News

Las Cumbres Observatory solicits proposals for key projects: large, coherent observing programs designed to take maximum advantage of the unique capabilities of the LCO network to address important astrophysical problems. The goal of key projects is to produce the highest-impact science that can be done with the Network.

LCO plans to allocate up to 4000 hours on its 1-meter telescopes, 800 hours on its 2-meter telescopes, and 2000 hours on its 0.4-meter telescopes per semester to key projects. New key projects can begin 1 August 2023 (semester 2023B) and request time for up to six semesters. Key projects should have a duration of at least one year. LCO plans to issue key project calls every 18 months.

Note: LCO is not accepting a new gravitational wave follow-up key project proposal in 2023B. The proposal selected for 2020B has been delayed from starting due to the pandemic. An updated version of that proposal will be supported through LIGO-Virgo O4.

Definition of Key Projects

Key projects should have substantial scientific impact on problems that are widely considered to be of significant astrophysical interest . Key projects require a large number of hours (at least 500) and may require observations over multiple years. Key projects often provide observational or derived data sets that are of interest to other researchers, in part because they can gather observations of a particular class of object in a coherent and uniform way.

Key projects are carried out by well-organized teams with strategic management of effort and resources. They are likely to require resources in addition to the telescope time, perhaps computing for analysis or theoretical studies, or time on other telescopes to make follow-up observations on a subset of science targets. Key projects require specific and well-defined scientific goals. It is expected that the resources to accomplish those goals are available or there is a plan for acquiring the needed resources.

In 2023B, the LCO Network will have two 2-meter telescopes, thirteen 1-meter telescopes, and ten 0.4-meter telescopes. The 0.4m network will be in a transition process, as the Meade telescopes and SBIG cameras are being replaced with PlaneWave DeltaRho telescopes and QHY cameras. Two additional 1m telescopes with QHY411 CMOS cameras are still planned for installation at Ali Observatory as soon as feasible.

Both 2m telescopes are equipped with FLOYDS low-dispersion spectrographs. The Faulkes Telescope North is equipped with the MuSCAT3 multi-channel imager, and MuSCAT4, a clone of MuSCAT3, will replace the Spectral camera at the Faulkes Telescope South in late calendar 2023. Proposers should plan for MuSCAT4 to be available at FTS starting in semester 2024A.

Eligibility

All researchers who have access to LCO are permitted to lead or participate in key projects. This includes LCO Science Collaboration members and investigators at US institutions who are eligible to apply for LCO Open Access time through NOIRLab. The Open Access time is funded by an NSF MSIP award through semester 2023B. LCO will apply for a continuation of that award. The time in key projects is not paid for through the MSIP award. It is provided by LCO. LCO will select a maximum of two key projects with PIs eligible through the MSIP award. Questions about eligibility should be directed to science-support@lco.global.

Because LCOGT is contributing a large amount of telescope time to support the key project program, we require that collaborators from non-LCO institutions commit significant resources to the key project effort. Such resources could include: access to other observing facilities, additional time on LCO Network contributed by their own institution, computing resources, or scientist time. Collaborators who participate in key projects should commit to continuing their proposed contribution each semester for the duration of the project. 

Proposal Review Process

All proposals will be reviewed by a Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) whose members are selected from the astronomical community and are not affiliated with LCO. TAC members will be selected such that their expertise covers the range of science topics for which we expect to receive key project proposals. TAC members will also be selected for their understanding of (or experience using) the unique capabilities of LCO Network.

The TAC will evaluate the proposals based on the following selection criteria:

• The overall scientific merit of the proposed investigation and its potential contribution to the advancement of scientific knowledge.
• The extent to which the proposed investigation requires the unique capabilities of the LCO Network.
• The technical feasibility and robustness of the proposed observations. Are the proposed observations and other work consistent with the LCO network and other capabilities? Is the project described in sufficient detail and depth?
• The probability that the study can be carried out as described. Is the management plan sound and are the resources available consistent with what will be needed?
• The contribution of resources brought by other collaborators to the project.

The TAC will rank the proposals and will make a recommendation to the LCO Director, who is the selection official. Network time allocations will be based on the TAC's recommendation as well as programmatic considerations.

Proposal Submission

Key project proposals must be submitted through the LCO Observation Portal. Before you can submit a proposal, you must register for an account. When you have access to the portal, you can click on the "Submit Proposal" link to access the web-based proposal form. (The form will be made available during the week of 7 November 2022.) Make sure that you specify that you are submitting a key project proposal. Consult the Guidelines for Writing Key Project Proposals for details on creating a proposal.

Letters of Intent

To ensure that the key project Time Allocation Committee has the necessary expertise, LCO requires letters of intent. Letters may be submitted by individuals or groups as an email to

keyproject@lco.global by November 1, 2022

with the following information:

• Name and affiliation of PI or Co-PIs,
• Name and affiliations of co-investigators,
• Proposal title,
• General subject area: e.g., supernovae, exoplanets, asteroids,
• A brief abstract that provides the specific science interests within the general subject area.

Key Project Schedule

The schedule for the selection of 2023 key projects and 2023B regular proposals is summarized below. The schedule is designed to ensure that the results of the key project call are available before proposals for regular time allocations are due at LCO and NOIRLab for 2023B.