Call for Semester 2013b Observing Proposals

CARMA, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy, is accepting observing proposals for its 2013b semester, which will extend from 12 August 2013 to 24 February 2014. CARMA comprises 23 telescopes operating in the Inyo Mountains of California at an elevation of 2200 meters. All 23 telescopes are equipped with receivers for the 3mm (85-115 GHz) and 1cm (27-36 GHz) wavelength bands. The 15 largest telescopes are equipped with dual-polarization receivers for the 1mm (215-265 GHz) wavelength band. For the 2013b semester, proposals will be accepted for the 23-element array and for subarrays of 15 telescopes and 8 telescopes.

The 23-element array will be available in the C, D, and E configurations; the 15-element arrays will be available in the A, B, C, D, and E configurations. The approximate resolutions of these configurations are 0.40" (A), 0.90" (B), 2.2" (C), 5.5" (D), and 11" (E) at 100 GHz, 0.18" (A), 0.4" (B), 1.0" (C), 2.5" (D), and 4" (E) at 220 GHz, and 1.1" (A), 2.5" (B), 6" (C), 15" (D), and 30" (E) at 35 GHz. The 8-element array will be in configurations optimized to provide high brightness sensitivity of extended objects (at resolutions of 120" at 35 GHz and 45" at 85 GHz), such as observations of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, for targets at high (SH) and low (SL) declinations.

In addition to regular proposals, CARMA seeks Key Projects that are of sufficient scope and potential scientific impact to justify a significant investment of CARMA resources. Key Projects that complement ALMA or lead to follow-up programs with ALMA are encouraged. A Key Project can request any combination of standard antenna configurations for up to 1000 hours of observing time spread over 1 to 5 semesters. However, Key Projects that seek primarily wideband/continuum observations should consider delaying a proposal submission until after CARMA's new 8 GHz correlator is commissioned (Fall 2013). In addition to the science and technical justifications, the proposal must outline a plan for the management, production, and distribution of science-quality data products. CARMA anticipates accepting 1 or 2 Key Projects in the 2013b semester. Additional information on CARMA Key Projects can be found here.

CARMA is operated by the California Institute of Technology, and the Universities of California (Berkeley), Illinois, Maryland, and Chicago, under a cooperative agreement with the University Radio Observatories program of the National Science Foundation. Approximately 30% of the awarded time will be given to PIs outside the partner universities.

Proposals should be submitted using the electronic form at: http://carma-prop.astro.illinois.edu For help with submitting proposals and the proposal system, please email proposal-help@astro.uiuc.edu . Detailed information, including tools to assist you in preparing proposals, is available at http://www.mmarray.org. If you require help in understanding CARMA instrument capabilities, please contact the CARMA Help Desk.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 22:00 GMT (17:00 CDT) on 21 May 2012.

See Information for Proposers.