The Long Wavelength Array

Astronomer

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Basic specs

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LWA observational status

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Proposals

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Observing

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LWA Database

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LWA Data Archive

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Contact information

 

 

 

Cycle 12 Call for Proposals - LWA Radio Observatory

 

September 22, 2023

We invite applications for observing time with the LWA Radio Observatory. This call is for observations starting January 1, 2023. At this time proposers can request observations with LWA-SV (note that Cycle 12 does not include observations with LWA1 and LWA-NA, due to upgrades and commissioning activities).

• LWA-SV offers up to two beams (2 tunings of 20 MHz each). The two tunings are dependent between the beams, and thus need to be the same. In addition, two all-dipole modes are available; a transint buffer narrow (TBN) and a transient buffer frequency domain (TBF). TBN provides a 100 kHz bandwidth (like the LWA1 TBN), while the TBF provides a 20 MHz bandwidth with approximately 1s dumps every 3 min. At LWA-SV there is also a commensal all-sky broadband imaging system (the Orville Imager) that provides images of the sky over 20 MHz of bandwidth at a 5 s cadence. The frequency range of the image data is set by the first beam tuning.
  

LWA-SV is a compact array radio telescope operating in the 10-88 MHz band, located in NM. LWA-SV currently consists of 257 dual-polarization active dipole antennas in a 100 m x 110 m elliptical footprint with an outlier dipole antenna located approximately 500-m west of the main array. Each dipole is individually digitized and then formed into 2 beams using a delay- and-sum technique. The beams can be pointed independently; thus LWA-SV can be used similarly to 2 separate radio telescopes. The individual dipole signals can also be recorded. A subset of science targets includes pulsars, astrophysical transients, the Sun, Jupiter, and the ionosphere, but innovative, technically feasible investigations of all kinds are welcomed.

Observations will have a proprietary period of 1 year from the date of observation. Support for operations and continuing development of the LWA is provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory. We invite proposals from all communities wishing to use this new instrument.

A list of projects previously observed and a list of collaborations can be found at: http://leo.phys.unm.edu/∼lwa/obssched.html. For more information on the LWA and its capabilities see:

• The LWA Memo Series at http://www.ece.vt.edu/swe/lwa/
• LWA Memo 185. “First Light for the First Station of the Long Wavelength Array”
• LWA Web site: http://lwa.unm.edu
• VT’s LWA1 Information Page: http://www.ece.vt.edu/swe/lwa1/

Details

The proposal cover page exists in Word or PDF format. In addition to the cover page, proposals should contain a maximum of 3 pages of text describing the project, and one additional page with figures if needed. The proposal must address the following:

• Scientific justification
• Specific observing modes and/or technical requirements
• A Data Management Plan if raw (unaveraged) data are required. See LWA Memo 177
• Results from previous observations with LWA1, if any
• Observing time request, and any restrictions in observing time (time of day or year)

If applicable, the proposal should also describe:

• Any enhancements to the capabilities of the observatory this proposal might make (e.g. software backend, data reduction programs)
• Any data sharing with another LWA proposal or established project. We encourage data-sharing collaborations as these make for a more efficient use of the instrument.

Proposal deadline

The proposals should be submitted to lwa@unm.edu by 11:59 PM MDT November 1, 2023. The proposals will be reviewed by the LWA Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and announcement of time allocations is expected by December 20, 2023.

Proposal Evaluation

The TAC will grade each science team project based on scientific merit and technical feasibility. The TAC consists of the Director, Associate Director, the Chief Scientist, the Head of User Programs, and 5 external members representing the user community. The TAC will rank each proposal by a numerical score, and will then group proposals into three categories:

A: Highest priority project, most likely to be scheduled.
B: Medium priority project, likely to be scheduled at least in part.
C: Standby project, scheduling will depend on instrument availability.

There will be no guarantees for observing time. All observations will be conducted on a “shared-risk” basis. Known issues with the station are documented at http://leo.phys.unm.edu/~lwa/astro/currentissues.html.

Publication policy

All science team project members are expected to abide by the LWA publication policy, and explicitly state their compliance with the policy in the proposal. It is the responsibility of the PI to make sure that all members of his/her team have read and agreed to the policy. The publication policy is posted at: http://leo.phys.unm.edu/∼lwa/project.html

Contact

For questions regarding this call for proposals, please email lwa@unm.edu.

More Information

• For some useful information about how to observe with the LWA1, please visit this page.
  


• Previous proposals and currently approved projects: Check what observing projects that have already been approved. The proposal abstract is included in addition to the project title.