, F | New York University | 113 | 57 |
| This proposal aims to investigate the Outer Solar System (OSS) with a synergic photometry, spectroscopy and high speed photometry program, which will organize various programs already running at LCOGT with new scientific approaches at a critical time for the study of the OSS, with the New Horizons spacecraft approaching Pluto, Pluto transiting crowded fields, increasing dramatically the rate of occultations, and the coming online of the OSS Origins Survey (OSSOS). The program has two main lines of scientific inquiry: 1) Observe occultations of Pluto over three years in several passbands simultaneously, using LCOGT’s unique capability of having 2-3 telescopes equipped with fast cameras at a single site, and potentially multiple identical sites within a track. We aim to probe the evolution of Pluto’s atmosphere, and support the New Horizons space mission for the years before, during and after the July 2015 encounter. Obtain three-color (B,V, r’) light curves (and associated calibration star-field data) of Pluto, and time-resolved low resolution spectroscopy using FLOYDS to produce constraints on the evolution of Pluto’s atmosphere & surface. 2) Observe occultations of large TNOs, including new discoveries from OSSOS, to gain crucial information about the distribution of sizes, albedos, shapes, densities and thermal inertia & temperatures. Constraints on the surface and atmosphere of Pluto, and on the statistics of TNOs are very powerful tools to constraint SS evolution. | ||||
| Eta Carinae was seen as the second brightest star in the sky during its 1800s GE, but only visual estimates of its brightness were recorded (Smith & Frew 2011). Eta Carinae serves as our most important template for understanding non-SN transients from massive stars in external galaxies, however its ``Great Eruption'' (GE) occurred before the invention of the astronomical spectrograph and until recently, no spectra were available. Now we can obtain a spectral sequence of the eruption through its light echoes which we discovered in 2011. Our study of these echoes revealed that Eta Car's outburst spectral type was most similar to those of G-type supergiants, rather than the expected F- (or earlier) type for LBV outburst spectra (Rest et al. 2012). These differences between the GE and the extragalactic transients presumed to be its analogues raise questions about traditional scenarios for the outburst. While spectra are our most important tool for inferring physical properties of transients, to properly characterize light echoes spectra, a spectroscopy campaign requires the close support of photometric monitoring. Thus we request time to: i) continue to follow echoes of Eta Carinae from FTS, and the southern 1m telescopes ii) image with FTN new light echo candidates of historical eruptions that we are searching in an ongoing survey with the KPNO 4m Mayall telescope in preparation for spectroscopy studies. | ||||
| Testing stellar rotation scenarios with Kepler-410A | Bianco, F | New York University | 30 | |
| Kepler-410A offers a unique opportunity to directly test stellar rotation scenarios. Stellar rotation models are separated into two families: solid body, and differential rotation models. In the latter the star core is decoupled from the outer layers of the star. Because the Sun is the only star for which today we have estimate of both surface and core rotational speed, model predictions have been tested only statistically, using star clusters as evolutionary sequencies. Kepler-410A is the third brightest planet host star in the Kepler field (R~9.36, Borucki et al. 2011), its brightness allows accurate micro-magnitude photometry and an asteroseismic determination of the rotation of its core (~5.25 days). Surface rotation estimated from starspots only requires measurement precision of a few percent, but the presence of a variable companion 2.7 magnitudes fainter at a separation of <2'' complicates the determination of the surface rotational speed of Kepler-410A. The LCOGT FTN/LIHSP system can produce high spatial resolution images of Kepler-410A to derive uncontaminated ~daily photometry. With a monitoring campaign covering twice the maximum expected rotational period Kepler-410A we can shed light on a long debate on stellar rotation. | ||||
| Characterizing Stellar Rotation and Searching for Planets in Cluster Stars at 300 MYr | Brown, T. | LCOGT | 232 | |
| We propose to measure rotation periods of Sun-like stars in the 320-MYr-old open cluster NGC 6281, and to perform a collateral search for transiting planets about the same stars. The rotation measurements will help discriminate between theories of stellar rotation evolution. One of these (the ``Metastable Dynamo Model'') has recently been proposed by the PI; another (the 2-Zone Model) is the currently-prevailing theory. These theories make different predictions for the distribution of stars in Period-Color space, particularly for stars aged about 250-350 MYr. There is now a gap in observed cluster ages between 220 MYr and 550 MYr. We aim to fill this gap, and also to identify rapidly-rotating cluster stars that can provide tests of the two theory's assumptions. Observations will consist of a 4-day dense time series of r'-band images, flanked by two 3-week time series with a cadence of 12 samples per day, flanked by two 2-month time series with a cadence of 3 samples per day. This observing plan will give good sensitivity to all rotation periods between 0.5 d and 20 d. The dense 4-day core time series will also allow detection of large exoplanets in short-period orbits. The discovery of an exoplanet of this age would help answer many questions about the early thermal and dynamical history of giant planets. | ||||
| Hunting for a Transiting Exoplanet Around the Bright Star HD147018 | Ciardi, D | IPAC | 49 | |
| Photometric follow-up of planets discovered by the radial velocity technique has yielded known transiting extra-solar planets, especially for those with the brightest host stars (e.g., HD209458b). We have constructed an optimized photometric strategy to both predict and observe planetary transits. The Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS) is systematically studying known exoplanets to better characterize their properties and orbits. One promising target is HD147018, which hosts two known exoplanets. We have acquired additional radial velocity data, which greatly improved the orbital parameters of the inner planet and allows us to produce an accurate ephemeris. We propose to use the LCOGT network of southern 1.0m telescopes to monitor the star during a predicted transit time and thus either confirm or rule out a planetary transit. In the case of a null detection, our photometry is used to place constraints on orbital and astrophysical parameters of the planet. | ||||
| Toward sub-mmag precision photometry of very bright stars | Dragomir, D | LCOGT | 80 | |
| Very bright systems of transiting exoplanets facilitate studies of these planets' atmospheres and allow us to determine their physical parameters more precisely. However, because very bright stars quickly saturate CCDs, and especially because of the lack of comparison stars of similar magnitude within the same field of view, such observations are often limited to space-based telescopes. We propose to test a technique which has the potential of solving both problems. We plan to carry out defocussed observations of known very bright eclipsing binaries and transiting systems by employing two telescopes to simultaneously observe the target (telescope 1) and the comparison star (telescope 2). This strategy allows differential photometry to be performed even if the comparison star is outside the field of view. We aim to characterize and reduce any sources of correlated noise and achieve sub-mmag precision for the resulting light curves. Once refined, the technique will hold significant potential for the ground-based detection, confirmation and characterization of transiting exoplanets around very bright stars. | ||||
| Characterizing Planets in the Solar Neighborhood | Eastman, J | LCOGT | 550 | |
| The most scientifically productive exoplanet discoveries are transiting planets orbiting bright host stars. Transiting exoplanets are the only ones for which accurate physical parameters (radii, masses, densities, temperatures, compositions) can be determined. High flux from the host star makes it possible to measure precisely the physical and orbital parameters of the systems, and detect atmospheric composition, structure and even the weather on other worlds. Unfortunately rather few of the stars hosting the 238 known transiting systems are sufficiently bright. Wide field transit surveys are best suited to provide a statistically significant sample of planets around nearby, bright stars but their candidates require follow-up observations to properly characterize the systems. The KELT project targets FGK stars with $V$ $\sim$7.5--11\,mag and has already published planetary discoveries with data from LCOGT. We propose to continue our successful program to obtain high precision photometry on KELT candidates. | ||||
| Monitoring the Stellar Activity of the Exoplanet Host Star WASP-19: Supporting HST Observations | Huitson, C | U Colorado | 27 | |
| We propose to use the Faulkes south 2 m telescope with the spectral camera to monitor the variability of the extrasolar-planet hosting star WASP-19. The observations will provide critical ground-based support for an upcoming cycle 21 approved HST program (ID: GO-13431, PI: C. Huitson) which will characterize the hot Jupiter WASP-19b by observing its phase curve; where the brightness of the planetary system is measured over the duration of half a planetary orbit. WASP-19 is a very active star making variability monitoring of this target critical in order to remove the stellar contribution to the variations seen in the phase curve. Knowing how the stellar flux is affecting the phase curve is essential for accurate determination of the efficiency of heat redistribution from day side to night side as well as the day-night temperature contrast of the exoplanet. Past photometric monitoring by our group of WASP-19 showed the importance of monitoring the stellar activity, playing a vital role in successfully measuring the transmission spectrum. Here, we propose to obtain higher cadence and more precise observations to reliably correct the HST phase curve, as well as simultaneously providing accurate correction for ongoing 15-hour transit observations of WASP-19 with Gemini GMOS (long-term program continued from 2012B-0398, PI: J-.M. Désert). | ||||
| Photometry and astrometry of a selected sample of Transneptunian Objects | Licandro, J | IAC | 108 | |
| We intend to observe a sample of large Transneptunian Objects in order to get absolute magnitudes in V,R,I or at least in V,R as a function of time, determine phase coefficients, rotational variability constraints and to derive very accurate astrometry so that we can accurately predict stellar occultations by these very large TNOs near preselected occultation events. We would trigger these observations close in time to selected candidate occultations that would potentially be observable from the Canary Islands and south of Spain where we have a large network of telescopes, but if some events are favorable for the LCOGT network, we would trigger observations of the occultations too. | ||||
| NEO Follow-up with LCOGT | Lister, T | LCOGT | 345 | 20 |
| Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are our closest neighbors and research into them is important not only for understanding the Solar Systems’ origin and evolution, but also to understand and protect human society from potential impacts. NEOs originate in collisions between bodies in the main asteroid belt and have found their way into near-Earth space via complex dynamical interactions. Understanding these interactions, the populations and the orbital element distribution requires accurate orbits and complete samples for the NEO population, in order to properly debias the sample and correctly model the NEO population. Our previous programs of NEO follow-up on the 2-m and 1-m network have tracked and confirmed several hundred new NEOs, primarily from the Catalina (CSS) and PanSTARRS1 (PS1) surveys. We wish to conduct a more comprehensive program to confirm and characterize new NEOs (and comets & Centaurs) found by all the feeder surveys, which now includes 100% of PS1, NEOWISE and iPTF. Confirming astrometry and photometry for new NEOWISE candidates is particularly important as this IR survey is unbiased to low-albedo objects allowing a cleaner sample but requires the follow-up to confirm NEOs and provide optical fluxes to derive the albedos. We also aim to obtain light curves of the close-passing NEOs that are targeted by the Goldstone and Arecibo radars and are Potential Mission Destinations to derive rotation periods and densities enabling greater understanding of these bodies. | ||||
| Observing Time for UCSB's Experimental Astronomy Lab (Phys 134) | Mazin, B | UCSB | 16 | |
| In the spring I will teach UCSB's experimental astronomy lab. We have traditionally used the Sedgwick 0.8 m for two nights to take observations for final projects in the class. I would like to use Sedgwick or the 1-m network again for this purpose | ||||
| Measuring the orbital decay and Rayleigh scattering of WASP-43b | Palle, E | IAC | 24 | |
| Planets with orbital periods shorter than a day are rare. Their study can shed some light on dynamical theories like planetary migration and the impact of tidal forces on the orbit of such short-period planets. One of these short-period planets is WASP-43b, a transiting hot Jupiter with a period of 0.813 days. It is believed that this planet is experiencing an orbital decay that could be measurable over an extended period of time. We propose to use the LCOGT network, together with high time precision GTC data, to monitor the central time of the transit of WASP-43b to confirm (or discard) this prediction. If this proposal is accepted, we would present to the community a valuable homogeneous data set taken with uniform instrumental setup, and analyzed using the same methodology. | ||||
| Spectroscopic and photometric followup of Fermi novae | Sand, D. | Texas Tech | 10.5 | 17.6 |
| We propose an intensive spectroscopy campaign on the next Fermi nova, taking one spectrum per night with one of the Faulkes Telescopes, which are located in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The spectra will be used to test ideas for generating gamma rays via shocks in classical nova explosions -- both internal shocks which might arise from increasing ejecta speeds as the nova progresses, and external shocks which might arise from the nova ejecta impacting an accretion disk. | ||||
| Difference Imaging Templates for Supernovae | Valenti, S | LCOGT | 29 | 22 |
| With this proposal we will take images of supernova host galaxies after the SN has faded to subtract the galaxy from the earlier SN+host images. This removes contamination, allowing us to measure SN photometry and construct the lightcurves at the foundation of all SN science. We have obtained photometry of ~270 SNe under ten previous proposals. While these data have already resulted in groundbreaking publications (e.g. Maguire et al., Sullivan et al., Cooke et al., Kasliwal et al., Dilday et al.), their focus has been limited to SNe far from their hosts, has had to forgo essential photometry, and/or rely on crude estimates of certain parameters that can be done without image subtraction. With this proposal we unlock the true scientific potential of the data set, including: SN Ia cosmology, the first studies of the evolution of UV features in SNe Ia, the first unbiased look at unburned material in SNe Ia, probing the mysterious non-Milky-Way reddening indicated near SNe Ia, resolving the worrying difference in corrected luminosities seen in SNe in different galaxy types, and revealing exotic SNe that challenge our understanding of their stellar progenitors and even basic physics. | ||||
South African Astronomical Observatory
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGN Reverberation and Disk Mapping with LCOGT and SALT | Colmenero, E. | 60 | |
| more Partner contribution to Key Project | |||
| Observations of stellar occultations by large trans-Neptunian Objects | Gulbis, A. | 20.25 | |
| The Next Generation Sample of Supernovae | Kasai, E. | 50 | |
| Partner contribution to Key Project | |||
| Studies of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), primitive bodies whose orbits are located at and beyond that of Neptune, provide insight into the formation and evolution of the solar nebula. In addition to increasing our understanding of the Solar System, these primordial objects can also provide clues into evolution of extrasolar planetary disks. Stellar occultation observations by TNOs establish fundamental properties such as diameters (which constrain albedos and can thus hints at composition), probe for and characterize atmospheres, and detect companions. Here we request a modest amount of time (20.25 hours) to observe six predicted TNO occultations in 2014A using the 1-m Las Cumbres Global Telescope Network (LCOGT). LCOGT is particularly well suited for these types of observations because of the wide geographic distribution and robotic capability. Among other results, if successful, the proposed observations will (i) monitor of the changes in Pluto’s atmosphere, which is particularly relevant given the arrival of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 (and will include unprecedented multiple data points within one Pluto day), (ii) return an accurate measurement of the sizes of the large TNOs Quaoar and 2004 NT33, and (iii) place a constraint on any tenuous atmospheres around Quaoar and 2004 NT33. TNO occultation studies are part of a submitted LCOGT key project, on which the PI is a co-investigator. That submission was granted time as a “regular” project, because it did not require sufficient hours to be a key project. We will be requesting additional TNO occultation observations, specifically for the LCOGT 2-m telescope sites, through that project. | |||
| Optical monitoring of Gamma-ray binary systems | McBride, V. (University of Cape Town) | 13 | |
| Gamma-ray binaries (GRBi) are rare and intriguing members of the massive X-ray binary population. Only five of these systems are identified, but they present us with rich observational signatures across the entire electromagnetic spectrum and provide unique astrophysical laboratories in which to study both accretion and particle acceleration. Their natures are still uncertain and in most cases the compact objects are not clearly identified as either a neutron star or black hole. We propose a long term photometric monitoring of the optical counterparts of gamma-ray binaries to look for the correlations and/or time lags between optical and GeV emission. Such correlations may occur in systems where the emission is driven by accretion (i.e. in the micro quasar model) and these observations can help to elucidate the nature of the compact objects. | |||
| Light Curve of the Mira Variable in IC1613 | Menzies, J. | 1 | |
| Time-domain astrophysics of magnetic CVs | Potter, S. | 60 | |
| Magnetic CV (mCV) research has been an unofficial key SAAO/UCT research programme for the past ~ 3 decades. In that time we have built up expertise in high time domain photometry, spectroscopy and polarimetry of mCVs. Presently we have multiple on-going active observing campaigns using the SALT, SAAO small telescopes and other Gamma and X-ray observatories through international collaborations. This proposal has two main objectives. The first is to boost the scientific output of our ongoing campaigns by providing up-to-date light curves and to provide timely notification of infrequent or rare extreme events (targets of opportunity). Secondly, to extend our time-domain exploration of mCVs to the longer time domain in order to address our lack of knowledge and understanding of the long term physical accretion processes of mCVs. | |||
| We propose obtaining 3 exposures in the RC band of the Mira variable in IC1613 in order to improve the ephemeris of the variable, as a complement to proposed SALT spectroscopic observations. | |||
| Science from Gaia Alerts | Whitelock, P. | 20 | |
| The Alerts from the Gaia spacecraft will provide one of the first transient surveys to probe the Galactic bulge and plane and the Magellanic Clouds. We propose using facilities at SAAO, in particular the 1.9m and the LCOGT 1m, to exploit the opportunities this survey presents for Galactic and extragalactic astronomy. We also aim to showcase the potential of the telescopes at SAAO to make major contributions to transient science when linked with other ground- or space-based facilities and used by an international team with strong expertise. We expect to follow-up on the Gaia Alerts through the 5 year lifetime of the spacecraft, refining our strategy as we learn from experience. The objectives are: 1. identifying and studying the most interesting of a large sample of transients in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds, including X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, eruptive young stellar objects, R CrB stars, deeply eclipsing white dwarfs, microlensing events etc. 2. identifying rare or previously unknown transient phenomena 3. contributing to the study of a limited, but homogeneous sample of bright southern supernovae. While we provide an overview of the whole project below, this first application is of necessity for one month only, September 2014. Thus, because of the time of year, our initial primary focus will be on the characterization and classification of transients with G<18 mag in the Galactic bulge and the Small Magellanic Cloud. For semester 2014A we request 20 hours in September and the minimum that would be useful is 9 hours. Noting that whatever time is allocated by SAAO will be matched by St Andrews University we therefore apply here for half the time we estimate is required for the full programme. | |||
| SAAO Directors Discretionary Time | Williams, T. | 100 | |
| Directors discretionary time to be used for ToO and possible EPO activities. | |||
Faulkes Telescope Project - University of South Wales
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMXB Monitoring | Lewis, F. | 48 | |
| Continuing ~ 9 years of optical monitoring of ~ 40 low-mass X-ray binaries to detect outbursts and variability in quiescence (more details and publications at Faulkes Telescope Project websiteXRB page and research page.) | |||
| Other Targets | Lewis, F. | 24 | |
| Monitoring of other research targets such as massive stars, open clusters, globular clusters for research and education | |||
| Education - On Sky | Roche, P. | 50 | 100 |
| Use of On Sky for FTP education program. | |||
| Education | Roche, P. | 50 | 200 |
| Use of queue for FTP education program. | |||
Australian National University
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characterising Transiting Exoplanets - LCOGT Key Project | Bayliss, D. | 170 | |
| Partner contribution to LCOGT Key Project | |||
| Echo Mapping of Accretion Flows - LCOGT Key Project | Onken, C. | 50 | |
| Partner contribution to LCOGT Key Project | |||
| Early Spectral Classificaion and Photometric Monitoring of Sne | Yuan, F. | 30 | 50 |
| We propose to use the Faulkes Telescope South and the LCOGT 1m network to achieve early spectroscopic classification of supernovae discovered by SkyMapper and other transient surveys, as well as photometric monitoring of peculiar explosions and interesting supernovae. We will also use the queue scheduled observations to achieve high cadence time series for young supernovae and fast evolving events. The allocation will contribute to “the next generation sample of supernovae” LCOGT key program that aims to collect a large sample of well-observed nearby supernovae. | |||
Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transiting Exoplanets | Cameron, A | 100 | |
| Follow-up of transiting exoplanet candidates identified with wide-angle ground-based surveys (e.g. WASP, QES) | |||
| Key Project: Exploring Cool Planets Beyond the Snow Line | Horne, K | 1560 | |
| Partner contribution to LCOGT Key Project | |||
| Key Project: Echo Mapping of AGN Accretion Flows | Horne, K | 400 | |
| Partner contribution to LCOGT Key Project | |||
| Test Observations | Horne, K | 20 | |
| Test observations for feasibility studies | |||
| Time Domain Observations of Young Stellar Objects | Scholz, A | 50 | |
| Young stellar objects show variability on a range of timescales, caused by a variety of physical mechanisms. Some of them are periodic and associated with stellar and disk rotation, others are irregular and based on instabilities. We want to use LCOGT 1-m time to carry out multi-filter monitoring of ~100 YSOs to a) map their (stable) circumstellar environment (hot spots, inner disk bubbles, disk clumps), b) to measure timescales/frequencies for instabilities, and c) to identify specific objects for follow-up with larger telescopes. We plan to focus on one star forming region per semester - Chamaeleon-I in April/May and SigmaOri in November/December. With the Sinistro detectors, the field of view will cover several dozen known and well-characterised YSOs in each region. The regions can be covered almost 24/7 with the 1-m network during these months. | |||
| Science from GAIA Alerts | Dominik, M | 20 | |
| The Gaia Alerts from the Gaia spacecraft will be one of the first transient surveys to probe the Galactic bulge and plane and the Magellanic Clouds. We propose to use the LCOGT 1m network to exploit the opportunities this survey presents for Galactic and extragalactic astronomy. Because Gaia Alerts start only in Sep 2014, we request only 20 hrs in Sem14A, to match the allocation from SAAO (Whitelock PI). Our initial primary focus will be on the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds and the classification and characterisation of transients with g<18 mag. Longer term we also expect to investigate tidal disruption events and a limited but homogeneous sample of bright supernovae. The Galactic sources are very diverse and we anticipate new insight into transients generally, including eruptive young stellar objects, deeply eclipsing white dwarfs, cataclysmic variables, RCrB stars, microlensing events and quite possibly rare and previously unidentified Galactic transients. | |||
University of Texas
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transiting Exoplanet Characterization - McDonald contribution to key project | Cochran, W | 37.5 | |
| Partner contribution to LCOGT Key Project | |||
| Transit Photometry of Low-Mass Eclipsing Binaries | Riddle, A | 34 | |
| M dwarfs are the most common type of star, yet are the least well-studied. In an e ort to expand the number of M dwarfs with precise radius measurements, we propose to observe 7 eclipsing binaries discovered in the literature that lack precise radius measurements. High precision radius measurements are crucial to understanding the discrepancy between observed stellar properties and models. Incorporating other stellar properties (e.g. metallicity and rotation) into the mass-radius relation is the key to understanding these discrepancies. | |||
| Supernova Light Curves with the LCOGT SN Key Project | Wheeler, C | 50 | |
| Partner contribution to LCOGT Key Project | |||
Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Followup Observations of Very Young Type 1a Supernaovae and Setting Constraints on their Progenitors - LCOGT Key Project | Wang, X (Tsinghua University) | 60 | |
| Partner contribution to Key Project - In the era of time-domain astronomy, there will be numerous transient-survey programs aiming to discover supernovae at their very young phases. We plan to use the LCOGT 1.0-m telescope to conduct follow up observations of 15-20 young SNe (especially SNe Ia) at multi wavebands immdediately after the explosion. At a phase of a few hours after the explosion, the ejecta of an exploding white dwarf has barely extended to a distance comparable to the size of a red giant star. Our photometric data obtained immediately after the explosion thus enable us to study the nature of the interaction of the SN ejecta with their immediate environments and put constraints on the size of the companion stars. Moreover, on the front of cosmological applications of SNe Ia, the data set from our observations can be used to form a base set with unprecedented precision and time coverage. This large uniform data set can be used to anchor observations of high redshift SNe using lower redshift objects for the construction of a precision Hubble diagrams, which is essentially important to unveil the nature of dark energy. | |||
| Observation of the Core-collapse SNe in the Early Stages - LCOGT Key Project | Wang, X (Tsinghua University) | 40 | |
| Partner contribution to Key Project - By observing the CC SN explosions in very early phases, we can constrain both the rise time to maximum light and the peak luminosity itself. These are the two of the basic input parameters needed to use explosion models to constrain the total radiated energy, kinematic energy, and the mass of the explosion. Similar to SNe Ia, the early data probe progenitor systems and their circumstellar environments. The progenitors of some core collapse SNe are expected to be red supergiants, in which case the light travel time across the progenitor star can be as long as a few hours. If the followup observation can be triggered soon after the explosion, we may probe the emerging shock on the surface of the star in real-time even in the optical bands. This will help establish the link of core-collapse explosions to the death of massive stars, for which a satisfactory physical understanding is still elusive. | |||
University of Hawaii - Institute for Astronomy
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HI STAR Projects | Armstrong, JD | 53 | 80 |
| The Hawaii Student Teacher Astronomy Research program (HI STAR) is a week long summer program for middle and high school students. At the summer program students work with mentors on starting a research project which the students will continue through the year. The goal ot the HI STAR program is to have students conduct astronomy research projects, enter their projects in the science fair, and eventually major in science, engineering, or technology when they go to college. Typical student research projects include variable stars; asteroid recovery, rotation, and color; exoplanets; galaxies; etc. While this is an EPO program the students are conducting research and some students may submit peer reviewed papers on their research so a proprietary period is desirable. | |||
| Near Real Time Observations | Armstrong, JD | 50 | 8 |
| During the permitting process for the Faulkes telescope the University of Hawai'i promised the community that the time would be used for education and outreach events. The University of Hawai'i has held several public events at libraries and schools where members of the community are able to control the telescope real time. We have additionally provided opportunities for students to learn about the process of taking data using the Faulkes telescope. This time will be used for public events such as HawaiiCon, Student Programs, and the new astronomy undergraduate degree. | |||
| Observation of Southern Short Arc Binaries | Armstrong, JD | 30 | |
| The basis for measuring masses of stars has been through the observations of binaries. While the study of binary stars has continued for hundreds of years, most known double stars have not yet been determined to be either bound binary star systems or optical doubles. Of particular interest is southern hemisphere, where observational coverage has been less than for the northern hemisphere. The Washington Double Star (WDS) Catalogue has ober 15,000 entries in their southern hemisphere double star catalog. Leward Community College students propose to approximately 200 targets from the WDS Catalog of neglected double stars. While this is an educational program, the observations wil likely result in a number of published papers, and a proprietary period is required. | |||
| Spectroscopic Standards for Transiting Exoplanets | Armstrong, JD | 12 | |
| It has been proposed that rapid spectroscopic follow-up to transients detected by the Kepler-2, TESS, ansd PLATO would greatly benefit the study of exoplanets. This project will determine how well we can get stellar properties with the spectra (R ~300?) A good set of standards might include Boyajian et al's interferometry targets - all dwarf stars which have well-determined effective temperatures - but also a test sample should include some subgiants, RGBs, and full-fledged giant stars. | |||
| UH Maui College Student Observations | Armstrong, JD | 26 | |
| Students at the University of Hawai'i Maui College have been involved in astronomical research and have received several Space Grant awards. The college has constructed a astronomical laboratory with four telescopes for the students to perform observations. These observations will be supplemented with observations from the LCOGT 1.0 and 2.0 meter network. As part of the program students will be able to compare observations from our site in Kahului to observations made at “good” astronomical sites. Typical projects will include exoplanets, asteroid astrometry and rotation curves, and spectroscopy of star clusters. | |||
| TECH Proof of Concept | Armstrong, JD | 25 | |
| These observations will be used to support the TECH key project, which was proposed and turned down, but awarded telescope time to prove concept. | |||
| Broadband and variability of young stars | Mathews, G | 16 | |
| Cody et al. 2014 report the discovery of a class of young variable stars they refer to as “bursters” - objects showing greater than 0.05 magnitude optical variability on time scales of 0.1 to 1 day. They found that ~15% of Class II T Tauri stars in the distant young star forming region NGC 2264 exhibit this behavior, likely linked to variable accretion. An additional ~30% of Class II T Tauri stars exhibit variability of this scale on a period of 1 - 5 days. Here, I propose carrying out two nights of 1 hour cadence photometry of Class II T Tauri stars in nearby star forming regions (100 – 300 pc) to identify stars showing short time period variability. Broadband photometry will be carried out in V and R bands, as well as with the Halpha narrowband filter, in order to both identify sources with short term variability and examine the proposed correlation with accretion (using Halpha as an indicator). Objects showing short term variability will be candidates for a followup study of longer time period observations utilizing the continuous coverage offered by the LCOGT network. The wide field of view (46') afforded by the 1m telescopes will include the entire core region of more distant clusters, while individually targeted observations in closer regions will still include many additional members. This will have the additional benefit of the creation of a teaching dataset that can be used for the construction of HR diagrams. While there are candidate clusters for observations at any time of year (e.g. IC348 at 3h + 30d, Eta Cha at 8h – 80d, TWA at 11h-30d, Cha II at 13h-78d, UpSco at 16h -20d, Serpens at 18h +01d, etc. See lists in Guttermuth 2009, Zuckerman 2011), these data are intended for first use in research workshops with high school students in June, 2014, and will thus focus on Cha II, Lupus III (16h -39d), Oph, UpSco, and Serpens. The data will also be used in courses for undergraduate astronomy majors at UH Manoa. | |||
Astrophysics Research Institute - Liverpool John Moores University
| Title | PI name | Hours (1m) | Hours (2m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transients in the Era of Rapid Followup | Mundell, C | 24 | 36 |
| Building on our ten year programme of rapid, real-time discovery and follow-up of Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows with the Faulkes and Liverpool 2-m telescopes, we aim to diversify our search for optical counterparts to fast transient sources by using the new LCOGT network to search for and classify optical counterparts to (a) optical transients discovered by the newly launched GAIA satellite (b) rast radio bursts (FRBs) discovered by the Parkes and Effelsberg radio telescopes (2014A and onwards respectively) as well as (c) ongoing rapid followup of GRBs. We define fast transients to include: (a) flares from tidally disrupted objects destroyed by supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies (so-called tidal-disruption events TDEs) - to be discovered optically by GAIA or at higher energies by Swift/INTEGRAL satellites, (b) fast radio bursts (FRBs) - millisecond bursts of radio emission, whose origin is as yet uknown but for which discovery of the first optical counterpart and subsequent measurement of its spectroscopic redshift will revolutionise this field in the same was as the discovery of the first optical counterpart to a GRB in 1997 opened a whole new area of GRB science (c) Gamma Ray Bursts, triggered by the Swift/INTEGRAL satellite in real time, by GAIA (orphan optical afterglows) or by our team in the case of Fermi or iPFT discoveries. We focus on particularly on these fast, often relativistic, transients, rather than classical supernovae, novae or variable stars. In this semester, we will develop and commission new software to adapt our real-time GRB discovery and follow-up system to work across the new LCO network with its new software infrastructure, as well as to extending our response to these new classes of fast transients; we will focus on multicolour imaging and auto-ID using both 1-m and 2-m telescopes but we aim in subsequent semesters to drive automatic spectroscopic followup on the 2-m telescopes from our real-time imaging discoveries. 295 hours of radio observations from May - July are being scheduled to search for fast radio bursts; we will use approximately 20 hours of optical time to followup discoveries made in this radio period. GAIA will begin to provide real-time transient alerts from Sept so we intend to defer some observing time from 2014A to 2014B to ensure adequate time to respond as these alerts ramp up towards the end of the year. Finally, Swift provides approximately 100 GRB triggers per year, of which we expect to follow at least 40%. Our strategy is to trigger a 1-hour ToO on all visible GRB alerts with subsequent multicolour imaging on bursts whose optical counterparts remain detectable by the 2-m (typically R<21 or 22 mag). This ensures full light curve characterisation for (a) early time reverse/forward shock physics and determination of fireball magnetization (b) later-time determination of the blast-wave:interstellar medium interations (c) jet break features for determination of jet opening and viewing angle for collimation-corrected cosmology (d) searches for GRB-supernova features at late time. In addition, the wide field of view of the Sinistro cameras on the 1-m telescopes will provide a large and growing database of sky observations for the serendipitous search for other optical transients in the target field of view, thereby ensuring lasting legacy value to the data.. | |||