facilities & infrastructure working groups meeting unsw, 17 december 2004 gemini warrick couch,...

Facilities & Infrastructure Working Groups Meeting

UNSW, 17 December 2004

GeminiWarrick Couch, UNSW



Taking stock over the last decade…..

1995Australian Astronomy: Beyond 2000 – “The first priority of the astronomical community remains the same as it was in 1989, viz. to obtain significant access to a large optical/ir telescope. …Australia should immediately accept the invitation to join ESO and participate in the world’s premier astronomy project, the VLT….Membership of ESO (~$5M per annum) will maintain Australia’s place among its peers for the foreseeable future…”

1995 Application to the MNRF-1 program for funding to join ESO unsuccessful, despite being one of the highest ranked proposals scientifically.




1997Australia joins the International Gemini Project as a 4.76% share partner, through the provision of A$17.9M of funding from DETYA & ARC. Other partners (shares): USA (50%), UK (25%), Ca (15%), Chile (5%), Arg (2.5%), Brazil (2.5%). As Australia’s signatory to the Gemini Agreement, ARC has responsibility for participation in Gemini and funds (through the LIEF) scheme the annual ‘operations’ costs.

1999 ‘1st light’ on Gemini North

2000 Scientific observations commence on Gemini North; ‘1st light’ on Gemini South

Scientific observations commence on Gemini South2001




2001 Chile announces its intent to relinquish its 5% share.

2002 Australia negotiates purchase of 30% of Chile’s share, increasing its share by 1.43% (to 6.19%). Capital cost paid for from MNRF; operations costs to be paid for from MNRF for the 5 years of the program (2003-2007)

2003 Australia starts receiving extra telescope time

2001 Bid for MNRF-2 funding to ‘double’ Australia’s share in Gemini successful (at 85% level).

6.19% share 12 nights per telescope per year



First 5 years of Gemini usage

2000-2004

Australian Gemini Users Survey

Goals:

•To conduct an ‘audit’ of Australia’s use of its Gemini time and what the returns have been in terms of useful data, scientific results, publications and postgraduate training (driven by requests for such information from NTAC and funding agency).

•To use this as an opportunity to identify problems with the observing process and ‘bottle-necks’ in converting data into science.

Surveyed all Australian astronomers who had been allocated ATAC time in the semesters 2001A – 2004A inclusive:

•67 queue programs (SRB=1-4) and 2 classical programs totaling 644 hrs

compl 50-100% 0-50% no data %use < %obs



25%30%

20%25%

30%

31%38%

31%

0%

75%

17%8%

0%

31%

8%

Program completion statistics (01A-04A)

SRB=1

SRB=2

SRB=3

NO DATA0-50%50-100%COMPLETE %use<%obs

Only 5 programs fully completed with data to spec

45% of programs got zero data

Publications

•3 papers published/in press (lead time 1.5-2.5 yrs)

•5 papers submitted/soon to be submitted

•8 further papers ‘promised’

World class capabilities“The GDDS represents a very significant achievement, both scientifically and technically.” (Richard Ellis, Caltech)

Glazebrook et al., Nature, 2004

Gemini imaging of the z ~ 10 candidate“The image is approximately one magnitude deeper and has better spatial resolution than the existing H-band VLT image. The object is not detected in our new data” (Malcolm Bremer, Bristol)

Gemini/NIRI (Bremer et al. in press)

22.64 ksec at H,

0.47 arcsec FWHM

HAB > 26.3 (3 ) 7.4 non-detection

VLT/ISAAC (Pelló et al. 2004)

13.86 ksec at H,

0.5 arcsec FWHM

HAB = 25.0 ± 0.25

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Australian Gemini Instrumentation Contracts

•NIFS construction contract – RSAA [US$3M]

•GSAOI construction contract – RSAA [US$3M]

•GIRMOS – concept design study – AAO [US$300K]

•WFMOS – feasibility study – AAO [US$100K]



Near-term future of Gemini

•Additional nights on Gem-S: have just negotiated the purchase of 8 additional nights in each of the semesters 2005B, 2006A & 2006B from the UK (to be paid from MNRF funding). May well be further opportunities to do this in the future. ATAC to allocate time, but to programs of larger scope and potential impact than are currently supported.

•New instrument capabilities on both telescopes

•Time swaps with other 8-10m telescopes (Keck/HIRES Michelle; VLT/UVES Michelle/T-ReCS?)

Mauna Kea

Cerro Pachon

Instrument Instrument SummarySummary

In operationCommissioning to start in 2005Instrument Under Development

GMOSGNIRST-ReCSbHROSNICIFLAMINGOS-2GSAOIMCAO

GMOSNIRIMICHELLEALTAIR+LGSNIFS



Long-term vision for Gemini

20042003 2005

Aspen 2003 Aspen 2003 WorkshopWorkshop

Meeting held in June 2003 Attended by ~100

astronomers which represented interests of many more astronomers world wide

Key product of the meeting was a set of fundamental questions in astronomy that would serve as the basis of the scientific strategic plan for the Observatory

MAT

TER

ENERGY

LIFE

20042003 2005

Aspen 2003 Aspen 2003 WorkshopWorkshop

Matter How do galaxies form? What is the nature of dark

matter on galactic scales? What is the relationship

between super massive black holes and galaxies?

Energy What is dark energy? How did the cosmic “dark age”

end? Life

How common are extrasolar planets, including earth-like planets?

How do star and planetary systems form?

How do stars process elements into the chemical building blocks of life?



Minimum core set of instruments required to address these questions:

•Wide Field Multi-Object Spectrograph (WFMOS) – optical spec with 1.5deg FoV, multiplex gain of ~5000, R=1,000-40,000.

•Extreme AO Coronograph (ExAO-C) – next generation AO imager with spatial resolution of 0.02arcsec and contrast factor of ~107.

•High-Resolution Near-Infrared Spectrograph (HRNIRS) – spectral resolution in the range R = 40,000 – 70,000, with MCAO-fed MOS.

Plus….•Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) system – seen to have sufficiently high potential to warrant further investigation.

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Next Steps in the Next Steps in the Aspen Development Aspen Development Program…Program…

NO

W ExAOC(UCSC)

ExAOC(UA)

HRNIRS(ATC)

HRNIRS(NOAO)

WFMOS(AAO)

GLAO(HIA/UA/UD)

Highest Ranked by GSC

Competitive Concept Design Studies

Feasibility studies



Executive SummaryA far-reaching collaboration is proposed between the Gemini and Subaru Observatories. This collaboration will include both technical and scientific components and will be specifically targeted to answer key questions in astronomy that are of common interest to both the Gemini and Subaru communities. The program envisioned will efficiently use the resources and strengths intrinsic to both observatories and involve the deployment of a wide field spectrometer at Subaru and high contrast coronagraphic imager at Gemini to perform legacy-class research on dark matter, dark energy, galaxy formation, and extra-solar planets.

DRAFT White Paper in work

for Gemini B

oard

‘Subaru’ option for WFMOS

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Why Deploy WFMOS on Why Deploy WFMOS on Subaru?Subaru?

Stiff telescope structure

Interchangeable top end with prime focus instrument experience

Wide field of view 2° corrector already

planned

Excellent image quality Multiple Nasmyth

platforms FMOS already under

construction Supercomputer on site

2005 and the US$75M question:•Design and feasibility studies for Aspen instruments will be completed in Feb 2005, providing firm costings.

•Total cost of the ‘top 3’ Aspen instrument package (WFMOS, ExAO-C, HRNIRS) likely to be ~US$75M [Aus share @6.19% = US$4.64M = A$6.19M]

•Partner countries will have to determine if and how they can raise their share of the US$75M price tag in 2005.

•US has already committed US$15M over 2006-2010 period to ensure Aspen instr. procurement process continues.

Investment in Aspen instrument package will see significant scientific & financial returns to Australia – AAO likely to win major components of WFMOS construction contract + strong science interest in WFMOS



31/12/12: Current Gemini Agreement expires

•Partners will need to decide whether to extend agreement or whether to close the facilities

•Any partner at this point can elect not to continue (in which they are out with no claim to prior contributions); remaining partners then decide on new shares (could increase or decrease).

Australian investment in Gemini up to this point will have been at least A$65M. (Unlikely to have reaped any major scientific return from WFMOS by 2012.)

facilities & infrastructure working groups meeting unsw, 17 december 2004 gemini warrick couch,...

Documents

gemini time

gemini north

gemini agreement

gemini imaging

gemini successful

unsw slide

international gemini

groups meeting unsw