Proposal Submission
Introduction:
Members participating in the 2025A call include: University of Virginia, The Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, MPIA, and Arizona. Please consult your home institutions for 2025A proposal information and deadlines.
Different partners have different dates and deadlines during their proposal seasons. Please check your member webpages or ask your Member Coordinator for specific CfP information and closing dates. Given the differing deadlines, joint proposals to several partners in a single submission are NOT currently accepted. If you are interested in a joint proposal that spans multiple members, please submit a proposal to each partner during their call. You should note in the body of your proposal the partners to which you are applying and the time requested.
Phase I Tool:
LBTO has developed a Phase I Tool (PIT) for proposal submissions. For 2025A the following partners are currently participating in PIT submission of all or some proposals. Those using the the General PIT include: Arizona (AZ, NAU, ASU), The Ohio State University, University of Virginia, Notre Dame, MPIA, AIP, and University of Minnesota. INAF is using its own version, the INAF PIT. See the download pages for more details. Other LBTO users are welcome to examine the new tool, but should NOT use it to submit their proposals.
This tool allows PIs to easily enter basic information about their program and create a LBTO cover sheet and instrument summary to include with their proposals. For 2025A, members should upload their entire proposal, including member-specific cover page, as a PDF attachment. An example of a completed proposal is here. Member PIs may choose whether or not to describe their program in the Observation and Target Tabs or to submit in a minimalist way with just cover sheet information and their PDF attachment.
Links to the General PIT (used by non-INAF PIs) for Mac, Windows, and Linux are available on the installation page. Links to the INAF-PIT are available on a different installation page during “B” semesters.
LBTO Membership (LBTB, INAF, OSURC, AZ)
Instruments Offered:
LBTO is currently offering the following instruments for 2025A science:
| Visible | Near-IR | Mid-IR |
|---|---|---|
| Facility Instruments | ||
| MODS1: (SX) 320-1100nm multi-object, long-slit spectrograph and imager | LUCI1: (SX) 0.85-2.4µm multi-object, long-slit spectrograph and imager | |
| MODS2: (DX) 320-1100nm multi-object, long-slit spectrograph and imager |
LUCI2: (DX) 1.00-2.4µm multi-object, long-slit spectrograph and imager | |
| LBCB: (SX) 350-650nm wide-field imager | ||
| LBCR: (DX) 550-1000nm wide-field imager | ||
| PEPSI: 383-907nm high-resolution spectrograph and polarimeter. | ||
| Strategic Instruments | ||
| LMIRCam on LBTI: 1-5µm high resolution camera and coronagraph. Optimized from 3-5µm. | NOMIC on LBTI: an 8-13 μm camera. | |
Available Tools:
While the observatory does provide an online archive for data access and download, no in-house pipeline or data reduction tools exist. For more information on the availability of community-built tools, please contact sciops@lbto.org.
Telescope/Instrument Configurations (General):
For the 2025A observing season the available telescope configurations offered are as follows:
Seeing Limited:
- Monocular: Facility instruments in seeing-limited mode including LBC, MODS, LUCI, and PEPSI, all of which are now available flexibly scheduled in partner science blocks.
- Homogeneous Binocular: all facility instruments in seeing-limited mode; twin or fraternal only
- Heterogeneous Binocular:
-
- LBC + MODS in SHARED RISK**
- LBC + LUCI in SHARED RISK**
- LUCI + MODS in SHARED RISK**
- Heterogeneous Binocular with PEPSI:
-
- PEPSI + MODS in SHARED RISK**
- PEPSI + LUCI in SHARED RISK**
Enhanced Seeing Mode (ESM):
- LUCI1: Imaging offered, Spectroscopy offered in shared risk
- LUCI2: Imaging offered, Spectroscopy offered in shared risk
Diffraction Limited: (ADI included in SHARED RISK**)
- LUCI1: Imaging only
- LUCI2: Imaging only
- LUCI1: NOT OFFERED
- LUCI2: NOT OFFERED
Mixed mode on LBTI focal stations:
To accommodate mixed-mode proposals for the instruments that sit on the LBTI focal stations (SHARK-NIR, SHARK-VIS, and LBTI), the PIT now includes an option to select a primary and secondary instrument for combinations of these. When scheduling the upcoming semester, the primary instrument proposed for will be the instrument with which the science will be scheduled, the secondary instrument request will be obtained on a best-effort basis, dependent on instrument and instrument team availability. It is critical that astronomers proposing for LBTI, SHARK-NIR, and SHARK-VIS contact the Principal Investigator(s) for the instruments before submitting proposals to the TAC.
* For more information about ESM strategies, see this page. ESM is highly recommended for all seeing-limited LUCI observations with appropriate AO Reference Stars.
** In “shared-risk”, LBTO and its partners jointly acknowledge that the instrument, capability, or facility may require expert operation or staff intervention before or during nighttime operations and thus be less efficient. Also, at the discretion of LBTO staff, extended investigation of problems and/or the pursuit of recovery options may occur at night for the benefit of the greater community.
Telescope/Instrument Configurations (INAF):
INAF PIs should consult the LBT Italian Call for Proposals.
Strategic Instruments:
It is critical that astronomers who would like to use the LBTI must contact the Principal Investigator of this instrument before submitting proposals to the TAC:
LBTI – LBTI PI (lbtipi@lbto.org)
Observations will be carried out with assistance from the instrument team during scheduled PI instrument blocks.
PI Instruments (SHARK-NIR & SHARK-VIS):
For investigators interested in using the PI instruments SHARK-NIR and SHARK-VIS please consult the PI’s, Jacopo Farinato (jacopo.farinato@inaf.it) and Fernando Pedichini (fernando.pedichini@inaf.it) respectively for current status and availability.
Special Instructions for 2025A:
- Mask Deadline for Successful Proposals is January 11th, 2025. Please contact slitmasks@lbto.org for any questions.
Observing Modes Available:
The observatory encourages observers to continue to use the offer Supported Observing Mode, a service mode where lead observers from the membership participate in observing runs with LBTO staff, who execute observations. The LBTO offers remote observing facilities in the LBTO headquarters for observing. On-site In-situ observing, involving the member astronomers traveling physically to the telescope, is now offered for experienced observers.
The Arizona member now operates in Mini-Q mode. Similar to the supported observing mode, the observing time is still scheduled in discrete blocks, however LBTO’s expert staff now execute observations on behalf of AZ PIs, with attention to priority and weather conditions.
The LBTO observing modes are outlined here: Observing with the LBT.
Recent Past CfP:
PIT 2024B release: closed
PIT 2024A release: closed
PIT 2023B release: closed
PIT 2023A release: closed
PIT 2022B release: closed
PIT 2022A release: closed
PIT 2021B release: closed
PIT 2021A release: closed
PIT 2020B release: closed
PIT 2020A release: closed
PIT 2019B release: closed
PIT 2019A release: closed
PIT 2018B release: closed
PIT 2018A release: closed
PIT 2017B release: closed
PIT 2017A release: closed
PIT 2016B release: closed
PIT 2016A release: closed
The LBTO would like to thank Gemini Observatory for extensive use and adaptation of the materials and webpages published by Gemini staff at www.gemini.edu/sciops. The Gemini Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brazil), and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina).
