Download FY12 - National Optical Astronomy Observatory

National Optical Astronomy Observatory
Fiscal Year Annual Report for FY 2012
(1 October 2011 – 30 September 2012)
Submitted to the National Science Foundation
Pursuant to Cooperative Support Agreement No. AST-0950945
21 December 2012
NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation
Contents
NOAO MISSION PROFILE................................................................................................. IV
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 1
2
NOAO ACCOMPLISHMENTS ....................................................................................... 3
2.1 Achievements ..................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Status of Vision and Goals ................................................................................. 4
2.2.1
Status of FY12 High-Level Deliverables ............................................ 5
2.2.2
FY12 Planned vs. Actual Spending and Revenues.............................. 7
2.3 Challenges and Their Impacts .......................................................................... 10
3
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES AND FINDINGS .............................................................. 12
3.1 Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory....................................................... 12
3.2 Kitt Peak National Observatory ....................................................................... 16
3.3 Gemini Observatory ......................................................................................... 21
3.4 Community Access Facilities ........................................................................... 23
4
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS ............................ 26
4.1 NOAO South .................................................................................................... 26
4.1.1
CTIO .................................................................................................. 26
4.1.2
NOAO South Engineering & Technical Services ............................. 31
4.1.3
NOAO South Facilities Operations ................................................... 32
4.1.4
NOAO South Computer Infrastructure Services ............................... 33
4.1.5
NOAO South Administrative Services .............................................. 34
4.2 NOAO North .................................................................................................... 35
4.2.1
KPNO ................................................................................................ 35
4.2.2
NOAO North Engineering & Technical Services ............................. 42
i
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
4.3
4.4
5
4.2.3
NOAO North Central Facilities Operations ...................................... 44
4.2.4
NOAO North Computer Infrastructure Services .............................. 45
NOAO System Science Center ........................................................................ 46
4.3.1
System User Support......................................................................... 47
4.3.2
Science Data Management ................................................................ 49
4.3.3
System Community Development .................................................... 52
NOAO System Technology Center ................................................................. 55
4.4.1
System Instrumentation .................................................................... 55
4.4.2
ReSTAR Instrumentation.................................................................. 58
4.4.3
Telescope System Instrumentation Program..................................... 59
4.4.4
LSST Technology Program .............................................................. 61
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS ........................................................................................... 68
5.1 Central Administrative Services ...................................................................... 68
5.2 Office of Science ............................................................................................. 69
5.3 Education and Public Outreach ....................................................................... 70
5.4 NOAO Director’s Office ................................................................................. 78
5.5 ARRA Infrastructure Renewal ........................................................................ 81
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 83
A FY12 BUDGET BY PROGRAM .................................................................................... 84
A.1 FY12 Expenditures .......................................................................................... 84
A.2 FY12 Revenue ................................................................................................. 88
A.3 FY12 Funds Carried Forward to FY13............................................................ 91
B NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY........................ 92
B.1 NOAO Key Management during FY12........................................................... 92
B.2 Scientific Staff Changes during FY12 ............................................................. 92
B.3 Division of Effort—NOAO Scientific/Management Staff .............................. 93
B.4 Scientific Staff Accomplishments and Plans ................................................. 101
C NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS ........................................................ 132
D PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES ............................ 148
D.1 Telescopes at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory ............................. 148
D.2 Telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory .............................................. 156
D.3 Gemini Telescopes (NOAO System Science Center) ................................... 166
D.4 W. M. Keck Observatory: Keck I and II ....................................................... 172
D.5 HET and MMT .............................................................................................. 173
D.6 Magellan ........................................................................................................ 173
D.7 CHARA and Hale .......................................................................................... 174
ii
CONTENTS
D.8 NOAO Science Archive ................................................................................. 174
E USAGE STATISTICS FOR ARCHIVED DATA ....................................................... 176
F
TELESCOPE PROPOSAL STATISTICS ................................................................... 178
F.1 Semester 2012A Proposal Statistics ............................................................... 178
F.2 Semester 2012B Proposal Statistics ............................................................... 179
G OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012 ................................. 181
G.1 Demographics ................................................................................................ 181
G.2 Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory..................................................... 183
G.3 Kitt Peak National Observatory ..................................................................... 188
G.4 Gemini Observatory ....................................................................................... 197
G.5 Community Access to Private Telescopes ..................................................... 210
H BROADENING PARTICIPATION ............................................................................. 214
I
GRANTS OBTAINED IN FY12 ................................................................................... 219
J
SAFETY REPORT FOR Q4 ......................................................................................... 221
Cover Caption
The iconic Orion Nebula is a target of one of the 13 programs selected for the new Dark Energy Camera
(DECam) science verification (SV) period. Primary investigator E. Bertin (IAP, Paris), co-investigator
Hervé Buoy (INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), and their colleagues proposed to use DECam to study the
colors and kinematics of several young star clusters, including the cluster associated with this famous
nebula. The dynamic range and wide field of DECam will enable these researchers to do a complete and
homogeneous census of the stellar content of these associations down to the planetary mass regime and
in dusty, young embedded regions.
The background image is DECam mounted on the Blanco telescope. The composite color DECam
image (smaller, right side) seen here is a three-filter composite (g, i, z) of the Orion Nebula. The larger
DECam image, to illustrate the full field with two DECam dithers, is a two-filter composite (i, z). For
both images, the instrumental calibration (flat fielding and astrometry) was done with the DECam Community Pipeline and the remapping, stacking, and color compositing was done with IRAF. The unprecedented wide-field and the efficiency by which the images can be produced make these two images
unique. The images shown here total just 40 minutes exposure time.
This data is provided by Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, as distributed by the NOAO Science Archive. NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The observations were taken with
DECam, built by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory under the auspices of the Dark Energy Survey
collaboration. Image credits: (DECam background) Tim Abbott, (DECam science) Frank Valdes and the
NOAO DECam SV Team, CTIO/NOAO/AURA/NSF. Cover design by Pete Marenfeld (NOAO).
iii
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
NOAO MISSION PROFILE
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) is the US national research and development center
for ground-based nighttime astronomy. Its core mission is to provide access for all qualified professional
researchers, via peer review, to state-of-the-art scientific capabilities. Through that access, the US research
community is investigating a broad range of modern astrophysical challenges from small bodies within our
own solar system, to the most distant galaxies in the early universe, to indirect observations of dark energy
and dark matter.
To support that mission and help further US leadership in the international arena, NOAO is leading the
development of the US Ground-Based Optical/Infrared (O/IR) System—the ensemble of public and private
observatories dedicated to international leadership in scientific research, technical innovation, education, and
public outreach.
NOAO is also leading programs that help enable a new generation of telescopes, instruments, and software tools to meet the research challenges of the next decade. In particular, NOAO is leveraging in-house
scientific and technical expertise gained over 50 years to participate in the development of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, a unique 8-m-class wide-field imaging telescope. Additionally, NOAO is involved in
the development of major, wide-field imaging and spectroscopic surveys at the Blanco and Mayall 4-m telescopes. Together, these new facilities will make possible revolutionary advances in the physical understanding of dark energy and dark matter, galactic evolution, time-domain activity of supermassive black holes at
the centers of nearby galaxies, and icy bodies in the outer reaches of our solar system. By pushing back the
frontiers of our understanding, these facilities will surely uncover cosmic phenomena unforeseen today.
To communicate the excitement and opportunities of world-class scientific research and technology development, NOAO operates a nationally recognized Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program. The
NOAO EPO program strives to promote scientific literacy and inspire young people to become explorers in
science and research-based technology, especially within groups that have been historically underrepresented in the US physics and astronomy science enterprise.
The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) operates NOAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF).
iv
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is the NOAO Fiscal Year Annual Report for fiscal year 2012 (FY12). This report fulfills requirements established by the Cooperative Support Agreement (AST-0950945) between NSF and AURA.
NOAO and the research community it serves strive for significant leadership roles at the science
frontiers defined by the Astro2010 decadal survey report New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and
Astrophysics (NWNH), including characterization of the nature of dark energy, mapping the 3dimensional distribution of dark matter at cosmological distances, exploration and characterization of the
time domain, and exoplanet characterization and the study of their parent stars. Such leadership is exercised through a range of project size, from a few nights to tens of nights per year over several years, and
general-purpose instrumentation on world-class facilities. To enable scientific and technological leadership, NOAO works closely and actively with university-based groups, other US-led observatories, other
US national science centers, major international science collaborations, and, especially, NOAO’s dynamic and world-leading user community.
During this fiscal year, NOAO continued to operate and improve the four 4-m-class facilities at Kitt
Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in
the Republic of Chile. As NSF and non-NSF funding permitted, other facilities were supported. Current
science capabilities at these observatories continue to enable a broad range of forefront scientific research. Facilities infrastructure support was provided to many tenant and partner facilities at both sites on
a fee-for-service basis. The number of such hosted facilities continues to grow, especially on Cerro
Tololo. Behind the scenes, NOAO completed several significant infrastructure renewal projects at its
base and mountain facilities in Arizona and Chile.
A serious accident on Cerro Tololo damaged the Blanco ƒ/8 secondary mirror and injured two employees. The employees have recovered completely and the mirror will return to service during FY13. In
the aftermath of this incident, two safety/risk management reviews were conducted, and improved operational procedures were put into place for all potentially hazardous activities in Arizona and Chile.
The 2.2-deg-wide optical imager Dark Energy Camera (DECam) was successfully installed and
achieved first light at the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope. Almost simultaneously, the partially filled One
Degree Imager (pODI) also was successfully installed and achieved first light at the Wisconsin-IndianaYale-NOAO (WIYN) 3.5-m telescope on Kitt Peak. The NOAO-built ground-layer adaptive optics imager (SAM) at the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) 3.5-m telescope on Cerro Pachón continued
its shakedown and commissioning campaign. Construction continued on new, medium resolution, optical
imaging, multi-object spectrometers for both the Mayall and Blanco 4-m telescopes and a new, mediumresolution, near-IR spectrometer for the Blanco telescope. Significant design and development progress
was made toward the implementation of the 3-degree-wide, 5000-fiber, multi-object Big Baryonic Oscillation Survey Spectrometer (BigBOSS) at the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope.
In terms of nights, the Gemini Observatory provided the most US community access at the 6-m to
10-m aperture level, as NOAO continued to be the US gateway to Gemini. Additional large aperture
nights at the MMT observatory were provided to the community as a return for NSF investment in instrumentation projects at that observatory through the NOAO-managed Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP). During FY12, TSIP nights were not available at Keck and Magellan. Community
access to the Palomar 200-inch Hale Telescope was provided for optical and near-IR medium-resolution
spectroscopy and to the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) on Mt. Wilson for
optical interferometry.
Scientific demand as measured by oversubscription rates (nights requested divided by nights available) remained strong for the facilities NOAO operated or to which NOAO provided access. There is a
clear trend that modern, world-class instruments are more in demand. Scientific productivity measured
by the number of papers published by the community-at-large and the NOAO scientific staff in particular
also remained strong.
1
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Looking to the future, NOAO remained highly engaged in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
(LSST) project as the Lead Institution for telescope system and site development. Preparations for major
Department of Energy (DOE) and NSF reviews were a core focus this year, leading to a positive recommendation by the NSF National Science Board to fund LSST construction in a future fiscal year. LSST
scientific leadership by NOAO was provided in the areas of operations simulations, calibration planning,
transient event follow-up observations planning, and LSST Science Collaboration mini-workshop hosting. Several NOAO scientists are leaders of or within LSST Science Collaboration groups. In contrast,
NOAO involvement in US-led Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT) projects remained at a low
level during FY12 pending the development by NSF of a federal strategy for investment in such projects.
NOAO expects to be more active in the GMST arena during FY13.
The NOAO Education and Public Outreach program carried out a broad and varied program that
touched on many aspects of the NSF goals of broadening the participation of underrepresented individuals, groups, and institutions.
On behalf of AURA, NOAO provided administrative and business services not only for itself (360
employees in multiple locations in Arizona and La Serena) but also for an increasing number of other
AURA associated projects (including Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, AURA Corporate, Gemini
Observatory, and National Solar Observatory) and partners (LSST, WIYN, and SOAR). Starting mid
year, the NOAO Central Administrative Services (CAS) and Human Resources (HR) teams began to
transition from NOAO to AURA Corporate. From FY13 onward, those teams will report directly to
AURA Corporate and be completely removed from the NOAO organizational structure.
As discussed further below, actual NSF base funding was $26M rather than the planned $29.15M.
As part of the overall NOAO spending reduction plan, 37 full-time-equivalents (FTE) were eliminated
relative to the 353 FTE planned. Between these staffing reductions, the transfer of CAS and HR to
AURA, and the completion of several projects funded by external or supplementary funds, NOAO contracted from 353 FTE to 271 FTE from October 2011 to October 2012.
The NSF Astronomy Portfolio Review was a key external event during this period. The report released late in the fiscal year contains recommendations that have far-reaching implications for NOAO
and the US O/IR System. While implementation details remained unclear by the end of FY12, a future
oriented around LSST, wide-field surveys at the Blanco and Mayall telescopes, and Gemini, with a path
to involvement as the federal partner in one or both GSMT projects is both viable and guaranteed to
maintain NOAO as one of the highest impact O/IR ground-based observatories in the world.
2
2
2.1
NOAO ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ACHIEVEMENTS
Based on scientific merit as judged by peer review, NOAO provided access to 16 NOAO and non-NOAO
telescopes for 1196 scientists involved in 366 new and on-going research projects. The number of projects that sought time was approximately 3.5 times larger. The majority of scientists who were allocated
time (828 not including NOAO scientists) came from 166 US institutions distributed across 41 of the
United States (included the District of Columbia). The top five institutions by number of investigators
were Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, University of California Berkeley, Space Telescope
Science Institute, University of Arizona, and Gemini Observatory. About 8% of the allocated time went
to programs whose principal investigators were at foreign institutions. The total number of scientists and
projects was somewhat lower than in past years due to reduced access to Keck/Magellan (TSIP access
was exhausted), CTIO Blanco 4-m (DECam installation), and SMARTS (one telescope was closed due to
insufficient funding by the partnership). Based on observations obtained in previous years, the NOAO
user community published 484 refereed papers. Crabtee (2011, 2012, private communications) illustrates
that NOAO Mayall and Blanco telescopes were two of the most productive astronomical telescopes in
the world in the period of 2005–2010. On a continuing, annual basis, NOAO supports the largest and
broadest research community of any US ground-based astronomical observatory (and most space-based
observatories, with the notable exception of the Hubble Space Telescope).
Implementation of Large Science Programs at NOAO made major progress in FY12. In Chile, the
Dark Energy Camera (DECam) arrived, was installed successfully, and achieved first light. NOAO made
significant contributions to the design and development of the DECam Community Pipeline (Lead Institution: National Center for Supercomputing Applications). Completing these milestones opened the door
to starting the Dark Energy Survey (DES) as well as other community-based projects during FY13. In
Arizona, collaboration continued with the Big Baryonic Oscillations Survey Spectrometer (BigBOSS)
project to deploy a 3-deg, 5000-fiber, multi-object spectrometer at the Mayall 4-m telescope in 2018. Not
only will the DES and BigBOSS projects be the most important dark energy characterization experiments
of this decade, but their world-best instrumentation will enable a plethora of world-class ancillary experiments. Furthermore, being a partner with major US national physics centers such as Fermilab and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory brings many scientific and technical benefits, while working in large
science collaborations like DES and BigBOSS provides many valuable lessons that can be applied in the
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) context.
Two other NOAO-related instrumentation projects achieved major milestones this year as well. First,
the SOAR Adaptive Optics Module (SAM) ground-layer adaptive optics system and its associated imager completed several commissioning cycles and approached performance levels sufficient for it to be
released for regular science operations. The SAM imager is planned for community release for semester
2013B. Second, the partially filled WIYN One Degree Imager (pODI) was integrated and installed,
achieved first light, and completed the technical commissioning process. At the request of the WIYN
Board of Directors, NOAO is leading the pODI project on their behalf. In support of pODI, NOAO made
significant contributions to science modules for the ODI Pipeline, Portal, and Archive project. As an
aside, NOAO also made significant contributions to the NASA/NSF-funded Virtual Astronomical Observatory (Lead Institution: VAO LLC).
NOAO remained the Lead Organization for the LSST Telescope and Site design, development, and
construction work package. LSST work was supported by a combination of NSF base and supplementary
funds. While preparation for and participation in several major DOE/NSF reviews drove the high-level
schedule this year, significant design work was completed on all major subsystems within this work
package.
3
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
The Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) made an award in this fiscal year (based on
FY11 funds) to the Keck Observatory for the construction and commissioning of the Keck Cosmic Web
Imager (KCWI), an integral field spectrograph. The award provides funds to complete the blue wavelength channel and the components common to both the blue and the red channels, thus allowing for an
upgrade path to install the red channel at a later time, when additional funding can be obtained from another source. KCWI is optimized to perform spatially resolved spectroscopy of low surface brightness
sources in a variety of spectral and spatial resolutions. The award resulted in another 27 nights for community access at Keck (not all of which have been allocated yet). This award brings the total TSIP nights
to 453 and the total awards to $33M.
The joint NSF/NOAO/community initiative, Renewing Small Telescopes for Astronomical Research
(ReSTAR), continued to bear fruit during FY12. Community access was provided to optical and near-IR
spectroscopy at the Palomar 200-inch Hale Telescope. Access to Palomar Hale will not be provided in
FY13 and beyond due to lack of funding. Construction continued for new, optical, medium-resolution,
multi-object spectrographs for the NOAO Mayall and Blanco 4-m telescopes in partnership with The
Ohio State University. Construction activity began on a new, cross-dispersed, medium-resolution, nearIR spectrometer in partnership with Cornell University. NSF supplementary funding supported most of
this activity, although base funding was used in particular to support management and design activity.
NOAO made significant progress on a host of infrastructure renewal programs under the NSFfunded American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) program. Projects in both Chile and
Arizona were completed in this third year of the program including water storage and processing, mountain dormatory room renovations, and a new computer room backup generator.
The nationally recognized Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program at NOAO was awarded a
new grant as a co-investigator of the University of Alaska. The grant will use art to engage Native American young women, who are often strong in visual abilities, in science. The EPO group also began working on a new program to teach about energy sustainability through dark skies education. This program is
supported by Arizona Public Service Foundation. The EPO group held several hundred individual outreach events through the year with a total attendance of approximately 20,000 individuals.
The Ground-Based O/IR System Roadmap Committee (SRC) continued its work, co-led by T. Soifer
(Caltech) and J. Najita (NOAO) (who took over from B. Jannuzi after he became the director of Steward
Observatory). This standing, community-based committee continues the work started by the Access to
Large Telescopes for Astronomical Instruction and Research (ALTAIR) and ReSTAR committees. During FY12, the SRC issued two major reports related to the NSF Astronomy Portfolio Review: Sustaining
Progress toward the Decadal Survey Science Priorities over the Next Decade and SRC Statement on the
NSF Portfolio Review Committee Report and the NSF Response.
Motivated by unexpected funding reductions and the NSF Astronomy Portfolio Review, NOAO
made extra efforts to engage the US astronomical community-at-large during this fiscal year. In addition
to the semi-annual NOAO Newsletter and annual NOAO Town Hall at the winter AAS meeting, NOAO
issued seven issues of the topical e-newsletter Currents and conducted a major community survey about
the US O/IR System that received more than 1100 responses.
2.2
STATUS OF VISION AND GOALS
The NOAO Annual Program Plan FY 2012 (APP-12) defined the high-level NOAO deliverables for
FY12 in its Executive Summary. Those high-level deliverables are re-stated below in section 2.2.1 with
notes on their status at the end of FY12. In section 2.2.2, planned spending and revenues for FY12 are
compared to actual spending and revenues for that period. Significant differences between planned and
actual are discussed.
Status notes are provided in sections 3 and 4 of this report for all lower-level program milestones established in APP-12.
4
NOAO ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2.2.1
Status of FY12 High-Level Deliverables
From FY12 NSF base funding, NOAO planned to deliver and/or enable:

Operation and maintenance of NOAO facilities in Tucson and on Kitt Peak (Mayall 4-m, WIYN 3.5m, and 2.1-m telescopes).
Status: On-going, Details are provided in section 4.2. Kitt Peak personnel made significant contributions to the installation of the Dark Energy Camera at the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope and the
partially filled One Degree Imager (pODI) at the WIYN 3.5-m telescope.

Operation and maintenance of NOAO facilities in La Serena (including the AURA compound) and
on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón (Blanco 4-m and SOAR 4.1-m telescopes).
Status: On-going. Details are provided in section 4.1. An accident at the Blanco 4-m telescope injured two employees (both now fully recovered) and damaged the ƒ/8 secondary mirror. The secondary will be repaired and returned to service during FY13.

Scientific user support services and community development activities for the non-NOAO facilities
within the US Optical/Infrared (O/IR) System, especially the Gemini Observatory.
Status: On-going. Details are provided in section 4.3. The Ground-based Optical-Infrared System
Roadmap Committee (SRC) was very active during FY12.

Commissioning and science verification of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the Blanco 4-m
telescope.
Status: DECam installation was completed, first-light was achieved, and commissioning was begun
during FY12. Commissioning and science verification will be completed before the end of 2012.

Re-installation of the NEWFIRM wide-field near-IR imager at the Mayall 4-m telescope.
Status: Completed. See section 4.2.1.

Commissioning and science verification of the Kitt Peak Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph
(KOSMOS) at the Mayall 4-m telescope.
Status: Not completed. As discussed in section 4.2.2, The Ohio State University could not maintain
its planned integration and delivery schedule due to vendor failure to deliver one of the major optical systems. A recovery plan has been developed that may allow commissioning and science verification before the end of FY13.

Commissioning and science verification of the Cerro Tololo Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph
(COSMOS) at the Blanco 4-m telescope.
Status: Not completed. See the status for the preceding KOSMOS milestone.

NOAO contribution to the WIYN One Degree Imager (ODI) project, including on-sky commissioning of the instrument with a partially filled focal plane.
Status: Completed. Under NOAO leadership, the partially filled ODI was integrated, installed, firstlight achieved, and technical commissioning completed. For more details, see sections 4.2 and 4.4.1.

Initial science operations for a ground-layer adaptive-optics system with laser guide star for the
SOAR 4.1-m telescope (and an associated imager).
Status: Delayed due to re-allocation of planned engineering resources from SAM to the DECam installation and commissioning effort. See section 4.4.1 for more details.
5
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

New detector system controllers for various instruments on Kitt Peak and Cerro Tololo based on the
MONSOON/TORRENT development program.
Status: The FY12 objectives were achieved. More systems are being packaged for FY13 installation.
See section 4.4.1.

Program and scientific management support of various ReSTAR (Renewing Small Tele-scopes for
Astronomical Research) Phase 1 projects.
Status: Completed as needed. See section 4.4.2.

Design and development activity for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), including telescope systems and on-site support facilities.
Status: On-going. See details in section 4.4.2. Several major DOE/NSF reviews absorbed significant
effort this year. Nevertheless, significant progress was made on detailed designs of various key telescope and site facility subsystems.

Science data management services that are focused on immediate NOAO needs, including science
operations of the Dark Energy Camera and WIYN One Degree Imager.
Status: On-going. See section 4.3.2. Although operations did not commence during FY12, the Science Data Management team supported the DECam and pODI commissionings.

Education and Public Outreach program that is focused on critical, local activities and needs while
maintaining a national (global) perspective through targeted, innovative programs.
Status: On-going. See section 5.3.

Technical support and program management required for instrumentation development funded
through supplementary budget allocations.
Status: Completed as necessary. See section 4.4 for details.

Administrative and facility operations services necessary for an organization with more than 350
employees at two geographically distributed sites.
Status: The facility operations mission was completed as planned, both in Chile (see sections 4.1.3
and 4.1.4) and in Arizona (see sections 4.2.3 and 4.2.4). In parallel to day-to-day operations, the
main focus for administrative service was a transition from NOAO to AURA Corporate. See sections
5.1 and 4.1.5 for details.
From FY12 (or earlier) NSF supplementary funding, NOAO planned to deliver and/or enable:

Completion of the deferred maintenance catch-up and infrastructure improvement program (so-called
stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).
Status: The ARRA program is more than 82% complete. The largest project remaining was delayed
because of discussions between the NSF and the Tohon O’Odham Nation for the development of a
new instrument handling facility on Kitt Peak. The NSF has extended the ARRA program through July 2013.

Annual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs in Tucson and La Serena.
Status: Completed. Seven students (three men and four women) participated in the REU program at
Tucson and six students (four women and two men) participated in the program at La Serena. See
section 5.3 for details.
6
NOAO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Continued support of current partners (Vanderbilt University/Fisk University and South Carolina
State University) in the Partnerships in Astronomy & Astrophysics Research and Education
(PAARE) program.
Status: Neither program forwarded students to NOAO, so there was no PAARE activity this year.

Additional design and development activity for LSST.
Status: On-going. See section 4.4.4.

Complete construction of a new, medium-resolution optical spectrograph for the Mayall 4-m telescope (KOSMOS) (ReSTAR Phase 1) (commissioning using base funding, see above).
Status: Not completed. See the comment above in the milestone section for base-funded activities.

Complete construction of a new, medium-resolution optical spectrograph for the Blanco 4-m telescope (COSMOS) (ReSTAR Phase 1) (commissioning using base funding, see above).
Status: Not completed. See the comment above in the milestone section for base-funded activities.

Start construction of a new, medium-resolution near-infrared spectrograph for the Blanco 4-m telescope (TripleSpec) (ReSTAR Phase 1).
Status: Construction was started as planned. See section 4.4.2 for details.

Participation in the development of scientific user support services for the Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO).
Status: On-going, but curtailed relative to the plan due to a mid year reduction of supplementary
funding. See section 4.3.2 for more details.
On a cost-recovery basis, NOAO also planned to deliver and/or enable:

Technical and facility operations support services for tenant and/or partner observatories on Kitt
Peak, Cerro Tololo, Cerro Pachón, and Cerro Las Campanas.
Status: Completed, as discussed in the sections devoted to facilities operations and computer infrastructure services.
2.2.2
FY12 Planned vs. Actual Spending and Revenues
In this section, planned versus actual FY12 spending and revenues are discussed. More details about
FY12 expenditures, revenues, and funds carried forward to FY13 are provided in Appendix A.
Planned versus actual FY12 spending is summarized in Table 1. Spending categories and Plan 1 values were extracted from “NOAO Annual Program Plan FY 2012” (APP-12) Table 23 (FY 2012 NOAO
Budget Allocation Summary Rollup) while Plan 2 values correspond to a revised spend plan created mid
year in response to reduced base funding ($29.13M planned vs. $26M actual). Total planned spending for
both Plans 1 and 2 exceed NSF base funding because NOAO takes in additional (non-base) funding for a
variety of activities, e.g., infrastructure operations for non-NOAO facilities on Kitt Peak, Cerro Tololo,
and Cerro Pachón. Positive spending differences (Actual – Plan 2) indicate actual spending was larger
than planned spending. As necessary, these differences were covered by base funding transfers between
activities (for NOAO work) or by increased fee-for-service recovery (for non-NOAO work).
Table 1 also summarizes planned versus actual FY12 revenues. Categories and planned values correspond to APP-12 Table 24. Unlike the spend plan, there was only one revenue plan for FY12. Positive
revenue differences (Actual – Plan) indicate that more revenue was collected than planned.
7
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Table 1: Summary of FY12 Spending and Revenue (Planned vs. Actual)
Spending (M$)
Plan 1
(APP-12)
Plan 2
(Mid-Year)
Actual
NOAO South (NS)
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO)
NS Enginnering & Technical Services
NS Facilities Operations
NS Computer Infrastructure Services
NS Administrative Services
NOAO South Subtotal
5.869
1.698
3.217
0.974
1.772
13.530
5.782
1.738
3.258
0.944
2.047
13.769
NOAO North (NN)
Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)
NN Engineering & Technical Services
NN Central Facilities Operations
NN Computer Infrastructure Services
NOAO North Subtotal
6.815
1.966
1.677
0.650
11.108
NOAO System Science Center (NSSC)
System User Support (SUS)
Science Data Management (SDM)
System Community Development (SCD)
ReSTAR Palomar Nights
NSSC Subtotal
NOAO System Technology Center (NSTC)
System Instrumentation
ReSTAR Instrumentation
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
NSTC Subtotal
Non-Base Revenue (M$)
Actual – Plan2
Plan
(APP-12)
Actual
Actual – Plan
Notes
5.020
2.765
3.699
0.856
1.970
14.310
-0.762
+1.027
+0.441
-0.088
-0.077
+0.541
1.199
0.168
1.943
0.495
1.086
4.891
0.422
0.163
3.204
0.200
0.959
4.948
-0.777
-0.005
+1.261
-0.295
-0.127
+0.057
Note 1
6.777
2.047
1.620
0.618
11.062
5.988
2.168
1.332
0.608
10.096
-0.789
+0.121
-0.288
-0.010
-0.966
2.088
0.121
0.888
0.175
3.272
2.262
0.091
0.795
0.205
3.353
+0.174
-0.030
-0.093
+0.030
+0.081
Note 2
1.446
2.400
0.752
0.000
4.598
1.335
2.238
0.779
0.292
4.644
1.385
1.814
0.571
0.276
4.046
+0.050
-0.424
-0.208
-0.016
-0.598
0.000
0.503
0.000
0.000
0.503
0.002
0.159
0.074
0.000
0.235
+0.002
-0.344
+0.074
+0.000
-0.268
Note 3
2.652
2.453
2.891
7.996
1.879
3.375
2.385
7.639
1.919
3.202
2.420
7.541
+0.040
-0.173
+0.035
-0.098
0.525
2.239
1.471
4.235
0.229
0.000
0.017
0.246
-0.296
-2.239
-1.454
-3.989
Note 4
1.967
1.684
1.174
1.284
0.798
0.874
7.781
1.778
0.611
1.083
1.188
1.154
1.017
6.831
1.702
0.521
1.135
1.342
0.059
1.174
5.933
-0.076
-0.090
+0.052
+0.154
-1.095
+0.157
-0.898
1.172
0.822
0.112
0.085
0.000
0.000
2.191
1.178
0.007
0.118
0.240
0.000
0.000
1.543
+0.006
-0.815
+0.006
+0.155
+0.000
+0.000
-0.648
Note 5
NOAO Base Program
45.013
43.945
41.926
-2.019
15.092
10.325
-4.767
Note 6
ARRA Infrastructure Renewal
Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP)
NOAO Augmented Base Program
3.274
2.933
51.220
1.994
3.005
48.944
0.970
0.037
42.933
-1.024
-2.968
-6.011
3.274
2.933
21.299
0.000
0.000
10.325
-3.274
-2.933
-10.974
Note 7
Note 7
Note 7
NOAO-Wide
Central Administrative Services (CAS)
Office of Science (OS)
Education and Public Outreach (EPO)
NOAO Director's Office (NDO)
Reserve
AURA F&A Management Fee
NOAO-Wide Subtotal
The following notes discuss differences in actual versus planned spending or revenue that are larger
than $100K in magnitude. Smaller differences reflect normal planning uncertainties for the most part.
Such uncertainties were particularly large for FY12 as NOAO had to pay out severance to a significant
number of staff who were voluntarily or involuntarily separated due to mid-year funding reductions.

Note 1: NOAO South (NS)—installation of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) took more effort than planned, leading to greater-than-planned spending in NS Engineering & Technical Services and Facilities Operations. Increased spending in these areas was partially offset by decreased spending in CTIO operations (resources diverted to DECam installation) and greaterthan-planned revenue for Facilities Operations (recovered from fee-for-service activities, e.g.,
meals and rooms). The CTIO revenue estimate from APP-12 accounted for expected external direct funding for SMARTS operations from the SMARTS Consortium; however, that funding is
tracked independently of NOAO’s accounts during the fiscal year, creating what appears to be
an artificial revenue difference of –$777K between the APP-12 plan and revenue shown in Table
A-2 of this report. NS Computer Infrastructure Services actual revenue was less than planned
due to the cost recovery for long-haul data transfer services provided through NOAO to other
US-based (non-NOAO) programs in Chile being less than planned.
8
NOAO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Note 2: NOAO North (NN)—The combined effort at mid year for KPNO and NN Engineering
& Technical Services was not executed as planned for two reasons. KPNO labor was diverted to
help NS CTIO install DECam and, like all programs, spending was curtailed in the second half
of the year due to concerns for overspending in other programs (chiefly NOAO South/DECam).
The Kitt Peak Visitor Center (KPVC) labor effort was also approximately $100K less than initially forecast (but this underspend is self-balancing in actual expenses since the KPVC is revenue neutral). NN Central Facilities Operations proactively deferred maintenance at the request of
NOAO senior management and thus spent less than planned on materials and equipment. Actual
and planned revenues were equivalent within normal planning uncertainties but also modestly
positive ($100K).

Note 3: NOAO System Science Center (NSSC)—less-than-planned external funding for Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO) user support led to both reduced spending and reduced revenue within Science Data Management (SDM). Actual spending by System Community Development (SDM) was less than planned as people were assigned to higher priority tasks such as
LSST and the WIYN One Degree Imager.

Note 4: NOAO System Technology Center (NSTC)—within NSTC, the ReSTAR Instrumentation program spent less than planned because two new instruments (COSMOS and KOSMOS)
were not delivered to NOAO; therefore, NOAO could not complete all planned activity (mostly
related to anticipated but not completed on-sky commissioning). Otherwise, actual spending
tracked planned spending closely. While ReSTAR Instrumentation and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope appear to have a large revenue shortfall relative to the plan, this is an accounting
artifact. In APP-12, supplementary (non-base) NSF funds for these projects were included as
revenue when in fact, they were tracked as carry forward from previous multi-year awards (see
Appendix A in “NOAO Fiscal Year Annual Report FY 2011”).

Note 5: NOAO-Wide—this basket of centralized activities provides core NOAO program and
financial management services. The program reserve is base funding held back by the NOAO
Director’s Office (NDO) during the mid-year replan. The reserve ended with a larger balance
than planned (initial reserve was $380K) due to two factors. First, base funding was shifted from
the LSST program and covered with a new supplement from NSF near the end of the fiscal year
to cover costs elsewhere in the NOAO program (LSST also pushed several procurements into
FY13). Secondly, NSF provided an addittional $250K at the end of the year to help with severance costs due to the reduction in force that occurred during the year. The NDO spent more than
planned, mostly due to paying out severance and/or vacation time for unanticipated staff departures. On the other hand, NDO received more non-base revenue than expected thanks to overhead recovery from various activities in other parts of NOAO. The FY12 plan was created assuming the FY11 AURA management fee structure, but actual FY12 AURA management fees
were larger. The Office of Science shows an artificially large revenue shortfall, again for accounting reasons—non-NSF grant funding for various post-doctoral fellows was shown as revenue in the FY12 plan but such funding was tracked in non-NOAO accounts during the fiscal
year.

Note 6: NOAO Base Program—NOAO finished the fiscal year with a balance of $2M. Approximately $700K of this comes from programs that generate revenues from services, and these
funds are thus returned to those program areas in FY13 to improve shared infrastructure or services. Another $100K is from the ReSTAR supplement, and this will be carried over to that program. Of the remaining $1.2M, $750K is derived as described in Note 5 from LSST and yearend funds from NSF. The remaining amount resulted from aggressive reductions in spending following the mid-year budget reduction and several areas of indirect revenue that were larger than
forecast as mentioned in the notes above.
9
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

Note 7: NOAO Augmented Program—The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) Infrastructure Renewal and Telescope System Improvement programs augmented the
base program for NOAO. The revenue amounts planned are actually funds carried over from
these multi-year awards made in prior years. Because no new revenue came in this year, the plan
versus actual revenue is artificially out of balance. The remaining ARRA money will be expended in FY13. In fact, the TSIP funds, which show a net positive balance, were fully committed in
FY12 to CARA (operating entity for Keck) to build the Keck Cosmic Web Intergral-field Spectrograph.
2.3
CHALLENGES AND THEIR IMPACTS
Every year, NOAO faces the challenge of establishing and managing multiyear internal and external
commitments in the face of year-to-year base funding uncertainty. FY12 was no different. Official
NOAO base funding was not finalized until the second quarter and was $3.2M less than planned ($26M
vs. $29.2M). Consequently, NOAO reduced program scope and employee head count at mid year.
Planned nonlabor spending was reduced by $1.9M through reductions in travel, science staff research
support, training programs, noncritical capital purchases, and noncritical facility maintenance. The
NOAO labor pool was reduced by 37 FTE through 10 self-selected volunteers, 22 involuntary separations, and 5 unfilled open positions. NOAO spent nearly $2M in severance payouts as part of the labor
reductions. All necessary decisions were made within the context of long-established strategic priorities,
vetted and approved by NSF Astronomy and various oversight committees.
When base funding is less than expected, purely internal commitments can be managed by rebalancing the internal NOAO program through project deferment or cancellation. Managing external commitments is much harder, because it is often difficult or impossible for NOAO to reduce quickly the level of
such a commitment. Yet, over time, NOAO has become engaged in more external commitments (such as
DES and LSST) to enable new research capabilities for the community and to stay involved in forefront
projects. Thus, unexpectedly large year-to-year fluctuations in base funding can cause havoc to the internal program while NOAO first satisfies external obligations.
Such unpredictable financial shortfalls also hinder the ability of NOAO to deal with two long-term
personnel issues: retaining younger technical personnel and preparing for the departure of older technical
personnel. In the former case, the outlook of reduced funding for new projects causes personnel to seek
other employment. For example, during FY12, NOAO lost personnel to Raytheon and the Giant Magellan Telescope project. Fortunately, the presence of the LSST Telescope and Site team at NOAO is a positive, contravening force—many of the best NOAO engineers are actively engaged in and excited by
LSST. Involvement in the Dark Energy Camera, BigBOSS, and One Degree Imager also militates against
departure, at least in the short term. In the latter case, NOAO has been trying to hire junior engineers,
especially for mountain-based facility operations and maintenance, to train alongside senior engineers
who are close to or past nominal retirement age. Alas, several such junior positions were left unfilled
when the FY12 actual funding was less than planned. As a result, NOAO must often wait to hire replacements until people actually announce their retirement, leaving limited time for knowledge transfer.
The most significant technical problem experienced this year was an accident that injured two employees and damaged the ƒ/8 secondary mirror at the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope. Fortunately, the two
employees recovered fully, and the secondary mirror can be repaired and returned to service. Over several months, the accident caused a one-month delay in completing the installation of the Dark Energy
Camera. Most of this delay resulted from the initial period of work stoppage during the initial accident
investigation and internal review. A later external review contributed as well. The reviews led to improvements in safety and risk management procedures in Arizona and Chile. It is worth noting that this is
the only serious accident at the Blanco in several decades and that, overall, CTIO has an excellent safety
record. Nevertheless, it was good and appropriate to stop, review, and improve procedures. Through the
end of FY12, the lack of an ƒ/8 secondary did not result in significant lost observing time because the
10
NOAO ACCOMPLISHMENTS
telescope was already off-line for DECam installation and commissioning. During the first half of FY13,
however, the secondary will remain unavailable, leaving DECam as the only instrument available to
Blanco users. Fortunately, excellent spectroscopic capabilities are available at SOAR and (through a new
time-trading arrangement) the Australian Astronomical Telescope (AAT).
The second most significant challenge was the DECam installation. As already seen toward the end
of FY11, the preparations for and then the execution of DECam integration and installation in Chile
proved to be more resource intensive than planned. To improve performance and minimize calendar
time, resources (labor and nonlabor) were reallocated from lower-priority tasks in both Arizona and Chile
to DECam-related activities. In addition, more proactive project management oversight was implemented. By the end of FY12, DECam had been safely installed, first light had been achieved, and commissioning was underway. Shifting support toward DECam integration and related activities caused several
other projects to slow down. The most notable example was the SOAR Adaptive-optics Module (SAM)
project, but other projects were delayed or deferred as well (e.g., realuminization of the Mayall primary
mirror).
Due to the inability of a vendor to complete a critical optics assembly, The Ohio State University
was unable to delivery new optical multi-object spectrometers for the Blanco and Mayall telescopes. At
the end of FY12, a project recovery plan was being developed. The new, to-be-confirmed delivery date
for these instruments is the third quarter of FY13. This delay had virtually no science impact at the Blanco telescope since the ƒ/8 secondary will not be available until then. At the Mayall, there was opportunity
loss because users were forced to continue using the venerable RC spectrograph.
The NSF Astronomy Portfolio Review created the most significant strategic challenge for NOAO
during FY12. Given the expectation that the review might recommend significant challenges in the
NOAO mission, it was difficult or impossible to make any out-year decisions or commitments during
most of FY12, with the future of BigBOSS at the KPNO Mayall 4-m being the most obvious example.
Once recommendations became available in the fourth quarter, it was clear that the future mission of
NOAO would be significantly different, intensifying strategic planning uncertainty. NSF Astronomy expects to clarify this situation by mid-FY13.
11
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
3
3.1
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES AND FINDINGS
CERRO TOLOLO INTER-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY
Supergiants in the LMC
In a recent study, astronomers from Lowell Observatory identified hundreds of rare yellow supergiants,
and their more long-lived descendants, the red supergiants, in two neighboring galaxies. The Lowell astronomers use these newly identified populations to provide a stringent observational test for the theoretical models that describe how these stars change from blue, to yellow, and then to red. These constraints
are vital because the behavior of the models in this phase can influence many theoretical predictions, including which types of stars explode as supernova.
As described in a recent paper (Neugent, Massey, Skiff, & Meynet 2012, ApJ, 749, 177), the group
from Lowell Observatory, using NOAO facilities in Chile, observed a relatively complete set of the red
and yellow supergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The locations of the supergiants in the
LMC are shown in Figure 1. The astronomers
compared their observations with computer
models of stars derived by a group at Geneva
Observatory, Switzerland, and found excellent
agreement between their observed sample and
theory in predicting the stellar lifetimes and
general stellar properties during a critical period
near the end of the stars’ lifetimes. This is in
contrast to studies from three years ago by the
same teams that showed large discrepancies
between yellow supergiant populations and a
previous version of the Geneva evolutionary
models.
The team selected stars based on their colors and angular motion across the sky. For the
LMC study, they obtained spectra of almost
2,000 stars by making use of Hydra on the
Blanco 4-m telescope. The spectra were used to
provide radial velocities of the stars in their
1: The yellow and red supergiants in the Large
sample. This is key to deciding which stars are Figure
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are marked on an image of the
actually foreground red and yellow stars in the LMC taken to reveal the glowing interstellar gas around
Milky Way galaxy, masquerading as red super- very hot stars. (LMC Image Credit: C. Smith, S. Points, the
giants in these other galaxies. The work by the MCELS Team, and NOAO/AURA/NSF.)
Lowell astronomers was supported by the National Science Foundation.
Multiwavelength Study of a Massive Merging Cluster
Using NOAO time on the SOAR 4.1-m telescope, combined with observations from the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the Chandra X-ray telescope, the Spitzer IR telescope, and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), a team of investigators undertook a detailed analysis (Menanteau et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 7)
of one of the most massive, hottest, X-ray luminous galaxy clusters known, ACT-CL J0102-4915 (see
Figure 2). The cluster, also known as “El Gordo,” appears to be the first reported high-redshift cluster
undergoing a major merger, with components of approximately a 2 to 1 mass ratio. The combined optical
and Spitzer IR data constrain the stellar content of the cluster to be less than one percent of the total
12
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
mass. The cluster is possibly a high-redshift analog of the well-known Bullet cluster. The investigators
conclude that although such a massive cluster at this redshift is rare, at the lower end of their derived
mass range it is consistent with the standard Lambda-CDM cosmological models.
Figure 2: Multi-wavelength data set for ACT-CL J0102-4915 with all panels
showing the same sky region. Upper left: the composite optical color image
from the combined g r i z (SOAR/SOI) and R i z (VLT/FORS2) imaging with the
overplotted Chandra X-ray surface brightness contours shown in white. Upper
right: the composite color image from the combination of the optical imaging
from VLT and SOAR and IR from the Spitzer/IRAC 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm imaging.
The overplotted linearly spaced contours in white correspond to the matchedfiltered ACT 148 GHz intensity maps. Bottom left: false color image of the
Chandra X-ray emission with the same set of 11 log-spaced contours between
2.71 counts arcsec–2 and 0.03 counts arcsec–2 as in the panel above. Bottom
right: ACT 148 GHz intensity map with angular resolution of 1.′4 and matchfiltered with a nominal galaxy cluster profile, in units of effective temperature
difference from the mean. The color scale ranges from –85 μK at the edges to
-385 μK at the center of the SZ minimum. In all panels, the horizontal bar shows
the scale of the image, where north is up and east is left.
Closing in on Type Ia Progenitors
One of the best candidates for being progenitors of Type Ia supernovae are recurrent novae, because they
must have white dwarfs very near the Chandrasekhar mass and their companion stars are spilling matter
onto them at a very high accretion rate. But a critical question is whether the white dwarf blows off more
matter during each eruption than is accreted between eruptions. The mass accreted is known with useable
accuracy, but the mass ejected is known only to within three orders of magnitude by means of the Balmer
line flux. A special case solution is possible for recurrent novae only, because some have eclipses that
13
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
can be timed with high precision over many years so as to measure the pre-eruption orbital period to an
accuracy of better than half a part per million, and then, after a long-awaited eruption, the period can be
measured again to similar accuracy. From Kepler’s Law (and the conservation of angular momentum),
the fractional change in the orbital period closely equals the fractional change in the mass (due to the
nova ejection). So a long series of eclipse times can measure the orbital period change, determine the
mass ejected by the nova event, and decide whether the white dwarf is gaining or losing mass over the
entire eruption cycle.
Sure in the knowledge that the famous recurrent nova U Scorpii would have an upcoming eruption,
Dr. Brad Schafer started a long series of eclipse timings with the SMARTS 0.9-m telescope at CTIO. U
Sco erupted in January 2010, as predicted, and Schafer then started taking a second series of eclipse
times so as to measure the post-eruption period and, hence, the period change. The resultant O-C curve
shows a stark period change (2.6±0.1 × 10-5 days) across the 2010 eruption. This period change is substantially larger than the fairly uncertain period change across the 1999 U Sco eruption (0.43±0.69 × 10-5
days), see Schaefer (2011, ApJ, 742, 112). The 2010 period change determines that the mass ejected was
2.5 × 10-5 M⊙. In the preceding eleven years since the 1999 eruption, the accretion rate was, on average,
0.02 × 10-5 M⊙/year, with an uncertainty of about 50%. So the 2010 eruption blew off mass from the
white dwarf (2.5 × 10-5 M⊙) that is ten times more than it accreted during the previous eruption cycle
(~0.2 × 10-5 M⊙). Hence, the U Sco white dwarf is losing mass over time, and it will not become a Type
Ia supernova.
0.020
U SCO
0.015
O-C (days)
0.010
0.005
0.000
-0.005
-0.010
2452000
2453000
2454000
2455000
2456000
Julian Date
Figure 3: O-C curve shows a stark period change (2.6 + -0.1 x10-5 days) across the 2010 eruption. This period change determines that the mass ejected was 2.5 x 10-5 M⊙.
Characterizing Planetesimals in Our Solar System
The La Silla QUEST Kuiper belt Survey (Rabinowitz et al. 2012, AJ, in press) is searching for the largest
and brightest planetesimals in the outer solar system in the Southern Hemisphere. Using the European
Southern Observatory (ESO) 1.0-m Schmidt telescope, located at La Silla Observatory in Chile,
equipped with Yale’s 10-square-degree QUEST camera, Rabinowitz and his team have been searching
for distant Pluto-sized bodies out to distances of ~150 AU in the southern skies down to a limiting magnitude of 21.5 in R band. To date the survey has covered ~10,000 square degrees south of the ecliptic.
Using the SMARTS 1.3-m telescope, the team has been studying further the orbits and optical colors of
their new discoveries. At discovery, only the distance and inclination of the planetesimal’s orbit can be
accurately estimated, and the body’s positional uncertainty grows over time. Only with follow-up
astrometric observations can they constrain the orbits of the discoveries and ensure that they can be
14
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
found in future years. The team has obtained follow-up observations to secure the orbits of their new discoveries and allow additional follow-up studies. The first results and detections from the survey are presented in Rabinowitz et al. (2012). The survey has found 63 new Kuiper belt objects and Centaurs, including 2010 WG9, a new high-inclination Centaur, with an inclination greater than 70 degrees and at
~18 AU perihelion near Uranus, believed to originate from the Oort Cloud (see Brasser et al. 2012,
Figure 4: 2010 WG9, one of 63 new Kuiper belt objects and Centaurs discovered in the La Silla QUEST Kuiper
belt survey and followed up with observations on the SMARTS 1.3-m telescope.
MNRAS,420,3396). The SMARTS 1.3-m observations
were crucial in confirming the orbit of 2010 WG09 and
are now being used to characterize the optical properties
and rotation.
Spectral Evolution of Novae
The Stony Brook/SMARTS Atlas of (mostly) Southern
novae is online at: http://www.astro.sunysb.edu/fwalter/
SMARTS/NovaAtlas/. This is the product of eight years of
observing bright novae, mostly with the SMARTS 1.3-m
and 1.5-m telescopes in service/queue mode. This atlas
contains both spectra and photometry obtained since April
2003. There are currently 68 novae in the atlas, from
V4743 Sgr (N Sgr 2002c) through N Mon 2012. Walter
and his team have optical spectra for all novae, and
BVRIJHK photometry for 56. Although neither complete
nor uniform, the catalog is large enough to permit statistical analyses, though its strength lies in the ability to follow the spectral evolution down to about 18th magnitude,
and to follow the optical/infrared (OIR) color evolution to
about 16th magnitude in the near-IR and fainter than 21st
magnitude in the optical. The data archived in this atlas
will facilitate systematic studies of the nova phenomenon
and correlative studies with other comprehensive data
sets. It will also enable detailed investigations of individual objects. The overview is in press in the Publications of
the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
15
Figure 5: Time-resolved spectra of a nova eruption from the CTIO/SMARTS 1.5-m telescope;
these spectra make up part of the Stony
Brook/SMARTS Atlas of Southern Novae.
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
3.2
KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY
Leo P: A Newly Discovered Local Group Candidate (excerpted from an article by John Salzer and
Katherin Rhode in the September 2012 NOAO Newsletter)
John Salzer, Katherine Rhode, and their students at Indiana University, used the KPNO 4-m, WIYN, and
2.1m telescopes to carry out the first optical observations of a new, nearby dwarf galaxy. This object is
the lowest-mass system known with current star formation. In combination with its unusually high gas to
stellar-mass ratio and its ultra-low metallicity, this makes it one of the most extreme objects in the local
universe. The discovery team has designated it as Leo P, with P standing for “pristine.” It may shed light
on the long-standing “missing satellites” problem (e.g.,
Klypin et al. 1999).
Leo P was first discovered as a low-velocity HI source
in the ongoing Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA)
Survey being carried out with the Arecibo 305-m radio
telescope (Giovanelli et al. 2012). ALFALFA team members at Indiana University (IU) were notified quickly of the
possible discovery of a dwarf galaxy in the HI data. Within
a month of the initial discovery, they used scheduled time
on three Kitt Peak telescopes to observe the new source.
The first observations were obtained in March 2012 on the
KPNO 2.1-m telescope using time allocated to the NOAO
Survey program called ALFALFA Hα. Salzer and IU graduate student Angela Van Sistine obtained narrowband Hα
images of the target and detected an HII region in Leo P.
Subsequent analysis suggests that this nebula is ionized by
a single late-O or early-B type star. Rhode and IU student Figure 6: BVR color composite image of Leo P
Michael Young then imaged Leo P with the Mini- Mosaic obtained with the WIYN telescope. The field of
camera on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope through optical view of this image is 2.4 by 2.5 arcmin and the
orientation is N-up, E-left. The lower (southbroadband (BVR) filters. Excellent image quality (0.6–0.8 ern) portion of Leo P is dominated by a clump
arcsec PSF FWHM) resolved the galaxy into stars. Figure 6 of blue main-sequence stars, indicating very
shows the color composite image of Leo P. The light from recent star formation has occurred. The brightthis galaxy is dominated by young, blue stars, particularly est object in Leo P (located within the clump of
blue stars) is an HII region that appears to be
in its southern (lower) half. The HII region is the brightest photo-ionized by a single B-type star. The upobject in the clump of blue stars. A color-magnitude dia- per portion of the galaxy has very low surface
gram (CMD) for the brighter stars in Leo P reveals a well- brightness but includes a number of redder
defined, upper main sequence, but a weak or under- stars, presumably RGB members in Leo P. The
total size of the galaxy at this sensitivity level is
populated red giant branch.
~90 arcsec.
Finally Salzer, IU graduate student Nathalie Haurberg,
and John Cannon utilized part of a scheduled run on the
KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope in April 2012 to obtain a spectrum of the HII region in Leo P, which reveals the very metal-poor nature of this dwarf system. The velocity of the HII region matches that of the
HI gas. Preliminary estimates based on this spectrum, plus a subsequent deep spectrum obtained with the
Large Binocular Telescope by collaborator Evan Skillman (University of Minnesota), indicate that Leo P
has an oxygen abundance of log(O/H) + 12 < 7.2, comparable to the lowest extragalactic sources known
(hence the use of the term “pristine”). More comprehensive analysis of the spectroscopic data is underway.
The combination of the upper main-sequence photometry and the presence of a single HII region
constrains the distance to between roughly 400–700 kpc, suggesting that Leo P is an outlying member of
Local Group. However, at this distance one would expect to see a more extensive red giant branch with a
tip at much brighter magnitudes than was observed. Applying the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB)
distance method to the CMD results in a distance estimate of 1.0–1.5 Mpc (depending on which stars are
16
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
used to represent the TRGB). The problem with the larger distance is that several of the upper mainsequence stars would then be luminous enough to be hosting HII regions, which is not observed. Hence,
the current situation regarding the distance is rather enigmatic: the nearer distance requires that Leo P
have a very unusual star-formation history to account for the under-populated RGB, while the greater
distance appears to violate basic stellar and nebular astrophysics. This distance ambiguity might be resolved with deeper photometric observations.
Regardless of the final distance, Leo P is an amazing object. Adopting a fiducial distance of 1.0 Mpc
for the purpose of discussion, Leo P has a visual absolute magnitude of MV = -8.1. The HI-to-stellar mass
ratio is 2.6, making Leo P one of the most gas-rich galaxies in the nearby Universe. It is the lowest-mass
system known that is actively making stars at the current time. Its ultra-low metal abundance indicates that
it is relatively unevolved chemically. The location of Leo P in the periphery (or just outside) the Local
Group, coupled with its high gas content, suggests that it has not yet traveled inside the virial radius of either the Milky Way or Andromeda. The emerging evolutionary scenario is one in which Leo P has lived on
the outskirts for most or all of its existence. Perhaps a recent encounter is responsible for the current round
of star formation? It would appear that prior to this modest burst of star formation Leo P was a rather inconspicuous low-surface-brightness dwarf galaxy. It is unclear whether it would have been detectable as having
any optical counterpart in the SDSS data if it had been observed pre-burst.
A paper detailing the optical imaging observations described above has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal (Rhode et al. 2012). In addition to the Indiana University astronomers mentioned herein, collaborators on this project include Riccardo Giovanelli, Martha Haynes, and Elizabeth Adams (Cornell University); Evan Skillman and Kristen McQuinn (University of Minnesota); and John Cannon and
Elijah Bernstein-Cooper (Macalester College).
(For reference citations, refer to the September 2012 NOAO Newsletter article cited above.)
Needles in a Haystack: Studying Andromeda Stellar Populations through Those of the Milky Way
(excerpted from an article by Rachael L. Beaton, Steven R. Majewski and Richard J. Patterson in the
September 2012 NOAO Newsletter)
The Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of Andromeda’s Stellar Halo (SPLASH) is systematically
exploring the system of dwarf spheroidal satellites (dSph) in the Andromeda galaxy (M31) through a
unique two-phase approach: (1) deep imaging with the Mayall 4-m + Mosaic led by graduate student
Rachael Beaton (U. of Virginia) and (2) highly efficient spectroscopic follow-up with Keck II +
DEIMOS led by Erik Tollerud (Yale). Dwarf spheroidal satellites within the Local Group include the
least luminous galaxies known and provide critical tests of theories of galaxy formation and evolution.
Studies of the Milky Way (MW) satellites have revealed a surprising absence of a trend between galaxy
luminosity and total mass spanning five orders of magnitude of luminosity, suggesting that galaxy formation is effectively stochastic at these mass scales (~107 M⊙). These conclusions, however, are drawn
from only a single population of dSph galaxies. The M31 dSph population remains unexplored and becomes a key test bed to understanding the MW observations. To date, the team has complementary imaging and spectroscopic datasets for 16 of the 30 known M31 dSph galaxies. Studying the M31 stellar populations in color-magnitude space (CMD) is a challenge due to the superposition of the dominant foreground MW dwarfs over the “needle in the haystack” M31 red giant branch (RGB) stars. The SPLASH
survey uniquely identifies the target RGB stars using the Washington+DDO51 filter system.
The DDO51 filter is centered on the surface-gravity-sensitive Mgb triplet, which for the same temperature will separate dwarf and giant stars, providing a drastically cleaner sample of candidate dSph
member stars than a selection in color-magnitude space alone. This difference is illustrated in Figure 7,
which displays the color-color diagram. The MW dwarf stars form a characteristic “swoosh” as a function of temperature, whereas the giants form a swath above the “swoosh.” This method was applied to
Andromeda V (AndV), which is a dSph representative of the median properties (size, luminosity, mass)
seen in our sample, permitting a far more precise measurement of the size and shape of the dSph than
with RGB selection alone.
17
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
The resulting best fit King profile for AndV
is shown in the left panel of Figure 8 and, in the
right panel, is compared to the corresponding fit
by McConnachie & Irwin (2006). Figure 8 illustrates how reducing the MW foreground substantially reduces the noise in the most distant
radial bins. In the process of fitting a radial profile to a dSph, the outermost bins set the background stellar density, which in turn dramatically affects the resulting best-fit profile. Thus, the
SPLASH method provides unparalleled ability
to study the M31 dSphs on a par with those of
the MW. Beaton is currently in the process of
finalizing radial profile fits for the 16 dSphs that
have both photometry and spectroscopy. The
fitting process, developed in the PhD thesis of
Ostheimer (2003), takes great care to understand all of the errors inherent in the fitting process.
Figure 7: The Washington+DDO51 filter system permits
separation of stars of the same temperature into their respective luminosity classes using the DDO51 filter. The
figure illustrates giant selection in the color-color diagram. The MW dwarfs form a characteristic “swoosh”
and the giants are generally above it.
The observational effort required to study the
dSphs is enormous. Each Mayall 4-m + Mosaic field
requires three hours of on-sky time (including calibration overheads). Despite its observational expense, the method is invaluable for a detailed analysis of the M31 dSphs. The M31 dSph sample, however, represents only 20% of the larger SPLASH
M31 halo survey that uses a pencil beam sampling
approach to study the overall halo out to 165 kpc
(projected). This represents seven individual Mayall
4-m observing runs over five years led by Beaton,
first as an undergraduate and now as a graduate student at the University of Virginia (PIs Majewski and
Beaton). Nearly 50% of the Mayall 4-m fields have Figure 8: (Left) Results of fitting a King radial profile to
resulting stellar distribution of AndV selected by
complementary Keck + DEIMOS follow-up spec- the
our technique (highlighted in orange). (Right) We
troscopy that permits careful identification of RGB compare the SPLASH-derived profile (orange) to a
stars in the underlying M31 stellar halo. The comparable profile by McConnachie & Irwin (2006,
SPLASH survey will begin its next phase of imple- teal). This comparison emphasizes the improvements
mentation this fall with a recently accepted NOAO enabled by the Washington+DDO51 method. We
emphasize that the increased contrast between the
Survey program to obtain J and Ks imaging using the dSph and the background substantially improves the
NEWFIRM wide-field infrared imager in each of the tracing of the dwarf into larger radial bins.
80 SPLASH survey fields (Co-PIs Guhathakurta and
Beaton). Combined with the optical Washington+DDO51 photometry, this will permit identification of intermediate stellar populations both in the
dSphs and in the M31 stellar halo, which provides constraints on the merger history of the M31 halo and
the star formation histories of the dSphs.
(For reference citations, refer to the September 2012 NOAO Newsletter article cited above.)
18
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
A Nearby Type Ia Supernova (excerpted from an article by Tom Matheson in the March 2012 NOAO
Newsletter)
In August 2011, the Palomar Transient Factory
identified a new source that had appeared in the
nearby spiral galaxy M101. This was the supernova SN 2011fe (see Figure 9), found just hours
after explosion. It is the closest Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) since SN 1972E in NGC 5253. This
proximity presents a great opportunity to observe
this supernova in exquisite detail.
Type Ia supernovae (SNe) are thermonuclear
explosions that touch on many aspects of astrophysics, including stellar evolution, nuclear astrophysics, and galactic chemical enrichment. In
recent years, though, SN Ia have become especially important in their role as the best method
Figure 9: An image of M101 obtained with the Mosaic
for determining cosmological distances. From
CCD camera at the KPNO 4-m telescope shows
SN2011fe as the bright, bluish star in the upper-right porSN Ia distance determinations came the first evition of the disk of M101. (Image credit: T.A. Rector, Unidence for dark energy (Riess et al. 1998,
versity of Alaska Anchorage; H. Schweiker & S. Pakzad,
Perlmutter et al. 1999), a revolution that has
NOAO/AURA/NSF.)
changed cosmology in the last decade and was
recognized with the Nobel Prize for Physics in
2011. Subsequent tests using Type Ia SNe have
shown that the equation-of-state of the Universe is
consistent with a cosmological constant (e.g.,
Astier et al. 2006, Wood-Vasey et al. 2007, Sullivan et al. 2011). At this stage, the limiting factors
in the precision of the SN results are the systematics of the SNe themselves (e.g., Hicken et al. 2009,
Conley et al. 2011). Therefore, one of the best ways
to improve the precision of the cosmological results
is to improve our understanding of the properties of
Type Ia SNe.
Photometry of SNe Ia in the near-infrared
(NIR) has shown even greater promise for use as a
standard candle. The effects of extinction are great- Figure 10: Light curves of SN 2011fe in J (red diamonds),
ly reduced, and they appear to have relatively con- H (blue circles), and Ks (green stars). Error bars are
than the plotted symbols. The J-band points are
stant peak magnitudes in the J, H, and Ks band- smaller
offset by -2.0 mag while the Ks-band points are offset by
passes (e.g., Meikle et al. 2000; Krisciunas et al. +1.0 mag. The templates of Wood-Vasey et al. 2008 along
2004a,b, 2007). The scatter in the NIR Hubble dia- with their 1-s envelopes are plotted for each passband.
gram is ~0.15 mag, independent of the light-curve Note that our J filter is significantly different than the
shape corrections necessary for optical bands (e.g., 2MASS J filter used for the Wood-Vasey et al. 2008 template. The vertical dashed line marks the epoch of B-band
Krisciunas et al. 2004a, Wood-Vasey et al. 2008, maximum.
Folatelli et al. 2010). Motivated by this, scientists
at NOAO began a Director’s discretionary time
program to observe SN 2011fe with the WIYN High-Resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC), an NIR
camera at the WIYN 3.5-m telescope on Kitt Peak, taking advantage of the WIYN design that allows for
the use of the NIR camera even when other instruments are scheduled for a given night.
Although a later-than-usual monsoon season disrupted some of the early observations, we were able
to obtain a well-sampled and high-quality set of NIR light curves (Figure 10 above). Using the template
light curves of Wood-Vasey et al. 2008, we derive values at the epoch of B-band maximum for J, H, and
19
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Ks of 10.62 ± 0.11, 10.85 ± 0.12, and 10.68 ± 0.13 mag, respectively. There are several calibrations of
the absolute magnitudes of SNe Ia in the NIR, with a range of 0.25 mag in the H band. (The H band is
best constrained and shows the least scatter.) Using the calibration from Wood-Vasey et al. 2008, we
derive a distance modulus for M101 of 28.92 ± 0.12 mag, which is 0.1 to 0.2 mag shorter than distances
to M101 derived from Cepheids. The calibration of the SNe Ia is contingent upon the cosmology used,
mainly that H0 is 72 km/s/Mpc. A value of H0 that is 10% lower would make the SN distance more consistent with the Cepheids. This SN is just one object in a class that exhibits a small but significant intrinsic spread in peak magnitudes; so while it may not demonstrate conclusively that a lower value of H0 is
warranted, it does suggest that there is still much work to be done on the local distance scale and the calibration of SNe Ia. This result is explored in more detail in a paper in the Astrophysical Journal (Matheson et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 19).
Planet Kepler-21b Discovery: A Partnership of Space and Ground-Based Observations (excerpted
from NOAO press release 11-08)
The NASA Kepler Mission is designed to survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way Galaxy to
discover Earth-size planets in or near the “habitable zone,” the region in a planetary system where liquid
water can exist, and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. It now
has another planet to add to its growing list. A research team led by Steve Howell, NASA Ames Research Center, has shown
that one of the brightest
stars in the Kepler star field
has a planet with a radius
only 1.6 that of Earth’s radius and a mass no greater
that 10 earth masses, circling its parent star with a
2.8-day period. With such a
short period, and such a
bright star, the team of over
65 astronomers (that included David Silva, Ken
Mighell, and Mark Everett
of NOAO) needed multiple
telescopes on the ground to
support and confirm their
Kepler observations. These
included the Mayall 4-m Figure 11: The Kepler field as seen in the sky over Kitt Peak National Observatory.
and WIYN telescopes at The approximate position of HD 179070 is indicated by the circle. (Sky imaged
using a diffraction grating to show spectra of brighter stars, credit J. Glaspey; teleKPNO. Figure 11 shows the scopes imaged separately and combined, credit P. Marenfeld.)
size of the Kepler field,
seen over Kitt Peak.
With a period of only 2.8 days, this planet, designated Kepler-21b, is only about 6 million km away
from its parent star. By comparison Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, has a period of 88 days and a
distance from the Sun almost ten times greater, or 57 million km. So Kepler 21b is far hotter than any
place humans could venture. The team calculates that the temperature at the surface of the planet is about
1900 K, or 2960 F. While this temperature is nowhere near the habitable zone in which liquid water
might be found, the planet’s size approaches that of Earth. The parent star, HD 179070, is quite similar to
our Sun: its mass is 1.3 solar masses, its radius is 1.9 solar radii, and its age, based on stellar models, is
2.84 billion years (or a bit younger than the Sun’s 4.6 billion years). HD 179070 is spectral type F6 IV, a
little hotter and brighter than the Sun. It is fairly close, at a distance from the Sun of ~350 light years.
20
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
3.3
GEMINI OBSERVATORY
Two Ten-Billion-Solar-Mass Black Holes at the Centers of Giant Elliptical Galaxies
McConnell et al. (2011, Nature, 480, 215)
used the excellent spatial resolution provided
by the Gemini North (Gemini-N) telescope
and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph
integral field unit (GMOS IFU) to measure
velocity dispersions close-in to the centers of
two giant elliptical galaxies, NGC 3842 and
NGC 4889, both of which harbor supermassive black holes. Past observations over the
last few decades have revealed that all massive galaxies have supermassive black holes at
their centers, with the nearby giant elliptical
galaxy M87 (at a distance of 17 Mpc) containing the most massive black hole whose mass
had been measured dynamically, via velocity
dispersion, at about 6.3 billion solar masses.
The masses of the central black holes correlate very well with stellar velocity dispersions
and bulge luminosities; these correlations
point toward a linkage between both the formation of the central black hole and the formation of the surrounding galaxy.
Based on luminosities and brightness variations, it is estimated that quasars in the early
universe were powered by black holes with
masses greater than 10 billion solar masses;
however, such massive central black holes, Figure 12: The top panel shows dispersion versus radius in
which would be the remnants of earlier qua- NGC 3842 from GMOS (black open circles) and VIRUS-P
sars, have not been measured dynamically in (red open diamonds). The solid line is the best-fit stellar orbital model collapsed to a one-dimensional line-of-sight disthe “nearby” universe. McConnell and collab- persion. The bottom panel shows similar results for NGC
orators looked well beyond the distance to 4889, again with GMOS data shown as black open circles
M87 to probe inner stellar velocity disper- and WHT data as the open green diamonds, along with the
sions in ever more luminous giant elliptical best-fit stellar orbital line-of-sight orbital model.
galaxies and targeted NGC 3842, at a distance
of 98 Mpc, and NGC 4889, at a distance of 103 Mpc. The velocity dispersions (σ) as a function of distance from the galactic center (in arcseconds) from the McConnell et al. study are shown in Figure 12 for
both galaxies. The data from Gemini-N and GMOS IFU are shown as the open black circles, while data
from VIRUS-P on the Hobby Eberly Telescope (HET) are shown as open red diamonds in the top panel
(for NGC 3842), and data from the William Hershel Telescope (WHT) are plotted as open green diamonds for NGC 4889 in the bottom panel. In both cases, the Gemini-N GMOS IFU results test the velocity dispersions closest to the galactic centers, where σ is most sensitive to the black hole mass, and attest
to the value of high spatial resolution provided by large apertures and excellent image quality. The stellar
velocity dispersion versus galactocentric distance is best fit by a black hole mass of ~9.7±2.5 billion solar
masses for NGC 3842 and ~21±10 billion solar masses for NGC 4889, both either near or well above the
10 billion solar masses estimated for distant and ancient quasars. In addition, these two largest black hole
mass determinations may suggest a steeper relation between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion or bulge luminosity at the high-mass end of these relationships.
21
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini-N Follow-up Spectroscopy of Two Ultraluminous Core-Collapse Supernovae at a Redshift
of z ~ 0.9 Discovered by Pan-Starrs1
There are now known a small, but growing number of ultraluminous supernovae (SNe) that are significantly more luminous than SN Ia. One of the earliest examples of an ultraluminous SN was SN 2005ap,
and the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) has recently added four more of these objects. A common set of
observational properties is emerging for these SN 2005ap-like objects: peak luminosities of ~4x1044
erg/s, or MU < –22, total radiated energies > 1051 erg, and limited evidence for the presence, in the spectra, of H or He. The spectra of the SN 2005ap-like objects seem to be dominated by light metals, such as
C, O, Mg, and Si, with no detection to date of Fe II or Fe III lines. Two possible sources have been suggested to explain SN 2005ap-like objects: the interaction of a SN shock with a dense circumstellar shell
of H-poor material, such as might be found around a Wolf-Rayet WN or WC progenitor, or the spindown of a newly born magnetar embedded in the SN ejecta.
Chomiuk et al. (2011, ApJ,
743, 114) use a combination of
photometry and spectroscopy to
GMOS-N spectrum
constrain the physical parameters for two ultraluminous SNe
that were discovered during the
Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep
Survey: these SN 2005ap-like
objects are PS1-10ky and PS110awh; both are at a redshift of
about z = 0.9. Spectra were taken on both the Gemini-N and
Gemini South (Gemini-S) telescopes using GMOS, with some
additional spectra obtained on
MMT Hectospec spectrum
the MMT with Blue Channel
and Hectospec. Sample spectra
are shown in Figure 2 from both
Gemini and the MMT and cenFigure 13: Supernovae spectra centered on the rest wavelength of the strong
ter on the Mg II lines with rest
near-UV Mg II doublet, with one spectrum taken with Gemini-N/GMOS and
wavelengths near 2800 Å, with
the other with MMT/Hectospec. The Mg II lines are narrow (with the line
these lines arising from the host
widths set by the spectrograph resolution from each instrument), arising in the
galaxy’s interstellar medium
interstellar gas in each SN-host galaxy and are used to set the redshift.
(ISM) and used to set the redshift. Of particular note from
the spectra are the measurements of very large expansion velocities of 12,000 km/s for PS1-10awh and
19,000 km/s for PS1-10ky. These expansion velocities are observed to remain essentially constant over
the time of the observations (~30 days) and are consistent with an optically thick shell, with a significant
amount of mass expanding at a nearly single velocity. The mass in this expanding shell has more kinetic
energy than the energy produced by the decay of radioactive nickel. This energetic shell-like morphology
is predicted by both the magnetar and circumstellar interaction models, but distinguishing between these
two scenarios will require further observations of more SN 2005ab-like objects. One promising strategy
for testing the two scenarios in the future relies on early-time measurements of the photospheric radius,
with the circumstellar interaction beginning at a much larger radius than the magnetar model. Increased
sample sizes covering a range of redshifts will constrain the physical properties of these most energetic
stellar explosions and their host galaxies and probe the underlying physics. LSST, with follow-up spectroscopic facilities able to go faint, will test the diversity of this class of objects and measure their rates as
a function of redshift.
22
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Circumstellar Dust around a Young Solar-Type Star
With help from observations taken with TReCS on the Gemini-S telescope, Melis et al. (2012, Nature,
487,74) found that the near- to mid-IR flux from a young, solar-type star decreased by more than a factor
of 30 over a period of less than
two years. The star, TYC 8241
2652 1, is about 10 million years
old and classified as spectral type
K2, with an effective temperature of 4950 K. The spectral energy distribution of TYC 8241
2652 1 is shown in Figure 14
and, as far back as 1983 (from
IRAS observations) and up to
2009, has exhibited a pronounced IR excess (from 5 μm to
25 μm). The IR excess could be
well-fit by dust radiating at a
temperature of 450 K located
about 0.4 AU from the star;
however, by mid 2010 the midIR flux near λ10 μm was dramatically lower than it was in 2009. Figure 14: The spectral energy distribution of TYC 8241 2652 1 with measThis star thus went from hosting urements from different facilities over different epochs as indicated in the
a substantial quantity of dust, in legend. The lighter curve is a photospheric model with Teff = 4950 K, while
a region where rocky planets the heavier curve is a blackbody with Teff = 450 K. Note the disappearance
orbit in our solar system, to re- of the mid-IR dust signature in the later-epoch TReCS data, compared to the
earlier TReCS data.
taining, at most, a much smaller
amount of dust.
The mystery is where the dust went, and Melis et al. model two possible scenarios. In one case, the
dust grains arise from collisions, which reduce the sizes of grains to the point where they are blown
radiatively out of the disk; this process is called collisional avalanche, and, for it to operate effectively, it
requires that the disk system be sufficiently dense such that grains being blown out have a high probability to strike other, larger grains, thus producing more and more small grains, which can themselves be
removed by radiation. A second possibility is termed runaway accretion and involves aerodynamic drag
induced on dust grains by gas in the disk. At large enough densities, gas drag could result in dust accretion rates onto the central star that are hundreds of times larger than that due to Poynting-Robertson drag.
It is difficult right now to determine which of these models might be responsible for removing the dust
grains, but continued monitoring of TYC 8241 2652 1 might be able to favor one model or the other depending on the timescale on which the dust may, or may not, be replenished in this system. In any case,
this fascinating observation is opening a window into rapid dynamical processes that operate in the
circumstellar disks around young stars. Such processes quite possibly took place in our own solar system
during its formation and early evolution.
3.4
COMMUNITY ACCESS FACILITIES
Characterizing the Physical Properties of 100 Brown Dwarfs Identified by the Wise Mission
Kirkpatrick et al. (2011, ApJS, 197, 19) employed a broad range of ground-based telescopes to conduct
follow-up imaging and spectroscopy of brown dwarf candidates identified by the Wide-Field Infrared
Survey Explorer (WISE). This large observing program uses this paper to showcase the first results from
an all-sky volume-limited census of late-T and Y dwarfs. Included in this paper are early results from this
23
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
census to present preliminary lower
limits to the local space density of
brown dwarfs and provides both the
functional form of the mass function at
low masses, as well as the low-mass
limit of star formation. This team used
an array of ground-based facilities, in
particular Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) time on
Magellan (using FIRE in semester
2010B), as well as other telescope/instrument combinations, including
Keck/LRIS,
Keck/NIRSPEC,
IRTF/SpecX, Palomar/Triplespec, and
SOAR/OSIRIS.
The Kirkpatrick et al. program
highlights the importance of an extended North-South O/IR System open to
the US user community. The groundbased observations allow for confirmation of brown dwarf status to the WISE
candidates through the derivation of
physical parameters, such as spectral
type, effective temperature, and luminosity. In particular, Kirkpatrick et al.
are uncovering some of the coolest Figure 15: Near-IR spectra of confirmed WISE brown dwarfs with
examples of brown dwarfs, which will spectral types of T8. Prominent spectra features are labeled.
provide direct measurements of the
low-mass cut-off in the process of star formation and provide examples of the coolest fiducial atmospheres for modeling cold giant exoplanets. Figure 15 illustrates the appearance of typical cool brown
dwarf spectra in the J-, H-, and K-bands.
Chemical Analysis of a Heavily Polluted White Dwarf: Evidence for the Accretion of Planetary
Material
Dufour et al. (2012, ApJ, 749, 6) used
TSIP time on Keck I with HIRES,
along with additional time on Magellan, MMT, and Gemini, to determine
stellar atmospheric parameters and determine chemical abundances of 14
elements heavier than helium in the
DBZ white dwarf SDSSJ073842+
183509.16. It is now known that the
strong metallic-line DZ, DBZ, and
DAZ white dwarfs have acquired their
large metal abundances from orbiting
debris disk reservoirs, which arise from
the tidal disruption of one or many Figure 16: Abundances in SDSS J073842.56+183509.06 relative to
rocky bodies (i.e., material that has lost Mg and bulk Earth as a function of condensation temperature. The
dotted line is a least-squares fit, with a significant trend observed of
much of its H and He content).
decreasing abundance with increasing condensation temperature.
24
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES & FINDINGS
The Keck/HIRES spectra allowed Dufour et al. to conduct a detailed chemical abundance analysis of
the heavy-element abundance distribution in this white dwarf. Their abundance results are shown in Figure 16 (above) and reveal a trend in the abundance with condensation temperature, with volatile species
being more abundant than refractory ones, when compared to bulk Earth material. The volatile/refractory
signature could result naturally from the accretion of material onto the white dwarf similar in composition to dwarf planets, such as Ceres, that formed further from their parent star than did Earth, resulting in
the underabundance of refractories and overabundance of volatiles. Results from studies such as this one
may provide insights into the chemistry of planet formation in a variety of environments.
25
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
4
4.1
4.1.1
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
NOAO SOUTH
CTIO
FY12 Program Review
The highlight of FY12 is unquestionably the first
light of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam),
achieved on 12 September 2012 on the Blanco 4-m
telescope (see Figure 17). This milestone comes
after more than eight years of work and more than
$50 million invested by Fermilab, NOAO, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
(NCSA), and other Dark Energy Survey (DES)
consortium partners in building the camera, preparing the Blanco, and developing software to control the instrument and process the images that the
camera will produce.
Blanco 4-m Telescope
In the first quarter (Q1) of FY12, the final major
pieces of DECam arrived on Cerro Tololo as the
instrument system was being prepared for installation. The new prime focus cage was assembled in
November on the ground floor of the Blanco building as practice to ensure that procedures developed Figure 17: Full Dark Energy Camera image of the
at Fermilab would work well with the facilities Fornax cluster of galaxies, which lies about 60 million
years from Earth. The center of the cluster is the
available at CTIO. The imager was cooled down in light
clump of galaxies in the upper portion of the image. The
December and shown to have the nominal read prominent galaxy in the lower right of the image is the
noise and other characteristics it had before leav- barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365. (Image credit: Dark
ing Fermilab. The final large components, the op- Energy Survey Collaboration.)
tics for the DECam system, arrived in late December and were assembled and aligned in January. In early February the final components of the upgraded
telescope control system (TCS) were installed and the TCS system was tested, tuned, and used for the
final scientific observations with the Mosaic 2 camera.
In late February, the Blanco telescope was shut down for DECam installation. During the second
quarter (Q2) of FY12, teams from CTIO, KPNO, and Fermilab collaborated closely in the removal of the
Mosaic 2 camera, removal of the old Prime Focus cage, and installation of the new DECam Prime Focus
cage. The DECam cage was installed twice: once without the optics installed for practice, and a second
(final) time with all of its components mounted inside. Later, in the third quarter (Q3) of FY12, the telescope was unlocked and allowed to move again after being balanced with the additional weight of a remodeled Cassegrain cage to counterbalance the additional weight of DECam at prime focus. The final
challenge was to install the extensive set of cable wraps onto the telescope, carefully testing at each step
to check for any binding or possible interactions between the telescope motions and the wraps. With the
wraps installed, the imager itself was installed in late August. The camera achieved its first light goal on
26
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
12 September 2012. While several months of commissioning and science verification remain, the transition into full science operations is expected in Q1 of FY13.
On 20 February 2012, an accident occurred involving the ƒ/8 secondary mirror at the CTIO Blanco
4-m telescope. The ƒ/8 assembly (mirror + cell) was installed improperly in a handling cart, and the approximately 1-ton assembly fell over, mirrored surface down. When the cart turned over, two employees
were injured, one with bruises and the other with three hairline fractures in his foot. While the central
eight inches of the ƒ/8 mirror were severely fractured, the rest of the surface seems to have suffered relatively little obvious damage. The fractured area was stabilized by an NOAO optical expert, and during
Q3, the mirror was shipped to Tucson for further repair and optical testing to determine if, once repaired,
it could be used again in the Blanco. After extremely careful preparations were in place in the optical labs
in Tucson, initial measurements of the ƒ/8 mirror indicated that the mirror’s shape had not been significantly affected, and that the mirror could be put back into service after the central cracked portion is removed and a replacement plug is installed. Further, more detailed measurements of the mirror’s shape are
planned after the repairs are made to determine if the mirror needs any refiguring before being sent back
to Chile to be reinstalled on the Blanco.
An internal investigation of the events leading to the incident provided insight into the chain of actions that led to the accident. That investigation was led by NOAO’s safety and risk manager and produced 16 recommendations for improvements in the management and activities at NOAO South that
were immediately implemented. In late March, CTIO hosted a panel of five external safety/risk management experts and two additional guests (including the NSF program officer for NOAO) for a Safety
Management Review. The panel concluded that the CTIO safety culture, policies, and procedures were
generally sound. However, the panel also provided a number of recommendations for specific improvements that have been acted upon and integrated into the ongoing installation and commissioning activities. Many of these recommendations are longer term and have been folded into the regular operations on
Cerro Tololo and throughout NOAO South.
Blanco Instrumentation

Dark Energy Camera: DECam is CTIO’s new wide-field optical imager, with a focal plane of
570 megapixels covering a field of view (FOV) of two degrees in diameter, the largest FOV currently available in the Southern Hemisphere. DECam achieved first light at the very end of this
fiscal year and will go into regular operations in the first quarter of FY13.

Mosaic-2: The 64-megapixel Mosaic-2 imager was CTIO’s cutting edge wide-field (36-arcmin
diameter FOV) imager from 1999 through its retirement in 2012. Its last image was taken on 20
February 2012 as part of the testing program for the new Blanco TCS. The instrument was subsequently removed from the Blanco telescope in preparation for the installation of DECam and
permanently decommissioned, at least for use at CTIO. Over its 13-year operation, Mosaic-2
took more than 282,000 exposures, approximately 150,000 of which were science images, for a
total production of more than ten million million pixels of the skies of the Southern Hemisphere.

NEWFIRM: The NEWFIRM wide-field (1.0 to 2.4 microns) infrared imager, with its 28 × 28
arcmin FOV, was in high demand during its stay on the Blanco 4-m telescope through October
2011. After this successful period at CTIO, it was dismounted and carefully shipped back to Kitt
Peak for re-installation on the Mayall 4-m telescope.

ISPI: While NEWFIRM replaced ISPI for infrared (IR) imaging applications during its stay,
ISPI was brought back online in November 2011 for several short runs before the DECam installation shutdown. The ISPI IR imager provides a 10.25-arcmin-wide FOV covering the range of
1.0 to 2.4 microns. ISPI will return to regular use as soon as the ƒ/8 mirror is reinstalled on the
Blanco and will continue to fill an important role in Blanco’s instrument complement.

Hydra-CTIO: Hydra is the third component of the Blanco wide-field instrument complement,
with more than a hundred fibers that can cover an FOV of 40 arcmin in diameter. It can be in-
27
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
stalled on the telescope concurrently with DECam and ISPI. Although Hydra continued to require careful maintenance and upkeep, it performed reliably during the first half of FY12. The
plan to upgrade this instrument with new detectors and controllers with funding from the Renewing Small Telescopes for Astronomical Research (ReSTAR) program was postponed until resources currently dedicated to higher priority projects are available.
Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR)
NOAO’s most substantial contribution to SOAR during FY12 was the ongoing development of the
SOAR Adaptive-optics Module (SAM). Progress continued to be made toward commissioning SAM in
FY12, but the commissioning was delayed by resource availability, given that almost all of the engineering and technical resources at CTIO were focused on the installation of DECam. Despite the limited resources, commissioning of the Laser Guide Star (LGS) mode resumed at the beginning of calendar year
2012. Closed-loop images in LGS mode were obtained on 6 March 2012 and showed an improvement in
image full width half-maximum (FWHM) by a factor of 1.3 in the B band to 1.8 in the I band. The best
resolution achieved was 0.30″ in I band.
SOAR Telescope Instrumentation

SOI: The SOAR Optical Imager, built at CTIO, has been used regularly on SOAR since the telescope commissioning, providing high-resolution (up to 0.077 arcsec/pixel) imaging over a 5.25
× 5.25 arcmin FOV. The instrument performed reliably during the whole of FY12. While some
of the imaging load was transferred to the imaging mode of the Goodman Spectrograph, SOI
continued to be in demand for its high image quality and stability.

OSIRIS: The Ohio State Infrared Imager and Spectrometer, which is fitted with a CTIO
1K  1K Rockwell HgCdTe array, was moved to SOAR after several years of use on the Blanco
4-m telescope and was successfully commissioned in FY05. Although the instrument is getting
rather old, it continues to reliably provide both an imaging (over an FOV of up to 3.2 × 3.2
arcmin) and a modest-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopy capability (up to R = 3000) for the
NOAO and SOAR communities.

Goodman Spectrograph: Improvements to the Goodman Spectrograph continued during FY12.
It currently is operated in only two of its planned three modes: optical imaging over a 7.2arcmin-diameter FOV and single-slit spectroscopy with resolutions of 1400 to 1600. Work continued in improving the performance and efficiency of the single-slit mode, including replacement of key optical elements leading to an up to 50% improvement in throughput. SOAR continues to develop plans for the implementation of multi-slit spectroscopy with this instrument.

Spartan Infrared Imager: As of late FY10, Spartan was in regular use by visiting astronomers,
providing two different scales: an ƒ/21 channel with an FOV of 3.0  3.0 arcmin and a scale of
0.043 arcsec/pixel chosen to resolve the diffraction-limited core of Tip-Tilt-corrected images in
the H and K bands, and an ƒ/12 channel with an FOV of 5.0  5.0 arcmin at 0.073 arcsec/pixel.
In early FY11, the instrument developed multiple vacuum leak problems that took it out of service
through July 2011. By FY12, Spartan was back on the telescope and in regular use for visiting astronomers.

Other SOAR Instruments: The Brazilian-built SOAR Integral Field Unit Spectrograph (SIFS)
was delivered to SOAR in December 2009, but problems with the fiber bundle developed and
the bundle was returned to Brazil for repair. After the fiber bundle was repaired, one of the lens
groups became debonded and was sent for repair. Commissioning of SIFS is scheduled to resume in 2013. During FY12, Brazil also continued commissioning the Brazilian Tunable Filter
Imager (BTFI), although currently this is not considered to be a facility instrument for SOAR.
28
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
The high-resolution SOAR Telescope Echelle Spectrograph (STELES) is expected to arrive
from Brazil in mid-2013.
CTIO Small Telescopes and SMARTS
The Small and Moderate Aperture Telescope Research System (SMARTS) Consortium continued to operate four small telescopes at CTIO for the first half of FY12. Unfortunately, due to funding limitations,
the consortium was forced to reduce its operations to effectively three telescopes, with the 0.9-m and
1.0-m telescopes being open only on alternative runs. While the instrumentation and operational modes
remain attractive, with a complement of imagers and spectrographs with classical and queue operational
modes available, the SMARTS consortium is having difficulty finding the funds for continued operations. As of the end of FY12, it appears that the consortium has collected enough funding for operations
through the end of FY13, but operations in FY14 and beyond are currently uncertain.
SMARTS Telescopes Instrumentation

CTIO 1.5-m: The CTIO 1.5-m telescope has been designated as the SMARTS spectroscopic
facility, hosting two complementary spectrographs. The fiber-fed Echelle spectrograph provides
high-resolution spectroscopy for bright targets. In early FY11, the older Echelle spectrograph was
replaced by the CTIO high-resolution spectrometer CHIRON, including upgrades to both the spectrograph optics and detector system that provide a ten-fold improvement in throughput at a resolution of up to 80,000. The CHIRON project is led by Debra Fischer with NSF grant funding in
collaboration with Andrei Tokovinin and technical staff at CTIO. The 1.5-m Cassegrain spectrograph with resolutions up to 10,000 continues to be available, and it is possible to switch between the two spectrographs in less than 30 minutes. Both instruments are available only in service mode observing.

CTIO 1.3-m: The “A Novel Double-Imaging Camera” (ANDICAM) instrument on the CTIO
1.3-m provides simultaneous optical and near-IR imaging in full service, limited queue mode.
The optical imager relies upon a 2K  2K CCD over a FOV of 2.4 × 2.4 arcmin, and the IR capability is based upon a 1K  1K detector providing images over a 6 × 6 arcmin FOV. The maximum time per night per project is set at three hours in order to support the wide range of astronomical monitoring projects that can utilize this productive combination of telescope, instrument, and observing mode.

CTIO 0.9-m: The CTIO 0.9-m telescope continued to support a fixed 2K  2K optical imager
giving a 13.6 × 13.6 arcmin FOV, with observations scheduled alternately in one week of classical mode and one week of service. This facility is the cornerstone of a major astrometric project,
led by Todd Henry of Georgia State University, which relies upon the long-term stability of the
instrument and telescope. In late FY12 the service observing option was discontinued due to limited funding.

Yale 1.0-m: The 1.0-m telescope at CTIO belongs to Yale University and is operated by the
SMARTS Consortium. This telescope supports a 4K  4K optical imager with an FOV of 20 ×
20 arcmin used only in classical mode. While it is a popular platform for student training and observing runs, its use has declined to a point that it has been closed by the SMARTS consortium.
Tenant Observatories and Projects
AURA and CTIO continue to offer a unique platform providing US scientists and institutions access to
the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. CTIO hosts a total of 15 telescopes and several additional projects
studying a wide range of phenomena, from the Earth’s own atmosphere to distant gamma-ray bursts
29
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
(GRBs). In FY12, construction continued on two new facilities: PROMPT7 and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN), described below.
Following its refurbishment by the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA),
the Lowell 0.6-m telescope has continued stable remote observation operations on Cerro Tololo. Astronomers from the SARA consortium now use the facility remotely on a nightly basis. The Wisconsin Halpha Mapper (WHAM) project (lead institution: University of Wisconsin) has successfully completed
most of its H-alpha survey of the southern sky after the move from Kitt Peak in FY09.
The University of North Carolina Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes (PROMPT) project consists of six small telescopes that rapidly follow up GRBs discovered by the
Swift satellite and subsequently trigger a target-of-opportunity interrupt at SOAR. At other times, the
telescopes will make observations as part of an extensive education and outreach program in North Carolina. Full science operations for four of the telescopes began at the start of FY06, and the facility has successfully made GRB follow-up observations since then. During FY11, a seventh dome was constructed for
a new 0.8-m telescope (PROMPT7) to be added to the PROMPT group in FY13.
In addition, the University of Michigan operates the 0.6/0.9-m Curtis Schmidt telescope, which is
used part-time in a NASA-funded project to catalog space debris in geosynchronous orbits. CTIO also
continues to host a Global Oscillations Network Group (GONG) station; the Portable Ionospheric Camera and Small-Scale Observatory (PICASSO) imager project, operated by the University of Illinois to
study Earth’s upper atmosphere and ionosphere. In FY12, the lunar scintillometer and transient camera
belonging to the Advanced Liquid-mirror Probe for Astrophysics, Cosmology and Asteroids (ALPACA)
project (lead institution: Columbia University) was upgraded to an imaging camera to continue and improve their characterization of the atmospheric conditions over Cerro Tololo.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Complete integration of the parts of DECam (cage, hexapod, and optics) off of the telescope and test
the systems before telescope shutdown.
Status: Completed. The cage, hexapod, and optics of DECam were integrated and tested off the telescope in Q2 of FY12. Furthermore, these components were reassembled in the DECam cage after
the practice installation and installed on the Blanco telescope in May 2012.

Complete installation of DECam at the prime focus of the Blanco 4-m telescope.
Status: Completed. The cage installation was completed in May 2012, and the imager was installed
into the cage in August 2012.

Recommission the telescope and instrumentation, including both the /8 instrumentation and
DECam at the prime focus.
Status: Ongoing (DECam commissioning) and pending (ƒ/8 commissioning). The ƒ/8 mirror and related instrumentation were removed from the plan, given that the ƒ/8 mirror is not available for the
commissioning timeframe, which began at the end of August. Commissioning of DECam officially
started in August, initially with final checkouts off the telescope and then with the installation of the
imager into the Prime Focus cage in September. First light was achieved on 12 September 2012.
Commissioning of DECam (and complementary recommissioning of related telescope systems) will
extend into the beginning of FY13.

Start COSMOS commissioning only if the DECam commissioning and science verification schedule
allow appropriate resources and telescope time to be allocated.
Status: Pending/rescheduled. Progress on construction of the Kitt Peak Ohio State Multi-Object
Spectrograph (KOSMOS) and the Cerro Tololo Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (COSMOS) is
30
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
described in the NSTC section 4.4.2. Given delays in optics and the schedule of the DECam installation, COSMOS commissioning will be rescheduled for FY13.

Complete SAM commissioning only if the DECam installation and commissioning allow appropriate
resources to be allocated.
Status: Ongoing. Commissioning of the Laser Guide Star (LGS) mode of the SOAR Adaptive- optics
Module (SAM) resumed at the beginning of calendar year (CY) 2012. Closed-loop images in LGS
mode were obtained, with an image improvement of 1.3 in B to 1.8 in I on March 6/7. The average
seeing on this night was about 0.7. The best-achieved resolution was 0.30 arcsec in I. Commissioning continued during Q2 and Q3 of CY 2012. Resolving the remaining issues with the LGS system
will resume when engineering resources are freed up from work on DECam, i.e., during the last
quarter of FY12 and in FY13. Completion of commissioning is planned for FY13.
4.1.2
NOAO South Engineering & Technical Services
FY12 Program Review
Staff from the NOAO South Engineering and Technical Services (NS ETS) group led the efforts to prepare for and implement the tasks involved in integration and testing of the DECam system and DECam
installation. An “Installation & Safety” review was held in October 2011 in order to provide external
evaluation of the readiness of the combined CTIO and Fermilab team for the installation process. The
review congratulated the team on its progress to date, and while indicating that the plans were in a good
state, the reviewers provided many detailed suggestions for improvements in the planning and execution
of the camera installation.
Staff engineers completed detailed plans for the installation process, including the removal of the
Cassegrain cage from the Blanco 4-m telescope and strengthening of the cage structure to allow for support of the several additional tons of weight necessary to counterbalance the DECam system at the top of
the telescope. A “cleanish room” was designed and constructed in the ground level of the Blanco building to support the integration and testing of the DECam optics. The cable wraps that were designed to
hold and control the many cables and cooling conduits for DECam were tested and found to have issues
during telescope movement. The redesigned cable wraps were installed in Q4 of FY12, with close attention to the details of balance, interference, and freedom of movement that had been difficult to test in the
design models. In addition, the DECam cryogenic system was installed in the Blanco building to support
imager operations. CTIO staff were trained in the operation and maintenance of this system. Training and
reinforcement is ongoing as the transition is made from installation and commissioning into regular operations of DECam and all of its subsystems.
The team of software and electronics engineers working on the upgrade to the Blanco TCS system
performed extensive tests of the newly installed hardware and software in Q2 and Q4 of FY12. The telescope was successfully driven by the new system and tested through actual scientific observations with
the Mosaic imager. Further testing and tuning of the system was underway at the end of FY12 to optimize the image quality and slew efficiency with DECam installed.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Support the complete integration and testing of the delivered DECam systems off the telescope, including tests of the camera, cage assembly, hexapod, filter changing system, shutter system, cooling
system, and optics.
Status: Completed. In January and February, the final elements of DECam, specifically the optics,
were integrated and tested. Also, the filters were installed in their holders. By mid-February, all tests
that could be completed with the delivered systems off the telescope were finished, and the DECam
project transitioned from the integration phase into the installation phase.
31
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

Complete (together with CTIO Telescope Operations staff) the installation of DECam on the Blanco
4-m telescope.
Status: Completed. Installation of DECam on the Blanco was the primary focus of NS ETS for FY12.
The NS ETS team, together with TelOps, led the dismantling of the telescope and then moved on to
installing the DECam cage, with optics and hexapod, on the telescope, aligning the optics to the telescope’s optical axis, reassembling the telescope, and starting it moving again. Valuable support was
provided by NOAO North, Fermilab, UCL, and others. The installation was completed in August
2012 and first light was achieved on 12 September 2012.
4.1.3
NOAO South Facilities Operations
FY12 Program Review
The NOAO South Facilities Operations (NS FO) activities of Q1–Q3 of FY12 were dominated by repairs
to infrastructure damage from winter storms of the previous year and infrastructure improvements that
were mostly funded by an NSF award under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
(ARRA). During Q1 of FY12, NS FO undertook the task of repairing the most crippling aspects of the
extensive damage sustained by key observatory infrastructure during the past winter season. Water service was restored to the usual service levels, the sections of roadway that were most damaged were
patched and mended, and the electrical system on Cerro Pachón was brought back to normal operating
standards. At the close of Q1 of FY12, the main power transformer on Cerro Pachón failed, and, after an
evaluation of the repair-buy options by all of the observatory site stakeholders, it was decided that a new
replacement unit would be purchased, one that is better suited to meet the current and prospective power
demands on Cerro Pachón. The new transformer was installed in Q2 and has been functioning for several
months, although some issues are still being addressed.
The NS FO staff continued moving forward on infrastructure upgrade projects funded through
ARRA, including the Pachón kitchen-dining facility, the San Carlos water system (which provides water
to both Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón), and the refurbishment of the dormitories on Cerro Tololo. The
contract work on the Pachón kitchen-dining facility was completed in January 2012, and transition plans
from the existing dining facility were laid out carefully to minimize operational disruption. After several
months of detail work, the new kitchen and dining facility was opened in May 2012. The water system
work started in Q2 of FY12 with the installation of pipes from the top of Cerro Tololo down the side of
the mountain (a non-trivial working environment). The pipe installation, including the steepest gradients,
was completed in Q3 and the system has been put into full-time operation. Work is continuing on the
final phase of the project, which involves repair and replacement of critical sections of pipes for the water supplies on Cerro Pachón.
In June 2012, the renovation and improvements project for the sleeping quarters on Cerro Tololo was
begun, including work in the 10-unit dormitory, the technicians’ dormitory, and the dining dormitory
building. The scope of the work for these renovations and upgrades includes remodeling of the dormitories, improving their insulation, replacing the heating system, painting, and carpeting. The first phase of
this project, including repairs to the 10-unit dormitory and one wing of the dining dormitory, is currently
underway and is anticipated to be completed in the first months of FY13. Residents of the 10-unit dormitory have been relocated to the houses and technicians’ dormitory for the duration of that work.
The NS FO team also supported the construction of several new telescope facilities on Cerro Tololo,
funded by and to be operated by sources other than NSF/AURA/NOAO. Domes and support facilities for
the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN) were installed; the telescopes
should arrive in October 2012. Similarly, the dome for the Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and
Polarimetry Telescope (PROMPT7) was completed. Construction work for the Korea Astronomy and
Space Science Institute telescope (KMTNet Project) on Cerro Tololo was begun in June. This project has
an estimated completion date in December 2012.
32
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Status of FY12 Milestones

Reconstruct and repair sections of road damaged by the 2011 winter storms, with a focus on improving the stability and durability of roads on Cerro Pachón.
Status: Ongoing. Reconstruction and repair of the most seriously damaged sections was completed
in Q1. Continued repairs in Q2 were frustrated by lack of available subcontracting resources due to
the extremely competitive economic environment in Chile. Repairs are progressing with base staff as
resources are available.

Carry out a thorough maintenance of the water systems on both Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón, repairing storm damage and improving the systems to monitor water levels.
Status: The main portion of this project, involving (a) the repair of storm damage to the water systems on both mountains, and (b) the refurbishment of the pipeline and pumps up to Cerro Tololo, has
been completed. The water tanks and systems on both Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón were repaired, and the focus then shifted to the completion of the ARRA-funded water system project, which
included the recently completed installation of pipes from Cerro Tololo down to the well in San Carlos. The work was extended to include the refurbishment of a critical segment of pipeline on Cerro
Pachón; that work is scheduled to be completed during the first months of FY13.

Complete phase 3b of the Pachón dining hall/dormitory expansion, including the internal terminations and bringing the structure to full operations.
Status: Completed. The internal terminations were completed in early Q3, and the kitchen and dining hall were officially opened in May 2012. The facility is now in daily use.

Complete the meeting room/cafeteria project in La Serena.
Status: Ongoing. The meeting room/cafeteria plans were finalized, and work is proceeding as internal resources are available.
4.1.4
NOAO South Computer Infrastructure Services
FY12 Program Review
The NOAO South Computer Infrastructure Services (NS CIS) group continued to provide day-to-day
support for users at NOAO as well as support for the Las Campanas Observatory (under contract) and to
manage the full AURA international network backbone to the US mainland. During the first quarter of
FY12, the NS CIS group dedicated significant time and effort to the support of DECam. With the
DECam command and control computers installed, the DECam software developers continued their work
remotely (mostly from The Ohio State University) with local support from NS CIS staff. Many issues,
including bugs in the programs and networking problems, required the joint effort of the developers and
NS CIS to track down and resolve.
At the end of February, the NS CIS team opened the 622 Mbps pipe for international connectivity to
the US Research networks. This network now provides high-speed connections for the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), Carnegie, and LSST use,
as well as the ongoing use by CTIO, Gemini, SOAR, and AURA tenant facilities. Work continued on the
part of the providers to push this up to the planned 1 Gbs by the end of the 2012 calendar year.
In the background, work was ongoing to provide virtual servers for some NOAO South services
in order to provide improved continuity of service. Machines were purchased to accomplish this virtualization, and the DNS server was transitioned to this operational model.
NS CIS installed a workstation on the external router to make data transfer tests with Ampath and
NCSA. These initial tests are for LSST to demonstrate that the system can drive long latency circuits
33
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
with high bandwidth. So far, it has been shown that the existing computer hardware is the limiting factor
and not the protocol or network. A Cisco PIX firewall is producing a bottleneck of <100 Mbs throughput.
In order to remedy this problem a new Cisco ASA5550 was purchased with gigabit interfaces. This will
specifically facilitate the transfers of DECam data and allow for further, more challenging LSST tests.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Complete the integration of DECam computer systems into the NOAO South network environment
and take over operations and maintenance support of those systems.
Status: Complete, with ongoing effort. The installation and integration of the originally planned
DECam computer systems were completed in Q1 of FY12. However the system continues to evolve,
requiring further hardware installation and integration as well as systems and software support from
the NS CIS staff. As of September, additional units had been built and configured by CIS for DECam
and the computer systems are providing solid support for DECam commissioning and operations.

Complete a common network support facility on Cerro Pachón and transfer all backbone network
systems into this facility to provide more robust and independent operations.
Status: Ongoing. The building and electrical connections are complete. A tower for the antenna was
installed that will facilitate the move of the microwave equipment. Fiber-optic cables were laid for
the connection of the institutions on Cerro Pachón. Finalizing this project has been delayed until
FY13 due to budgetary restraints.

Finalize the 1-gigabit per second (Gbps) international segment of the AURA network backbone and
connect NRAO/ALMA and Las Campanas/Magellan to the upgraded backbone.
Status: Ongoing. While the 1 Gbps international segment was delayed, as of March 2012, the providers delivered a robust 622 Mbps link that effectively fulfills the current needs of AURA and its
network consortium partners. Both NRAO/ALMA and Carnegie/Las Campanas were connected to
the high-bandwidth link, and, in particular, NRAO began heavy usage of the link to transfer the
commissioning and early science data from ALMA to the US “ARC”.
4.1.5
NOAO South Administrative Services
FY12 Program Review
The NOAO South Administrative Services program provides business services and operational support
to NOAO, AURA-O, SOAR, LSST Corporation (LSSTC), and Gemini along with other consortia and
universities. These services include program administration, accounting and payroll, budgeting, reporting, procurement, contracts, shipping and receiving, and import/export.
For FY12, there were two primary objectives for NOAO Central Administrative Services (CAS): (1)
work closely with AURA, NSO, LSST, and Gemini to consolidate administrative services for AURA’s
NSF-funded centers into a centralized business unit reporting to the AURA Corporate Office; (2) prepare
for the upcoming NSF Business Service Review (BSR) scheduled for spring 2013.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Continue the review of all AURA program and tenant agreements, replacing references to AURA
Observatory Support Services with references to the NOAO South Administrative Services and Facilities Operations programs and more clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of AURA-O,
NOAO South, and the programs and/or tenants themselves.
34
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Status: While there was good progress made toward this effort in FY12, it will be continued into
FY13 by AURA CAS.

Working groups within NOAO South Administrative Services will continue to review and update
administrative policies and procedures in advance of the upcoming Business Service Review being
conducted by NSF. As completed, policies and procedures will be posted to a Web site and made
readily available to all NOAO South Administrative Services staff.
Status: The Business Service Review was postponed at the request of the NSF until spring 2013.
Preparation for the review continued.

Members from NOAO South accounting, procurement, and contracts departments will join working
groups with representatives from other AURA Centers to plan and prepare for the upcoming administrative consolidation.
Status: Extensive meetings took place, and the Central Administrative Services division of AURA is
in place and will launch 1 October 2012.
4.2
4.2.1
NOAO NORTH
KPNO
FY12 Program Review
Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) operates the Mayall 4-m and 2.1-m telescopes. Additionally,
KPNO operates the WIYN 3.5-m telescope in partnership with the University of Wisconsin, Indiana
University, and Yale University. The Kitt Peak telescopes of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) and
the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO Very Long Baseline Array) receive direct operational support or maintenance services from KPNO in addition to the shared mountain facilities provided for
all of the tenant observatories on the mountain. In 2008, KPNO began a five-year program to modernize
and improve its facilities. The process of addressing issues of deferred maintenance for the entire site
also was continued.
FY12 saw continued effort to keep KPNO telescopes equipped with forefront instruments, to broaden the involvement of young astronomers in the use and development of new instruments, and to support
exciting and world-class research activities.
The upgraded wide-field prime focus imager, Mosaic 1.1, was in high demand and saw regular use.
The NEWFIRM wide-field infrared imager returned to KPNO at the start of the calendar year, and it has
been in regular use since March. The One Degree Imager (ODI) was successfully installed on the WIYN
telescope with a partial focal plane, and initial commissioning was underway at the end of the fiscal year.
Science use of ODI is expected to begin mid way through FY13. Unfortunately, there were continued
delays in completion of the optics for the Kitt Peak Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (KOSMOS), a
high-throughput optical spectrograph, and it was not brought to the telescope during FY12.
The Big Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BigBOSS) project, led by the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, aims to create a powerful, new, spectroscopic capability for the KPNO 4-m Mayall
Telescope. The BigBOSS instrument, a 5000-fiber optical spectrograph with a 3-degree field of view,
will undertake an unprecedented galaxy redshift survey to constrain various cosmological parameters and
also will be available for community science programs (see bigboss.lbl.gov/ and Schlegel et al. 2011,
arXiv 1106.1706).
NOAO worked closely with the BigBOSS project over the last year to advance the scientific and
technical aspects of the project, and to ensure that the community interests are properly represented.
NOAO held a Community Workshop at the end of FY11 to investigate the range of community science
35
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
projects that could be undertaken with the BigBOSS
instrument. A white paper expressing the community’s interest in BigBOSS was submitted to the
NSF’s Portfolio Review Committee (Pilachowski et
al. 2012; available at ast.noao.edu/sites/default/files/
BigBOSS_PortfolioReview_final.pdf). The Department of Energy (DOE) office of High Energy Physics held an independent peer review of the project
concept in December 2011, which the project passed
with flying colors (see the March 2012 NOAO
Newsletter, p. 13). Members of the NOAO scientific
staff continued to participate in BigBOSS workshops (the most recent being held on 30 May–1 June
2012 and 16–20 July 2012) to refine survey strategy, target selection, and data management and to
work toward ensuring that the broader scientific
interests of the overall community are represented.
NOAO organized a Community Science Advisory committee led by Dr. Constance Rockosi (University of California Santa Cruz) to help with the
latter task. This committee is charged with developing science cases and survey strategies for a variety
of galactic and extragalactic studies. These would in
turn inform NOAO’s discussions with the BigBOSS
project on how best to satisfy the community’s scientific aspirations.
NOAO organized a dedicated engineering team
to work on the BigBOSS-Mayall interface (Figure
18). During FY12, the team was engaged in various
aspects of the project, including the plans for readying the telescope and the building to host the instrument, the optical design of the corrector, and the
hardware and software interface requirements. The
engineering team’s first tasks are to identify, with
the BigBOSS team, all the interface points between
BigBOSS and the observatory infrastructure and to
determine what modifications might be needed. The
team also launched an investigation of the delivered
image quality of the current system and the state of
the telescope drives and mirror support system. These studies should lead to improvements that are
helpful to all users of the Mayall, at all focal stations, as well as to BigBOSS. As part of this process, KPNO personnel carried out several background experiments, such as measuring the mechanical vibration modes of the Mayall during normal
operation and monitoring the environment of the
proposed spectrograph room, and installed laser
metrology mounts on the primary mirror (Figure 19)
as a possible tool for establishing and maintaining
the alignment of the BigBOSS top end with the pri-
36
Figure 18: Anticipated cable paths and possible spectrograph location for BigBOSS when installed at the
prime focus of the Mayall 4-m telescope. The BigBOSS
team is considering options that would move the spectrographs off the observing floor into a thermally controlled environment.
Figure 19: Installation of mounts for laser tracker retroreflectors on M1 of the Mayall 4-m telescope. The laser
tracker will be used later for measuring the M1 axis and
for testing a prototype system for maintaining the
BigBOSS alignment. (Iimage credits: Will Goble (left),
Larry Reddell (right), NOAO/AURA/NSF.)
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
mary. As FY12 ended, the DOE approved the CD-0 for a mid-scale Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument experiment, which is an important and necessary step for the project to proceed.
Mayall 4-m Telescope
KPNO is initiating an effort to improve the delivered image quality of the Mayall telescope, as well as other
related aspects of performance, such as pointing and tracking. This effort, begun toward the end of the fiscal
year, focused initially on established current levels of performance and in identifying potential improvement projects. The next phase, starting in early FY13, will consist of prioritizing improvement activities
based on potential gains and available resources, and then executing the high-priority projects.
The telescope improvements are relevant not just to the performance of the current instrument suite,
but to future instruments and to the BigBOSS survey (discussed also in section 4.2.2). The FY13 projects
likely will focus primarily on data collection, development of protocols for control of the thermal environment, and enhancement of the aero-thermal performance of the telescope. Longer-term efforts are apt
to include a major upgrade of the telescope control system, similar to that performed for the Blanco telescope in FY12. The majority of maintenance activities are covered in section 4.2.2. The building repair
work was fully completed in FY12; future work includes periodic re-inspection of the building exterior
structure.
Mayall Instrumentation

Mosaic-1.1: The upgraded Mosaic-1.1 imager, the widest-field optical imager currently offered
at KPNO (35.4 arcmin square; 0.26 arcsec pixels), is used at the prime focus of the Mayall telescope. Mosaic-1.1 continues to be in high demand at both the Mayall 4-m and the WIYN 0.9-m
telescopes.

NEWFIRM: NEWFIRM returned to regular science use on the Mayall in March 2012. Demand
for this wide-field instrument (27.6 arcmin square) during semester 2012A and 2012B has been
heavy.

FLAMINGOS IR Imaging Spectrometer: FLAMINGOS is a cryogenic, multi-slit, near-IR
imaging spectrograph (the first of its kind) built at the University of Florida in collaboration with
NOAO/KPNO. It can be used in either spectroscopic mode (1000 < R < 1900) or imaging mode
(10 arcmin square; 0.3 arcsec pixels) in the JHK bands.

RC Spectrograph (and MARS): This low- to moderate-resolution (300 < R < 5000), single or
multislit optical spectrograph continues in service, although upgrades to the guiders, detectors,
and controllers are desirable. After a detector failure, the Multi-Aperture Red Spectrometer
(MARS) was removed from service in October 2011. There are no plans to bring it back into
service, as it is expected that KOSMOS will provide a better capability on a time scale comparable to that required for a repair.

Echelle: The Echelle Spectrograph (18,000 < R < 65,000) continued to be offered. Over the past
few years, several of the highest ranked proposals by the NOAO Time Allocation Committees
(TAC) have requested this instrument.

Phoenix: This high spectral resolution (R ~ 70,000) infrared spectrometer returned from Gemini
South, and it was offered on both the Mayall and 2.1-m telescopes starting with semester 2012B.
Four science programs were scheduled using Phoenix on the Mayall in 2012B.

Visitor Instruments: Scientists may bring visitor instruments to test innovative technologies
and observing modes.
37
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
2.1-m Telescope
The 2.1-m telescope was home to diverse activities during FY12. It saw stalwart service in support of
important fundamental astronomy, with Dr Landolt extending his UBVRI photometric standard fields to
fainter sequences: a valuable contribution to the astronomical community. Through the NOAO Survey
process, Salzer and Co-Is that include several students are studying Star Formation Properties of an HISelected Galaxy Sample using the 2.1-m imager to observe target galaxies in H-alpha, enhancing the
depth of their program, which started at the WIYN 0.9-m telescope. A variety of date-sensitive—even
date-critical—proposals for followup, survey activities, or monitoring observations were scheduled during FY12, studying comets, binary asteroids, near-earth objects (especially virtual impactors and potentially hazardous asteroids) along with young stellar objects, brown dwarfs, stars with candidate
exoplanets, etc. Many make use of the rich data from spacecraft and ground-based surveys as their
sources, and some request simultaneous observations with those facilities.
Scheduling simultaneity of ground-based observations with spacecraft opportunities can be challenging when the spacecraft observations are scheduled only a few weeks in advance. Preparations were
made in FY12 for the 2.1-m telescope to have a “nearly-ToO” campaign. This campaign started in September 2012. A local observer, and more distant PI/Co-I, can observe at short notice (the more distant
participants observing remotely) on specifically identified long imaging runs, with approval from the
KPNO director, and through an arrangement with the scheduled observer who has been allocated an extra
night in expectation of this event occurring during his/her run. Initial application of this approach was
highly successful. Another one is planned in the near future.
The 2.1-m telescope continues to attract visitor instruments; the EXtremely high Precision
ExtrasolaR planet Tracker (EXPERT) system from Jian Ge’s University of Florida team is a “permanent”
resident, being housed in an area of the coudé spectrograph room, and fed by fibers mounted at the 2.1-m
telescope focal surface. Students from Dr Ge’s team, and from other institutions, use this instrument to
obtain observations for thesis projects. This team also supports the instrument itself. A team from Missouri State University, led by Mike Reed, brought along an embryonic instrument designed for 3-color,
fast CCD photometry to study pulsating stars where as many as 100 cycles per night could be observed.
At each of three visits, the instrument underwent improvements, as did NOAO’s recognition of how to
improve the instrument’s integration with the 2.1-m telescope; an even better system has emerged as a
result. Dr. Reed and his team look forward to proposing further observational projects with their improved instrument. The return of Phoenix from its southern excursion was met with immediate interest in
its use at the 2.1-m, and where it is scheduled for two long runs in semester 2012B, and time has been
requested for semester 2013A. These examples indicate the ongoing vitality of the KPNO 2.1-m telescope. It can host many different kinds of astronomical programs. Even more exciting opportunities are
to be expected when GoldCam is revived, thus offering optical spectroscopy once again.
2.1-m Instrumentation

CCD Imager: With the nearly 20-year-old (“legacy”) CCDs becoming less reliable, and it being
harder to maintain their electronics, a new detector was prepared to replace the old T2K CCDs
for optical imaging at the 2.1-m telescope. The STA2, with a Monsoon Controller, was used by a
number of regular observers at the 2.1-m telescope for several semesters, and following an intensive laboratory “tune-up” this summer, it became the primary imager as of September 2012. In
particular, it has much better Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) in the ultraviolet/blue and a
significantly shorter readout time than the T2K CCDs and offers a 10.4-arcmin-square FOV
(0.31 arcsec pixels) when used on the 2.1-m.

FLAMINGOS IR Imaging Spectrometer: See description under Mayall Instrumentation. In
FY12, FLAMINGOs on the 2.1-m telescope saw continued service as a popular instrument, especially for time-series photometry in conjunction with spacecraft observations. It offers a 20arcmin-square FOV when used on the 2.1-m (0.6 arcsec pixels).
38
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS

GoldCam CCD Spectrograph: This optical spectrograph suffered a detector failure and was
not available for most of FY12. As there is continued demand from KPNO users, it is hoped that
resources will allow the defective detector to be replaced with a modern detector (already acquired) and controller during FY13.

EXPERT: This is a visitor instrument (PI: J. Ge, University of Florida) for precision radial velocity measurement, stable to 1–2 m/s. This instrument is available to the community through
proposals to the NOAO TAC under an agreement with J. Ge and the University of Florida.

Phoenix: Phoenix returned from its sojourn at Gemini South and underwent two periods of test
and evaluation at the 2.1-m telescope. In February, the instrument was mounted at the ƒ/15 focus
of the telescope, requiring revision of mechanical mountings and upgrading of the cryogenic
cooling facilities, essentially proving the instrument could be used at the 2.1-m telescope satisfactorily (only in spectroscopic mode, with 1000 < R < 1800). It was therefore offered for observing in semester 2012B. In June, a successful observing run provided an update on its capabilities. Two proposals are scheduled for semester 2012B, and several others have been received
for semester 2013A.
WIYN 3.5-m Telescope
The WIYN Observatory consists of the WIYN 3.5-m and
0.9-m telescopes. NOAO is a partner in the consortium (including University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, and
Yale University) that operates the WIYN 3.5-m, the most
modern of the telescopes operated on Kitt Peak. In FY12,
work continued on the One Degree Imager (ODI) for the 3.5m telescope. The focal plane was partially populated by 13
Orthogonal Transfer Arrays (OTAs) that can be scientifically
productive when used as normal CCDs or with coherent
guiding. Work was completed on the partially populated instrument (called pODI) in the spring of 2012, and it was
thoroughly tested in the labs in Tucson.
The instrument passed a Shipping and Installation Readiness Review in July 2012 and then was shipped to the telescope in late July, installed, (Figure 20) and underwent engineering verification through September 17. All went well
(Figure 21), and scientific commissioning is scheduled to
begin October 8. In parallel with the ODI instrument development, work proceeded on an integrated software system— Figure 20: pODI mounted on the WIYN 3.5-m
the ODI Pipeline, Portal, and Archive (ODI PPA)—which telescope and ready to go to work. (Image
will provide reduced data and analysis tools for ODI users credit: pODI commissioning team.)
and archival researchers. That effort passed a Critical Design
Review in February 2012 and has been undergoing development and test cycles during the engineering
verification period for the instrument. The goal is to start shared-risk science with the preliminary version
of the instrument beginning in March 2013, and pODI was included in the semester 2013A call for proposals.
The pODI integration team achieved engineering first light on 6 August 2012, one night ahead of
schedule. The team was able to verify all essential aspects of the pODI hardware and software, including
guiding, rapid readout, vignetting, focusing, image quality, and detector performance. In addition, some
preliminary data reduction routines were tested and produced satisfactory results for the static-mode (i.e.,
no on-chip charge shifting to correct wind shake or seeing) images taken during this initial integration
run. Of particular note is the excellent image quality across the entire field of view. On the best-seeing
39
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
night during the integration efforts, average FWHM image size across the entire
one-degree diameter field of view was
less than 0.43 arcseconds using static
imaging. Further details can be found in
section 4.4.1.
0.36° FWHM
WIYN 3.5-m Instrumentation

Hydra + Bench Spectrograph:
This multi-fiber spectroscopic capability remains very popular with the
university partners of the WIYN Observatory and also is sought by
members of the NOAO community.
Figure 21: Ten-second (unguided) exposure from pODI in the
SDSS-I' band. (Image credit: pODI commissioning team.)

SparsePak3 + Bench Spectrograph: This is an integral-field fiberfeed alternative to the Hydra multiobject spectrograph.

MiniMosaic Imager (MIMO): This aging facility instrument remains the main optical imager
available at WIYN. MIMO was successfully recommissioned on the MOS port of WIYN following the installation of pODI during the year.

WIYN High Resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC): Built by Margaret Meixner of Space
Telescope Science Institute (STScI), Ed Churchwell (University of Wisconsin) and colleagues at
Johns Hopkins University, STScI, WIYN Observatory, and NOAO/KPNO, this near-IR imager
provides very high spatial resolution, near-IR imaging over a 3.3′  3.3′ field of view. In conjunction with the WIYN Tip/Tilt Module (WTTM), images as good as 0.27 arcsec FWHM have
been recorded, although use of WTTM during the past year was limited because of erratic mechanical performance. WHIRC was successfully recommissioned on the MOS port of WIYN
following the installation of pODI during the year.
Infrastructure Modernization
The contractor completed the primary renovation of the water processing system just before the beginning of the summer monsoon rains. This was very timely, as the water storage levels were approaching
critical levels. During Q4, the KPNO staff tested the plant operations and made processing adjustments to
address the EPA regulatory compliance issues. In late FY12, a one-year extension of the ARRA award
was obtained to ensure completion of the remaining Kitt Peak project, the Instrument Handling Facility
(IHF). A contract was awarded in Q4 to a local Tucson Architectural and Engineering firm to prepare the
IHF building renovation documents for contractor bidding. In early FY13, the work will be placed out for
bid, and project completion is anticipated for late FY13. This project will provide a mountaintop facility
for large instrument maintenance and repair needs and reduce the potential for instrument damage during
off-mountain transport.
40
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Kitt Peak Visitor Center Usage
The Kitt Peak Visitor Center (KPVC) is administered as
part of Kitt Peak National Observatory. The KPVC activities are largely funded by revenue generated by visitor
programs and shop sales. In addition to the operations of
the mountaintop visitor center and gift store, KPVC runs
the Nightly Observing Program (NOP) and the Advanced
Observing Program (AOP). These internationally known
programs allow public visitors to the mountain to experience observing the wonders of the Universe with modern,
small telescopes at one of the world’s best sites, surrounded by working research observatories. This is a
unique experience for those who participate, and it communicates the excitement of astronomy to the general
public. The Kitt Peak Visitor Center has been providing
public outreach for over 48 years, and FY12 was the
highest revenue year in the history of the observatory.
The table at the right provides FY12 usage statistics for
the KPVC.
Kitt Peak Visitor Center & Tours
Summary of Participants
(October 2011 through September 2012)
Group/Program
General public tours
# of Participants
8,797
School groups K-college
769
Special tours
832
VIP Tours
315
Nightly Obs. Program
7,071
Advanced Obs. Program
129
Other classes & workshops
412
Total
18,325
Site Protection
The KPNO Director’s Office continued to raise awareness regarding community actions that protect the
sky quality for astronomical research. KPNO staff, along with representatives from other Arizona observatories, briefed numerous members of the state legislature on the deleterious effects of electronic
billboards. In April, citing the importance of dark skies to astronomical research, Arizona Governor Jan
Brewer vetoed HB2757, which would have allowed electronic billboards on all state highways without
restrictions. At the Governor’s request, representatives of the billboard industry and the observatories
worked together on a revised bill, which includes restrictions on proximity to existing observatories (75
miles), on the maximum brightness of the billboards, and on a curfew (11 pm local time) after which
time the billboards must be turned off. The revised bill, HB2543, was signed into law in May.
Relations with the Tohono O’odham Nation
During the first quarter of FY12, KPNO hosted a Tohono O’odham Nation family night on Kitt Peak
(Figure 22, left). Some 700 members of the Nation attended and participated in activities to learn about
astronomy and the operation of the telescopes on Kitt Peak. In addition, KPNO hosted and supported the
annual summer Horse Camp for Tohono O’odham youth and had a booth at the Tohono O’odham rodeo
and fair (Figure 22, right). KPNO staff continued to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding
their radio and communication needs in support of the Nation. Maintaining good communication between the Tohono O’odham Nation and the observatory remains a priority of the KPNO Director’s Office with support from the EPO program. In September, the KPNO deputy director and EPO manager
briefed the Schuk Toak District Council on the report of the NSF Portfolio Review Committee.
41
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Figure 22: (Left) Tohono O'odham family night at Kitt Peak, 8 October 2011, had over 700 people in attendance.
(Right) NOAO staff in front of the NOAO booth at the Tohono O'odham rodeo and fair, 3–5 February 2012.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Receive NEWFIRM when it returns to KPNO from CTIO and recommission it on the Mayall 4-m
telescope.
Status: Completed. NEWFIRM is now in regular scientific use on the Mayall.

Install and commission the new spectrograph, KOSMOS, on the Mayall 4-m telescope.
Status: Not yet completed. Commissioning of KOSMOS was delayed due to continued difficulties
with completion of the camera optics. See additional details below in section 4.4.2.

Deploy expanded data bandwidth to and from Kitt Peak according to plans finalized in FY11.
Status: The project was completed early this year when the Tribal Utility Authority installed and activated the new gigabit Ethernet link. The bandwidth increase has enhanced the data transfer to/from
Kitt Peak and improved operations for all users on the mountain.

Complete inspection of the Mayall 4-m building exterior according to plans made in FY11 in consultation with the structural engineering firm M3.
Status: Generally complete. A full inspection will take place early in FY13 and should be repeated
every 12–18 months thereafter.
4.2.2
NOAO North Engineering & Technical Services
FY12 Program Review
Several major changes occurred that affected the planned overall NOAO North Engineering & Technical
Services (NN ETS) program. First, NN ETS staff were involved in reviewing DECam installation plans
and assisting with the installation on site. Their efforts were largely completed in May. This level of involvement was not part of the FY12 plan. Second, starting in March, ETS staff were involved in the work
to assess and repair the damaged ƒ/8 secondary mirror from the Blanco telescope. This effort will continue past the end of FY12. Obviously, this effort was not part of the FY12 plan, either. Finally, the reductions in the FY12 budget led to a substantial reduction in NN ETS staffing levels; by the end of FY12,
the size of the NN ETS staff was 25% less than at the start of FY12. As a result of the staffing reductions,
some organizational changes were carried out, in particular the merger of the mountain and downtown
electronics staff into a single electronics group. Because the primary responsibility of NN ETS staff re-
42
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
mains operational support, project-related work is now proceeding on a reduced scale. Additionally, NN
ETS underwent a succession of management changes, with two manager changes during a period of less
than a year.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Focus KPNO improvement efforts on high-priority deferred-maintenance projects, primarily on the
Mayall telescope. These projects will be those identified as high priority due to the risk potential for
personnel and equipment safety, or extended downtime if failure occurs.
Status: The diversion of staff to DECam support led to less progress in this area than planned. The
highest priority, the Mayall mirror lift repair, had to be delayed until the summer of 2012, but it was
completed. However, review of the mirror lift design indicates that it does not fully meet modern
safety standards; modifications are required before it can be used to handle the primary mirror and
comply with current safety standards. With appropriate precautions for personnel, the lift is safe for
instrument handling without further modification. The mirror was washed during the summer, but
aluminization of the primary was postponed until summer 2013 due to the safety issue noted above.
The loss of reflectivity as a result of this postponement is estimated to be <10% at all wavelengths,
and ~5% for most wavelengths.
The second-highest priority project, modification of the dome shutter brakes, also was postponed until FY13.
Based on the annual inspection carried out during the spring, two dome rails were repaired during
the summer.

Support the ODI project by preparing the WIYN telescope and facility to accommodate the instrument, assembling a reduced-focal-plane version of the instrument, and deploying it on the telescope
by the end of FY12.
Status: The telescope and facility modifications generally were complete at the time the instrument
was shipped to the telescope in mid-July, and all work was completed by the end of FY12, at which
time ODI entered its commissioning phase. Work on ODI itself was managed as an NSTC program,
and is reported in section 4.4.1.

Enhance the KPNO facility instrument suite by supporting BigBOSS design efforts, supporting
NEWFIRM and KOSMOS operations after they are commissioned on the Mayall telescope, and upgrading aging CCD systems with MONSOON/TORRENT controllers.
Status: Work on BigBOSS continued for most of the year on a limited basis, but it is NOAO’s intention to put in place a formal project team with appropriate project management and staffing increases as resources permit prior to the end of FY12. This is required to ensure that NOAO can meet the
BigBOSS project’s needs for definition of interfaces and requirements in a timely fashion.
NN ETS successfully supported the return of NEWFIRM to the Mayall 4-m telescope, and it is now
considered an available instrument within the Mayall telescope instrument suite.
There were continued delays in completion of the KOSMOS camera optics, and current expectations
are that KOSMOS will arrive and be commissioned some time in FY13. Progress on the instrument
is described in section 4.4.2.
Work on upgrading the Kitt Peak CCD systems remained largely in the planning stage, pending a
definition of the midterm KPNO instrument suite. Review of the current suite indicates that it is not
scientifically effective to install new controllers on older CCDs; instead the focus should be on
providing a smaller set of modern CCDs plus controllers. The first TORRENT-equipped Dewar containing the KOSMOS e2v detector was completed and delivered in May. Efforts at the end of FY12
43
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
focused on characterizing the new CCDs that are in hand and on preparing additional Dewars for
use on KOSMOS, COSMOS, and additional KPNO instruments.

Launch an effort to reorganize and modernize the Tucson electronics labs to better utilize the lab
space, improve the working conditions for technical staff, and improve overall efficiency for lab operations.
Status: The first phase of this work was completed with the consolidation of the TORRENT production and test area. More recently, with the electronics group consolidation, efforts were focused at
providing better test equipment for the mountain electronics lab. Further consolidation of the electronics areas downtown is desirable, but will not take place this fiscal year. It may be carried out in
FY13 as resources permit.

Implement a comprehensive configuration management plan for KPNO documentation and begin
migration of existing documentation to meet the requirements of the plan. This plan will include
document reconciliation, data mining, format conversion, database development, and Web-based access.
Status: Agreement was reached on a baseline plan, and the initial hardware and software purchases
were made. A detailed implementation plan will be developed, a prototype database will be implemented and tested, with migration of documentation scheduled to occur in FY13.
4.2.3
NOAO North Central Facilities Operations
FY12 Program Review
Over this past year, the staff worked to finish up the various Tucson infrastructure projects funded by the
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA). In addition, the Tucson staff provided significant engineering support to the contracted KPNO ARRA projects and the WIYN dome repair efforts.
These ARRA activities are detailed in the ARRA section 5.5.
Staff continued to make targeted improvements to the various offices, restrooms, and lab spaces and
major repairs to key building components. These efforts included repairs to the environmental instrumentation test chamber and a main air handler unit. While the new Tucson streetcar project was under construction in an adjacent street, projects were ongoing to replace the original construction single-pane
windows with new, insulated dual-pane windows to reduce external noise and help control energy costs.
Other activities involved the relocation of the NOAO Shipping and Receiving operations to another
building and a major office consolidation program to enhance the interaction efforts for departments and
project teams. The office consolidation program, window replacement, and restroom improvements will
continue into the next fiscal year.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Upgrade various restrooms to replace fixtures to improve water conservation efforts and to improve
the deteriorated interior finishes and accessibility.
Status: Following successful completion of the pilot projects, staff began renovating additional restrooms. A key staff member’s medical absence resulted in some delays, but the project will continue
in the coming fiscal year. New interior privacy panels were installed in two restrooms and additional
water saving fixtures will be installed in the coming year to help improve the reduction in water use.

Resurface the main asphalt parking lot to prevent deterioration and extend its life.
44
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Status: Bid documents were prepared and contractor bids were obtained during the fourth quarter of FY12. The successful contractor completed the work over the Labor Day holiday to minimize impact on staff.

Continue the air-handler chilled-water system modifications and the building electrical project efforts to improve system operations and reduce energy usage.
Status: The upgrade of the electrical panels was completed in the second quarter of FY12, and the
final phase to connect the central computer room UPS unit and the new backup generator system
was completed in the fourth quarter. With the new building management system in place, staff will be
working in the coming year to adjust the operational control parameters for more efficient operations. The engineer has not completed the design for the air handler valve modifications so that effort will continue into FY13.

Continue the program to update meeting rooms and public spaces.
Status: Staff continued to update and repair the various systems within the meeting rooms and improve the voice and data connectivity.

Continue to make targeted renovation and building modifications at NOAO North Tucson facilities
to address building deficiencies and space needs.
Status: Over the last two quarters of FY12, staff completed over 70 office moves as part of the ongoing office consolidations. With each move some targeted improvements were made and some deficiencies addressed. Other targeted improvements are ongoing to enhance space utilization. Following the successful pilot project for new, insulated dual-pane windows, staff replaced additional windows along the west side of the main building to reduce heat gain. A contractor worked with CFO
staff to develop a window replacement scheme for the north-facing windows. The efforts to replace
the large windows on the north side will help reduce future streetcar noise and heat gain, but the effort is on hold pending funding. It is anticipated that this project will be restarted in FY13.
4.2.4
NOAO North Computer Infrastructure Services
FY12 Program Review
During FY12, the NOAO North Computer Infrastructure (NN CIS) staff accomplished several projects, one of which included replacing the NOAO North email server hardware to increase speed and reliability.
For another project, the external network infrastructure at NOAO-Tucson was rearranged and improved. The dedicated data line from the Tucson headquarters to Kitt Peak was upgraded from 45 Mbps
to 1 Gbps and connected directly to the Tucson backbone Ethernet switch rather than to the perimeter
router/firewall. The router/firewall was moved physically from the Tucson telephone room to the computer lab where it is supported by controlled power and climate.
The internal network infrastructure at NOAO-Tucson was also rearranged and improved. A new secure server was installed running a RADIUS server, which supports the new “single sign-on” password
system. The wireless system in the NOAO-Tucson headquarters was revamped providing an internal system for staff (using the RADIUS server for authentication) and an external system for visitors that does
not provide access to internal network assets. A project was begun to revamp the remote-access system
(ssh and VPN) to increase security and reliability. By the end of FY12, the VPN password authentication
system was moved onto the RADIUS server. This project will continue into FY13.
NN CIS provided logistical support for the establishment of the IT component of AURA CAS involving the installation of servers in the Tucson computer lab and inauguration of a secure VPN tunnel
from NOAO-Tucson to AURA-DC.
45
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
In response to the AURA Cybersecurity Audit and further security initiatives from AURA, NN CIS
(in collaboration with NS CIS) began to plan a multiyear program to increase network security both in
Tucson and on Kitt Peak.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Implement several initiatives inspired by the AURA Cybersecurity Audit which took place in FY10:
Network DMZ (de militarized zone) to isolate Internet-facing network servers from the rest of the internal network; radius server to provide a secure “single sign-on” system for our users to access network systems such as VPN, ssh, and the secure wireless system; and “split” wireless system to isolate “inside” and “outside” users of our wireless system.
Status: The “single sign-on” RADIUS system for remote access and secure wireless and the “split”
wireless system were fully deployed in FY12. Establishment of a DMZ system was deferred to the future as part of NOAO’s ongoing cybersecurity program.

Continue the improvement program for the NOAO North computer lab concentrating on power and
backup power systems.
Status: A backup generator and a lab-wide uninterruptible power system were procured and installed in FY12. Full functionality of the system was demonstrated during two power outages.
4.3
NOAO SYSTEM SCIENCE CENTER
The existing and planned facilities of the US GroundBased Optical/Infrared System (System) constitute an
extended and powerful system of observational capabilities. A key mission for NOAO is to deliver community access within the System to a broad range of
world-class instruments on telescopes of all apertures.
The NOAO System Science Center (NSSC) forms
NOAO’s interface with the System with the primary
aims to strengthen the contributions of NOAO’s directly managed facilities to the System, to provide user
support for System facilities not directly managed by
NOAO, and to anticipate and advocate for the future
development of the System. The NSSC mission thus
incorporates a wide range of responsibilities, many of
which focus on present-day facilities, while others deal with the evolution toward a future system, such
as organizing community input for the LSST and GSMT projects.
NSSC consists of three major programs: System User Support (SUS), which includes the Telescope
Allocation Committee (TAC) subprogram; Science Data Management (SDM); and System Community
Development (SCD). SUS provides help to users of the currently available open-access time to facilities
that are not managed by NOAO, which covers the entire process of proposal preparation, submission,
observing, and post-observing data questions. SDM support revolves around the archiving of all raw data
from NOAO facilities and pipeline processing for selected instruments, as well as the data needs and
support for future projects that involve NOAO. SCD maintains a broad view of the current state of the
System and how community desires and needs are best mapped into the future evolution of this system.
46
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
4.3.1
System User Support
FY12 Program Review
System User Support (SUS) continued its work to provide access and user support to NOAO facilities,
with primary focus on those facilities not directly operated by NOAO. NSSC/SUS issued the semester
2012A and 2012B NOAO calls for proposals, advertised NOAO capabilities at the Austin AAS meeting,
operated the NOAO time allocation process, and fielded technical questions and provided proposal technical reviews for the large majority of System capabilities. As the home of the US National Gemini Office, SUS represented the US community at the Gemini International Time Allocation Committee (TAC)
and guided proposers through Gemini’s Phase II process. SUS participated actively in helping to improve
the Gemini observation process, which has been criticized by a number of user committees, by working
with Gemini staff on changes to the Phase I and II software tools. An SUS staff member joined the Gemini Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC), which was formed in FY12 to provide strategic guidance for the development of Gemini’s capabilities. SUS is working with the STAC to advocate
for instrumentation priorities that best serve the US community’s needs, in particular focusing on commissioning the latest Gemini instruments, FLAMINGOS-2 and the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive
Optics System (GeMS) with the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI), and delivering workhorse spectroscopic capabilities to Gemini. SUS provided support to the local organizing committee and
science organizing committee for the July 2012 Gemini Science Meeting, as well as aid in rounding up
US users to attend the meeting.
SUS underwent staffing and management changes in near the end of FY12. Letizia Stanghellini took
over as SUS head of program, replacing Knut Olsen, who left the group. SUS staff member Katia Cunha
also left the group. The TAC team was moved from being under SUS management to being directly
managed by the NSSC director.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Provide all manner of user support for open-access time to a broad and continually evolving array of
non-NOAO/non-Gemini facilities, such as Keck, the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), and the
Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), and continued access to the Center for High Angular Resolution
Astronomy (CHARA) interferometer or any new facilities that might result from a successful
ReSTAR Phase 2 proposal.
Status: SUS supported non-NOAO/non-Gemini facilities maintaining scientific liaisons to MMT,
Hale, and the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA). The SUS CHARA representative supported the execution of NOAO/CHARA visitor programs, supported user documentation
of CHARA, and presented reports on the NOAO/CHARA access program and adaptive optics development at the CHARA annual meeting. The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) does not yet host
NOAO users on its telescope as many of its instruments are still in the development and commissioning phase. Keck time supplied through the Telescope System Instrumentation Program will resume in
semester 2013A.

Continue to support US Gemini access and programs such as the Phase I and Phase II observing processes, the Gemini Helpdesk, and site visits with the view towards an increasing number of US
nights on the Gemini telescopes after calendar year 2012 and the UK withdrawal.
Status: SUS staff continued to provide support for US Gemini programs through proposal technical
reviews, Phase II support, and Gemini HelpDesk support. US demand for Gemini time remained
healthy in 2012, with oversubscription factors of 3.9/2.0 (Gemini North/South) for semester 2012A
and 3.6/2.1 for semester 2012B. Site visits were reduced in number as a response to reductions in the
NOAO budget and were carried out only in conjunction with committee travel. SUS recognizes that
maintaining or improving the demand for Gemini depends on continuing to develop a strong base of
47
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
users who see Gemini as critical to their research as well as providing excellent support for all users. SUS thus continued to encourage classical observing on Gemini and funded the travel for one
observer per classical run throughout FY12. In consultation with the NOAO User’s Committee, SUS
changed this policy to fund travel for thesis students only starting in semester 2013A.

Provide the NOAO user community with SUS staff knowledge and expertise of the facilities that
constitute the NOAO-managed suite of telescopes and instruments in support of the NOAO TAC
process (such as technical reviews).
Status: NSSC/SUS continued management of the NOAO TAC process in FY12; in FY13, the TAC
will be managed directly by NSSC. SUS and the TAC team worked to streamline the TAC process, in
particular improving the communication of the results of technical reviews to the TAC panels and
improving the efficiency of populating the Gemini rank-ordered proposal lists for the queue. This
work led to improved clarity for the NOAO Merging TAC and saved time during the Gemini International TAC meeting. SUS contributed NOAO-specific LaTeX/Word templates for the 2012B and
2013A Gemini Phase I Tool (PIT).

Foster closer ties and lines of communication with the Gemini staff through specific and welldefined joint efforts, if such efforts can be identified and sufficient resources are available. An example would be the recent discussions about NSSC help in upgrading certain Gemini instrument Integration Time Calculators (ITCs).
Status: SUS provided a small amount of effort toward upgrading and improving the user interface
for the Gemini Integration Time Calculator, and working with Gemini staff on the redesigned version of the Gemini Phase I Tool. SUS staff were also involved in discussions on software improvements to the Phase II Tool, which form a key part of the Gemini Transition Plan. SUS hosted visits
from Gemini’s associate director of operations and two Gemini staff members. SUS sent a contingent
of six staff members to the Gemini Science Meeting in July 2012.

Embark on shared missions within NSSC with SCD and SDM, such as using SUS staff System experience and scientific expertise to advise on the continuing evolution of the System, or helping SDM
to improve the user experience with the NOAO data archives.
Status: SUS staff participated in DECam mock observing and provided feedback to SDM on the process. SUS, SCD, and SDM staff worked together to come up with a plan for the NOAO Transient
Broker through discussions within the NOAO LSST Science Working Group.

Work with the community and relevant committees in supporting the process to procure the next sets
of instruments for NOAO and Gemini telescopes.
Status: The issue of future instrumentation starts is central to the US community’s interest in Gemini. NSSC/SUS maintained close contact with the Gemini STAC as an SUS staff member is on the
committee and two other committee members are regular visitors to NOAO in Tucson. The SUS
group gauged the community’s instrument needs in FY12 through reference to past surveys, the SUS
presence at the Austin AAS meeting, and informal contacts. All of these discussions led to the conclusion that Gemini must, in the near term, focus on commissioning FLAMINGOS-2 and GeMS, and
on procuring workhorse instruments to fill capability gaps in efficient high- and medium-resolution
optical/near-IR spectroscopy. Gemini issued design studies for GHOS, the Gemini High-Resolution
Optical Spectrograph, while the STAC is discussing the possible start of a single-object. high efficiency optical/near-IR, medium resolution spectrograph. The Gemini call for white papers to support their GIROS concept met with very little response, so NSSC/SUS and the US STAC members
engaged in an effort to come up with a concept that meets the community’s needs. SUS maintained a
web page (http://ast.noao.edu/node/197) as a repository of community input on the concept. NOAO
48
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
is planning a workshop on “Spectroscopy in the Era of LSST” in April 2013, which should be relevant to the issue of future Gemini instrumentation.
4.3.2
Science Data Management
FY12 Program Review
The Science Data Management (SDM) group continued to work toward meeting the immediate data
management needs of NOAO and its user community making significant progress in several key areas.
These include upgrades to the NOAO Science Archive and its user interface, updates to the Mosaic and
NEWFIRM pipelines, collaborations with the DECam and ODI groups to develop new pipelines for their
instruments, a major IRAF release, and support for the Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO).
Version 1.7 of the End-to-End (E2E) system deployed in January 2012, and E2E v1.8 deployed in
June 2012. The new versions delivered many useful features for the NOAO Science Archive users and
support for new instrumentation (KOSMOS and DECam). Enhancements were made to the NEWFIRM
calibration pipeline to support better image registration in stacking.
Collaborations continued on the development of the DECam Community Pipeline, and several early
deliveries were tested, which provided feedback to the developers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Development continued on the pipeline for the partially populated One
Degree Imager (pODI) as well as collaboration to deploy the pipeline on the Pervasive Technologies, Inc.
(PTI) Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) system at Indiana University.
Several enhancements were made to the Data Transfer System (DTS) to support the transport of DECam
data from CTIO to Tucson and NCSA and ODI data from Kitt Peak to Tucson and to PTI in Bloomington, Indiana.
IRAF 2.16 was released in March 2012 with a suite of new capabilities introduced through the
IRAF/VO integration. Several demonstrations were given of the new IRAF version to VAO and IRAF
user audiences.
Several members of SDM provided support for community functions. One member of SDM served
on the North American FITS Group and another served on the IAU FITS Technical Working Group.
Several members were partially funded by the VAO grant and contributed in the areas of Standards and
Protocols, Operations, Science Applications, and User Support. One staff member served on the ADASS
Program Organizing Committee Executive Board.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Continued operation of a functionally complete version of the SDM End-to-End (E2E) data management system, which includes data capture, transport, archiving, pipeline processing (Mosaic,
NEWFIRM, and DECam data), and user access.
Status: The E2E system continues to be enhanced in order to support new instrumentation and new
user features. Two major releases (E2E v1.7 and E2E v1.8) were deployed during the year. These releases included infrastructure upgrades, a principal investigator (PI) administrative page that allows the PI to grant access to his/her proprietary data to his/her co-investigators, enhanced features
in the user interface (portal) to the archive for filtering search results, compatibility with the Safari
and Chrome browsers, support for the ingest of KOSMOS data, support for the association of pipeline-reduced data with the relevant raw and calibration data in the archive, and the implementation
of an advanced query form in the portal. During the year the E2E system performed well, and the
transition with each new deployment went very smoothly. Another major release, E2E v1.9, with an
anticipated deployment in early FY13, will have more upgrades to the system infrastructure and an
improved download client. The NEWFIRM calibration pipeline was updated (version 1.3) to include
improved sky subtraction and improved accuracy of the astrometry, which required some NEWFIRM
raw data to be recalibrated.
49
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

Install and operate the DECam Community Pipeline received from the Dark Energy Survey (DES)
project. Work with DES astronomers and developers to validate the pipeline during commissioning
and shared-risk observing.
Status: The NOAO DECam Community Pipeline computer system was installed and upgraded and
more was learned about the pipeline operation and performance. Five Community Pipeline releases
were received from NCSA between April and mid-August, installed, and tested with feedback provided to the pipeline group at NCSA. Delivery of the next release, CP 2.1, is anticipated in mid-October
2012. SDM staff participated in weekly DECam Community Pipeline teleconferences with the DES
group developing the Community Pipeline. A staff member participated in the Department of Energy
(DOE) Readiness Review for DES and visited the community pipeline group at NCSA.

Continue to provide support for the NOAO instrumentation: Data Handling System (DHS) support
for Mosaic, NEWFIRM, KOSMOS, and COSMOS; and Data Transport System (DTS) support for
DECam. Explore the use of DTS for data transport for LSST Data Challenges. Update the Archive
for the ingestion of KOSMOS data.
Status: A staff member supported the Data Handling Systems (DHS) for active instruments, Mosaic
and NEWFIRM, as well as developed a DHS for the new KOSMOS instrument. The DTS was heavily
tested by SDM staff and DECam Survey Image System Process Integration (SISPI) staff. The DTS
was integrated into the E2E system for the capture and transport of DECam data to DES and the
NOAO Science Archive. The DTS was used for transferring pODI raw data from the WIYN telescope
to Tucson and to Bloomington, Indiana. The DTS will also be used to transfer pODI pipelinereduced data from Tucson to Indiana until the pODI pipeline is operational on the XSEDE system at
PTI. Capabilities for ingesting, searching, and distributing KOSMOS data were included in the E2E
v1.8 release of the archive and portal.

Develop a science pipeline for the WIYN One Degree Imager (ODI) to operate within the Open Grid
Computing Environment (OGCE) on the TeraGrid. Assist in deployment of the pipeline for commissioning of the partial-focal-plane version of ODI.
Status: Staff members supported the ODI-PPA Critical Design Review in February with the preparation of several documents and presentations. They developed a pipeline for pODI data including
the creation of appropriate calibration data and stacks. Work continues on the illumination and
cross-talk corrections as well as improvements to the operator interface. The pipeline was deployed
on the SDM pipeline development cluster for support of the pODI instrument commissioning/science
verification. The pipeline also will be deployed on the XSEDE system (the successor to the TeraGrid)
at PTI in late 2012. Staff members met with WIYN and PTI personnel twice weekly to plan, discuss
issues, and review schedules.

Deploy upgrades of the archive and portal components of the E2E system with important, new features for the user: association between all data and calibration files from a given observation; ability
of a principal investigator (PI) of an NOAO observing program to grant permission for the coinvestigators to access and retrieve the PI’s’ proprietary data; easier ways for users to find the data
they seek with tools for sorting, filtering, and parsing query results; and compatibility of the portal
with Safari and Chrome browsers.
Status: Two major new updates to the E2E archive and portal systems were developed and deployed
during FY12. E2E v1.7 included the new “PI Admin” pages described in the status of the first milestone above. This frequent request from NOAO users is fulfilled now. Filtering of search results was
enhanced, and SDM has plans to improve this further in the future. Full compatibility with the Safari
and Chrome browsers (as well as Firefox) was also achieved. E2E v1.8, deployed in June 2012, included a new Advanced Query interface for registered users, which allows direct input of SQL queries in a command-line interface. Designed with “expert users” (e.g., instrument scientists) in mind,
50
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
this enhancement allows more complex queries and access to a larger range of archive database parameters, both as input to and output from queries. A file association mechanism also was implemented for archived NEWFIRM data, although no portal features have been implemented yet to allow users to take advantage of these associations.

Develop and deploy improved data delivery mechanisms that will scale to the high data rates of
DECam and ODI.
Status: The SDM program scientist carried out a study of archive download times to users at selected astronomical institutions throughout the US, as well as at some international locations. While far
from comprehensive, this study provided a basic idea of the average and dispersion of download
rates to NOAO users and an indication of what DECam users can expect when retrieving data (raw
or processed through the community pipeline) from the NOAO Science Archive starting in semester
2012B. The SDM program scientist also surveyed download systems used by a large number of astronomical archives worldwide and produced a report on performance with a summary of feature
recommendations for a new NOAO archive download system. This was defined as a top priority for
development in E2E v1.9, which is to be released in the first quarter of FY13.

Provide more, publicly accessible data to the community through the NOAO Science Archive: update the archive and portal components to merge the NOAO Survey Archive data holdings into the
NOAO Science Archive and begin that merge; read and recover Mosaic data from the Save-the-Bits
holdings to ingest the data into the NOAO Science Archive, pipeline-process the data, and archive
the reduced data products.
Status: All data from the KPNO and CTIO 4-m Mosaic cameras that were previously stored on disk
in the Data Capture Initiative holdings, dating back to semester 2004B, have been ingested into the
NOAO Science Archive and pipeline processed. However, there have been insufficient resources
available to continue this effort back to the Save-the-Bits holding on tape. No significant work has
been done as yet to merge the NOAO Survey Archive data holdings into the main Science Archive;
this remains an important goal, but one that has had to take lower priority to other SDM activities.

Investigate data warehousing solutions for the NOAO Science Archive in order to more efficiently
support the tremendous increase in data and metadata from the new instrumentation in FY12 and beyond. Implement a starting solution.
Status: SDM staff members investigated the technology required to support the replication of data
and deployed the first step in the solution by upgrading the PostgreSQL to v9.1.

Formulate a plan for BigBOSS data management in collaboration with the BigBOSS team.
Status: The SDM program scientist participated in several BigBOSS discussions, especially in the
area of community pipelines. He also participated in the BigBOSS Community Workshop and the
DOE review of the project.

Continue support for IRAF and its users. Update the IRAF.noao.edu Web site. Add enhancements to
the IRAF scripting environment. Continue the natural integration of IRAF with the Virtual Observatory (VO) data and services, an in-kind effort for the Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO).
Status: The IRAF.noao.edu Web site was updated, and there are more enhancements planned. IRAF
v2.16 was released in late March 2012 with many enhancements including VO compatibility. Major
new features include: enhanced @-file templates, expansion of Multi-Extension FITS (MEF) files
and tables, a new VO-CL command language with new VO built-in functions, URL support in all
tasks, transparent XML support, application interoperability with Desktop messaging, and a new VO
External Package. Several presentations about the new release were made and received excellent
reception from the VAO and NOAO audiences.
51
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

Support the release of the client-side VO tools and interfaces to the user community. Continue participation in the Data Access Layer (DAL) and VOEvent working groups for the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA). (Supported by VAO grant.)
Status: The VO client-side tools were released as part of the IRAF v2.16 distribution. These tools
are being expanded and will be released as a standalone package in the fall of 2012.

Continue to lead the VAO User Support effort in the areas of training, advocacy, quality assurance,
and testing. Create a VAO User’s Group. Support a special workshop and exhibit at the January
2012 AAS meeting in Austin. Develop user documentation. (Supported by VAO grant).
Status: A staff member led the User Support task area for the VAO. She assisted in the planning and
execution of two very successful VO Days in Pasadena and Tucson. She led the planning of the VAO
exhibit at the January 2012 American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin and assisted in the
planning of the VAO workshop for educators and scientists at the same meeting. She worked with
other members of the VAO to improve the structure of and the publicity for the VO Days.
4.3.3
System Community Development
FY12 Program Review
System Community Development (SCD) has the goal of understanding community desires for the evolution of capabilities within the US Ground-Based Optical/Infrared (O/IR) System and guiding the System’s development to provide those capabilities. General activities include development of plans for
parts of the System, such as the small and mid-size telescopes (ReSTAR), as well as a roadmap for the
entire O/IR System. The three subsidiary programs, whose FY12 activities are described below, focus
efforts on community interaction with specific projects or capabilities: Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
(LSST), optical interferometry, and the System roadmap. Each of these has the goal of fostering community understanding of the corresponding set of science capabilities, promoting community engagement,
and facilitating community input.
LSST Science
With LSST data slated to flow to the community in 2021, NOAO is working to prepare the user community for the challenge of using the massive dataset effectively. The LSST Science program was directly
involved in that effort in FY12. As a part of that effort, SCD staff began planning for a workshop to be
held in FY13 on the subject of “Spectroscopy in the Era of LSST.”
Early in the fiscal year, NOAO organized the selection of new LSST Science Collaborations and
new members for existing LSST Science Collaborations. No proposals for new science collaborations
were received. A panel of experts evaluated proposals from the seventeen individual investigators who
applied to be new members and approved five of the scientists for membership. A new call for LSST
Science Collaboration members is pending while the LSST Project examines the membership rules in
light of the formation of the DOE-sponsored LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration.
The Operations Simulator (OpSim) is the tool by which the details of the LSST science program are
defined, and thus provides a clear avenue for input by the user community. The tool was originally written by an SCD staff member, and NOAO staff continue to aid in its development. In FY12, NSSC/SCD
staff participated in requirements specifications meetings for version 3 of the Operations Simulator,
OpSim 3; for the OpSim Analysis Framework; and, as members of LSST Science Collaborations, in discussions of Deep Drilling science opportunities.
SCD staff agreed to take on responsibility for the LSST Science Data Quality Analysis effort
(SDQA). The project will involve deriving and implementing new metrics for data quality analysis, with
the goal of using DECam data as a test bed.
52
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
A characterization of the variable sky continued to be developed by SCD staff, as well as plans for
on-sky experiments to test follow-up observation strategies. Two posters describing this work were presented at the January 2012 AAS meeting in Austin, Texas. Work continued on fleshing out the full-sky
model of Galactic variables, as well as the addition of eclipsing objects and extragalactic objects. Several
SCD staff members attended the August LSST All Hands Meeting, where they organized breakout sessions and presented posters on characterization of the variable sky.
SCD staff outlined a plan to develop a time-domain broker with internal resources. This software
project would take time-domain alerts and aggregate information to provide a filterable context so that
users could isolate objects of interest. In addition, proposals were developed for on-sky tests of the transient sky. In concert with the Science Data Management program, plans were developed to explore two
use cases as tests of the systems needed to build the broker.
GSMT/ELT Science
No work was done by SCD staff on GSMT/ELT science in FY12.
Interferometry Science
An NSSC/SCD staff member was heavily involved in FY12 in furthering the use of interferometry science within the US community. He negotiated access to the CHARA interferometer for 2012 and 2013
by agreement with Georgia State University and served on the 2012 CHARA Telescope Allocation and
Scheduling Committee. For 2012, the NOAO TAC recommended six visitor nights (~4X oversubscribed), and these were accepted by CHARA for scheduling. He continued to contribute to the
CHARA tilt-correction improvement development, which will enhance the facility performance for the
faint targets commonly proposed to the NOAO TAC; it also will lay the foundation for an eventual implementation of adaptive optics on the array telescopes. He continued to serve as president of the IAU
Commission 54, Optical and Infrared Interferometry, until August, when the presidency passed to Dr
Gerard van Belle. This same SCD staff member also served as organizer and moderator for the community development sessions of the SPIE conference Optical and Infrared Interferometry III.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Solicit and conduct the review of proposals for membership in the LSST Science Collaboration
groups and for the forming of new LSST Science Collaboration groups.
Status: Completed in Q1 of FY12.

Host working meetings of each of the LSST Science Collaboration groups. Help the chairs organize
these meetings and ensure that results are effectively communicated to the LSST Project.
Status: The presence of the LSST “All-Hands Meeting” in Tucson in August 2012 inhibited and
largely supplanted separate travel by the Science Collaboration groups.

Complete work on currently specified merit functions and metrics, design and implement a report
format, and package these for convenient application in simulation studies.
Status: The seventh merit function package (and the last currently planned) was completed and documented. This completes the planned initial complement of merit functions (consisting of more than
180 individual metrics), and report formats were distributed for review. A report on merit function
development was presented at IAU Symposium 285, “New Horizons in Time Domain Astronomy,”
and the program was documented in an SPIE publication that is in press. Design is underway of a
framework for systematically utilizing merit functions and other post-processing tools in evaluation
of schedule simulations.
53
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

Develop both numerical and graphical methods for comparing and visualizing the relative performance of simulations with respect to the merit functions.
Status: A spreadsheet report format was developed as a vehicle for experimenting with metric
weights and as a model for documentation and user interaction. This is serving as the basis for tests
and initial use. The tool was reported in a poster at the January 2012 AAS meeting and at the LSST
“All Hands Meeting”

Utilize the metric tools to compare a cross-section of simulations, evaluate the sensitivity of performance to simulation parameters and the principal performance tradeoffs.
Status: The tools were used to compare the performance of three sets of simulations: one reference
run, one set differing only in the version of the simulator used, and one investigating the impact of
hypothetical increases in deep drilling observations, system downtime, and telescope settle time following slews.

Review the findings of the LSST Scheduling Working Group and prepare a draft LSST Scheduling
Science Requirements document.
Status: Completed. The draft report was delivered to the project manager.

Continue developing the NOAO variable sky project to characterize the transient sky.
Status: Ongoing. A paper was presented at the January 2012 AAS meeting.

Prepare a “lessons learned” report for the first full year of CHARA Array community access.
Status: Completed and posted to the NSSC internal web pages.

Negotiate for community access to the Navy Prototype Optical Array in 2013.
Status: The Navy determined that such access would require the signing of a Cooperative Research
and Development Agreement. The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (now renamed Navy Optical Interferometer, or NOI) program director is studying this option.

Enable community access to the CHARA Array in 2012 by working with Georgia State University in
the development and implementation of a policy for access, the NOAO and CHARA Time Allocation
Committees for processing of community proposals, and acquisition and delivery of data.
Status: Completed. Community programs recommended by the NOAO TAC for FY12 were accepted
by CHARA for scheduling.

Consult with CHARA on planning and implementation of facility improvements that will support
increased productivity of community science operations.
Status: NSSC staff are consulting with CHARA in the implementation of an upgrade of the fast-tilt
tracking capability (funded), which will enable observation of fainter sources, and in the design of
an adaptive optics upgrade (not currently funded). These improvements will enhance the science
throughput of the facility.

The System Roadmap Committee will meet and issue a first System Roadmap Report.
Status: Completed in Q2 of FY12. The report, “Sustaining Progress toward the Decadal Survey Science Priorities over the Next Decade,” was submitted to the NSF AST Portfolio Review Committee.
54
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
4.4
NOAO SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY CENTER
The NOAO System Technology Center (NSTC) is
responsible for coordinating technological enhancements to the US Ground-Based Optical/Infrared System (System) by NOAO directly, in
collaboration with various partner institutions, or
through the Telescope System Instrumentation
Program (TSIP). As such, it takes the leadership
role on technical activities within NOAO that are
needed to realize new telescope projects or to enhance the instrument complements on existing System telescopes operated by NOAO or other entities.
The NSTC incorporates four programs serving
these goals: (1) System Instrumentation (SI), which
oversees the direct efforts of NOAO to build new instruments or enhance the performance of existing
instruments for its own telescopes, for the Gemini telescopes, and for other telescopes participating in the
System; (2) ReSTAR Instrumentation, which manages the implementation of NSF-funded projects for
the 4-m System; (3) Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP), which provides funding to other
observatories for new instrumentation in return for time on their telescopes being made available to the
US community through the NOAO Time Allocation Committee (TAC); and (4) LSST Technology,
which provides scientific, engineering, and management support to the LSST Project and is responsible
for telescope mount, enclosure design, and site work within the LSST partnership. The former
GSMT/ELT Technology program, which in past years was a separate program within NSTC, has been
dramatically reduced in scope, and the few remaining activities have been absorbed into the SI program.
This change reflects NOAO’s reduced role in liaison with US-based GSMT/ELT development following
the release of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Astro2010 decadal survey
report.
4.4.1
System Instrumentation
FY12 Program Review
During FY12, System Instrumentation (SI) focused on bringing new capabilities to the 4-m class of telescopes that NOAO operates and on enhancing the performance and reliability of existing instruments at
those telescopes. Some of this effort was funded in part by an award from the NSF for implementation of
the ReSTAR program; those work packages are described in section 4.4.2 below. The SI activities described in this section were funded predominantly from the NOAO base budget with some from other
sources as noted below. The SI program did not support any students or postdocs during FY12.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Begin the on-telescope integration of the ODI instrument with a partially-filled focal plane of Orthogonal Transfer Array (OTA) detectors to assess optical, mechanical, and OTA performance (subject to approval of a proposed plan by the WIYN Board).
55
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Figure 23: M15, a globular cluster in the summer sky.
This is a reduced image taken through the g' filter only.
It is a composite image from nine dithered positions; the
dithering allows filling in of the narrow gaps between the
OTA cells and the small regions affected by the handful
of bad OTA cells over the central 25 × 25 arcminute
region.
Figure 24: Image of the moon on the central 3 × 3 arrays
of the pODI focal plane, taken one hour before sunset
using the z' filter and a 0.005-second exposure time.
Three bad OTA cells are visible in this single, undithered
image.
Status: Completed (see Figure 23 and Figure 24). The pODI (“partial ODI”) integration team
achieved engineering first light on 6 August 2012, one night ahead of schedule. Despite numerous
challenges with the wetter-than-normal monsoon weather this year, the team was able to verify all
essential aspects of the pODI hardware and software, including guiding, rapid readout, vignetting,
focusing, image quality, and detector performance. In addition, some preliminary data reduction
routines were tested and produced satisfactory results for the static-mode (i.e., no on-chip charge
shifting to correct wind shake or seeing) images taken during this initial integration run. Of particular note is the excellent image quality across the entire field of view. On the best-seeing night during
the integration efforts, average FWHM image size across the entire one-degree diameter field of
view was less than 0.43 arcseconds using static imaging.

Resolve final issues with image quality of returned laser spots to complete the on-telescope integration and testing of the entire SOAR Adaptive-optics Module (SAM) system, including the Main
Module, the Laser Guide Star system, and the integrated CCD imager.
Status: Not completed, but some progress made. Despite the concentration of NS ETS resources on
DECam installation and commissioning, the SAM team was able to use engineering runs in February and March 2012 (see Figure 25) to identify locally produced seeing in and around the laser
launch telescope (LLT) as the biggest remaining problem with laser guide star spot size, which is
currently the limiting factor on AO performance. A number of software operability and reliability
improvements were also identified as necessary prior to official closure of the project and beginning
of science commissioning. The engineering personnel required to complete these improvements are
not expected to become available until DECam commissioning winds down sometime during FY13.
56
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Figure 25: NGC3132, a planetary nebula, imaged through SAM in the H-alpha filter on the left, and from the HST archive on the right. The covers on the hot electronics box had been removed during this engineering night to allow for
some improvement in the LLT image quality, resulting in better ground layer adaptive optics correction by SAM.

Begin the on-sky commissioning and science verification of the entire SOAR Adaptive-optics Module (SAM) system, including development of all science user software and training for SOAR observatory support staff.
Status: Not started; see status of previous milestone.

Assemble and deliver the production TORRENT controllers to the remaining ReSTAR projects that
need them, as well as to KPNO and CTIO for replacement of obsolete controllers on instruments already in service.
Status: Completed. All units required have been delivered, and more are available on short notice.
The first two complete, production-level units were deployed, one on the CHIRON high-resolution
spectrograph at the CTIO 1.5-m telescope where it is in regular nightly use, and the other on the science-grade e2v CCD system for the KOSMOS spectrograph, which is currently at The Ohio State
University awaiting final integration (see section 4.4.2 below). Kits for additional units are ready for
rapid integration and assembly. The next deployment will be for the KOSMOS thick, red-sensitive
CCD from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The TORRENT unit for that work will be deployed in October 2012.

Begin implementation of software and management systems to plan and track all NOAO engineering
projects in both hemispheres in a fully integrated fashion.
Status: Work package terminated. This activity was planned to begin in the second half of FY12. It
would have called for the hiring of additional staff and the purchase of customized management
software to integrate a commercial project portfolio management system with the NOAO cost accounting databases. The mid year budget cuts needed to reflect the FY12 appropriated budget removed the additional funds needed for this work package.

Oversee the return of the NEWFIRM wide-field infrared imager from CTIO to the KPNO Mayall 4m telescope, including support of CTIO and KPNO staffs in disassembling and packing the instrument at Cerro Tololo, reassembling it at Kitt Peak, and reintegrating it on the Mayall telescope.
Status: Completed. The responsible scientist (an NSTC staff member) visited CTIO in October to supervise the removal and packing of NEWFIRM. The imager arrived at KPNO in November after a
very smooth shipping process (facilitated by a new shipping contractor). NEWFIRM was inspected
57
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
inside and out, a minor repair was made to a position-sensing switch on one of the filter wheels, the
filter complement was changed to reflect planned scientific use in semester 2012A, and the instrument was pumped down to vacuum successfully. Early in January 2012, one of the filter wheels
failed when the instrument was tested at working temperature on Kitt Peak. It was returned to Tucson and opened in the large clean room. The fault was identified as a mechanical failure of one of
the wheel detents, and it was quickly repaired. The instrument was returned to Kitt Peak and put
back in service before the end of the second quarter. All affected observers were rescheduled to other nights following the repair and recommissioning.
4.4.2
ReSTAR Instrumentation
FY12 Program Review
In November 2008, NOAO submitted an unsolicited proposal to the NSF for supplemental funding to
cover the costs of implementing the recommendations of the ReSTAR Committee. Late in FY09, NSF
awarded NOAO supplemental funding under SPO-1 AST-0244680 for some of the items requested in the
proposal. Three instrument-related projects were initiated in FY10 using this first year of ReSTAR funding: KOSMOS, an optical spectrograph for the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope; a detector and controller
upgrade for the Mosaic-1 prime-focus camera on the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope; and a detector and
controller upgrade for the Hydra spectrograph on the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope.
Late in FY10, NOAO was formally advised that NSF would provide additional funding, under CSA
(4) AST-0936648, for a second year of ReSTAR implementation work, and that this funding would be
targeted toward building two instruments for the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope: COSMOS, an optical spectrograph (a duplicate of KOSMOS), and TripleSpec, a near-infrared moderate-resolution spectrograph.
The upgrade for the Mosaic-1 camera was completed early in FY11. This section describes the work
packages associated with the remaining instrument construction and upgrade projects. Each project is
funded partly from the supplemental funds awarded in response to the ReSTAR proposals and partly
from NOAO’s base budget.
Status of FY12 Milestones

KOSMOS: Integrate and commission the completed instrument on the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope.
Status: Delayed. The optics vendor has been
unable to cement the doublet and triplet lenses
for the camera lens barrel (see Figure 26), thus
preventing the delivery of the completed optics
to The Ohio State University (OSU), NOAO’s
partner in this project. NOAO and OSU reviewed other options for completing the optics
assembly. As FY12 ended, the partners tentatively agreed to pursue design and implementation of liquid-coupled lens assemblies for the
camera; OSU will carry out the mechanical design and NOAO will fabricate the lens cells and
integrate the camera. This arrangement is tentative, pending acceptable close-out of the incomplete contract with the original optics vendor, with whom negotiations were only beginning as of the end of FY12.
NOAO completed the integration of the sciencegrade e2v CCD in the KOSMOS Dewar with
58
Figure 26: Cemented KOSMOS camera triplet lens debonding after thermal cycling. The contract requires
successful testing over the temperature range the optics
are expected to encounter during use at the observatory. So far, none have survived cooling to -15° C, the low
temperature end of the test range.
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
the TORRENT controller in March 2012, and the complete detector/controller/Dewar package is at
OSU awaiting final integration. With the completion of the detector system, all KOSMOS components except the camera barrel are ready for final integration and test.

CTIO-Hydra CCD and Controller Upgrade: Modify the Dewar to provide better thermal performance, integrate the new CCD and controller with the modified Dewar, and recommission the upgraded Hydra instrument on the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope.
Status: Not started. The NOAO Annual Program Plan FY 2012 contemplates that this activity will
not begin until after the DECam installation and integration is complete and DECam commissioning
is well along, because the necessary engineering and technical resources at CTIO will not be available until then. As a result of the duration of the DECam integration work, this upgrade project was
not started during FY12.

COSMOS: Complete laboratory integration in The Ohio State University (OSU) instrument lab.
Status: Delayed. The mechanical assembly was completed, but the optics were delayed pending
resolution of the optics delivery delays described in the status of the KOSMOS milestone above. The
same commercial vendor was to produce identical sets of optics for both instruments.

COSMOS: Deliver the assembled instrument to CTIO and begin integration and commissioning on
the Blanco 4-m telescope.
Status: Not started. This activity cannot begin until the COSMOS lab integration is complete and the
DECam commissioning is complete.

TripleSpec: Execute a formal partnership agreement with Cornell University for the construction of
TripleSpec.
Status: Completed. The redesign and planning phase for TripleSpec culminated on 13 March 2012
with an internal review of the plan, schedule, and budget for completing the instrument. Minor revisions to the budget and schedule followed the reviewers’ comments, and Cornell and NOAO negotiated a construction-phase contract based on the revised budget and schedule. Contract execution
was complete by the end of FY12.

TripleSpec: Complete the evaluation of minor design revisions and order long-lead-time components
to launch the fabrication phase.
Status: Underway. The evaluation of minor design revisions, along with their budget and schedule
requirements, was completed in March 2012. The team obtained approval from the NOAO director
for the base-budget commitment needed for the NOAO portion of the construction phase and negotiated the terms of the contract for that phase between NOAO and Cornell. NOAO placed an order for
the Hawaii-2RG infrared detectors from Teledyne Imaging Systems in the fourth quarter of FY12,
and Cornell was ready to issue orders for the optics, Dewar, and other long-lead-time items immediately upon contract execution.
4.4.3
Telescope System Instrumentation Program
FY12 Program Review
The Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) funds development of new instruments for, or
operational costs of, non-federal observatories in return for US community access to observing time on
those telescopes as administered by the NOAO TAC. NOAO organizes an external review each year to
select proposals for funding. The panel recommendations are presented to NSF for approval, and then
59
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
NOAO works with successful teams to negotiate a sub-award and memorandum of understanding, including allocation of telescope time.
Due to delayed appropriations from Congress, NOAO operated under a continuing resolution for
most of FY11. The FY11 TSIP funding of $2M came even later in the fiscal year, so those funds, combined with $0.9M held over from the FY10 funding, were awarded in FY12. As a result of these delays,
proposals were due in the first quarter of FY12. In the second quarter, NOAO convened a panel of outside reviewers to evaluate the proposals and make funding recommendations. The recommendations
were then submitted to the NSF Astronomy Division (AST) for final approval. Following that approval,
NOAO negotiated a sub-award with the successful proposer to define the terms of the time award and to
establish regular oversight activities with the new program including monthly reports and teleconferences.
Previously funded programs that were ongoing and overseen in FY12 included the following:

Multi-Object Double Spectrograph (MODS2), an optical spectrograph by The Ohio State University for the Large Binocular Telescope

Binospec, a multi-object, dual-beam spectrograph being built by the Center for Astrophysics at
Harvard-Smithsonian for MMT

Adaptive Secondary by Steward Observatory for Magellan

Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE), a near-infrared, multi-object
spectrograph for Keck

Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), a detailed design of an optical integral field spectrograph
for Keck

CCD upgrade to the Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMACS), an optical
multi-object spectrograph for Magellan (the project was completed and the sub-award closed
during FY12)

One Degree Imager (ODI), a wide-field imager for WIYN

Also included in this program is oversight of the remaining sub-award under the Adaptive Optics
Development Program (AODP), originally funded by NSF SPO-6 (AST-0336888).
Status of FY12 Milestones

Complete an external review of FY11 TSIP proposals and negotiate sub-awards with successful proposers.
Status: Completed. The review panel met in Tucson on 5 March 2012 and unanimously arrived at
clear recommendations regarding the proposals. The final report of the panel was forwarded to the
NSF AST on March 20, recommending funding for one proposal from the California Association for
Research in Astronomy (CARA, operators of the W.M. Keck Observatory), requesting $2.9M for the
construction phase of the infrastructure and blue channel of the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI).
AST accepted the panel’s recommendation on 15 May 2012. NOAO negotiated the terms of the time
award and oversight program with CARA and executed the sub-award by the end of FY12.

Establish an oversight process for FY11 TSIP sub-awards.
Status: Completed as part of the sub-award with CARA described under the preceding milestone.

Conclude the remaining sub-award under the Adaptive Optics Development Program (AODP) and
close out the program.
60
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Status: Completed. The final report covering the last remaining sub-award was received on 19
March 2012. NOAO submitted the Final Project Report to NSF on 29 March 2012, thus formally
closing out the program.
4.4.4
LSST Technology Program
FY12 Program Review
The LSST Technology Program at NOAO provided effective support to the planned work packages this
year as well as several LSST Project activities to support the NSF. In May 2012, the NSF conducted a
comprehensive LSST Project Cost Review and in June held a DOE/NSF Joint Interface and Management
(JIM) Review. The cost review addressed the Major Research Equipment and Facility Construction
(MREFC) construction proposal, basis of estimates for activities, and risk assessment with particular focus on the changes since the Preliminary Design Review. The JIM review highlighted the synergy between the NSF and DOE teams, addressed the interfaces between the NSF and DOE work scopes, verified the complete definition, and confirmed that the science requirements flow-down were complete to
technical specifications. Both committees provided very positive feedback and endorsements of the Project.
Technical progress this year focused on the detailed development of the summit facility design, culminating with delivery of the 90% drawing package. The package was reviewed by the NOAO team and
over 200 comments were collected, edited, and submitted to ARCADIS to move toward final 100%
completion of the drawing package. The telescope technical design advanced to include detailed analysis
of seismic accelerations and power spectral densities for earthquakes in Chile. The development of the
mirror Inner-Loop Controller design, prototype actuator testing, and significant opto-mechanical finite
element analysis supported completion of the Secondary Mirror (M2) Assembly design. The M2 procurement plan was developed and released to support the baseline optical polishing effort with additional
scope for the vendor to deliver the complete M2 Assembly. Bids for the M2 work are due in early FY13
to support contract award in early calendar year 2013.
NOAO’s LSST Technology FY12 program activities were funded under more than one cooperative
support agreement (CSA) between AURA and NSF. FY12 base funds were awarded under CSA (1)
AST-0950945, and additional funding was received under CSA (3) AST-1036980. The latter award is for
the completion of the design and project development phases of the construction readiness for the LSST.
The NOAO LSST effort funded by the two CSAs is accounted for separately but managed as a single
project to be consistent and efficient.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Facility and Site:

conduct a thorough review of the 90% summit facility design package delivered by ARCADIS
Chile under the current Phase 1 contract, and

plan and execute the final phase of the ARCADIS effort to bring the summit facility design
package to a natural conclusion before its use in the construction phase.
Status: During FY12, significant effort by numerous LSST personnel supported the ARCADIS summit facility design work (see Figure 27). Meetings were held in Santiago with ARCADIS in October
2011 to work with a new HVAC design consultant, in November 2011 to review extensive refinement
of lighting and electrical power plans, and in December 2011 to resolve final issues to complete the
Phase 1 contract effort. The 90% summit facility design review meeting was held in Santiago in January 2012. The two-day meeting provided an opportunity for LSST team members and the ARCADIS
architect and engineering team to review each of the nine disciplines detailed in the drawing package prior to final release.
61
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Figure 27: This section view of the summit facility design shows the layout of the control room, coating
area, and vertical lift.
LSST received the 90% drawing package in February 2012 and allowed three months to provide final inspection and review. An external review committee participated with LSST in final review of
the 90% drawing package in April 2012. The external panel was invited to evaluate the process and
approach used in developing and then reviewing the drawing package. All comments were collected,
edited, and submitted to ARCADIS in June 2012 to finalize the Phase 1 contract. LSST and
ARCADIS now are negotiating the scope and cost to complete the package to 100% to enable bidding of the package for construction.
LSST and AURA hosted inspectors from the Chilean agriculture and wildlife service (SAG) in December 2011. SAG is charged with verifying compliance with prescribed environmental mitigation.
The visit to Cerro Pachón focused on the status of efforts to protect flora and fauna. The detailed
plans for the sites dedicated to the preservation of flora and fauna were prepared and incorporated
into a formal submittal to SAG and the Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental (SEA) as part of the environmental mitigation efforts and as specific follow-up from the December site inspection. SEA has
replaced CONAMA at the lead environmental protection agency in Chile.
In January 2012, AURA/LSST received a letter from SEA stating that the mitigations carried out to
date to support the initial excavation work were found to be in compliance with the conditions of the
approved environmental permit. The next phase of effort with biologists from the University of La
Serena was initiated in February 2012 to include propagation and transportation of affected endangered plant species.

Dome Design:

develop the final procurement plan for this element of the work breakdown structure (WBS) and
develop an interested bidders list through communication of the design and plans, and

finalize the interface designs to the facility consistent with the 90% and 100% summit facility
design packages.
62
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Status: The NOAO engineering team advanced the overall dome design, developed documentation to
support the final procurement plan, and communicated the design requirements to potential fabrication vendors. A meeting was held in October 2011 with IDOM, a Spanish industrial design firm currently working on telescope dome projects for ATST and ELT. IDOM engineers discussed design features applicable to LSST (in particular the large moving stray light/wind screen) and lessons learned
from those design projects.
The interface details to the 90% and 100% summit facility design packages were developed to be
consistent with the preliminary structural design of the enclosure.

Telescope Mount:

complete the next level of design details in the solid model and finite element model,

complete the procurement plan and package for the design and build contract, and

conduct a design conference for interested contractors to review the details of the telescope
mount design and acquisition plans.
Status: Additional progress was made on the next level of
design detail for the telescope mount (see Figure 28). A detailed analysis of seismic accelerations and power spectral
densities for earthquakes in Chile was completed. This analysis reviewed the previous site-specific analysis done for
Cerro Pachón, the requirements and expectations at other
observatories, and the new Chilean Seismic Codes. These
higher fidelity specifications are slightly more rigorous than
the preliminary design specifications and were used to develop both a closed form analysis and the full finite element
analysis of the telescope mount.
An improved mirror cover design was conceived and incorporated into the solid model as well as updated railings. Additional design effort was undertaken to finalize the interfaces with the Secondary Mirror Assembly (see Reflective
Optics milestone) as well as a design review for the camera
cable wrap assembly (see Figure 29).
Figure 28: This updated model of the
LSST telescope shows the updated secondary mirror assembly, mirror cover,
and railings.
The effort to develop the final procurement plan for the telescope mount was moved to FY13 due to
project funding limitations and additional efforts under the Reflective Optics work package. The
procurement approach will be to pre-qualify potential fabrication vendors to participate in a design/bid conference to review details of the baseline telescope design and the procurement acquisition plans.

Reflective Optics:

collaborate with LSST’s primary mirror vendor to evaluate the final polishing progress of the
separately funded primary-tertiary mirror,

monitor and evaluate the technical interfaces and final fabrication of the primary mirror shipping
container under construction with non-federal funds by LSST Corporation,

develop the circuit diagram and bill of materials for the mirror inner-loop controller, and

build and test a secondary mirror actuator prototype.
63
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Figure 29: The camera cable wrap assembly design consists of a cable chain that transfers all required utilities to the rotating camera.
Status: During this year, the NOAO engineering team continued to support technical evaluation of
the LSSTC-funded M1/M3 polishing contract with the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab (SOML).The
SOML team completed loose abrasive grinding on both M1 and M3 and began final polishing of M3.
Polishing of the M1 surface will begin when SOML resources are available again (expected in October 2013).
A meeting was held to coordinate the delivery date with TA CAID, Inc., the vendor responsible for
final fabrication of the M1/M3 shipping container. The team continued to monitor and evaluate the
requirements and technical interfaces with LSST designs and fabrication efforts.
The NOAO team conducted a preliminary design review, with external panel participation, of the
mirror inner-loop controller (ILC) in May 2012. The review committee commented, “We felt the developers have thought a great deal about the system and that they have considered a diverse set of
options before committing to architecture and hardware.”
The Secondary Mirror (M2) Requirements Review was held in Februry
2012. The review focused on the M2
optical fabrication requirements. The
conclusion of the review was to invest
additional engineering design effort to
develop a baseline M2 system design to
enable a build-to-print procurement
plan. Consequently, the team completed
substantial finite element analysis to
support the completion of the final design of the Secondary Mirror Assembly
(SMA) (see Figure 30). The SMA Final
Design Review was held in August
2012 and also served as a vendor bid
conference. The baseline design meets
all the requirements and provides for a
Figure 30: The SMA baseline design model shows the M2 mirror, mirror cell, and support system.
64
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS
build-to-print procurement option. Subsequently, a request for proposal (RFP) bid package, which
included statement of work, specifications, interface, and baseline design documentation, was completed and formally released in late
August 2012. The minimal scope includes polishing of the M2 mirror,
with optional scope for the vendor
to deliver the complete SMA. All
bids are due in early FY13 to support a contract award in early calendar year 2013.
The NOAO team completed the design and fabrication of the prototype
M2 axial actuator and test fixture
(Figure 31). The results from the
testing in the laboratory are consistent with all performance requirements. An assembly drawing
package and bill of materials of the
actuator assembly was developed to
support the M2 procurement plan.

Figure 31: The prototype M2 axial actuator design has been fabricated and successfully tested.
Wavefront. Alignment and Calibration:

complete the full design model of the atmospheric monitoring telescope (Calypso),

complete the evaluation of prototype hardware developed for the instrument calibration screen, and

complete the updated Wide-Field Survey Wavefront Senor (WFS) pipeline and report the performance results against simulated data and on-sky data.
Status: Efforts to support the design and development of the LSST calibration system continued this
year. Initial plans for relocation of the Calypso telescope to the NOAO high-bay area were developed. The NOAO engineering team provided analysis of the instrument calibration screen via analysis using the LSST FRED stray light model. The FRED model was used to create FITS files for use in
the calibration pipeline. These simulations will support final performance specifications and requirements of the components of the calibration screen.
During this time, substantial progress was made on the WFS pipeline. The dynamic data exchange
toolbox was implemented to interact directly with Zemax, allowing system perturbations to be added
and the corresponding intra- and extra-focal images to enter the pipeline for processing directly.
The NOAO team also worked with the Purdue team to redesign the optical bench being developed
there for generation of aberrated out-of-focus images. Preparations are being made to utilize pODI
data in the LSST WFS pipeline to evaluate the performance results against on-sky data. The pODI
optical system was modeled in Zemax to include fabrication errors that will make the calculation of
the sensitivity matrix more accurate. The active alignment of pODI will use a different strategy with
that of correction, but the on-sky tests are expected to provide excellent verification of the LSST
pipeline.

Software and Controls:

develop the systems for control software development by expanding the LSST software development plans into this detailed area of code,

prepare the SysML software model for a software critical review, and
65
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

combine the scheduler and operations simulation final development plans into a single coordinated effort.
Status: Excellent progress was achieved this year in software and controls with expanded development of code. The middleware prototype system was upgraded to the latest version of the Opensplice
software. The simulated telemetry streams were updated. The system will be run to develop a yearlong simulation of the Engineering Facility Data Base.
The SysML software model was updated to capture the new Guider interface requirements and other
project-wide flow-down specifications. The critical review of this software was delayed by the LSST
Project Systems Engineering group to provide support to the DOE/NSF Joint Interface & Management Review meeting conducted in May 2012.
The scheduler and operations simulation final development plans were combined into a single coordinated effort headed by the NOAO team. Code development improvements and hardware enhancements reduced the processing time to create operational simulation runs.

Utility System:

update the design for the electrical distribution, grounding, and utility services for the summit
facility to be consistent with the final summit facility design package; and

complete the final requirements package for the utility systems for the base facility in La Serena.
Status: Good progress was made on the utility systems this year. The designs for the electrical distribution, grounding, and utility services for the summit facility were updated to be consistent with
the drawing package delivered by ARCADIS. Interactions between the summit facility architect and
the team assisted in completing the options for upgrading the incoming electrical service and
recinto-wide electrical back-up system for the base facility.

Systems Engineering:

coordinate and complete the development of all level 2 telescope and site interface documents;

organize a system safety review and subsystem design reviews for the utility systems, software,
and inner-loop controller; and

complete a yearly report of risks and hazards as informed by the ongoing processes in these areas.
Status: Significant progress was made in systems engineering in the coordination and development
of all requirements and interface documents for the Telescope and Site system. Level 2 interfaces
were identified and the project SysML model was updated to include all requirements that are under
change control.
The Telescope and Site team completed a safety review during the subsystem design reviews for the
summit facility design, the utility systems, software, the inner-loop controller, and the Secondary
Mirror Assembly.
The risk and hazard register was updated to reflect the current state of development of the Telescope
and Site systems. Significant hazard analysis for the telescope mount was performed to support the
Secondary Mirror Assembly design and to refine the camera service access platform design.
The Enterprise Product Document Management (EPDM) system was upgraded to handle electronic
approval of LSST engineering drawings. This product will be used to officially approve and release
drawings and Interface Control Documents to provide document version control.
66
GROUND-BASED O/IR OBSERVING SYSTEM OPERATIONS

Project Management:

support the project with participation as the Deputy Project Manager and as an LSST Board
Member,

support the project with oversight of the image simulation efforts,

complete the 2012 inputs for the Project Management Control System, and

support and participate in Project-wide reviews.
Status: All project management work package milestones were met this year. The NOAO director
was an active member of the LSST Board providing project oversight and strategic advice. Effective
1 July 2012, Victor Krabbendam assumed the role of overall LSST Project Manager and William
Gressler assumed the role of Telescope and Site Project Manager, with additional oversight of the
operation simulation effort. Oversight of the image simulation effort was transferred to the LSST systems engineer.
The LSST Project Management Control System (PMCS) was updated to align work packages and the
overall construction schedule to the DOE camera delivery plan. The LSST team supported a successful NSF Cost Review in May 2012. Updates were made to the work breakdown structure elements,
task activities, resource loading, and risk assessment/scoring to correspond with the MREFC plans
and revised total project cost and schedule.
The NOAO LSST team fully supported numerous Project-wide reviews and meetings, including support in hosting the NSF director at the LSST site in January 2012 to discuss LSST objectives, approach, and status. The team attended various camera meetings at SLAC, numerous internal subsystem design reviews, and presented a number of papers at the July 2012 SPIE conference in Amsterdam.

Science Mission and Requirements: provide inputs for the commissioning plan.
Status: Detailed commissioning plans were developed during this year to support the overall LSST
Project construction schedule. A separate WBS 6 section was added specifically to address the final
two years of effort to include systems integration and test, followed by science verification, to enable
transition from construction into full science operations.

Operations Simulator:

lead the operation simulation group, and

complete a design review of the operation simulator tool set.
Status: NOAO maintained its leadership role for the LSST Operations Simulator (OpSim) effort.
Version 3.0 of the simulator code was developed and will be released in early FY13. The new code
increases performance, enables baseline performance testing, and provides improved fidelity of simulation results. A design review of OpSim was presented at SLAC in January 2012. The presentation
was well received and provided an opportunity for the camera team to provide input into the planning and use of the Operations Simulator.

Education and Public Outreach: support LSST graphic design tasks and Web site development.
Status: The NOAO Web designer supported all graphic design tasks and Web site developments
throughout the year. Posters for the 2012 AAS meeting and the 2012 SPIE meeting, the LSST “AllHands Meeting,” and the DOE/NSF Joint Interface & Management Review meeting were all major
efforts. Numerous Web sites were developed during the year to support various reviews: Summit Facility 90% Drawing Package Review, M2 Final Requirements Review, ILC Preliminary Design Review, and Secondary Mirror Assembly Final Design Review.
67
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
5
5.1
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS
CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
FY12 Program Review
The Central Administrative Services (CAS) program provides business services and operational support
to NOAO, NSO, AURA, WIYN, SOAR, LSST Corporation (LSSTC), and, on a limited basis, Gemini
and other consortia and universities. These services include program administration, accounting and payroll, budgeting, reporting, procurement, contracts, shipping and receiving, and import/export.
For FY12, there were two primary objectives for CAS: (1) work closely with AURA, NSO, LSST,
and Gemini to consolidate administrative services for AURA’s NSF-funded centers into a centralized business unit reporting to the AURA Corporate Office; (2) prepare for the upcoming NSF Business Service
Review (BSR) scheduled for spring 2012.
As illustrated in the figure below, the average monthly exchange rate of the US dollar relative to the
Chilean peso varied widely during the year. The NOAO Annual Program Plan FY 2012 assumed an exchange rate of 475, while the average rate for the year was approximately 495.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Working groups within CAS will continue to review and update administrative policies and procedures in advance of the upcoming Business Service Review being conducted by NSF. As completed,
the policies and procedures will be posted to a Web site and made readily available to all CAS staff.
Status: The Business Service Review was postponed until spring 2013. Preparation for the review
will continue into FY13.

Members from the CAS accounting, procurement, and contracts departments will join working
groups with representatives from other AURA Centers to plan and prepare for the upcoming administrative consolidation.
Status: Extensive meetings took place and the Central Administrative Services division of AURA is
in place and will launch 1 October 2012.
68
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS

In preparation for the consolidation of administrative functions within the AURA’s NSF-funded centers, Business IT will begin revising Web-based programs into a single, unified code base with a
common interface for all users.
Status: Enhanced versions of the CAS electronic requisitioning system (Reqless) and online reporting system (CASNET) were released during FY12. Other enhancements are scheduled for release in
FY13.

The NOAO Human Resources (HR) department will work cooperatively with AURA to plan and
prepare for the upcoming human resources consolidation across AURA’s NSF-funded centers. Efforts have already begun to develop a model for consolidation of HR services in La Serena across
NOAO and Gemini.
Status: A model for consolidation of Human Resources Services in La Serena across Gemini and
NOAO was developed and implemented.

The Human Resources department will focus on increasing its presence and availability to staff at all
remote locations, including Chile, as well as working cooperatively with the Tribal Employment
Rights Office in Sells, Arizona, to enhance recruitment efforts of Native American candidates at Kitt
Peak.
Status: HR services to Chile were consolidated. Efforts to provide a greater presence to staff at Kitt
Peak began with HR providing a representative on site once a month for most of FY12.

The Human Resources department will continue to undertake and review the Human Resources systems, processes, procedures, and policies. A new recruitment system will be introduced in FY12 that
will streamline and automate recruitment activities.
Status: A new applicant tracking system was introduced in January 2012, and a recruitment services
model is in the process of being developed.
5.2
OFFICE OF SCIENCE
FY12 Program Review
The Office of Science (OS) works to enhance the scientific environment at NOAO and ties to the local
academic astronomy community. The OS also works to engage the US community of astronomers in
various aspects of the NOAO mission.
To accomplish these goals, OS supports and encourages research by the NOAO scientific staff by
providing resources (e.g., equipment, funding, and mentoring) and supporting programs (e.g., the NOAO
North and South colloquium series, science workshops, coffees and teas, and the Goldberg Fellowship
program) that foster a scientifically productive environment. OS schedules and manages promotion, tenure, and post-tenure reviews of the NOAO scientific staff and is responsible for policies and training related to the responsible conduct of research. The OS head of program represents the NOAO scientific
staff to the NOAO director. OS also sponsors and supports community workshops aimed at engaging the
community in the NOAO mission.
In addition to work toward the specific milestones described below, major activities and events for
OS this year included the following.
This year saw the arrival of a new Goldberg Fellow, Colette Salyk, and four grant-supported postdocs. OS worked to make the new postdocs feel welcome, to assist them with procurement and other administrative issues, and to provide mentoring resources as needed. OS held a reception for Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt on his visit to Tucson in May. OS began planning for and managing logistics for a
scientific meeting in the fall of 2012 (early FY13) in honor of the late Dr. David De Young.
69
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Status of FY12 Milestones

Develop an implementation plan for the Responsible Conduct in Research policy.
Status: Several implementation plans from other institutions are being considered as models for implementation at NOAO. The OS staff will discuss the different approaches with colleagues at NOAO
and Space Telescope Science Institute as part of the development plan. Little progress has been
made toward this goal thus far because other unanticipated activities (e.g., extensive community outreach) occupied much of the time of OS staff. As this is an important activity that requires care (and
time), it is now an activity for FY13.

Develop a retraining program for Responsible Conduct in Research for NOAO scientific staff.
Status: Copies of the National Academy of Sciences book On Being a Scientist were purchased and
distributed to scientific staff members as a basic training manual and reference. Additional retraining materials, based primarily on case studies, have been developed and used in group discussions
at Tuesday Science Coffees in Tucson. Topics covered thus far include the three deadly sins of RCR
(fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism); RCR issues in authorship related to grants and papers;
RCR issues in refereeing; and institutional procedures and priorities in handling an RCR complaint
(balancing transparency and confidentiality). Reading and discussion materials are being archived
and will be made available for use at NOAO South as needed.

Provide mentoring and career development resources to staff as needed, particularly to postdoctoral
researchers.
Status: Responsible Conduct in Research retraining is ongoing as discussed above. Additional activities will be forthcoming in the fall of 2012. One-on-one training is being carried out as needed. Recent activities have included coaching postdocs regarding job applications and interviews, both
communicating the basic approach for success and detailed critique of written and spoken communication. One outcome is that NOAO Goldberg Fellow Simon Schuler was successful in securing a
faculty position.

Develop hiring guidelines for NOAO scientific staff.
Status: Plans for the OS portion of the hiring guidelines were put in place, following discussion with
Workforce and Diversity Committee representatives. The guidelines will cover recruitment of scientific staff at postdoc and long-term levels, including explicit guidelines for each step before, during,
and after the interview process. The goals are to facilitate an open, successful process, with consistency and fairness in all searches. Explicit guidelines will make it easier for people to participate
in the process because they will know what to do at each step. Little progress has been made toward
this goal because other unanticipated activities (e.g., extensive community outreach) occupied much
of the time of OS staff. Greater progress is expected in FY13.
5.3
EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH
FY12 Program Review
The following are highlights of the various Education and Public Outreach (EPO) programs and activities
that took place during FY12.
Project ASTRO Teacher/Astronomer Partnership
Project ASTRO at NOAO continued its leadership role in the Project ASTRO national network by its
success in partnering teachers with professional and amateur astronomers and in conducting professional
70
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS
development for these teams. In April 2012, the EPO group hosted 23 teachers from southern Arizona
and their astronomer partners in the spring follow-up ASTRO workshop to cap the 2011-2012 academic
year. With the start of the 2012-2013 academic year, the Project ASTRO program hosted 20 new teacher/astronomer partnerships, mainly from southern Arizona. Teachers representing schools from the rural
communities of Marana, Safford, Payson, Sahuarita, and Catalina joined teachers from Tucson and the
Tohono O’odham Nation at the annual kickoff workshop to partner with volunteer astronomers from
NOAO, Steward Observatory, and local amateur astronomy clubs.
Galileo Educator Network
NOAO is a partner in the Galileo Educator Network (GEN) project, which builds on the Project ASTRO
national network through a grant to the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) from NASA (with a
small subcontract to NOAO). The program, which provides professional development for astronomy educators, is delivered by NOAO, the ASP, and the New Jersey Astronomy Center. The GEN partners held
their first meeting at NOAO last year and their first major workshop at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago
on 29–30 September 2012. Twenty-two educators spent two days focusing on the nature and practices of
science. Each of these educators will present their own professional development workshops in the coming year based on their experiences at the Adler workshop. This workshop supports the use of the Next
Generation Science Standards, which are in the final stages of development.
Outreach to the Tohono O’odham Nation
NOAO continued to look for new opportunities for outreach to the Nation and ways to support the Nation’s schools. The EPO group worked with the elementary school on the reservation to develop an Extended Day program, at their request. In spring 2012, EPO offered a weekly after-school program for
grades K-1 and 4-5, with emphasis on science and exploration. In fall 2012, EPO is working with the
new program director to provide an after-school program for grades 3-5 with about 17 children. Two
EPO staff and one EPO student went to the school one afternoon a week to present hands-on units in
science. The fifth-grade teachers again requested that the EPO group help with an astronomy unit in
the fall of 2012. The EPO group helped the middle school to run their first science fair. This included helping to organize the criteria for judging and serving as judges.
Head Start groups on the Tohono O’odham Nation showed increased interest in visiting Kitt Peak;
the Visitor Center and EPO group worked out an appropriate program for an age group that is not normally encouraged to visit Kitt Peak. For the second year, NOAO had a strong presence at the annual
Tohono O’odham Rodeo and Fair in February 2012. EPO’s outdoor tent was set up for all three days, and
many people stopped by to talk, look through solar telescopes, and pick up flyers.
Dark Skies Education
Dark Skies Education at NOAO provides public awareness on light pollution issues including responsible
lighting and how it affects energy, cost, wildlife, health, and (especially) viewing a starry night sky. One
such program is the citizen-science light pollution campaign, GLOBE at Night, which invites people to
submit measurements online of night sky brightness. GLOBE at Night offered four 10-day campaigns
early in 2012. During those campaigns, 16,850 observations were amassed from 92 countries.
For FY12, the EPO staff improved technical aspects of the Dark Skies Education program making it
more of a turn-key program for the public to participate in GLOBE at Night. This was done by increasing
the number of campaigns, improving the method for submitting data by using a Web application, displaying data with an on-the-fly map, accessing data via a map application, and communicating via Facebook
and Twitter. The EPO staff now host all of the components of the GLOBE at Night campaign, which has
allowed an increase in the number of campaigns.
The EPO students and staff worked with the Tucson Unified School District/University of Arizona
College of Education Cooper Environmental Learning Center to provide the Dark Skies Rangers program
at 30 sessions with 50 students per session. Dark Skies Rangers activities provide foundational learning
experiences to help students understand responsible lighting and the effects of light pollution on their
lives. Other Dark Skies Education workshops in FY12 include: professional society workshops (AAS,
71
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
National Science Teachers Association, etc.), a 10-day online forum for the ASP/NSF program Astronomy From the Ground Up, and a multi-day special session at the IAU meeting on light pollution. A fourhour workshop was given to middle and high school teachers in Beijing, China, in August. Conference
presentations included seven on Dark Skies at the ASP 2012 conference and some on illumination engineering education at the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) meeting. Other innovative Dark Skies Education programs for the public include hosting the movie “The City Dark” in
Tucson with a panel discussion, creating a planetarium public service announcement on light pollution,
and offering the third Earth and Sky Photo Contest on light pollution.
A successful proposal led to funding from the Arizona Public Service (APS) Company Foundation
for a new program on dark skies education and energy conservation that was begun in Yuma. Elementary
and middle school teachers will be trained in these subjects by NOAO staff and APS volunteers and provided with NOAO-developed teaching kits for class activities and projects. Yuma was selected as the
first site for this multisite program, with 20–25 teachers expected to attend professional development
sessions. NOAO is developing a teacher support system that uses Skype and FaceTime to assist teachers
and students developing long-term dark skies-related research projects. Each teacher will receive an iPad
bought with money from the APS Foundation. The iPad will contain an NOAO-developed e-book on
light pollution education activities.
Two EPO staff members hosted one summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student and one Noyce summer Research Experience for Teachers (RET) student. One student worked on
characterizing Tucson’s sky brightness throughout the night and the second worked on the spectroscopy
of LEDs and streetlights. New partnerships were formed to advance light pollution education. These included the National Girls Collaborative Program, COPUS (Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science), Global Hands-On Universe, and National Geographic’s BioBlitz project. One of the EPO staff was
awarded the IDA Hoag/Robinson Award, serves as a board member for the International Dark Sky Association and for the ASP, and was elected as vice-president of IAU’s Commission on Light Pollution.
Teaching with Telescopes and Arizona Galileoscope Program
The Teaching with Telescopes website is being maintained and updated for teachers to obtain information on using Galileoscopes in the classroom. A variety of educational materials are available on the
site including an Optics Guide, Galileoscope assembly instructions and videos, the Galileoscope Observing Guide, and a variety of other resources.
A four-hour Galileoscope workshop was held at the National Science Teachers Association meeting
in New Orleans on 10 November 2011. Teachers learned about the optics of telescopes and built their
own Galileoscope during the workshop. NOAO led a Galileoscope build for the University of Arizona
Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program for students from the Tohono O’odham
Nation on 19 November 2011. Another major Galileoscope build took place on 20 February 2012 when
NOAO led 250 students in building Galileoscopes as part of the MathMovesU Event (in cooperation with
Raytheon and the University of Arizona MESA program). On 29 September 2012, at Biosphere 2,
NOAO led a Galileoscope build for the American Indian Science and Engineering Students.
NOAO continued to develop new models of teaching with telescopes. Large numbers of
Galileoscopes still are being used at 10 locations across Arizona (mostly Boys & Girls Clubs) as part of
the Hands-On Optics Arizona program, formerly funded by Science Foundation Arizona. The success of
these telescopes in a variety of educational settings led to the creation of a new statewide program to
stimulate interest in science using Galileoscopes. The program model is to select a moderately sized city
in Arizona and to introduce Galileoscopes into every fifth grade classroom while providing professional
development to all fifth grade teachers. This effort to teach the basics of optics and the principles behind
the Galileoscope telescope culminates in a large, city-wide star party in each city. This program is a
three-year NOAO effort designed to institutionalize the Galileoscope and optics education in these Arizona schools. Each teacher receives an optics/telescope education teaching kit and enough Galileoscopes
and tripods for their classroom (one Galileoscope per team of three students).
In conjunction with this Arizona Galileoscope Program, a professional development workshop was
delivered in October 2011 to 20 teachers from Safford and the surrounding rural communities, including
72
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS
Thatcher, Solomon, Bowie, and Bonita. The training consisted of a daylong session at Discovery Park
with instruction on optics activities and experiments and Galileoscope construction and usage. Over the
next month, the teachers used the 200 classroom Galileoscopes and tripods, along with the 20 Teaching
with Telescopes kits in the classrooms to prepare students for the culminating community-wide star party. On November 16–18, EPO staff visited each of the participating classes to resolve last-minute training
and equipment issues and to answer questions about the Galileoscope star party event. On November 18,
over 400 students, teachers, family members, and other members of the public attended the star party at
Discovery Park.
In April 2012, NOAO staff delivered the Arizona Galileoscope Program professional development
training to 20 teachers and administrators from the Cochise County school district. Communities represented included Globe, Payson, Miami, Superior, Duncan, and San Carlos. Over 200 Galileoscopes and
tripods were distributed with a Teaching with Telescopes kit for each teacher to facilitate the optics and
astronomy activities in all the participating classrooms. NOAO staff visited each individual class again
May 15–17 to address any outstanding issues. The final star party held at Besh-Ba-Gowah community
center in Globe on May 17 attracted nearly 400 students, family members, and other members of the public and press.
The final Arizona Galileoscope Program of the fiscal year was year two of the three-year plan in
Yuma. In this second year, professional development was delivered by EPO staff to teachers who needed
a refresher course and to three new teachers. Telescopes were distributed to new participants, while returning classes were provided with spare or replacement parts, as required. EPO staff returned to all
classrooms May 3–4, the two days leading up to the community-wide star party. NOAO and EPO were
provided with local television exposure to publicize the event. The “Second Annual Galileoscope Star
Party” was held on the grounds of Yuma Ottondo Elementary School on May 4. Over 500 participants
took part in the star party and festivities with approximately 30 classrooms represented from the Yuma
School District.
Second-year programs, such as that held in Yuma, are planned for Safford, Globe, and Flagstaff during the first few months of FY13. The Flagstaff star party event currently is scheduled for October 19,
and teacher training via Skype began in September 2012. Safford’s second annual event is scheduled for
November 2012.
Social Media
NOAO participated in the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast, producing one episode per month to highlight the research of an NOAO astronomer. A podcast promoting GLOBE at Night was produced each
month duing January–April 2012 as well. Activity on NOAO’s Facebook and Google+ pages increased
this year. There are over 600 fans on Facebook and over 1200 fans on Google+.
Local Outreach in Arizona through the Undergraduate Mentoring Program
NOAO hires, trains, and mentors undergraduate students to assist in educational outreach. The first undergraduate student hired (Maria Pena) completed her PhD in astronomy this year and is now a postdoc
at Space Telescope Science Institute. Other students are working in industry as optical engineers and at
least two students are in doctoral astronomy programs. The EPO student cadre assists or leads most outreach events in Tucson.
NOAO staff and EPO students participated in a wide variety of local outreach events in FY12.
NOAO led the seventh annual St. Michael’s Optics Festival on 2 February 2012 and had a booth at Funfest, sponsored by SARSEF, on February 16 and 17. NOAO presented solar observing and optical illusions at Ted Walker Day at Old Tucson Studios on January 26. NOAO played a major role in the Galileo
Teacher Training Program workshop held in Tucson at the August 6–7 Astronomical Society of the Pacific meeting. NOAO staff and students also participated in a number of smaller star parties and family
nights at schools around Tucson throughout the school year.
Four new students were hired and trained in August 2012 to replace others who have graduated. The
students support star parties, evening dark skies education sessions for students, classroom visits,
Galileoscope builds, educator professional development workshops, after-school programs, festivals,
73
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
science fairs, career fairs, educator fairs, science family nights, and especially events that support the
Tohono O’odham Nation. Their efforts have contributed greatly to the level of success experienced at the
over 200 educational events in Arizona conducted by the EPO group during FY12.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates:
The NOAO NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site programs at KPNO and
CTIO offer undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in challenging research activities with scientists working at the forefront of astronomy and astrophysics. Students are hired as full-time research
assistants to work with NOAO staff members on selected research projects for a period of ten to twelve
weeks during the summer in the respective hemispheres. As part of their research activities, REU students gain firsthand experience with state-of-the art telescopes and instrumentation and develop expertise
in the data analysis tools specific to astronomical research. Six students (four women and two men) participated in the CTIO REU program at NOAO South and seven students (three men and four women)
participated in the KPNO REU at NOAO North. Table 2 lists the participating REU students, their mentors, and their summer projects.
Table 2: FY12 REU Students and Projects
CTIO REU Students
Institution
Mentor
Project
Melissa Butner
Austin Peay State University
Dr. Eric Mamajek (CTIO)
“Spectral Classification of Members of a Candidate
Cluster in Telescopium”
Kimberly Emig
University of Hawai’i
Dr. Catherine Kaleida (CTIO)
“Simulated Star Clusters with MASSCLEAN: Testing
a Stellar Grouping Selection Method”
Christine Gilfrich
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Dr. Tiago Ribeiro (SOAR)
“Orbital Period of WD + M Binaries”
Bezia Laderman
New York University
Dr. Timothy Abbott (CTIO)
“Finding Periodicities CP Eri”
Samuel Meyer
Harvard College
Dr. Peter Pessev (Gemini)
“Expanding Integrated-Light Photometry of LMC Star
Clusters in the NIR to Extremely Young Ages”
Clara Thomann
Macalester College
Dr. David James (CTIO)
“A Photometric and Spectroscopic Survey of Solartype Stars in Open Cluster Collinder 70”
KPNO REU Students
Institution
Mentor
Project
Jonathan Brown
(University of Michigan)
Dr. Collette Salyk (NOAO)
“Accretion Variability in Protoplanetary Disks with
and without Protoplanet Signatures”
Linsey Johnson
(Utah State University)
Dr. Connie Walker (NOAO)
“Characterizing Sky Brightness during the Night”
Erin O’Leary
(Macalester College)
Dr. Jeyhan Kartaltepe (NOAO) “The Role of Galaxy Mergers and Interactions in Galaxy Evolution”
Calvin Ortega
(Pima Community College, AZ)
Dr. Kenneth Mighell
and Ron George (NOAO)
“Charge Coupled Device Analysis and Calibration
Using the Photon Transfer Curve Method”
Paige Romero
(University of New Mexico)
Dr. Kenneth Mighell (NOAO)
“A Search for Stellar Activity in Eclipsing Binaries in
the Kepler Field”
Amelia Shirtz
(Northern Michigan University)
Dr. Chuck Claver (LSST)
“Creating an Infrastructure for LSST All-Sky Data”
Brianna Smart
(University of Arizona)
Dr. Knut Olsen (NOAO)
“Searching for the Magellanic Star Stream”
74
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS
The REU students were involved in other activities in addition to working on their projects. KPNO
REU students took a field trip to the NSO Very Large Array (VLA) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Telescope. The students observed at the KPNO 2.1-m telescope with the CFIM direct-imaging CCD
camera on July 9–22. One of the field trips for the CTIO REU students was a visit to observatories on
Cerro Paranal (ESO VLT), Cerro Pachón (Gemini South and SOAR), Cerro Las Campanas (Las
Campanas), and Cerro La Silla (ESO’s La Silla). Observations by the CTIO REU students were made
during eight nights at the SMARTS Consortium 1.0-m telescope of RR Lyrae variable stars and Lyman
Alpha Blob (LAB) candidates (objects important to understanding galaxy evolution).
KPNO REU students from the summer of 2011 attended and presented posters at the January 2012
AAS meeting in Austin, Texas. Both the 2012 KPNO REU and CTIO REU students will be attending
and presenting posters at the January 2013 AAS meeting in Long Beach, California.
The current award for the KPNO REU program expires in January 2013. The KPNO REU site director and the NOAO director submitted a five-year renewal proposal for the KPNO REU site program. If
approved, the proposal will fund the KPNO REU Site program from FY13 through FY17.
NOAO is enhancing diversity in astronomy and astrophysics as a participating partner in two NSFfunded, five-year Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research and Education (PAARE programs). One PAARE partnership (“A Partnership in Observational and Computational Astronomy”) is
with Professor Don Walter of South Carolina State University, a Historically Black College/University.
The other PAARE partnership (Graduate Opportunities at Fisk in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research)
is with Professor Keivan Stassun of Fisk University (an HCBU) and Vanderbilt University. PAARE students work side-by-side with NOAO REU undergraduate students and their mentors, under the guidance
and supervision of the NOAO REU Site Directors. Neither program sent students to NOAO in FY12.
NOAO South Education & Outreach
During FY12, 132 education and outreach
events were performed in Chile by the EPOSouth (EPO-S) team, as part of the local EPO
effort, consisting of a series of synergistic programs combining astronomy promotion and
dark sky protection.
An important part of this effort has been
the continued pursuit of collaborations with
local and national science education institutions resulting in new cooperation and collaboration agreements. These include agreements
with the Chilean National Library (DIBAM),
the local Environmental Ministry office, and
the Municipality of La Serena to continue running CADIAS for another five years. A special
mention should be made of the collaboration
with the scientific research institution
CEAZA, which resulted in a project financially supported by the local government consisting of a 24-month effort to develop and execute a plan for
scientific tourism in the communities of Caleta Hornos and Punta de Choros, north of La Serena. The
main deliverable of EPO in the project is to develop ways to use tourism as a tool to deliver scientific
knowledge and an increased awareness of the sky as a natural resource. This effort to involve tourism
and science also has been a strategy in the cooperation of EPO with the development of the touristic observatories of the Region. This support effort has increased throughout the years since CTIO supported
the establishment of the first one, the Observatorio Mamalluca, in 1995.
Some highlights of the FY12 program activities are the collaboration with Explora-CONICYT on the
organization of “The National Week of Science” in October 2011. This week consisted of a series of
joint events such as science talks (part of the initiative “1000 scientists, 1000 classes” and others),
75
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Galileoscope workshops, visits to CTIO labs and telescopes, and public fairs in La Serena and Coquimbo, among other activities. Also in October, another collaboration effort between EPO-S and Teletón
Coquimbo (the most prestigious Chilean rehabilitation institution for disabled people) took place in La
Serena in the form of an interactive workshop on the solar system for 120 children ages 8 to 14 years.
In November 2011, EPO-S worked again with Amateur Astronomers, whose 2011 national congress
was held in Antofagasta. The conference had the sponsorship of AURA/NOAO/CTIO and the close collaboration of the EPO-S team.
During February and March 2012, part of the EPO-S team traveled to the south of Chile to participate in the “II Scientific Camp of the Maule Region” by performing various workshops for 50 students,
and to the University of Concepción to perform Dark Sky Education workshops and GLOBE at Night
2012 campaign promotions.
A collaboration was formalized in the third quarter of FY12 with the University Pedro de Valdivia
through a mutual cooperation agreement, which promotes the training of and visits from the university’s
architecture students. The students will be introduced to the concepts of light pollution, which can be
applied to their formal architectural studies.
Other initiatives included the participation in June
2012 on the first “Hugo Ochoa Astronomy Camp in
CTIO Visitor Center & EPO-S
the Region of Atacama” with the participation of more
Summary of Participants
than 150 students coming from different locations in
(October 2011 through September 2012)
the north of Chile. The EPO-S team also participated
Group/Program
# of Participants
with CEAZA, Explora, and the Environmental Ministry in the organization of the first regional seminar on
2,794
CADIAS Center
“Education for Sustainable Development” with the
7,089
CADIAS Outreach
participation of more than 120 teachers and a talk on
light pollution by the EPO manager.
1,148
Tololo Guided Tours
In the fourth quarter of FY12, EPO-S collaborated
1,771
School Groups K-12
with Gemini Observatory South in the implementation
370
Special Tours
for the second time in La Serena of their “Journey
through the Universe” program, participating with
Total Public
13,172
them in a week of astronomy events in 10 different
local schools.
Media Releases
There were ten press releases from NOAO in FY12,
listed below. They began with the announcement of
the NOAO’s involvement in the 2011 Nobel Prize in
Physics for the accelerated expansion of the universe.
Each of these press releases generated numerous
Google hits. In addition, there were six press highlights, linked on the NOAO homepage:

October 5, 2011: NOAO Telescopes Played Major
Role in Nobel-Prize Winning Projects
Public Outreach
Information Requests & Inquiries
(October 2011 through September 2012)
Type/Origin of Request
Information requests/inquiries about
astronomy/science (phone calls, emails, and walk-ins/requests for posters, bookmarks, brochures, etc.
Number
2,180
Requests and inquiries for use of
NOAO images
975

October 5, 2011: Aden Meinel, First Director of
Kitt Peak National Observatory, Passed Away

October 19, 2011: Blue Stragglers shown to form
from mass transfer in Binary systems

November 21, 2011: NOAO: Student’s Work Helps to Detect Near Earth Asteroids

November 30, 2011: NOAO: New Planet Kepler-21b discovery a partnership of both space and
ground-based observations
76
Total
3,155
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS

December 19, 2011: NOAO: New Insight into the Bar in the Center of the Milky Way

April 16, 2012: The Lives of Stars, or Astronomers as Paparazzi

September 3, 2012: Dr. Malcolm Smith Receives IDA David Crawford Lifetime Achievement
Award

September 10, 2012: One Degree Imager debuts at WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory

September 17, 2012: World’s most powerful digital camera opens eye, records first image in
hunt for dark energy
Additional NOAO homepage links to press releases involving NOAO telescopes and/or scientists:

February 15, 2012 (NOAO telescopes): Astronomers Watch Delayed Broadcast of a Powerful
Stellar Eruption

March 15, 2012 (NOAO scientists): Astronomers Using NASA’s Hubble Discover Quasars Acting as Gravitational Lenses

June 26, 2012 (NOAO telescopes, scientists): NASA’s Hubble Spots Rare Gravitational Arc from
Distant, Hefty Galaxy Cluster

July 6, 2012: Formula to get girls into science (PROMPT telescope)

August 8, 2012 (NOAO scientists participation), SDSS press release: New 3-D Map of Massive
Galaxies and Distant Black Holes Offers Clues to Dark Matter and Dark Energy

August 15, 2012, Blanco telescope: Astronomers Reassured by Record-breaking Star Formation
in Huge Galaxy Cluster
Status of FY12 Milestones

Lead national efforts related to the Teaching with Telescopes professional development and support
program designed to amplify the educational value of the Galileoscope telescope kit.
Status: Completed. EPO provided a number of national workshops and updated teacher materials.
NOAO is testing a new model for national use in the Arizona Galileoscope Program described earlier in this report.

Conduct professional development workshops and programs for formal and informal science educators in coordination with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the American Astronomical Society (AAS), Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), and the Association of ScienceTechnology Centers (ASTC).
Status: Workshops were given at all of the venues except for the ASTC meeting, which was not attended due to budget considerations.

Support a wide-ranging, dark skies awareness program for Chile and southern Arizona, with strong
support for the national/international GLOBE at Night program started and run by NOAO.
Status: A vigorous, award-winning program was conducted in Chile and southern Arizona, with a
continued strong effort to support EPO’s GLOBE at Night citizen science program.

Continue to seek every opportunity to work with the Tohono O’odham Nation schools and community centers and the Tohono O’odham Nation Department of Education to bring science, and especially astronomy, to their students.
77
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Status: The EPO group worked with the elementary school on the reservation to develop an Extended Day program, at their request. EPO implemented a weekly after-school program that is staffed by
three members of the EPO group each week. Teachers from the Nation were included in Project
ASTRO and the Teaching with Telescopes programs and two of the EPO undergraduate outreach
students are from the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Support the small nature and science centers in the successful NSF-funded Astronomy From the
Ground Up program in which NOAO played a key role. The program trains educators at hundreds of
small science and nature centers nationwide.
Status: NOAO continued working with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific to support the program now that NSF money has ended. NOAO/EPO supports the professional development forums
and short course in order to create educational offerings for the members of the consortium.

Support the strategic plan for NOAO South outreach and the Centro de Apoyo a la Didáctica de la
Astronomía (CADIAS) astronomy teaching center in Chile. This includes dark skies education and
teaching with Galileoscopes.
Status: A major part of the budget is devoted to supporting the CADIAS program. This continued
even though the CADIAS director (an NOAO employee) was laid off in the middle of the fiscal year.
Galileoscope-based programs and darks skies programs were supported with Galileoscopes and tripods and with dark skies teaching kits for teachers.

Support the training of guides and provide support for astronomy programs for the public at the major municipal/tourist observatories in Northern Chile.
Status: NOAO continued to provide support for the tourist observatory guides. In June, the first of
three training sessions on establishing a binocular program for the public at the observatories was
held. The second session will be held on 15 November 2012.
5.4
NOAO DIRECTOR’S OFFICE
FY12 Program Review
The NOAO Director’s Office (NDO) delivered the following major planning documents and/or reports
during this period, as required by the AURA/NSF cooperative agreement for the management of NOAO:
Annual Program Plan for FY 2012 (APP-12) and Fiscal Year Annual Report for FY 2011 (FYAR-11).
Both reports are available from the public NOAO Web site. Contrary to previous years, the NDO did not
produce an updated Long Range Plan, as NSF deemed that unnecessary pending the outcome of their
Portfolio Review.
Budget and program planning for FY13 began in May 2012. The Annual Program Plan for FY 2013
(APP-13) was developed, but was still going through the NSF-mandated review process by the end of the
FY12. The NOAO deputy director led the effort for FY13 planning.
At fiscal mid year, the FY12 program described in APP-12 was descoped as a result of lower-thanplanned NSF funding. In the end, actual FY12 base funding was $26M, $3.15M less than the planned
$29.15M.
The NOAO director presented at and/or participated in the following face-to-face meetings: WIYN
Board of Directors (February, September), LSST Board of Directors (October, April), AURA Board of Directors (February, April, September), AURA Annual Member Representatives (April), AURA Observatory
Council (March), AURA Management Council for LSST (April), NSF Program Review Panel (October,
April), NOAO Users Committee (June), BigBOSS Design Proposal review (December), DES PreOperations Review (May), LSST All-Hands Meeting (August), and IAU General Assembly (September).
78
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS
The deputy director presented at and/or participated in the AURA Observatory Council, NOAO Users Committee, AURA Annual Member Representatives, and NSF Program Review Panel meetings. The
deputy director also participated in the April EPO advisory council meeting, and various SOAR Science
Advisory Committee video conferences (as Chair).
Weekly videoconference or teleconference meetings continued between the director and all NOAO
associate directors (one-on-one) as well as the director and the NSF program officer for NOAO. The director met bi-weekly with the NOAO Executive Council as well as the heads of the Office of Science,
Central Administrative Services, and Human Resources programs. The deputy director often participated
in these meetings or led them when the director was not available.
The director visited the NOAO South offices in La Serena three times. The first trip was organized
around a meeting of the NSF Program Review Panel, while the second trip was organized around an
AURA Observatory Council meeting. The third trip focused on a range of program planning meetings for
FY13. In each instance, the director stayed in La Serena for at least one week to allow time for both formal and informal encounters.
On the side of community outreach, the annual NOAO Town Hall was held at the January 2012 AAS
meeting in Austin. A presentation from the director was followed by a vigorous discussion session. The
director also attended the summer AAS meeting in Anchorage.
The NOAO diversity advocates (DAs) participated in the AURA Workplace & Diversity Committee
meetings in Chile (December) and Baltimore (June). The diversity advocates continued to have a national
presence by organizing career development workshops at national meetings, attending an Association for
Women in Science workshop for enhancing diversity and the AAS meetings, and contributing to a testimonial request from the National Research Council regarding women of color in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. From June through to the end of FY12, NOAO had only
one diversity advocate.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Deliver a revised Long-Range Plan by the end of the second quarter in FY12.
Status: Per NSF direction, a revised Long-Range Plan was not submitted this year.

Develop an annual program plan for FY13, to be delivered during the first quarter of FY13.
Status: Completed. The report will be delivered in December of FY13 as planned.

Deliver scientific quarterly and annual progress reports as required by NSF under the terms of their
cooperative agreement with AURA for the management of NOAO.
Status: Completed. The reports were delivered to NSF and posted to the NOAO News and Reports
Web page as appropriate.

As necessary, prepare an action plan in response to recommendations from the NSF Astronomy Portfolio Review that affect NOAO.
Status: The Portfolio Review recommendations were released in August 2012, leaving little time in
FY12 to prepare a real action plan. Discussions with NSF about implementation issues began almost
immediately, with various deliverables requested by NSF for completion in early FY13. An initial response from NOAO appeared in the August edition of NOAO’s Currents e-newsletter. NOAO provided a first-cut “forward look” document to NSF in September.

Facilitate on-going management training for the NOAO senior management team.
Status: No formal progress this year, due to funding and schedule constraints.
79
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012

Continue, in coordination with AURA, to work on broadening participation in the NSF science enterprise by engaging individuals, institutions, and geographical areas “…that do not participate in
NSF research programs at rates comparable to others.” (Quote from the Executive Summary of
Broadening Participation at the National Science Foundation: A Framework for Action, August
2008).
Status: The DAs continued to work with AURA on the partnership in IINSPIRE (the Iowa, Illinois,
Nebraska STEM Partnership for Innovation in Research and Education grant.

Review the process of hiring with the head of science and HR to insure that minority candidates are
identified at the time they apply and that all short lists reflect the proportion of minority candidates
who have applied. Insure that procedures for hiring are outlined clearly. Work with the NOAO associate directors to help minority staff feel more included in the NOAO mission.
Status: The DAs participated in writing the AURA recruitment guide and a brochure on unconscious
bias intended to be used by employment search committees. Work with the NOAO associate directors
is ongoing.

Continue to work on ways to improve communication between NOAO staff at all levels.
Status: The director released “all-hands” memos on a regular basis, mostly focused on the financial
matters such as funding reduction realities and necessary responses. Such memos were released in
English and Spanish. The director also delivered State of NOAO addresses to all-hands meetings in
Arizona and Chile.

Diversity advocates will continue to maintain a national presence at meetings such as the National
Society of Black & Hispanic Physicists, Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), in addition to the regular meeting of the AURA Workplace & Diversity
Committee.
Status: As noted previously, the DAs continued to maintain a national presence by organizing career
development workshops at various national meetings. There were no meetings in FY12 of the National Society of Black & Hispanic Physicists due to financial considerations.

Develop and implement a compliance risk assessment program to review current policies and procedures to outline areas of concern and make recommendations for policy and/or procedural changes.
Status: Started but not completed. See status of the next milestone.

Convene a compliance committee to include a broad class of employees who will be charged with
developing a “Code of Conduct” for NOAO, reviewing new and revised policies and procedures for
implementation, and assisting the NOAO chief compliance officer (CCO) in identifying potential
risk areas for further reviews.
Status: Not completed due to the termination of the Office of Compliance in response to the reduction in funding from NSF. The AURA Corporate Office and AURA Central Administrative Services
have assumed responsibilities formerly assigned to the NOAO Office of Compliance.

Prepare and conduct compliance training in the top two risk areas from the outcome of the compliance risk assessment program.
Status: Not completed due to the funding reduction (see status of previous milestone).

As necessary, support AURA and/or CAS with NSF-mandated reviews (e.g., Business Service Review and Mid-Term Management Review).
80
NOAO-WIDE PROGRAMS
Status: There was significant preparation work during the first quarter of FY12 and then reduced
activity for the rest of the year after NSF decided to postpone both reviews into FY13.

With coordination of the LSST Project office, establish the members of the LSST Safety Council and
hold the first external safety review meeting.
Status: The LSST project team refined the LSST Safety Plan and postponed the external safety review until the middle of calendar year 2013. An analysis of the hazards that might be present is being done during the design phase of the project with LSST partners and the project team.

In collaboration with NOAO South, establish and coordinate an independent safety review of the
progress and planned activities for the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) installation.
Status: An External Safety Management Review for the Blanco 4-m telescope was held 26–28 March
2012 in La Serena, Chile. The review panel included safety and management professionals representing SLAC, ESO, ALMA, and Las Campanas. The panel made recommendations for the DECam
Integration, Installation, and Commissioning as well as normal operating procedures at the Blanco
telescope. All recommendations by the panel were implemented, and DECam was safely installed on
the Blanco telescope.

With coordination of the NOAO North Engineering & Technical Services Manager, continue to enhance safety control measures for Kitt Peak annual maintenance efforts during operational shutdown
periods.
Status: Safe planning for the Kitt Peak 2012 summer shutdown included enhancing engineering procedures with Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs) and Critical Lift Plans for all mirror movements. In addition, Safety, Health, and Environmental Action Plans were developed and followed for the WIYN
mirror aluminizing and the Mayall 4-m instrument lift repairs.

Begin to revise the NOAO/NSO Business Contingency Plan and the Kitt Peak Emergency Manual
due to recent management changes.
Status: The Kitt Peak Emergency Manual was revised twice during FY12. Revision of the Contingency Plan was postponed due to changes in safety management priorities. The Contingency Plan is
expected to be updated in the spring of 2013.
5.5
ARRA INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL
FY12 Program Review
In August 2009, NSF awarded NOAO a three-year $5.6M grant (SPO-16 AST-0947035) funded by the
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA). FY12 was year 3 of the program execution.
A one-year extension of SPO-16 AST-0947035 to 31 July 2013 was granted to enable completion of the
work on projects such as the Kitt Peak instrument handling facility, the repair and renovations to the
CTIO mountain dormitories, and several involving the La Serena infrastructure. More specific details of
the activities funded by this award can be found in the reports submitted to NSF under AST-0947035.
Status of FY12 Milestones

Complete the Kitt Peak water system renovation.
Status: The contractor completed the primary renovation work for the water plant. During the fourth
quarter, staff tested the plant and fine tuned the various water processing parameters. The plentiful
summer rains provided sufficient water for the new plant to fill all the storage tanks with processed
81
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
water. Minor processing adjustments will be ongoing to reach compliance with EPA regulations.
Any remaining funds will be targeted toward modification of the storage tanks to meet the new regulations.

Begin construction on the Kitt Peak instrument handling facility.
Status: A contract was awarded to a local Tucson firm for architectural and engineering (A/E) services to develop and prepare the building renovation documents for contractor bidding. The documents were available at the end of FY12, and the work will be placed out for bid during the first
quarter of FY13. It is anticipated that a contractor will be in place to begin the renovation by the end
of calendar year 2012 with project completion anticipated by mid 2013.

Complete the Tucson environmental controls project.
Status: The contractor completed the installation of the new system and training of maintenance
staff has been ongoing. The full system is operational, and when time allows staff are working to optimize the control system. The project is complete.

Complete the Tucson electrical distribution system renovation.
Status: The new centralized UPS system was connected and the final generator testing was completed. The environmental control system for the UPS is fully operational, and the system is online and
operational. It successfully responded to two utility power outages and maintained the operation of
the primary computer and data storage systems. The final phase of this project is complete.

Complete the Cerro Pachón kitchen and dining facility.
Status: Completed. The ARRA-funded portion of this project was completed. Non-ARRA funds were
utilized to complete the interior build-out of the project. The new Pachón kitchen and dining facility
was put into service on 4 June 2012.

Complete dormitory renovations at CTIO.
Status: In progress. The estimated date of completion for this project is 30 November 2012.

Complete the La Serena meeting room upgrades.
NOTE: This milestone from the NOAO Annual Program Plan FY 2012 should have been worded
“Complete the mountain meeting room upgrades.” Status of the mountain meeting room upgrades is
provided below.
Status: Completed. The improved meeting room is in use.

Complete the La Serena mechanical shop renovation.
Status: This project is deferred. A formal request is expected to be made to divert these dedicated
funds to cover completion of the high-priority ARRA projects already in progress. The need for the
shop renovation is in part mitigated by potential availability of contracted anodizing services.

Complete the La Serena security fencing project.
Status: Completed.

Complete the La Serena meeting room renovations.
Status: In progress. The estimated completion date is 31 December 2012.
82
APPENDICES
83
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
A FY12 BUDGET BY PROGRAM
A.1 FY12 EXPENDITURES
The Figure A-1 pie chart shows the breakdown of the NOAO base fund expenditures
for FY12 by major program on a percentage
basis.
Table A-1 shows the actual gross expense
figures as of the end of FY12 for each work
package as well as the carry-forward funds.
The left-hand column contains total funding
for each activity, i.e., the sum of NSF FY12
base funding, non-base FY12 funding or revenue, and FY11 carry-forward funding (if
any). The key for Table A-1 provides descriptions of the work breakdown structure shown
in the table. (See section A.3 for a breakdown
of the funds carried forward from FY12 to
FY13.)
NDO
3%
Reserve
0%
Fees
3%
EPO
3%
OS
1%
NS
34%
CAS
4%
NSTC
18%
NSSC
10%
NN
24%
Figure A-1: NOAO FY12 base fund expenditures by program
as a percentage of the total.
Table A-1: FY12 Total Funding vs. Actual Expenditures
Work Package
NOAO South (NS)
Cerro Tol ol o Inter-Ameri ca n Obs erva tory (CTIO)
NS Engi neeri ng & Techni ca l Servi ces
NS Fa ci l i ties Opera tions
NS Computer Infra s tructure Servi ces
NS Admi ni s tra tive Servi ces
Subtotal
NOAO North (NN)
Ki tt Pea k Na tiona l Obs erva tory (KPNO)
NN Engi neeri ng & Techni ca l Servi ces
NN Centra l Fa ci l i ties Opera tions
NN Computer Infra s tructure Servi ces
Subtotal
NOAO System Science Center (NSSC)
Sys tem Us er Support
ReSTAR Pa l oma r Ni ghts
Sci ence Da ta Ma na gement
Sys tem Communi ty Devel opment
Subtotal
(Table A-1 is continued on the next page.)
84
Total Budget
FY12 Actual
Expenses to Date
5,610,611
1,844,593
3,834,827
648,788
1,884,030
13,822,848
5,020,557
2,765,604
3,698,375
856,181
1,969,608
14,310,325
6,950,775
1,828,736
1,527,509
647,258
10,954,279
5,988,451
2,168,083
1,332,524
607,933
10,096,990
1,335,761
291,776
1,894,285
746,156
4,267,978
1,384,914
276,000
1,813,489
571,412
4,045,816
FY12 BUDGET BY PROGRAM
Table A-1: FY12 Total Funding vs. Actual Expenditures (Continued)
Work Package
NOAO System Technology Center (NSTC)
Sys tem Ins trumentation
ReSTAR Ins trumentation
La rge Synoptic Survey Tel es cope (LSST)
LSST Suppl ement
Subtotal
Central Administration Services (CAS)
Office of Science (OS)
Education & Public Outreach (EPO)
NOAO Director's Office (NDO)
NOAO Director's Reserve
AURA F&A and Management Fee
Total Base Expenditures
Other NSF Funding
ARRA Stimul us Fundi ng North
ARRA Stimul us Fundi ng South
ReSTAR Pa l oma r Ni ghts
ReSTAR Ins trument Fa bri ca tion
LSST Suppl ement
Tel es cope Sys tem Ins trumentation Progra m
Subtotal Other NSF Expenditures
Total Budget
FY12 Actual
Expenses to Date
2,030,440
3,375,305
1,057,210
1,344,624
7,807,578
1,784,421
616,897
1,088,547
1,351,464
1,154,333
1,016,769
43,865,113
1,918,888
3,201,777
1,076,408
1,343,390
7,540,463
1,702,546
520,521
1,135,106
1,342,140
58,529
1,173,767
41,926,203
1,042,552
950,798
324,989
644,962
3,004,680
4,998,030
37,203
1,007,154
Total NOAO Expenditures
42,933,357
FY12 Ba s e Fundi ng
FY11 Ca rry-Forwa rd Appl i ed to NOAO Ba s e Progra ms
FY12 Progra m Outs i de Revenue
Suppl emental Support Expendi ture
FY12 Carry-Forward without Supplemental Funds
FY12 Suppl emental Ca rry-Forwa rd
(26,208,659)
(2,577,931)
(10,306,727)
(5,696,004)
(1,855,964)
(4,073,822)
FY12 Total Carry-Forward
(5,929,786)
Key to Table A-1 FY12 Total Funding vs. Actual Expenditures
NOAO South (NS)
This NOAO division focuses on the administration, facilities, and IT support services for
NOAO activities based in La Serena, Chile.
Cerro Tololo Inter-American
Observatory (CTIO)
This work package includes the operational and mountain facilities support costs for CTIO.
It does not include NOAO-wide administrative costs.
NS Engineering & Technical Services
This work package includes design, fabrication, installation, and operations support for the
telescopes and instrumentation on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón.
NS Facilities Operations
This work package includes the shared costs of operations of all of the AURA La Serena
facilities, including warehouse, shipping/receiving, inventory control, security, water and
sewer facilities, garage and transport, and the La Serena motel, as well as general maintenance and janitorial services. It also includes the shared costs of operations of all AURA
mountaintop facilities on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón, including road maintenance, power
line maintenance, water system maintenance, emergency medical services, communication and
telephone system maintenance, kitchen operations, and dormitory operations. All activities
related to the management of general NOAO activities in La Serena are contained in this
work package.
NS Computer Infrastructure
Services
This work package includes computer system support for NOAO South including network
maintenance and software support. It includes system security and access.
85
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Key to Table A-1 FY12 Total Funding vs. Actual Expenditures
NS Administrative Services
This work package includes the costs of administrative support to all programs on the AURA
site in Chile, which include personnel and payroll, procurement, budget and accounting,
reception, and general management of the site.
NOAO North (NN)
This NOAO division focuses on the administration, facilities, and IT support services for
NOAO activities based in southern Arizona.
Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)
This work package contains the operational and mountain support costs for KPNO including
personnel, travel, miscellaneous equipment, tenant support, Site Director’s office, user support, NSO support, instrumentation and modernization upgrades, and other mountain facilities costs. Also included are costs of telescope operation and maintenance and partnerships.
It does not include NOAO-wide administrative costs.
NN Engineering & Technical Services
This work package includes design, fabrication, installation, and operations support for the
telescopes and instrumentation on Kitt Peak.
NN Central Facilities Operations
This work package includes the NOAO North facilities operation costs of non-mountaintop
building maintenance, roads and grounds, utilities, vehicles, and the computer network in
Tucson.
NN Computer Infrastructure
Services
Included in this work package is computer system support for NOAO North, NSO, SOAR,
and WIYN including network maintenance and software support. It also includes system
security and access.
NOAO System Science
Center (NSSC)
This NOAO division is a combination of the Science Data Management, Science User Support, and System Community Development programs. It includes personnel, travel, support,
and equipment for NSSC to provide US community access and user support to the two Gemini telescopes. Support is provided for NOAO North and South. Science research time for
scientific staff that have NSSC functional responsibilities and NSSC postdoc support is also
included.
System User Support
This work package includes management of US community access to Gemini and other System telescopes, including periodic meetings of NOAO user constituencies, other informational workshops and committees, and the annual meeting of the survey teams. It also includes user support for observing proposal preparation and submission for all System facilities, as well as post-observing data processing.
ReSTAR Palomar Nights
This work package contains a small amount of NOAO staff time for community user support.
Science Data Management
This work package contains the planning and management of SDM North and South, development and operation of the End-to-End Data Management System, user support, and data
management for other initiatives. It includes community involvement and data in the VAO.
System Community Development
This work package focuses on connecting the US community-at-large with the new science
capabilities under development such as LSST, GMT, TMT, LCOGTN and various emerging
facilities for optical interferometry.
NOAO System Technology
Center (NSTC)
This NOAO division is responsible for coordinating technological enhancements to the US
Ground-Based O/IR Observing System. It incorporates System Instrumentation, Telescope
System Instrumentation Program, the NOAO LSST Project Office, and the NOAO portion of
the ReSTAR supplement program.
System Instrumentation
This work package contains the operations and management of the instrumentation program
supporting NOAO, the System, and the community. It also includes MONSOON and other
instrumentation support.
ReSTAR Instrumentation
This work package includes projects funded through the NSF ReSTAR proposal including a
new instrument for the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope, detector upgrades to one existing instrument each at KPNO and CTIO, and access to the Palomar telescope.
86
FY12 BUDGET BY PROGRAM
Key to Table A-1 FY12 Total Funding vs. Actual Expenditures
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
This work package includes support for the LSST Project in two important areas:
(1) responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the facilities in Chile,
including the telescope, enclosure, and support facilities both on the summit and in La Serena; and (2) community engagement intended to support science collaborations in developing
the science missions and input into the LSST.
LSST Supplement
This work package includes the portion of funds provided to NOAO from a separate NSF
grant (AST-1036980) awarded to the LSST Coproration for the full Design and Development of the LSST System (see Large Synoptic Survey Telescope above).
Central Administrative
Services (CAS)
This work package includes the Tucson-based human resources, accounting/financial management, procurement, payroll, shipping/receiving, and export control and includes support
to NSO, AURA Corporate, WIYN, SOAR, other AURA centers, and LSSTC.
Office of Science (OS)
This work-package contains support to science staff, including administrative support, colloquia, travel, page charges, and conferences/workshops. It also includes salary support for
fellowships and those science staff on sabbatical or directly supporting the OS activity.
Education and Public Outreach (EPO)
This work package contains the NOAO North and South education and public outreach programs, REU programs, public affairs, and graphic arts.
NOAO Director’s Office
(NDO)
This work package focuses on the activities of the NOAO director, deputy director, administrative support staff, risk management, library, and safety coordination. It also includes these
functions as provided by the CTIO director for NOAO South.
NOAO Director’s Reserve
This work package includes unallocated FY12 base funds combined with all unexpended or
uncommitted FY11 base funds. This reserve will be used for unpredictable spending needs,
such as major changes in the US dollar to Chilean peso exchange rate or unexpected maintenance needs that require immediate response.
AURA F&A and Management Fee
This work package includes the AURA support to NOAO and the AURA F&A for new
funds and carry forward from nonexpended FY11 funds. The AURA management fee for
FY12 is 2.48 percent.
Total Base Expenditures
This total includes the total expenditures of NOAO programs from NSF base funds.
Other NSF Funding
NSF funding for NOAO programs awarded separately from CSA (1) AST-0950945.
ARRA Stimulus Funding
North
This work package includes the renewal of critical infrastructure at the Tucson Headquarters
and Kitt Peak using one-time funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA) awarded under SPO-16 AST-0947035
ARRA Stimulus Funding
South
This work package includes the renewal of critical infrastructure at the La Serena Base Facility and Cerro Tololo (including Cerro Pachón) using one-time funds from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) awarded under SPO-16 AST-0947035
Telescope System Instrumentation Program
The Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP), through AST-0335461, funds development of new instruments for, or operational costs of, non-federal observatories in return
for US community access to observing time on those telescopes as administered by the
NOAO TAC.
Subtotal Other NSF Expenditures
This total includes the expenditures for NSF awards to NOAO other than CSA (1) AST0950495.
Total NOAO Expenditures
This total includes the total expenditures of NOAO programs from NSF funds.
FY12 Base Funding
Actual FY12 NSF funding provided to NOAO for base programming.
FY11 Carry-Forward Applied to NOAO Base Programs
FY11 carry-forward that was applied to the FY12 program.
FY12 Program Outside
Revenue
FY12 NSF base program revenue applied to the FY12 program (from Table A-2).
87
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Key to Table A-1 FY12 Total Funding vs. Actual Expenditures
Supplemental Support Expenditure
Total expenditures on supplemental support awards including the FY08 NOAO supplemental
support for FY12 expenditures from the LSST Design and Development project, KPNO and
CTIO ARRA modernization projects, TSIP, and projects funded through the ReSTAR
award.
FY12 Carry-Forward
without Supplemental
Funds
Unexpended base funding and outside revenue not including supplemental awards (LSST,
ReSTAR, ARRA, TSIP).
FY12 Supplemental CarryForward
Unexpended available carry-forward from restricted supplements including ARRA,
ReSTAR, LSST Design and Development supplement, and TSIP (from Table A-3).
FY12 Total CarryForward
Total amount of unexpended carry-forward from all NOAO programs.
A.2 FY12 REVENUE
Table A-2 summarizes the other revenue—non-NSF base funding—received by each program. The key
to Table A-2 describes the revenue sources.
Table A-2: FY12 NOAO Program Outside Revenue
FY12 Revenue
Description
NOAO South (NS)
CTIO Indi rects a nd Mi s cel l a neous Revenue
CTIO SMARTS La bor Recha rge a nd Indi rects
NS ETS SOAR Projects La bor Recha rges a nd Indi rects
NS FO La Serena Fa ci l i ties Support to Gemi ni , SOAR, a nd AURA-O
NS FO Mountai n Fa ci l i ties Support to Gemi ni , SOAR, a nd AURA-O
NS FO Gemi ni Li bra ry Support
CTIO Di rector Support to AURA-O
NS CIS Computer Network Support to AURA Centers , La s
Ca mpa na s , ALMA, a nd Tena nts
NS Admi ni s tra tive Servi ces Support to Gemi ni , SOAR, a nd AURA-O
Support for LMCM Opera tions
CTIO Sci entifi c Support for Gra nts
Subtotal
NOAO North (NN)
KPNO DS3 Li nk
KPNO Mea l & Dormi tory Revenue
KPNO KPVC Sa l es Revenue a nd Members hi ps
KPNO Joi nt Us e Fee
KPNO Mi s c Fa ci l i ties Us e Fees
KPNO WIYN Opera tiona l Support
NN ETS Ins trument Shop Support for NSO a nd Gra nts
NN CFO Support to NSO, WIYN, LSSTC, a nd Other Indi rect Cos t
Revenue
NN CIS Support for NSO a nd Gemi ni
Subtotal
(Table A-2 is continued on the next page.)
88
246,398
172,411
6,455
1,109,378
2,094,091
5,065
107,159
199,810
913,331
30,694
63,458
4,948,250
48,091
330,107
734,972
228,514
76,352
885,652
56,642
791,864
200,187
3,352,381
FY12 BUDGET BY PROGRAM
Table A-2: FY12 NOAO Program Outside Revenue (Continued)
FY12 Revenue
Description
NOAO System Science Center (NSSC)
Sci ence Da ta Ma na gement VAO Gra nt
Support to NSO & WIYN
Gra nt Supported Staff Cos ts
Subtotal
NOAO System Technology Center (NSTC)
Sys tem Ins trumentation TMT a nd GMT Support
Sys tem Ins trumentation WIYN Support
Sys tem Ins trumentation ATST Support
Sys tem Ins trumentation Support Uni vers i ty of Ha wa i i
Sys tem Ins trumentation Support for Other Outs i de Progra ms
Tel es cope Sys tem Ins trumentation Progra m Awa rd
Subtotal
Central Administrative Services (CAS)
Indi rect Cos t Revenue from Support to NSO, WIYN, SOAR, LSSTC,
a nd Gra nts
Gemi ni Pa yrol l a nd IT Support
Subtotal
Office of Science (OS)
Gra nt Supported Staff Cos ts
Subtotal
Education & Public Outreach (EPO)
Support to NSO
Gra nt Supported Staff Cos ts
Subtotal
NOAO Director's Office (NDO)
Gra nt Indi rect Revenue
AURA DDF
Li bra ry Support to NSO
Subtotal
Total FY12 Outside Program Revenue
119,532
39,440
75,643
234,615
120,793
3,968
14,200
45,303
17,101
27,426
228,791
1,112,041
66,000
1,178,041
6,992
6,992
110,314
7,386
117,700
174,666
11,746
53,545
239,957
10,306,727
Key to Table A-2 FY12 NOAO Program Outside Revenue
NOAO South (NS)
NOAO Division
CTIO Indirects and Miscellaneous Revenue
Revenue from small projects for Gemini and other external entities and general
indirect cost recovery.
CTIO SMARTS Labor Recharge and
Indirects
General indirect cost recovery from SMARTS operational support.
NS ETS SOAR Projects Labor Recharges and Indirects
Revenue for labor provided by NS Engineering & Technology staff for SOAR
project support.
NS FO La Serena Facilities Support to
Gemini, SOAR, and AURA-O
Revenue from providing facilities services to the tenants.
NS FO Mountain Facilities Support to
Gemini, SOAR, and AURA-O
Revenue for support of mountain operations from Gemini, SOAR, AURA-O, and
other tenants on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón.
NS FO Gemini Library Support
Contributions for support of the La Serena Library from Gemini.
CTIO Director Support to AURA-O
Revenue from AURA for the CTIO Director’s time spent on activities related to
his role as AURA-O Head of Mission.
89
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Key to Table A-2 FY12 NOAO Program Outside Revenue
NS CIS Computer Network Support to
AURA Centers, Las Campanas,
ALMA, and Tenants
NOAO support revenue from the users.
NS Administrative Services Support to
Gemini, SOAR, and AURA-O
Revenue from providing administrative services to the tenants.
Support for LMCM Operations
Revenue from the operations of the Gemini/SOAR/CTIO Laser Mask Cutting
Machine: producing slit masks for Gemini and Las Campanas instruments.
CTIO Scientific Support for Grants
This includes revenue from support for the CTIO REU program and NASA grant
charges.
NOAO North (NN)
NOAO Division
KPNO DS3 Link
Revenue from tenants for maintenance and support.
KPNO Meal & Dormitory Revenue
Revenue from nighttime programs, meals sold, and dormitory rental on Kitt Peak.
KPNO KPVC Sales Revenue and
Memberships
Revenue from Visitor Center, sales, night observing programs, etc. and the
Friends of Kitt Peak program.
KPNO Joint Use Fee
Annual fee charged to all tenants on KP for joint support services provided.
KPNO Misc Facilities Use Fees
Miscellaneous revenue from use of the facilities.
KPNO WIYN Operational Support
Support funds from the WIYN partners towards support of operations.
NN ETS Instrument Shop Support for
NSO and Grants
Revenue from NSO or grant accounts to cover payroll costs of instrument shop
work requested by NSO or grant awardees, respectively.
NN CFO Support to NSO, WIYN,
LSSTC, and Other Indirect Cost Revenue
Indirect revenue from grants and support and business administrative services
and facilities support provided by NOAO North Central Facilities Operations to
NSO, WIYN, LSSTC, etc.
NN CIS Support for NSO and Gemini
Revenue from labor support by NOAO North Computer Infrastructure Services to
NSO and Gemini.
NOAO System Science Center
(NSSC)
NOAO Division
Science Data Management VAO Grant
NSF grant support for NOAO work on the Virtual Astronomical Observatory
(VAO).
Support to NSO & WIYN
Revenue received from NSO and WIYN for support SDM staff provided to NSO
for system administration and to WIYN for software development of the pODI
Observing Tool.
Grant Supported Staff Costs
Research grant revenue for various NSSC staff.
NOAO System Technology Center
(NSTC)
NOAO Division
System Instrumentation TMT and GMT
Support
Revenue received in return for supporting AURA employees employed by TMT,
leasing of office space to TMT, and some site support work packages; GMT
KASI contract revenue is included also.
System Instrumentation WIYN Support
Revenue received from WIYN Observatory to cover non-payroll costs associated
with the final assembly of the instrument with partial focal plane.
System Instrumentation ATST Support
Labor support to ATST.
System Instrumentation Support University of Hawaii
Revenue received from the University of Hawaii for engineering support of an
instrument design project.
System Instrumentation Support for
Other Outside Programs
Miscellaneous support work done by the System Instrumentation staff for Gemini, Steward Observatory, Lunar Planetary Lab, and other local astronomical institutions.
Telescope System Instrumentation
Program Award
Administration and oversight of TSIP sub-awards, covered by TSIP program
funding from AST- 0335461.
90
FY12 BUDGET BY PROGRAM
Central Administrative Services
(CAS)
NOAO Division
Indirect Cost Revenue from Support to
NSO, WIYN, SOAR, LSSTC, and
Grants
Revenue for accounting and other administrative support provided to NSO,
WIYN, SOAR, and LSSTC, as well as general and administrative revenue
(G&A) collected on grants and other outside projects.
Gemini Payroll and IT Support
Revenue from support for Gemini payroll and computer support
Office of Science (OS)
NOAO Division
Grant Supported Staff Costs
Grant and outside support for postdocs including Hubble fellowships, etc.
Education and Public Outreach
(EPO)
NOAO Division
Support to NSO
Revenue provided by NSO to support NSO EPO efforts on Kitt Peak, some public information functions, and general EPO outreach locally and regionally on
behalf of NSO.
Grant Supported Staff Costs
Grant and outside support for various EPO staff.
NOAO Director’s Office (NDO)
NOAO Division
Grant Indirect Revenue
A portion of grant revenue goes to the Director’s Office for miscellaneous science support and NSO library support.
AURA DDF
Funding from AURA Corporate for discretionary expenditures.
Library Support to NSO
Contributions from NSO for support of the NOAO Library.
Total FY12 Outside Program Revenue
Outside Revenue not provided by the NSF core program. Includes supplemental
funds used for NOAO base programs. (Refer to revenue table for full detailed
revenues per program.)
A.3 FY12 FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD TO FY13
Table A-3 shows a breakdown of carry-forward from FY12 base funding and external revenue and the
total carry-forward available for distribution in the NOAO FY13 program.
Table A-3: Carry-Forward after FY 2012 Expenditures
Carry-Forward
Program
Base Funds Carried Forward
1,855,964
Supplemental Funds Carried Forward
TSIP
2,967,477
ReSTAR
81,712
LSST Suppl ement
1,234
ARRA
1,023,399
Subtotal
4,073,822
Total Base and Supplemental Funds Carried Forward
5,929,786
Other NSF Funds Carried Forward
REU
450,445
GSMT
19,101
Intera gency Tra ns fers
241,539
Subtotal
711,085
Total Funds Carried Forward
6,640,871
91
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
B NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
B.1 NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT DURING FY12

David Silva, NOAO Director

Robert Blum, NOAO Deputy Director

Timothy Beers, Associate Director for KPNO

R. Chris Smith, Associate Director for CTIO

Verne V. Smith, Associate Director for NOAO System Science Center

Chris Richardson, Controller

Joan Najita, Head of Program, Office of Science

David Sprayberry, Head of Program, NOAO System Technology Center

Stephen Pompea, Head of Program, Education and Public Outreach
B.2 SCIENTIFIC STAFF CHANGES DURING FY12
New Appointments
Date
Name
Position
Location
10/01/2011
Hui Dong
Research Associate
NOAO-N
10/01/2011
Elise Furlan
Research Associate
NOAO-N
10/01/2011
Eric Mamajek
Associate Astronomer
NOAO-S
10/01/2011
Janine Pforr
Research Associate
NOAO-N
10/10/2011
Timothy Beers
Assoc. Director for KPNO
NOAO-N
10/14/2011
Sungryong Hong
Research Associate
NOAO-N
11/15/2011
Colette Salyk
Research Associate (Goldberg
Fellow)
NOAO-N
5/21/2012
Hanae Inami
Research Associate
NOAO-N
Date
Name
Position
Location
12/31/2011
John Subasavage, Jr.
Research Associate
NOAO-S
3/12/2012
K. Michael Merrill
Associate Scientist
NOAO-N
5/18/2012
Buell Jannuzi
Astronomer
NOAO-N
8/01/2012
Eric Mamajek
Associate Astronomer
NOAO-S
8/14/2012
Simon Schuler
Asstistant Scientist
NOAO-N
Departures
92
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
Status Changes
Position
Change
10/11/2011 Simon Schuler
Assistant Scientist
Promoted from Postdoc Research Assoc. NOAO-N
(Goldberg Fellow) to Assistant Scientist
09/01/2012 Knut Olsen
Head of Program SCD
Appointed Head of Program
NOAO-N
09/01/2012 Letizia Stanghellini
Head of Program SUS
Appointed Head of Program
NOAO-N
09/17/2012 Katia Cunha
Associate Astronomer
Promoted from Assistant Astronomer to NOAO-N
Associate Astronomer
Date
Name
Location
B.3 DIVISION OF EFFORT—NOAO SCIENTIFIC/MANAGEMENT STAFF
The fractional division of actual effort for each NOAO scientific staff member and key managers across
FY12 budgeted programs is shown in Table B-1 on the following pages.
The Scientific staff, key managers, and programs shown in Table B-1 are those funded under NSF
funds allocated to the FY12 NOAO base budget. Programs and scientists (e.g., postdoctoral research
associates) funded under external grants or non-AST/NSF sources are included as well. All columns
show the actual FTEs by program. Included in Table B-2 are the technical, engineering, and other staff
who are either partially or totally funded by other funding as defined by the NSF/AURA Cooperative
Agreement. Table B-3 provides a breakdown of the sources of other funding by FTE. Tables B-1 through
B-3 show the actual FY12 effort by each listed staff member within the NOAO functional programs.
These tables may be compared with Tables 25 and 26 in the NOAO Annual Program Plan FY 2012, in
which the predictions at the start of the year are listed.
Scientific staff fill out biweekly timecards indicating the hours spent on each activity. These hours
are converted to fractions of a pay period, taking charges to grants and functional activities first, then
research, up to the 80 hours per pay period limit. The nominal allocation for research is shown with a
code after the staff member’s name as follows:

Director, Deputy Director, and Associate Director (D): max of 20%

Head of Program (H): max of 20%

Full, Associate, and Assistant Astronomer (A): max of 50%

Full, Associate, and Assistant Scientist (S): max of 20%

Postdocs and Goldberg Fellows (P): max of 100%
93
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Table B-1: FY12 Fractional Division of Effort by Budgeted Program of NOAO Scientific Staff and Key Management
Scientific Staff & Key Mgmt (excluding postdoctoral research associates)
NSSC
NSTC
Research
CTIO
NS
KPNO
SUS
SDM
SCD
SI
TSIP/
ReSTAR
LSST
OS
EPO
NOAO
DIR
GRANTS/
1
OTHER
Totals
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Allen, Lori E. (S)
0.02
-
-
0.98
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Beers, Tim (D)
0.17
-
-
0.83
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Blum, Robert D. (D)
0.02
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.98
-
1.00
Boroson, Todd (H)
0.14
-
-
0.83
0.03
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
0.45
-
-
-
0.55
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Dey, Arjun (A)
0.24
-
-
0.40
0.34
0.02
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Dickinson, Mark E. (A)
0.68
-
-
-
-
0.32
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Elias, Jonathan H. (A)
-
-
-
0.67
-
-
-
0.27
0.06
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
0.20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.65
0.15
-
1.00
Gregory, Brooke (S)3
-
0.91
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.09
1.00
Heathcote, Stephen (D)
-
0.96
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
1.00
Hinkle, Kenneth H. (S)
0.08
-
-
-
0.92
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
James, David (A)
0.23
0.51
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.20
-
-
0.06
-
-
1.00
Jannuzi, Buell T. (A)
0.34
-
-
0.35
-
-
0.31
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Joyce, Richard R. (S)
0.15
-
-
0.71
0.14
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Lauer, Tod R. (A)
0.61
-
-
0.06
0.08
-
0.25
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Mamajek, Eric (A)
0.21
0.79
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
0.33
-
-
-
0.30
-
0.37
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
0.02
-
-
0.98
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Name
Abbott, Timothy (S)
Cunha, Katia (A)
2
Garmany, Catharine D. (S)
Matheson, Thomas D. (A)
Merrill, K. Michael (S)
4
1
For the grant and other funding sources see Table B-3.
Katia Cunha was a half-time employee and on sabbatical until 31 July 2012.
3
Brooke Gregory was a half-time employee.
4
K. Michael Merrill passed away 12 March 2012.
2
94
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
Scientific Staff & Key Mgmt (excluding postdoctoral research associates)
NSSC
NSTC
Research
CTIO
NS
KPNO
SUS
SDM
SCD
SI
TSIP/
ReSTAR
LSST
OS
EPO
NOAO
DIR
GRANTS/
OTHER1
Totals
Mighell, Kenneth J. (S) 5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.39
-
0.61
1.00
Najita, Joan R. (H)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
1.00
Norman, Dara (S)
0.17
-
-
0.16
0.47
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.20
-
1.00
Olsen, Knut (H)
0.20
-
-
-
0.72
-
0.08
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Points, Sean D. (S)
0.16
0.75
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.09
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Pompea, Stephen M. (H)
0.24
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.74
-
0.02
1.00
Probst, Ronald G. (S)
0.16
0.08
-
0.32
0.07
-
-
0.26
0.11
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Rajagopal, Jayadev (S)
0.07
-
-
0.82
0.11
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Ridgway, Stephen T. (A)
0.22
-
-
-
-
-
0.61
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.17
1.00
Ridgway, Susan E. (A)
0.53
-
-
-
0.47
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Saha, Abhijit (A)
0.15
-
-
0.16
-
-
0.54
-
-
0.15
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Silva, David (D)
0.01
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.99
-
1.00
Smith, Malcolm G. (A) 6
0.22
0.78
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
0.29
0.42
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.29
1.00
0.06
-
-
-
0.94
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Sprayberry, David (H)
0.02
-
-
0.01
-
-
-
0.84
0.13
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Stanghellini, Letizia (A)
0.50
-
-
-
0.50
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Stobie, Elizabeth B. (H)
-
-
-
-
-
0.79
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.21
1.00
Tokovinin, Andrei (A)
0.39
0.21
-
-
-
-
-
0.40
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Valdes, Francisco (S)
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
0.01
0.93
-
-
-
-
-
0.02
-
-
0.04
-
-
-
1.00
Name
Shaw, Richard A. (S)
Smith, Robert C. (D)
Smith, Verne V. (D)
7
van der Bliek, Nicole S. (D)
5
Kenneth Mighell was 100% grant-funded with 39% coming from EPO for the REU grant and the remaining 61% from outside sources.
Malcolm Smith was a half-time employee.
7
Verne Smith was on sabbatical until 31 July 2012.
6
95
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Scientific Staff & Key Mgmt (excluding postdoctoral research associates)
NSSC
NSTC
Research
CTIO
NS
KPNO
SUS
SDM
SCD
SI
TSIP/
ReSTAR
LSST
OS
EPO
NOAO
DIR
GRANTS/
OTHER1
Totals
Walker, Alistair R. (A)
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Walker, Constance (S)
0.22
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.78
-
-
1.00
Sci Staff FTE Totals:
7.22
8.21
0.42
7.28
5.64
2.13
2.16
1.79
0.59
0.15
1.04
2.62
2.32
2.43
44.00
Name
Postdoctoral Research Associates
NSSC
NSTC
Research
CTIO
NS
KPNO
SUS
SDM
SCD
SI
TSIP/
ReSTAR
LSST
OS
EPO
NOAO
DIR
GRANTS/
8
OTHER
Totals
Atlee, David (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Dong, Hui (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Everett, Mark (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Furlan, Elise (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Hong, Sungryong (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Inami, Hanae (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Kaleida, Catherine (P)
-
0.61
0.39
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S. (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Kunder, Andrea M. (P)
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Pforr, Janine (P)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
-
-
0.92
1.00
Subasavage, Jr., John (P)10
0.64
0.36
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
Postdoc FTE Totals:
1.64
1.97
0.39
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
-
-
8.92
13.00
Name
Salyk, Colette (P)
Schuler, Simon C. (P)
9
8
For the grant and other funding sources see Table B-3.
During FY12, Simon Schuler was promoted from Postdoctoral Research Associate to Assistant Scientist.
10
The postdoc appointment for John Subasavage, Jr. ended 31 December 2011.
9
96
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
Table B-2: FY12 Fractional Division of Effort by Budgeted Program of NOAO Technical, Engineering, and Other Staff with Other Funding
Technical, Engineering, and Other Staff with Outside (Other) Funding, as Known
NSSC
NSTC
Research
NOAO N
CTIO
NS
KPNO
SUS
SDM
SI
TSIP/
ReSTAR
LSST
OS
GRANTS/
OTHER11
Totals
Barg, M I
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.83
-
-
-
-
0.17
1.00
Binkert, W S
-
-
-
-
0.99
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
1.00
Cho, M K
-
-
-
-
0.02
-
-
0.27
-
0.11
-
0.60
1.00
Claver, J A
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
DeVries, J R
-
-
-
-
0.21
-
-
-
-
0.72
-
0.07
1.00
Dunlop, P
-
-
-
-
0.96
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
1.00
Fitzpatrick, M J
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.55
-
-
-
-
0.45
1.00
Fleming, M W
-
0.95
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.05
1.00
Goble, W P
-
-
-
-
0.96
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
1.00
Hansey, B
-
-
-
-
0.95
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.05
1.00
Harris, R C
-
-
-
-
0.65
-
-
0.03
0.26
-
-
0.06
1.00
Hauth, D G
-
-
-
-
0.07
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.93
1.00
Herrera, D A
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.00
Hoblitt, J
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.86
-
-
-
-
0.14
1.00
Hughes, J B
-
-
-
0.54
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.46
1.00
Liang, M
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.98
-
0.02
1.00
Mathis, H
-
-
-
-
0.18
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.82
1.00
Muller, G P
-
-
-
-
0.55
-
-
0.09
-
-
-
0.36
1.00
Norris, P W
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.37
-
-
-
-
0.63
1.00
Pakzad, S L
-
-
-
-
0.07
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.93
1.00
Poczulp, G A
-
-
-
-
0.89
-
-
0.01
0.01
-
-
0.09
1.00
Reddell, L R
-
-
-
-
0.91
-
-
0.01
-
-
-
0.08
1.00
Name
11
For the grant and other funding sources see Table B-3.
97
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Technical, Engineering, and Other Staff with Outside (Other) Funding, as Known
NSSC
NSTC
Research
NOAO N
CTIO
NS
KPNO
SUS
SDM
SI
TSIP/
ReSTAR
LSST
OS
GRANTS/
11
OTHER
Totals
-
-
-
-
0.67
-
-
0.05
0.15
0.04
-
0.09
1.00
-
-
0.89
-
-
-
-
0.06
0.01
-
-
0.04
1.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
0.92
1.00
Seaman, R L
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.99
-
-
-
-
0.01
1.00
Stover, D M
-
-
-
-
0.35
-
-
0.61
-
-
-
0.04
1.00
Thomas, B A
0.30
-
-
-
-
-
0.68
-
-
-
-
0.02
1.00
Timmermann, E R
-
-
-
-
-
0.03
0.76
-
-
-
-
0.21
1.00
Wiecha, O M
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.93
-
0.07
1.00
0.30
0.95
0.89
0.54
8.43
0.03
5.04
1.13
0.43
2.78
0.08
9.40
30.00
Name
Repp, R A
Schmidt, Ricardo
Schuler, S C
12
Tech/Engr FTE Totals:
12
During FY12, Simon Schuler was promoted from Postdoctoral Research Associate to Assistant Scientist.
98
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
Table B-3: Sources for Grant and Other Funding FTEs Noted in Tables B-1 and B-2
Sources of Grants and Other Funding (Non-NSF Base)
Name
Position
AURA
NSO/
ATST
SOAR
WIYN
Las
Campanas SMARTS
NASA
VAO
DOE
TMT/
GSMT
University
Projects
Totals
Atlee, D
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Barg, M I
SDM Operations Manager
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.17
-
-
-
0.17
Binkert, W S
Technical Assoc II
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
0.01
Cho, M K
Principal Engineer
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.60
-
0.60
Claver, J A
Associate in Research
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
DeVries, J R
Engineer
-
0.07
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.07
Dong, H
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Dunlop, P
Engineer I/Asst Engineer
-
0.03
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
0.04
Everett, M E
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Fitzpatrick, M J
Prncpl Sftwr Systems Engr
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.45
-
-
-
0.45
Fleming, M W
Sr Scientific Programmer
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.05
-
-
-
0.05
Furlan, E
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Goble, W P
Engineering Manager
-
0.02
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.02
0.04
Gregory, B
Senior Scientist
0.09
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.09
Hansey, B
Technical Assoc I
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.05
0.05
Harris, R C
Senior Instrument Maker
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.03
-
-
-
0.03
0.06
Hauth, D G
Senior Instrument Maker
-
0.93
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.93
Heathcote, S R
Director, SOAR
-
-
0.04
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
Herrera, D A
Sr Assoc in Research
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.75
-
0.25
-
-
1.00
Hoblitt, J
Sr Systems Administrator
-
0.14
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.14
Hong, S
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Hughes, J B
Sr Scientific Programmer
-
-
-
-
0.46
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.46
Inami, H
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Kartaltepe, J S
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
99
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Sources of Grants and Other Funding (Non-NSF Base)
Name
Position
AURA
NSO/
ATST
SOAR
WIYN
Las
Campanas SMARTS
NASA
VAO
DOE
TMT/
GSMT
University
Projects
Totals
Liang, M
Senior Engineer
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.02
0.02
Mathis, H
Mtn Telescope Oper. Mgr
-
-
-
0.82
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.82
Mighell, K J
Scientist
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.61
-
-
-
-
0.61
Muller, G P
Senior Engineer
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.36
0.36
Norris, P W
Test Engineer
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.63
-
-
-
0.63
Pakzad, S L
Data Reduction Specialist
-
-
-
0.23
-
-
0.70
-
-
-
-
0.93
Pforr, J
Research Associate
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Poczulp, G A
Optics & Coatings Lab Spr
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
0.01
0.09
Pompea, S M
Head of Program EPO
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.02
0.02
Reddell, L R
Engineering Assoc
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
0.08
Repp, R A
Instrmnt Shp Facil Sprvsr
-
0.01
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.08
0.09
Ridgway, S T
Astronomer/Tenure
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.17
-
-
-
-
0.17
Schmidt, Ricardo
Senior Engineer Manager
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
Schuler, S C
Research Assoc/Asst Scientist
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.92
-
-
-
-
0.92
Seaman, R L
Software Systems Engineer
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.01
-
-
-
0.01
Shaw, R A
Scientist
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.00
-
-
-
-
1.00
Smith, R C
Astronomer/Tenure
0.29
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.29
Stobie, E B
Head of Program-SDM
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.21
-
-
-
0.21
Stover, D M
CAD Design Leader
-
0.04
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
Thomas, B A
Sr Software Systems Engnr
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.02
-
-
-
0.02
Timmermann, E R
Scientific Programmer II
-
-
-
0.21
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.21
Wiecha, O M
Principal Engineer
-
0.03
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
-
0.07
0.38
1.27
0.04
1.26
0.46
0.04
13.18
1.54
0.25
0.72
0.69
19.83
Totals:
100
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
B.4 SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PLANS

New appointment in FY12

Non-NSF (external) funding

Term ended in FY12
TIMOTHY ABBOTT, Associate Scientist
Research Interests
Late stages of binary stellar evolution, instrumentation, telescope operations
FY12 Accomplishments
Abbott, as manager of NOAO South Engineering and Technical Services (ETS) was responsible for the
management of resources among the many instrument and observatory development programs in which
CTIO participates. As deputy program manager for development of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam)
he was involved in all aspects of the development of DECam. His major work package for the year was
to lead the team that successfully installed DECam on the Blanco telescope.
FY13 Plans
Abbott will continue as manager of NOAO South ETS, and as such will help ensure that the Blanco telescope and instruments, especially DECam, appropriately serve the NOAO community. Abbott also will
continue his participation in the Dark Energy Survey.
HELMUT A. ABT, Astronomer Emeritus
Research Interests
Stellar evolution, stellar duplicity, interstellar medium, publication studies
FY12 Accomplishments
Abt researched exoplanets and showed at the Anchorage meeting of the American Astronomical Society
(AAS) that if one realized they can be formed as independent condensations, like for stars and brown
dwarfs, then the similarity of the orbital elements of exoplanets and stellar companions means that “planetary migration” is not needed. The techniques to detect a copy of the solar system around another star do
not exist, so the discovered exoplanets were formed as independent condensations, not in debris disks.
Abt realized that the Hirsch index (h-index) for measuring the important papers published by an author,
while easy to compute, is very sensitive to the author’s age. Abt determined that if the h-index is divided
by the years since the author’s first publication, an index independent of age is obtained. Abt helped to
oversee the construction in Tucson by a private manufacturer of a 2.4-m telescope for Thailand. The telescope was delivered and installed and will be dedicated in January 2013.
FY13 Plans
Early in FY13, Abt will give invited talks in Beijing, China, and help students with PhD theses. He has a
paper on telescope efficiencies that will be published in the October 2012 Astronomical Journal.
LORI ALLEN, Associate Scientist (Deputy Director, KPNO)
Research Interests
Star and planet formation, near-earth asteroids, cosmic distance ladder, infrared astronomy
101
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
FY12 Accomplishments
Allen continued work as principal investigator (PI) on the Spitzer Gould Belt Legacy Survey and as coinvestigator (co-I) of the Herschel Open Time Key Project HOPS (Herschel Orion Protostar Survey). She
worked with her postdoc, Elise Furlan, on the HOPS project using archival Spitzer spectroscopy to improve the derived spectral energy distributions of the HOPS protostars, and get a better determination of
the protostars’ basic physical properties. She was co-author in 2012 on nine papers appearing in refereed
journals. In addition, she continued her research and mentoring activities with graduate students Tina
Hsu (University of Michigan), Sarah Willis (Iowa State University), and Megan Reiter (University of
Arizona). Hsu published their first paper on the Lynds 1641 dark cloud (2012, ApJ, 752, 59) and in September submitted a second paper on that region, presenting evidence for environmental dependence on
the stellar initial mass function in the Orion molecular clouds. In preparation for a deep southern survey
for near-earth objects using the new Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4-m telescope, Allen received a
grant from the NASA Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations program to develop software and test survey strategies. Science verification data from the DECam will be obtained for this program in November.
In semester 2012B, she began an NOAO survey project (Wood-Vasey, PI) to monitor SNe Ia in the optical and near-IR. Allen served as chair of the NASA Origins Observations panel in 2012, and was appointed as a member of the Spitzer Science Center Oversight Committee. In February, she attended the
annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver as a
member of the AAAS Council.
FY13 Plans
Allen will develop a survey strategy for the DECam NEO search program. She will continue to collaborate with her Spitzer and Herschel teams and will attend the “Protostars and Planets VI” conference in
July, in Heidelberg, Germany. She will also continue in her role (observer) on the Wood-Vasey NOAO
Survey program.
DAVID W. ATLEE, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Observational galaxy evolution, star formation, dust, galaxy morphologies
FY12 Accomplishments
Atlee co-authored five observing proposals during FY12, on behalf of the MAGES collaboration and as
part of independent research projects. These included a proposal to measure the ages of stellar populations in Dust Obscured Galaxies, a proposal to extend the redshift survey in the Boötes field to fainter
magnitudes using the Large Binocular Telescope, and two related proposals to measure stellar populations in post-starburst galaxies and to constrain theories of stellar evolution. Atlee was a co-author on
three peer-reviewed journal articles during FY12. These included an Astrophysics Journal Supplements
publication that described a spectroscopic survey of nearby radio-loud elliptical galaxies and an article
describing a stacking analysis of high-redshift, star-forming galaxies. Atlee was the lead author on a paper examining star formation in cluster galaxies. Atlee also collaborated with members of the MAGES
team to develop distribution strategies for the MAGES catalog release. He worked on a project to measure the mechanism that leads to vigorous star formation in high-redshift galaxies by measuring the fraction of very luminous galaxies with lookback time.
FY13 Plans
During FY13, Atlee plans to finish the data release structure under construction for the MAGES collaboration. This will include an SQL (structured query language) database and the associated servers. He will
participate in the preparation of the MAGES data paper, which will describe the data release and the procedures used to reduce the original survey data and to construct the catalogs. He will complete and publish his project on the evolution of vigorously star-forming galaxies, publish the last outstanding paper
102
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
from his dissertation, and make progress toward publishing his project on stellar populations in poststarburst galaxies.
TIMOTHY BEERS, Scientist (Associate Director for Kitt Peak National Observatory) 
Research Interests
Discovery and analysis of early generation stars in the Milky Way and Local Group galaxies; stellar populations; formation and evolution of the Milky Way; chemistry, structure, and kinematics of the Milky
Way; probing the first stars in the Universe with chemical abundances; nuclear astrophysics
FY12 Accomplishments
Beers was hired as Director of Kitt Peak National Observatory and took up this position in October 2011.
In addition to his duties as director, Beers worked with KPNO/NOAO staff to develop plans for the preparation of the Mayall telescope for execution of the BigBOSS experiment, which is under development
by the Department of Energy. Beers became a member of the WIYN Board and various subcommittees
associated with the Board. He is a co-PI in the NSF-funded Physics Frontier Center Joint Institute for
Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA). Beers published (or had in press by the end of FY12) 26 scientific papers
in professional journals, 5 conference proceedings, and 10 abstracts. The most significant publications
include a series of papers describing high-resolution spectroscopic analyses of a large sample of the most
metal-poor stars known, in collaboration with colleagues in Australia; the first paper of a series on highresolution analyses of metal-poor stars obtained with the Subaru 8-m telescope, based on candidates
identified with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey; several papers describing survey plans for the LAMOST
telescope in China; a paper announcing the detection of the second r-process peak element Tellurium in
metal-poor stars; a paper outlining the observational case for the dual halo of the Milky Way; a paper
announcing the discovery of a carbon-enhanced RR Lyrae star, in collaboration with T. Kinman
(NOAO); a paper showing that the frequency of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars associated
with the outer halo of the Milky Way is roughly twice that for stars associated with the inner halo; and an
Annual Reviews paper on Galactic stellar populations in the era of SDSS and other large surveys.
FY13 Plans
Beers will continue his work with various projects, including those associated with JINA, the APOGEE
project in connection with SDSS-III, the LAMOST project in China, and involvement with the
AEGIS/ESO-Gaia project, which is obtaining medium- and high-resolution spectroscopy with the AAT
and the VLT in support of the Gaia astrometry mission. Manuscripts that are in preparation include a
paper describing the first truly unbiased determination of the metallicity distribution function of the Galactic halo system; a new study of the frequency of CEMP stars in the Galactic halo system, in collaboration with V. Smith and K. Cunha (NOAO); a new search for CEMP stars from the Hamburg/ESO survey,
based on spectra obtained with the Gemini telescopes and others; and a study of the kinematics of CN
anomalous stars in the Galactic halo system, among others.
ROBERT BLUM, Astronomer (Deputy Director, NOAO)
Research Interests
Galactic center, massive star formation; local group stellar populations; stellar kinematics
FY12 Accomplishments
Blum continued to collaborate with A. Damineli (University of São Paulo) and C. Barbosa (UNIVAP) on
near-infrared observations of massive stellar clusters in the Milky Way. Blum and K. Olsen (NOAO) had
a successful Hydra/CTIO observing run in January observing thousands of stars in and around the Large
103
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Magellanic Cloud in order to search for further evidence of tidal stripping from the Small Magellanic
Cloud.
FY13 Plans
Blum will continue working with Olsen on studies of the tidal interactions of the two Magellanic Clouds.
Blum is collaborating with J. Mould and B. Mathew (both Swinburne University) on a proposal to use
the AAT to study extreme AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Damineli and Blum collaborated on
a science verification proposal for the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) for November–December 2012 and both are proposing to use GeMS to study the massive young cluster,
Westerlund 1, in the Milky Way.
TODD BOROSON, Astronomer
Research Interests
Structural and physical properties of active galactic nuclei, stellar populations and their evolution, O/IR
instrumentation, analysis and mining of large astronomical data sets
FY12 Accomplishments
Boroson continued his work with M. Eracleous (Pennsylvania State University) to monitor the spectra of
88 quasars with shifted broad emission lines to isolate those that are best explained as bound supermassive black hole binaries. A first paper, “A Large Systematic Search for Close Supermassive Binary and
Rapidly Recoiling Black Holes,” was published describing the sample and the first set of spectra obtained to monitor line shape changes. Ultraviolet spectra with HST and VLA radio observations have
been obtained as well. Boroson completed the first phase of a study with F. Courbin (Observatoire de
Sauverny, Switzerland) aimed at identifying quasars that are lensing background objects. A number of
new candidates have been found and are awaiting confirmation.
FY13 Plans
Boroson will continue his work with Eracleous monitoring quasars that are candidate supermassive black
hole binaries. Analysis of recently obtained UV spectra and radio images will provide additional information about which of these candidates are in the process of binary black hole coalescence. Also, a study
of the luminosity and mass functions of low-redshift quasars is underway in collaboration with A. Laor
and J. Stern (Technion, Israel).
KATIA CUNHA, Associate Astronomer (50% appointment) 
Research Interests
High-resolution spectroscopy, stellar abundances, galactic metallicity gradients and chemical evolution
FY12 Accomplishments
Cunha worked mostly on testing and providing feedback for improvements to the Automatic Stellar Parameters and Chemical Abundance Pipeline (ASPCAP) of the SDSS-III Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). This entails the derivation of effective temperatures, surface
gravities, microturbulent velocities, overall metallicities and specific abundances for 15 chemical elements from high-resolution spectra between 1.5 and 1.7 μm of cool red giants. Cunha also worked on the
manual analysis of spectra of metal poor bulge stars found by APOGEE.
104
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
ARJUN DEY, Astronomer
Research Interests
Galaxy evolution, high-redshift galaxies, large-scale structure, AGN, observational cosmology
FY12 Accomplishments
During FY12, Dey continued to manage and chair the NOAO telescope time allocation process and participate as NOAO’s representative in the BigBOSS project both as a member of the Steering Committee
and as the NOAO project scientist. The BigBOSS project passed a major Department of Energy review
in December 2011 and held collaboration workshops in Berkeley. Dey organized and co-authored a white
paper on the community use of BigBOSS, which was submitted to the NSF Portfolio Review Committee.
Dey also carried out a study of the delivered image quality delivered by the Blanco and Mayall Mosaic
cameras. Dey’s research continued to focus on the clustering and evolution of galaxies. He continued to
investigate the properties and evolutionary state of a sample of extremely luminous dusty galaxies at z ~
2 that appear to be undergoing an active phase of star and active galactic nuclei (AGN) formation using
optical, IR, sub-mm, and radio observations. These galaxies may represent a subsequent evolutionary
phase of some sub-mm galaxies. Dey studied the nature and evolution of strong Lyman-alpha-emitting
galaxies and large, spatially extended Lyman-alpha “Blobs” at redshifts z ~ 1.5–3 and helped lead an
investigation on very ultraviolet-luminous star-forming galaxies at z ~ 3–4. Dey supervised postdoctoral
research associate S. Hong (NOAO). He also participated in the discovery and follow-up of high-redshift
galaxy clusters in the Boötes field. Dey gave invited colloquia at NRAO in Socorro and at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, served on the Spitzer TAC, and was a visiting scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory during July 2012.
FY13 Plans
Dey will continue to manage and chair the NOAO telescope time allocation process during FY13 and
serve as the NOAO liaison and the NOAO project scientist for the BigBOSS project. He will continue to
work primarily on galaxy evolution and clustering, using the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS)
and related survey data. He plans to study the clustering and evolution of the red envelope galaxy population, investigating the growth of the central black holes in these systems. He will continue projects studying the most ultraviolet-luminous galaxy population at high-redshift, specifically the very bright starforming galaxies at 3.5 < z < 5.5. He will investigate the properties of the extremely dust-obscured galaxies at redshift z ~ 2 uncovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the space density and physical properties
of large Lyman-alpha-emitting nebulae, and the properties of a sample of z < 3 Lyman-alpha emitters.
Dey is a co-I on the MAGES and SSDF Spitzer Legacy Projects and the NOAO NEWFIRM Survey
aimed at mapping the Boötes Field of the NDWFS. He also is a co-I on the eBOSS project (part of SDSS
AS3). Dey will participate in a NEWFIRM survey of the Andromeda Galaxy.
MARK DICKINSON, Associate Astronomer
Research Interests
Galaxy formation and evolution, high redshift galaxies, active galactic nuclei
FY12 Accomplishments
Dickinson’s research uses deep, multi-wavelength surveys to study galaxy formation and evolution. He is
one of the originators of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) and is a founding coinvestigator for the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS; PIs
S. Faber and H. Ferguson), a very large multicycle HST program of deep WFC3 infrared and ACS optical imaging of five premier survey areas including the GOODS fields. Dickinson was NASA PI for the
GOODS-Herschel Open Time Key Program (led by ESA PI D. Elbaz, CEA/Saclay, France), which obtained the deepest far-infrared observations (100 to 500 microns) with the Herschel space telescope, and
105
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
he is now PI for a large Herschel OT2 program extending similarly deep far-infrared observations to two
more CANDELS fields. These Herschel data measure the bulk of the energy from star formation and
supermassive black hole growth at high redshift, which is obscured by dust and reradiated in the farinfrared. In FY12, Dickinson supervised NOAO postdoctoral researchers Janine Pforr and Hanae Inami
and was NOAO staff contact for Hubble Fellow Jeyhan Kartaltepe; all three are working on aspects of
the CANDELS and GOODS programs. Dickinson also supervised the PhD research of University of Arizona graduate student Kyle Penner.
FY13 Plans
The new CANDELS Herschel observations, completed in July 2012 and fully reduced, will be analyzed
during FY13. The CANDELS HST observations, which are more than 50% complete, will continue
throughout FY13. By the end of calendar year 2012, however, Dickinson and collaborators expect to
have sufficient data to enable full exploitation of the joint Herschel + HST data sets. Dickinson and his
postdocs and students will be studying the evolution of the infrared luminosity function and cosmic star
formation history and the relation between the mode of star formation (e.g., secularly-evolving “main
sequence” galaxies versus merger-induced “starbursts”), galaxy morphology, and stellar population
properties, particularly at redshifts 1 < z < 3.
HUI DONG, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Massive stars in the Galactic Center, stellar population in the galactic nuclear regions, extinction curve
FY12 Accomplishments
Dong worked with K. Olsen, T. Lauer, and A. Saha (NOAO) on the HST Multi-Cycle Treasury program,
the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury. To detect the faint sources in the extreme environment
of the M31 bulge, Dong helped Lauer develop the deconvolution HST images. Dong, D. Wang (University of Massachusetts), and M. Morris (UCLA) studied the properties of the evolved massive stars in the
Galactic Center. Isolated stars within H II regions have been found and could indicate low-mass star clusters in the Galactic Center, as well as a different star formation mode, compared to the three well-known
young massive star clusters in the Galactic Center. Dong, Li (UCLA), and Wang (U. Mass.) studied the
extinction curve of the M31 bulge, which seems to be much steeper than that of the Milky Way with similar metallicities. They also mapped the molecular clouds in the M31 bulge with the highest angular resolution by now.
FY13 Plans
Dong will continue his work with Lauer to improve their technique to detect sources in the M31 bulge.
Dong will study the star formation history of the M31 bulge through the color magnitude diagram constructed from this new source catalog. He also will work with Saha to study the extinction curve of the
M31 disk, through extinction-free index. Dong will continue his work on identifying the young massive
stars in the Galactic Center through the spectral energy distribution method with multi wavelength HST
observations.
JONATHAN H. ELIAS, Astronomer
Research Interests
Star formation and evolution, Magellanic Clouds, supernovae and novae
106
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
FY12 Accomplishments
Elias provided scientific oversight of the Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT) Program until it
was terminated at the direction of the NSF. Elias acted as project manager and systems engineering lead
on the Kitt Peak Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (KOSMOS) and Cerro Tololo Ohio State MultiObject Spectrograph (COSMOS) projects, which will provide new, efficient multi-object spectrographs
for the Mayall and Blanco telescopes, respectively. These instruments are adapted from the successful
OSMOS on the MDM 2.4-m Hiltner telescope. Problems with the camera optics delivery postponed delivery of the instruments, which are now expected to be complete in FY13. The project, funded under
ReSTAR, is a joint effort with The Ohio State University where the principal investigator (PI) is Paul
Martini. Midway through the year, Elias assumed responsibility for managing NOAO North Engineering
& Technical Services (NN ETS).
FY13 Plans
Elias now expects to complete his work on the KOSMOS and COSMOS spectrographs during FY13. He
will also be managing or involved in projects undertaken by NN ETS, including completion of recovery
of the Blanco telescope secondary and the KPNO contribution to BigBOSS.
MARK EVERETT, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Exoplanets, stellar surveys and variability
FY12 Accomplishments
Everett was active in the NASA Kepler Mission-funded KFOP (Kepler Follow-up Program), a groundbased follow-up observing effort to characterize candidate exoplanet host stars identified by the NASA
Kepler Mission. Promising host stars are subjected to both spectral classification with the RitcheyChretien Spectrograph (RC Spec) at the Mayall 4-m telescope (to determine stellar gravities, temperatures, and metallicities) and high spatial resolution imaging at WIYN using speckle techniques in an effort to detect or constrain the presence of multiple sources at the location of the candidate stars. These
follow-up observations were used to characterize and validate or reject multiple planet candidates by testing the targets for contamination and false positive conditions. Additionally, Everett completed work on
a UBV photometric survey of stars in the Kepler field and classified a variety of new stellar and nonstellar sources. Several of these objects are planned additions to the Kepler target list.
FY13 Plans
Everett plans to continue similar work in FY13 as part of the new Kepler Extended Mission Follow-up
Program. A major part of the effort will be to improve reduction and analysis of the follow-up data products.
ELISE FURLAN, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Star and planet formation, evolution of protostellar envelopes and protoplanetary disks
FY12 Accomplishments
Furlan studied protostars in the Orion star-forming region as a member of the Herschel Orion Protostar
Survey (HOPS) team (PI Megeath), under the supervision of Lori Allen (NOAO). Furlan contributed
significantly to the development of a tool that determines the best model fit to the spectral energy distribution of protostars; this tool yields estimates of the protostellar properties, including their reliability.
She also investigated the importance of Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra in model fitting and
107
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
reduced archival IRS spectra of several HOPS targets. In addition, she collaborated with C. Espaillat
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) on studying mid-infrared neon emission from T Tauri
disks (paper submitted) and with J. Muzerolle (STScI) on modeling a variable protostar in IC 348 (Nature paper accepted).
FY13 Plans
Furlan will continue her work with the HOPS team. She will use envelope properties derived from the
model fits to identify evolutionary sequences in the Orion star-forming region. She will prepare and verify the data products of the HOPS team, including documentation, for final delivery to the NASA Herschel Science Center.
KATY GARMANY, Associate Scientist
Research Interests
Formation and evolution of massive stars, astronomy education
FY12 Accomplishments
Garmany worked in collaboration with others on a study of rotation of outer disk B-type stars. Garmany
transitioned to 50% status in April 2012.
FY13 Plans
Garmany plans to complete the study of outer disk B-type stars and continue a collaboration with W. Vacca
(SOFIA Science Center) on the temperatures of these stars.
BROOKE GREGORY, Senior Scientist
Research Interests
Instrumentation, adaptive optics, infrared imagers and spectrographs
FY12 Accomplishments
Gregory continued the implementation of facility modernizations and upgrades at CTIO, which included
the Instrument Maintenance Facility for the Blanco 4-m telescope, increasing the capacity of the existing
chiller glycol facility for DECam, the Clean Room and dry air facility for Blanco telescope (DECam,
primarily), and an enhancement of the aircraft-spotting tool to include laser pointing information avoidance of aircraft illumination by adaptive optics lasers.
FY13 Plans
Gregory will complete the above projects that were ongoing at the end of FY12.
STEPHEN HEATHCOTE, SOAR Director
KENNETH H. HINKLE, Scientist
Research Interests
Peculiar and late-type stars, circumstellar and interstellar matter, molecular spectroscopy, instrumentation
FY12 Accomplishments
Hinkle completed moving the Phoenix spectrograph from Gemini South to Kitt Peak. Using the KPNO
2.1-m telescope, Phoenix spectra of post-AGB disks were obtained as part of a collaborative project be-
108
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
tween Hinkle, S. Brittain (Clemson University), and R. Gehrz (University of Minnesota). Images of postAGB final flash remnants were obtained with the NICI adaptive optics system at Gemini South in collaboration with R. Joyce (NOAO). Hinkle also continued his research on binary evolution of AGB stars
with F. Fekel (Tennessee State University), Joyce, and P. Wood (Australia National University). Spectra
were observed with the KPNO Coudé Feed telescope. Hinkle completed a research program on infrared
echelle gratings and presented an SPIE paper in collaboration with Joyce and others.
FY13 Plans
Hinkle plans to submit an initial publication in a series of papers with Fekel, Joyce, and Wood on AGB
binary systems containing Mira variables with white dwarf companions. Further research is planned with
T. Lebzelter (University of Vienna) on AGB circumstellar shells. This includes a continuing program on
the spectrum of water in the photospheres and inner circumstellar envelopes of Miras. Research on postAGB binary systems with circumbinary disks will continue with S. Brittain, R. Gehrz, S. Margheim
(Gemini), J. Rajagopal (NOAO), and S. T. Ridgway (NOAO). Hinkle also will work with D. Lambert
(University of Texas) and K. Rao (Indian Institute of Astrophysics) on R CrB stars. Hinkle plans to continue his collaboration with L. Wallace (NOAO) on laboratory and solar spectroscopy. A project with C.
Pilachowski (Indiana University) is envisaged to archive spectra taken at the Fourier Transform Spectrometer. Hinkle will continue his work with Joyce and others on high-resolution near-infrared spectrographs.
SUNGRYONG HONG, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Starburst galaxies, stellar feedback, high redshift galaxies, large-scale structure
FY12 Accomplishments
During FY12, Hong was a co-I (PI Dey) of an NOAO-TSIP MMT/Hectospec proposal to investigate the
redshift distribution of Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) near z = 2.7. They successfully measured redshifts
for 685 LAEs and developed an automated routine to detect emission lines in the spectra, measure their
reliability and false-detection probabilities, and determine redshifts. A paper on the methodology and an
application to their MMT spectra is currently in preparation. Hong was awarded HST time as a PI
(GO13000). This program will observe seven pointings in the field of the LAE sample using WFC3/IR
F110W, F160W, and F139M. This will provide the information about stellar contents of the observed
LAEs.
FY13 Plans
Hong will investigate the properties of the observed LAEs, the selection function, redshift distribution of
emitters, and the large scale structure. As a follow-up to the redshift distribution of the LAE sample,
Hong will work on the HST data from the program GO13000 to investigate the stellar component of the
LAEs to search environmental effects on the stellar population of the LAEs.
HANAE INAMI, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Galaxy evolution and formation, luminous infrared galaxies, star-forming galaxies, active galactic nuclei
FY12 Accomplishments
Inami joined NOAO as a postdoctoral research associate in May 2012, after completing her PhD at the
Graduate University for Advanced Studies. Inami worked on the Herschel-PACS data reduction of the
109
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Herschel-CANDELS project. The mosaic images of the COSMOS and UDS field were accomplished.
The empirical PSFs of each image were constructed, and the blind source extraction was done as well.
FY13 Plans
Inami will keep working on the Herschel PACS and SPIRE data. The source catalogs based on the prior
information will be made. Then these catalogs will be combined with the CANDELS multi-wavelength
catalogs as well as the CANDELS HST grism spectroscopic data to investigate the Herschel-detected
sources.
DAVID JAMES, Assistant Astronomer
Research Interests
Stellar evolution, stellar masses and ages, rotation and lithium depletion on the main sequence,
gyrochronology, large-scale photometric and spectroscopic surveys, detection and properties of
extrasolar planets
FY12 Accomplishments
James, working with CTIO Research Intern O. Boberg and Vanderbilt University Postdoctoral Research
Fellow P. Cargile, completed a large-scale optical survey (BVRIc) of the young stellar clusters Collinder
70 and Collinder 135, using the CTIO 1-m telescope. Approved low-resolution (R ~ 5000) follow-on
observations with CTIO/Hydra and Gemini South/GMOS has provided spectra in the lithium region for
Collinder 70 low mass stars, with which James and his collaborators are measuring the cluster’s membership and age, using the lithium depletion boundary method; analysis is on-going. James received time on
Gemini North and the CTIO 1.5-m telescope to characterize the orbits of four brown-dwarf eclipsing
binaries in the Orion Nebula Cluster in order to determine dynamical masses for the lowest mass stellarlike objects thus far achieved; analysis is on-going. Working with graduate student A. Richert (Pennsylvania State University) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow A. Aarnio (University of Michigan), James
established the ages and masses of young solar-type stars in the Rho Ophiuchus and Chamaeleon I & II
star forming regions. Exploiting their BVIc photometry, obtained using the CTIO 1-m telescope, 2MASS
JHK and WISE W1->W4 magnitudes, they produced spectral energy distributions for each star in order
to search for optically thick circumstellar disks around these young stars. Richert is currently writing up
the results into an Astronomical Journal paper. James and collaborators produced two papers (one submitted), both based on astronomical instruments and their data products. The first (Pepper et al. 2012,
PASP, 124, 230) describes the properties of the Kilo-Degree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT-South),
which his team built and installed at the South African Astronomical Observatory some two years ago.
The second (James 2012, PASP, submitted) describes a low-resolution spectral library of dwarf and giant
stars produced using the RC spectrograph on the 1.9-m Radcliffe telescope, located at the Sutherland site
of the South African Astronomical Observatory.
James is co-investigator of the NASA research grant (PI: Lori Allen, NOAO), “DECam NEO: A
Sensitive, Wide-Field Search for Near-Earth Objects.”
FY13 Plans
REU student C. Thomann, with James as co-I, will present CTIO 1-m telescope photometry and Blanco
4-m telescope spectroscopy of the young open cluster Collinder 70 to the January 2013 AAS meeting.
James will publish the master photometric catalog for the Blanco 1 wide-field, multi-year survey with
data obtained using the CTIO 1-m telescope over the past seven-years. James and Boberg will publish the
Collinder 70 BVRIc photometric catalog as a pre-cursor to the Gemini South/GMOS data to be obtained
in semester 2012B. James, L. Hebb (Vanderbilt University) and E. Stempels (Uppsala University) will
publish empirical, fundamental masses, derived from Super-WASP differential photometry and SOAR
Goodman spectroscopy, for both components of the 2-day period, pre-main sequence eclipsing binary
MML 48.
110
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
James will be heavily involved in the on-going commissioning and science verification of the Dark
Energy Camera on the Blanco 4-m telescope during late 2012 and 2013. He will continue to collaborate
with DES working group scientists to provide infrastructure support to the Survey team and to provide
them with extant test data sets using completed large scale photometric surveys (such as for Blanco 1,
which is in the DES footprint).
BUELL T. JANNUZI, Astronomer 
Research Interests
Observational cosmology; formation and evolution of large-scale structure; quasars and quasar absorption line systems; evolution of the properties of galaxies; instrumentation for surveys
FY12 Accomplishments
Jannuzi continued as the principal investigator (PI) of MAGES (MIPS AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey), a Spitzer Space Telescope Cycle 5 Legacy program, which successfully executed in January 2009
its MIPS imaging observations of the Boötes Field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS).
MAGES enables the study of the far-IR emission of obscured and unobscured quasi-stellar objects
(QSOs); the determination of the properties of z < 1 luminous infrared galaxies, ultra-luminous infrared
galaxies, and AGN; the measurement of the spectral energy distributions of IR-luminous galaxies; and
the characterization of the clustering of IR-selected source populations. Jannuzi assisted in the publication and public release of the optical spectroscopy of 30,000 galaxies and AGN in the Boötes Field that
were obtained as part of the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES; Kochanek et al. 2012).
Jannuzi continued his studies of the physical properties of Lyman-alpha absorption line systems using HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) UV spectroscopy and galaxy redshift surveys.
One paper from this work appeared during FY12. Jannuzi was a co-I on successful Fermi Gamma-ray
Space Telescope proposals for programs that will be carried out in FY13 to study the properties of AGN.
Jannuzi coauthored 12 refereed publications during FY12. These covered a diverse set of topics, ranging
from a measure of the rate and delay-time distribution of Type Ia supernovae out to redshift of 2 to a variety of studies of the physical properties of AGN.
Jannuzi co-chaired the NOAO Ground-Based O/IR System Roadmap Committee and led a survey,
with over 1000 respondents, of the community’s observing capability uses and needs to undertake science programs aligned with the highest priority topics identified by the most recent decadal surveys. The
results of the survey were released in a public report and were submitted to the NSF/AST Portfolio Review Committee.
FY13 Plans
Jannuzi left NOAO in May 2012 to take up the responsibilities of director of Steward Observatory and
head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona.
RICHARD R. JOYCE, Scientist
Research Interests
Late-type stars, mass loss, infrared detector and instrumentation development
FY12 Accomplishments
Joyce continued a long-term project with K. Hinkle (NOAO), F. Fekel (Tennessee State University), and
P. Wood (Australia National University) to determine orbits of symbiotic stars by measurement of their
radial velocities at infrared wavelengths, emphasizing the largely unstudied Southern Hemisphere sky.
Time series spectroscopic observations for five of the six known D-type novae were written up for publication. Several final flash stars observed through narrowband infrared filters using WHIRC on the WIYN
111
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
telescope were also observed using NIRI/Altair on Gemini North and NIFS on Gemini South to search
for emission at 1083 nm from He I, an emission line diagnostic of a high-velocity wind flowing from the
star, and for evidence of the expanding ejecta at 2.2 microns. Near nightly near-infrared observations of
SN2011fe in M101 were carried out with WHIRC on the WIYN telescope from August through October;
the results were published in the Astrophysical Journal. Laboratory evaluations of a novel 15 l/mm diamond-turned echelle grating were presented at the July 2012 SPIE meeting in Amsterdam.
FY13 Plans
Joyce will continue the infrared radial velocity measurements of the Southern Hemisphere symbiotic
stars, anticipating that several of the S-type should achieve sufficient orbital coverage for publication.
Astrometry of HST images of the final flash object V4334 Sgr prior to its optical disappearance in 2001
suggest that Joyce and his collaborators may have detected the ejecta cloud in their 2010 Altair/NIRI Kband observations, and he has applied for additional observations from Gemini North to look for possible
changes in this rapidly evolving object. Joyce will also continue to act as a liaison with the proposed
BigBOSS project, dealing primarily with issues of interfacing the instrument to the Mayall telescope and
improving the delivered image quality.
CATHERINE KALEIDA, Research Associate (CTIO REU/PIA Student Coordinator)
Research Interests
Star clusters and stellar associations in nearby galaxies, stellar populations in galaxies, galaxy formation
and evolution
FY12 Accomplishments
During FY12, Kaleida coordinated the 2012 CTIO Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and
Práctica de Investigación en Astronomía (PIA) programs for summer students and assisted the 2011 students with presentation of their results at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Meeting in Austin,
Texas. She planned and led the activities for the 2012 students, including weekly research meetings, seminars, workshops, and visits to astronomical observatories in Chile. She served as direct research mentor
for one student in a project to simulate extragalactic star clusters. Kaleida also answered inquiries for
unpaid internships at CTIO, including assessing applications, finding suitable research mentors and projects for students, and facilitating the necessary arrangements for their time at CTIO. In the last weeks of
FY12, Kaleida wrote and submitted the NOAO observing proposal and coordinated the application submission for the CTIO REU/PIA 2013 program and assisted the 2012 students with their abstract submission for the January 2013 AAS meeting.
FY13 Plans
Kaleida plans to continue and extend her work on star cluster and stellar association disruption and dissolution times in nearby galaxies. The stellar groupings in a statistically significant set of approximately 50
galaxies will be identified using the automated method outlined in Kaleida et al. 2012 (in preparation for
submission to the Astronomical Journal). This publication will include completeness tests performed
using the artificial star clusters simulated by CTIO REU student K. Emig during summer 2012. Basic
properties of the selected star clusters and associations will be determined using Spectral Energy Distribution fitting to Simple Stellar Population models. The disruption/dissolution times of stellar groupings
will be assessed from the age distribution, as in Fall et al. 2009). Major collaborators in this work are B.
Whitmore (STScI), H. Kim (Arizona State University), R. Chandar (University of Ohio-Toledo), and B.
Balick (University of Washington). Kaleida also plans to mentor one REU student in a research project
involving infrared radial color profiles of nearby galaxies.
112
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
JEYHAN KARTALTEPE, Research Associate (Hubble Fellow) 
Research Interests
Luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies, active galactic nuclei; galaxy mergers and interactions,
galaxy evolution, galaxy morphology
FY12 Accomplishments
Kartaltepe took over the lead of the morphology working group for the CANDELS collaboration and
coordinated a large-scale visual classification effort within the team. She worked with a summer REU
student to analyze the initial results from this effort and investigate how well features of galaxy mergers
can be identified. She published a paper, together with the CANDELS and GOODS-Herschel collaborations, on the morphological properties of high redshift Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies. She is coordinating a large near-infrared spectroscopic survey using FMOS on Subaru that will observe thousands of galaxies in the COSMOS field over the next couple of years. She was awarded observing time on Keck to
use the newly commissioned near infrared spectrograph to observe a sample of high redshift infrared galaxies to study the starburst-AGN connection at high redshift.
FY13 Plans
A paper on the visual classification effort described above will be submitted in early FY13. A follow-up
paper to the 2012 paper on ULIRGs is being planned using the newly obtained Herschel data (PI: M.
Dickinson) over two additional CANDELS fields. The FMOS spectroscopic survey will continue and
Kartaltepe will lead a paper describing the survey and initial science results. The MOSFIRE observing
run will take place in December and will serve as a pilot study for future proposals with MOSFIRE. The
data and results from this run will be submitted in a paper in FY13.
TOM KINMAN, Astronomer Emeritus
Research Interests
Galactic structure, Galactic halo, horizontal branch stars, RR Lyrae stars
FY12 Accomplishments
Kinman and collaborators derived galactic angular momenta for BHB and RR Lyrae stars in the
Anticenter and North Galactic Pole. They show the distribution of these angular momenta changes with
galactocentric distance as the halo becomes more spherical and retrograde with the transition from the
inner to the outer halo. In revising the data of Lick RR Lyrae field VIII, Kinman found that VIII-14 was a
carbon-enriched metal-poor star. Only one such star (TY Gruis) was known previously. Revised abundances ([Fe/H] = −2.92, [C/Fe] = +2.79, and [Ba/Fe] = +2.83) showed it to be more extreme than TY
Gruis. Twelve other RR Lyrae stars with [C/Fe] ≥ +0.7 were also noted.
FY13 Plans
Kinman hopes to continue his discussion of the variable stars in the Lick Survey Fields VIII, IX, and X.
He is incorporating new data including his recent CCD photometry as well as that from other recent surveys. The data start in 1964 and provide valuable insight into secular changes in variable star behavior.
He hopes to start publication in 2013.
ANDREA KUNDER, Senior Research Associate
Research Interests
Observational stellar astronomy, stellar populations, stellar evolution, RR Lyrae stars, Galactic bulge,
globular clusters
113
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
FY12 Accomplishments
Kunder led a study of RR Lyrae stars in two globular clusters exhibiting multiple populations, NGC 2808
and NGC 1851. Using new photometry as well as theoretical models, limits on the Helium abundances in
these clusters are determined. She continued her radial velocity studies of the M giants in the Galactic
bulge to probe the large-scale structure, star formation history, and dynamics of the Galactic bulge with
new AAT observations. Kunder is a participant in the LSST Milky Way and Local Volume Structure
Science Collaboration and the Dark Energy Survey Milky Way Science Working Group.
FY13 Plans
Kunder is part of a group surveying the Galactic bulge with the DECam imager. In particular, the u-filter
will be used to span enough wavelength range to permit solution of the spatially variable reddening as
well as to break the age/metallicity degeneracy inherent in the isochrones of stellar populations that are
based on two colors. Kunder will continue with her work to use RR Lyrae stars in Globular clusters to
understand the Galactic halo.
TOD R. LAUER, Astronomer
Research Interests
Extragalactic astronomy, normal galaxies, nuclear black holes, stellar populations, cosmology, astronomical image processing, space-based dark energy investigations
FY12 Accomplishments
Lauer conducted several research programs on external galaxies, based on HST and Gemini observations.
Using spectroscopy at Gemini, Lauer and collaborators discovered two black holes in two different
brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) that have masses of 10 billion suns, breaking the record for the most
massive black holes ever detected. This work is to investigate a hypothesis of Lauer’s that the most massive galaxies in the Universe may have black hole masses more in line with the galaxies’ luminosities
than stellar velocity dispersions. This work was followed by using Gemini to measure black hole masses
in four additional BCGs. Lauer worked with the CLASH team using HST to discover a forming protogalaxy at extremely high redshift. As a member of the PHAT team, Lauer used HST observations to
probe the population of UV-bright sources with the M31 bulge. Lastly, Lauer and collaborators used
HST observations to image the cluster of blue stars surrounding the M31 black hole, showing that stars
have newly formed in this unusual environment.
Lauer continued to support the NOAO Survey program. Lauer supported the NOAO role as the conduit for LSST to the community and served on the WIYN Board of Directors. Lauer was also editor of
the NOAO Newsletter.
FY13 Plans
Lauer will be taking a key part in a recently selected HST multi-cycle treasury proposal to use HST to
map out a third of the great Andromeda galaxy, M31. This is an extremely ambitious program. Lauer will
be developing algorithms to achieve the highest possible spatial resolution of the completed imaging.
Lauer will continue to work with his collaborators in mapping the local population of black holes in galaxy centers.
ROGER LYNDS, Astronomer Emeritus
Research Interests
Galaxy evolution, galaxy mergers, cosmology
114
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
FY12 Accomplishments
Lynds continued his study of possible interacting companions in the volume of space surrounding NGC
6745, which is experiencing one or more merging encounters. Because of evidence of interaction on a
larger scale than is covered by contemporary data, he has been attempting to recover old data from obsolete media: magneto-optical (MO) discs and 7-track tapes, which are not supported by current hardware.
Contracts have been let for commercial data recovery in both cases. Some of the MO data is on hand and
is being reformatted. Lynds continued his work on an explanation for the enduring hexagonal ring in the
high latitude cloud structure at the north pole of Saturn. He also worked on possible quantum mechanical
explanations for the formation in molecular clouds of regular mesoscale molecular structures such as
fullerenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
FY13 Plans
Lynds will continue his work on the projects noted above.
ERIC MAMAJEK, Associate Astronomer 
THOMAS MATHESON, Associate Astronomer
Research Interests
Supernovae, novae, gamma-ray bursts, cosmology
FY12 Accomplishments
Matheson was a co-author on eight refereed publications in FY12. One reported on a Type IIb supernova
in M51, which was a discovery of the Palomar Transient Factory. Another paper followed up on a publication from the previous fiscal year on the Type IIn SN 2010jl. The line profiles of SN 2010jl showed
evidence for dust formation. With S. D. Van Dyk (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech), Matheson wrote a
paper defending the view that SN 1961V was not a true supernova, but rather an outburst of a luminous
blue variable. Three papers explored the spectroscopic diversity of Type Ia supernovae. The Wang et al.
(2012) paper used Hubble Space Telescope observations to investigate ultraviolet emission from Type Ia
supernovae. Blondin et al. (2012) used a large set of spectra from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics supernova database. This paper explored many different correlations among spectral parameters. Silverman et al. (2012) presented a large set of spectra from the Berkeley supernova archive.
Ganeshalingam et al. (2012) described a peculiar Type Ia supernova that had low expansion velocities
and faded rapidly. Matheson was first author of a paper on the infrared light curve of SN 2011fe. This
project used the WHIRC camera at WIYN and involved sixteen NOAO staff members. It highlighted
some issues with the local distance scale and the zero point of the infrared calibration of Type Ia supernovae. In addition, Matheson and Van Dyk contributed a chapter on “supernova impostors” for a book on
eta Carinae. Matheson also presented a poster on the NOAO transient sky project at the Austin AAS
meeting in January 2012.
FY13 Plans
Matheson will continue work on low-redshift Type Ia SNe looking for spectroscopic correlations with
intrinsic luminosity. He will also prepare a paper summarizing the spectroscopy of high-redshift Type Ia
supernovae found by the ESSENCE project. Work on the light echoes of ancient SNe, including Cas A
and Tycho’s SN in the Galaxy, will also take up his time in FY13. Matheson will be involved with discoveries made by the Palomar Transient Factory, observing transient events in order to classify them and
analyzing core-collapse objects. Another project will spectroscopically confirm double white dwarf binary candidates found by the Sloan Survey.
115
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
K. MICHAEL MERRILL, Associate Scientist 
KENNETH J. MIGHELL, Scientist (KPNO REU Site Director) (NASA) 
Research Interests
Stellar populations in Local Group galaxies, precision stellar photometry and astrometry, parallelprocessing astronomical image-analysis applications
FY12 Accomplishments
As site director for the KPNO Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, Mighell managed six bright undergraduate students: Jonathan Brown (University of Michigan), Linsey Johnson (Utah
State University), Erin O’Leary (Macalester College), Calvin Ortega (Pima Community College), Paige
Romero (University of New Mexico), Amelia Shirtz (Northern Michigan University), and Brianna Smart
(University of Arizona). Mighell lead the NOAO North staff effort to write the five-year renewal proposal, submitted in September, for the NSF-funded KPNO REU program. Mighell was a co-author on a
study of the star formation history of M32, which was based on deep Advanced Camera for Surveys
(ACS) observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Mighell was a co-author on a study of the
exoplanet Kepler 21b. B. Harker (NSO) and Mighell wrote a study describing a new graphics processing
unit (GPU)-based approach to solar Stokes profile inversion. Mighell worked on his NASA Astrophysics
Data Analysis Program (ADAP) project “Improving the Precision of Stellar Photometry and Astrometry
of IRAC Channel 1 and 2 Observations” to develop new calibration procedures for Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC Ch1 and Ch2 BCD images. Mighell analyzed Kepler long-cadence (30 min) light curves of
known variable stars as part of his Kepler Cycle-1 Guest Observer project, “A Calibration Study of Variable Stars in the Kepler Field.” Mighell worked on his NASA ADAP project “Improving the Photometric
Precision of Spitzer Warm Mission Exoplanet Observations.” Mighell gave an invited talk on November
8 in Paris, France, at the ADASS XXI meeting. Mighell gave an invited talk on May 30 at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Fifth Workshop on Fault-Tolerant Spaceborne
Computing Employing New Technologies 2012 conference. Mighell gave an invited briefing on September 11 at the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, Virginia.
FY13 Plans
Mighell will develop a new merit function for the precise determination of periods of variable objects
from well-sampled phased light curves. As part of his ADAP research, Mighell will improve the precision of stellar photometry of IRAC Warm Mission observations of transiting exoplanets. Mighell will
continue his development work of the computational framework of his CRBLASTER cosmic-ray rejection
application; some of that work will be done with one of the first available development systems for the US
Government’s new 49-core MAESTRO processor.
JOAN NAJITA, Astronomer (Head of Program, OS)
Research Interests
Star and planet formation, circumstellar disks, infrared spectroscopy, chemistry and evolution of
circumstellar disks
FY12 Accomplishments
Najita pursued her hypothesis from FY11 that planetesimal and protoplanet formation (a critical step in
the core accretion theory of planet formation that thus far has no observational verification) might be
identified chemically. Because objects of planetesimal and larger size are decoupled from the accretion
flow, when they form, they can lock up water (and oxygen) beyond the snow line, thereby enhancing the
C/O ratio in the inner disk and altering the molecular abundances there. If higher-mass disks are more
116
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
efficient in forming planetesimals and in locking up water and oxygen in their outer disks, their inner
disks should show higher abundances of organics relative to water. Observational hints of this possibility
were found in the analysis of a very small Spitzer IRS data set (Carr & Najita 2011). Theoretical work
also suggested that planetesimal formation could plausibly have an observable chemical signature (Najita
et al. 2011). The analysis of a larger Spitzer sample of Taurus T Tauri stars now confirms the earlier result: the ratio of HCN/H2O increases with disk mass. The paper on this topic (Najita et al. 2012, ApJ
submitted) discusses the assumptions that underlie the interpretation and the questions that motivate future work.
In two other papers in press at ApJ, Najita and colleagues S. Brittain (Clemson University), J. Carr
(Naval Research Laboratory), and J. Liskowsky (Clemson U.) describe several characteristics of the NIR
spectrum of the Herbig Ae system HD100546 that are consistent with detailed predictions of giant planet
formation. One, the prediction that giant planets drive a persistent local eccentricity in the disk in the vicinity of the planet’s orbit is consistent with the asymmetric line profile of OH emission from this source.
Two, the prediction that giant planets are surrounded by large circumplanetary disks is consistent with
time variations in the CO spectroastrometric signal and CO emission strength in this source. These properties may prove useful as signposts of giant planet formation and as probes of the giant planet formation
process.
FY13 Plans
With M. Ádámkovics and A. Glassgold (UC Berkeley), Najita is continuing their study of the effects of
UV irradiation on the thermal and chemical properties of inner disk atmospheres. These studies provide
the basis for interpreting Spitzer spectra of planet-forming disks. In parallel with that effort, Najita and
collaborators will continue their analysis of Spitzer spectra of T Tauri stars, with the goal of reporting
more extensively on the detected emission features in the spectra of classical T Tauri stars and transition
objects.
DARA J. NORMAN, Assistant Scientist
Research Interests
Quasars and their environments, gravitational lensing, large-scale structure
FY12 Accomplishments
Norman’s primary duties continued to include supporting the US astronomy community in pursuit of
Gemini data and serving as AURA diversity advocate at NOAO. She became the lead scientist for
DECam science verification (SV). She continued to be part of the NSSC LSST Science subprogram.
Norman attended the 2012 AAS meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, where she organized and chaired a professional development workshop titled, “Straight Talk about an Astronomical Career.” She completed
her tenure on the AAS Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy (CSMA) this year by coauthoring a white paper for the NSF’s portfolio review on minority participation in astronomy; a National
Research Council invited testimonial on Women of Color in Astronomy; recommendations to the AAS
council on increasing diversity among scholarly award recipients after attending an Association for
Women in Science Awards workshop. She continued on the AAS Demographics Committee. She is co-I
on a DECam SV weak lensing proposal that was selected to receive data in November 2012.
FY13 Plans
Norman will be planning and heading DECam SV in November 2012. She will be working with SV PIs
to produce timely results and high quality images to promote the instrument. Norman plans to complete
papers on correlations of AGN and IRAC clusters in the NDWFS Boötes field.
117
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
KNUT A. G. OLSEN, Associate Astronomer (Head of Program, SUS; Acting Head of Program, SCD;
and Acting NSSC Director)
Research Interests
Stellar populations and star formation histories of nearby galaxies, star clusters, Magellanic Clouds
FY12 Accomplishments
During FY12, Olsen worked on following up the FY11 discovery of a population of accreted Small
Magellanic Cloud (SMC) stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Olsen, R. Blum, and A. Saha
(NOAO) collected thousands of additional spectra of LMC/SMC stars with the CTIO Hydra spectrograph
on the Blanco 4-m telescope. These were reduced and analyzed by REU student Brianna Smart, who was
mentored by Olsen. Olsen and D. Nidever (University of Michigan) led a team of 26 investigators in a
pilot project to conduct a wide-area imaging survey with DECam, which was successfully scheduled for
observations in 2012B. Olsen also continued to participate, along with Saha, T. Lauer, and H. Dong
(NOAO), in the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) project, an 825-orbit HST multicycle treasury program, where Olsen is responsible for developing an automated star cluster detection
method. Olsen was co-author on nine papers published in the refereed literature in FY12.
FY13 Plans
Olsen will continue to work on DECam observations of the Magellanic Clouds and on the PHAT project.
Olsen also will participate in a NEWFIRM survey of the M31 halo.
JANINE PFORR, Research Associate 
Research Interests
Stellar populations of galaxies, specifically stellar masses and star formation rates; galaxy evolution;
SED-fitting
FY12 Accomplishments
Pforr started at NOAO on 1 October 2011 working with M. Dickinson (NOAO), K. Penner (University
of Arizona, student of M. Dickinson) and J. Kartaltepe (NOAO) on CANDELS HST data. She contributed to photometric redshift and stellar mass estimates as well as morphological classifications for
CANDELS. She took the lead of the Education and Public Outreach working group in CANDELS and is
co-organizer of the CANDELS outreach blog. Pforr published a paper based on her dissertation work.
Since joining NOAO, Pforr became an approved external collaborator for SDSSIII/BOSS and has contributed to numerous BOSS publications (some still in the refereeing process), among them the DR9
overview paper and the stellar mass description paper. She is second author on the latter, which made up
part of her dissertation work. Her stellar mass efforts were included into the SDSS DR9 data pipeline.
Pforr organized the weekly Friday FLASH seminars at NOAO and is participating as a mentor in a graduate student mentoring program.
FY13 Plans
Pforr plans to finish a second publication based on her dissertation work. She also will work on a publication on the stellar population properties of dusty, IR-luminous galaxies within CANDELS and contribute to another publication led by K. Penner. Simultaneously, she will be working independently on a
study comparing SED-fitting results to those of spectral fitting analyses. She will continue her outreach
efforts within CANDELS and NOAO.
118
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
SEAN D. POINTS, Assistant Scientist
Research Interests
Interstellar medium, Magellanic Clouds, evolved stars, astronomical instrumentation, data pipelines
FY12 Accomplishments
Points continued his work calibrating the data obtained by the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey
(MCELS) with R. C. Smith and a data assistant. These data are in the process of having their final fluxcalibration determined and mosaiced. Points joined a team performing an X-ray survey of the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the XMM-Newton satellite led by F. Haberl (MPE). This X-ray survey,
in conjunction with MCELS led to the discovery of new supernova remnants (SNRs) in the LMC that
resulted in two peer-reviewed publications. Points also worked with E. Pelligrini (University of Michigan) to examine the properties of H II regions in the LMC using MCELS data. This work also was published.
FY13 Plans
Points plans to continue his work in obtaining the final flux-calibration of the MCELS dataset in FY13
and continue his collaboration with F. Haberl (MPE) in determining the physical properties of SNRs in
the LMC. Points also will work with his data assistant in examining selected MCELS fields containing
previously identified LMC planetary nebulae (PNe). They will use these data to determine color-color
diagnostics that may be used to identify previously unknown PNe in the LMC.
STEPHEN POMPEA, Scientist (Head of Program, EPO)
Research Interests
Inquiry- and research-based science education, informal education program design, astronomical instrumentation
FY12 Accomplishments
Pompea continued his educational program design and management work with the formal and informal
science education communities in the US and Chile as well as his technical work on astronomical optical
systems analysis and optimization, especially with regard to stray light. He was elected a Fellow of the
Optical Society of America for his work in stray light, spectrally selective surfaces, and telescope design
(including the Galileoscope). In Chile, Pompea led program development efforts with municipal/touristic
observatories that help protect dark skies. Pompea was especially active in dark skies education and in
optics and technology education in the US and Chile. Pompea, as principal investigator (PI), successfully
completed the “Hands-On Optics Arizona” project to bring the NSF “Hands-On Optics” project to rural
Boys & Girls Clubs across Arizona. He expanded the “Arizona Star Party Project” that has created citybased astronomy education programs in Flagstaff, Yuma, Safford, and Globe. Both projects are funded
by Science Foundation Arizona. As PI, he also directed a dark skies/energy education program funded by
the Arizona Public Service Company Foundation and was Co-PI of the NSF ISE Collaborative Research
Project, “STEAM: Integrating Art with Science to Build Science Identities among Girls.” He worked
with R. Sparks (NOAO) on completion of an adaptive optics teaching kit and curriculum. Pompea and
Sparks supported the “Teaching with Telescopes” professional development program for the approximately 200,000 Galileoscopes created through the US International Year of Astronomy Working Group
on telescope kits, led by Pompea. He also served as NOAO public information officer, with numerous
communication duties in all types of media.
FY13 Plans
Pompea will continue his work to support science education efforts in Arizona and the IV Región de Coquimbo in Chile. He also will continue to support various national initiatives in science education, in-
119
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
cluding work exploring how best to work with Native Americans in science education settings and the
formation of science identities in middle school girls (Project STEAM). He will support professional development related to the Galileoscope in FY13 as part of the “Teaching with Telescopes” program. Support for NOAO’s innovative light pollution education program will be a major area of effort as will be
program support for Chile’s guide training program for tourist/municipal observatories. Pompea will continue research on high contrast/low stray light imaging and spectroscopic systems and in aiding NOAO
and its partners in optimizing new and existing telescopes for better stray light performance.
RONALD G. PROBST, Scientist
Research Interests
Infrared instrumentation for large telescopes, star formation, telescope image quality improvement
FY12 Accomplishments
Probst led the relocation of NEWFIRM from CTIO to KPNO and subsequent scientific user support activities. He served as system engineer for a ReSTAR-funded infrared spectrometer under construction for
the Blanco 4-m telescope, in partnership with Cornell University. As part of the NOAO team preparing
the Mayall 4-m telescope to accept BigBOSS, he developed an effort to improve Delivered Image Quality through telescope upgrades. Late in the year, at CTIO’s request, he began to act as project scientist for
the Blanco ƒ/8 secondary repair and recommissioning project. Probst worked with the NEWFIRM data
management team (R. Swaters, F. Valdes, M. Dickinson) to identify, characterize, and solve difficulties
with automated processing of NEWFIRM images in regions with extended nebulosity.
FY13 Plans
Probst will lead the effort to initiate remote observing with NEWFIRM on the Mayall telescope. He will
continue to serve as scientist/system engineer for the infrared spectrometer, BigBOSS, and ƒ/8 recommissioning projects. With NEWFIRM pipeline processing problems now solved, he will lead the preparation and release of Magellanic Clouds H2 Imaging Survey data to the NOAO public archive.
JAYADEV RAJAGOPAL, Assistant Scientist
Research Interests
Circumstellar dust disks, high angular resolution techniques in optical/infrared
FY12 Accomplishments
Rajagopal continued his study of circumbinary dust disks around evolved stars. He used aperturemasking interferometry to spatially resolve the polarization signal, which should provide unique insight
into the disk morphology. He started a new assignment as project scientist for the Pipeline, Portal, and
Archive (PPA) system for the pODI imager on the WIYN telescope (Rajagopal is the WIYN telescope
scientist). The PPA will be released to the community in 2013 and will be the gateway to data access,
discovery, and analysis for the pODI system. Rajagopal initiated possible research avenues with the
pODI imager, including high-speed photometry and solar system studies.
FY13 Plans
Rajagopal plans on completing the CHARA study of circumbinary disks. He has initiated observations of
very metal-poor stars to detect binarity with speckle and other high-resolution techniques. He intends to
start on some areas of research uniquely suited to the pODI imager: wide-field imaging of active asteroids and high-speed photometry of transiting planet host stars. He has started a role in the System User
Support program as contact scientist for the newly commissioned Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager
120
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
of the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GEMS/GSAOI). He will continue to be the
pODI PPA project scientist as the system becomes fully operational.
STEPHEN T. RIDGWAY, Astronomer
Research Interests
LSST survey design and follow-up, stellar physics and exoplanetary systems, transients and variables,
high contrast imaging, high angular resolution techniques
FY12 Accomplishments
Ridgway reported on expected transient alert counts and on survey cadence metric development to the
LSST Project and to conference venues. He worked with the LSST Operations Simulator group on simulator development and on post-processing design and algorithms. He participated in the NOAO LSST
working group in various activities including planning alert broker design and prototyping and in developing plans for NOAO in the lead-in to and during the LSST era. Ridgway concentrated his personal
research efforts in the area of optical interferometry, primarily with collaborators at the Center for High
Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) and Meudon observatories, with publications in The Astrophysical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Ridgway completed his term as president of IAU Commission 54.
FY13 Plans
Ridgway will continue to work with the LSST Operations Simulator group and the NOAO LSST working group, including leading the development of an Assimilator for integrating simulation postprocessing information for characterization and comparison of schedule simulations. Ridgway plans to
continue work in high angular resolution stellar measurements by interferometry and in Phase I of adaptive optics implementation at the CHARA interferometer.
SUSAN RIDGWAY, Assistant Astronomer
Research Interests
High redshift AGN and their host galaxies, populations of obscured AGNs, the formation and evolution
of galaxies and the SMBH population
FY12 Accomplishments
Ridgway, with collaborator M. Lacy (NRAO) and others, has used mid-infrared selection techniques and
follow-up spectroscopy in the optical and near-infrared to build up a unique sample of quasars, selected
on a mostly isotropic property (24-micron flux), about half of which are so deeply obscured that they
would not have been detected in X-ray surveys. In the 90% complete sample, there are over 500 confirmed AGN (at both Seyfert and quasar luminosities) at redshifts from 0 to 4. Now that a significant
sample of obscured and unobscured quasars has been accumulated, Ridgway and collaborators have studied the redshift-luminosity distribution of these classes of AGN and derived a quasar luminosity function
for these previously unobservable classes of quasars. They found that obscured quasars outnumber unobscured quasars at every redshift and luminosity range studied. The discovery of this large population of
obscured quasars changes fundamentally the view of quasar demographics and is roughly consistent with
models of joint quasar/galaxy formation in which quasars spend a significant portion of their lives in an
obscured state. This work was presented at conferences and is in draft form for submission.
Ridgway completed a project with former REU student Danielle Nielsen (now University of Wisconsin) and R. de Propris (formerly CTIO/NOAO) to use stacked 21-cm FIRST cutouts to measure the
average star formation properties in a sample of spectroscopically selected K+A galaxies in which there
is evidence of a terminated star burst overlying an evolved red galaxy. These galaxies may represent an
121
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
intermediate stage in which galaxies transition from a blue, active star-forming state to the red sequence.
They found that a small percentage (4%) of these galaxies are in an “active” state in the radio (either
from AGN or star-forming activity), while the rest have a radio flux consistent with an upper limit on the
star formation rate of about 1.4 solar masses per year. This may be consistent with models in which galaxies may undergo episodes of starburst and AGN feedback activity, similar to the hierarchical models of
Hopkis et al. (2008).
FY13 Plans
Ridgway plans to further the science goal of making a more complete AGN census, by assessing the
ways in which the mid-infrared selected sample may be lacking. In the next year, along with collaborators M. Lacy and E. Gates (Lick Observatory), Ridgway will use the all-sky WISE survey to select very
bright dust-obscured quasar candidates to fill in the high luminosity portion of the redshift luminosity
diagram. Thse targets will be followed up with spectroscopy at Lick and other 3- to 4-m class facilities.
In addition, these samples are lacking Southern Hemisphere coverage, and Ridgway will pursue more
Gemini South spectroscopy of targets selected in the south, in particular those that have appropriate asterism for follow-up with GeMS/GSAOI. Ridgway also plans to extend quasar host galaxy studies to the
high redshift obscured quasars with both ground-based AO imaging and HST imaging, using the new
GeMS/GSAOI instrumentation where possible. In addition, Ridgway hopes to extend previously completed clustering studies of the fields of z ~ 1 AGN to these new samples of obscured AGN to understand
the relationship between environment and AGN type and luminosity.
ABHIJIT SAHA, Astronomer
Research Interests
Stellar populations; extragalactic distance scale; RR Lyrae stars, Cepheids, and long period pulsating
variables; photometric innovations; operation methods for large survey projects
FY12 Accomplishments
Saha continued the strategic mapping of the exterior regions of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds,
by identifying and counting main sequence stars associated with those structures. Building upon the prior
discovery of a very extended disk around the LMC, which corroborates the new paradigm that the Clouds
are on their first passage around the Galaxy, the focus is now on testing tidal structures caused by LMCSMC interactions. Saha completed the radial velocity measurements of the putative RR Lyrae binary TU
UMa; analysis of the orbital dynamics is underway with the goal of obtaining first the dynamical mass
measurement for an RR Lyrae star. Saha collaborated on the near-infrared monitoring of the nearby type
Ia supernova SN2011fe in the galaxy M101, and derived limits these observations place on the cosmological distance scale.
Saha led a successful proposal to establish select white dwarfs as faint spectral energy distribution
(SED) standards above the atmosphere using observations with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and
the Gemini telescopes. Such standards are necessary for the calibration of current and future surveys that
seek to characterize dark energy.
FY13 Plans
Saha will lead the investigation to establish a set of white dwarfs around the sky as SED standards. Saha
will continue to work on the outer structure of the Magellanic Clouds, for which data are in hand from
the NOAO Outer Limits Survey. He also will work in additional collaborations that seek to test hypotheses about the formation of tidal features as a result of the mutual dynamic effects of the Large and Small
Magellanic Clouds. As a member of the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury survey team (using
HST) led by J. Delcanton (University of Washington), Saha will work with local team members T. Lauer, K. Olsen, and Hui Dong (NOAO) to investigate the reddening law in M31 and to identify variable
stars including Cepheids and RR Lyrae.
122
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
COLETTE SALYK, Research Associate (Leo Goldberg Fellow) 
Research Interests
Protoplanetary disks, chemistry and physics of star and planet formation, infrared and millimeter spectroscopy
FY12 Accomplishments
Salyk continued to use infrared spectroscopy to study the chemistry and physics of protoplanetary disks.
Following up on a large Spitzer-IRS survey of molecules in protoplanetary disks, she observed several
disks with Gemini-Michelle. She found evidence for water vapor entrained in disk winds, results presented at the Gemini Users Science Meeting. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, she also obtained
the first images of the structure of these disk winds. Salyk, working with Caltech graduate student Ke
Zhang and others, measured the distribution of water vapor in a transitional disk, TW Hya, making the
first measurement of a snow line in a protoplanetary disk. Finally, using archival Keck-NIRSPEC and
VLT-CRIRES spectra, she introduced the use of a new accretion tracer, H I Pf-beta, and used this to
study accretion rates as a function of disk evolutionary stage. Salyk and KPNO REU student Jonathan
Brown also used Pf-beta to measure accretion variability in an evolved disk that may harbor a large
protoplanet.
FY13 Plans
Salyk will use her data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array to measure the properties of disk
winds, including velocities and mass-loss rates, and will present these results at the First Year of ALMA
Science meeting and an ALMA special session at the AAS. She will continue to use molecular emission
from disks to look for evidence of variability caused by protoplanets, including obtaining data on the Kitt
Peak 4-m telescope using the Phoenix spectrograph. Finally, Salyk will work with University of Arizona
graduate student Jordan Stone in pioneering the use of the ARIES spectrograph at the MMT to perform
spectro-astrometric measurements of molecules in disks.
SIMON SCHULER, Assistant Scientist 
RICHARD A. SHAW, Scientist 
Research Interests
Late stages of stellar evolution, planetary nebulae, Magellanic Clouds, astrophysical plasmas, variable
and transient phenomena, astronomical software and data standards, Archives and distributed analysis
systems
FY12 Accomplishments
Shaw and collaborators A. Garcia Hernandez (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, IAC), L. Stanghellini
(NOAO), and others described a mechanism for fullerene (C60, C70) formation in a variety of planetary
nebulae (PNe) based on an analysis of Spitzer spectra of 150 PNe in the Galactic disk, and they explored
the nature and evolution of dust grains and molecules as a function of progenitor metallicity. They concluded a study of abundances in Large Magellanic Cloud PNe and explored the peculiar abundance patterns of the alpha elements S and Ne by combining optical and mid-IR emission lines. Shaw and collaborators Q. Parker and others (Macquarie University) obtained HST images of a new PN in a Galactic cluster, which will help to constrain the total stellar mass lost during AGB evolution.
FY13 Plans
Shaw, with PI L. Stanghellini (NOAO) and others, will finish analyzing an extensive imaging and IR
spectroscopic survey of angularly small Galactic PNe. They are collaborating with T.-H. Lee (Western
123
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Kentucky University) to obtain deep optical spectra of these nebulae. These spectra, along with new HST
images and Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra will allow them to understand the earliest phase of PN
evolution and, in particular, explore alpha-element yields in low-mass PN progenitors. Shaw, with collaborators R. Dufour (Rice University), R. Henry (Oklahoma University) and others, is planning a detailed abundance study in Galactic PNe using long-slit spectroscopy with HST/STIS.
DAVID SILVA, Senior Scientist (Director, NOAO)
Research Interests
Formation and evolution of early-type galaxies, extragalactic stellar populations, host stars of exoplanets,
observatory operations, end-to-end data management systems
FY12 Accomplishments
Working with S. Howell (NASA/Ames) and others, Silva obtained optical spectroscopy with the KPNO
Mayall 4-m to determine the physical properties of stars with exoplanet candidates discovered by Kepler
in order to investigate how exoplanet properties are related to the physical properties of their parent stars
(e.g., Howell et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 123). In Lyubenova et al. (2012, A&A, 543, 75), Silva and collaborators argued that the near-IR H-band C2 absorption feature and the J- and H-band spectral shape can be
used as an age indicator for intermediate-age stellar populations in integrated spectra of star clusters and
galaxies. Silva also was one of many co-investigators with Matheson et al. (2012, ApJ, 754, 19) who reported a near-IR light curve for nearby SN 2011fe in M101 and discussed its implications on M101 distance measurements. Silva remained part of a European collaboration to construct the X-Shooter Spectral
Library (XSL), a moderate resolution (R ~ 10,000), wide-wavelength (0.3–2.4 μm) digital stellar library
broadly covering TZG parameter space. This work builds on the Next Generation Spectral Library
(NGSL) previously constructed using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Very Large Telescope
(VLT) by Silva and collaborators. Silva was (and still is) a member of the Stellar Populations LSST Science Collaboration. Finally, Silva wrote a book chapter entitled “Introduction to Telescopes,” to appear
in Planets, Stars, and Stellar Systems. Vol. I: Telescopes and Instrumentation (Springer).
FY13 Plans
Data collection will continue for the XSL and Kepler follow-up programs described above. The Kepler
data will be used to re-estimate host star size and hence exoplanet size, and then study stellar properties
versus exoplanet population; a paper is being prepared. Silva also plans to finish a long-term project with
R. Hanuschik (ESO): the publication of a digital library of high spectral resolving power (R ~ 40,000),
wide-band (0.35–1.1 μm) spectra obtained with VLT/UVES for more than 300 NGSL stars previously
observed at low spectral resolving power with HST STIS. As time permits, Silva also aspires to complete
a paper describing the radial behavior of near-IR spectral features in early-type galaxies within the
Fornax galaxy cluster (with H. Kuntscher of ESO, and others).
MALCOLM SMITH, Astronomer (Half-time)
Research Interests
Global environmental impact of light pollution, galaxy and quasar formation and evolution
FY12 Accomplishments
During the International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly in Beijing, Smith was awarded the
2012 David Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Dark Sky Association. Prior
to this Smith was invited to present in New Zealand an Extended Case Study on the AURA Observatories in Chile as part of IAU work with UNESCO. This is one of three such studies being finalized as examples of outstanding modern observing sites that are currently threatened by light pollution. Smith con-
124
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
tinued his participation in collaborative groups writing up multi-wavelength data needed for detailed studies
of AGN/star-formation co-evolution and the relationship between nuclear obscuration and star formation.
One of these papers was submitted this year.
FY13 Plans
Smith will continue to support efforts to build on the Extended Case Studies, which have been prepared for
Northern Chile, Hawai’i, and the Canary Islands thus far. In combination, these examples will help serve
as groundwork for the next step of the work with UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, which may in turn
serve to extend the involvement of the government of Chile in long-term, international protection of the
observatories in northern Chile against light pollution, thereby gaining decades of additional, useful scientific life for each of them.
R. CHRIS SMITH, Astronomer (Associate Director for CTIO; AURA Head of Mission in Chile)
Research Interests
Supernovae, dark energy, optical transients, supernova remnants, the interstellar medium
FY12 Accomplishments
During FY12, while focused on CTIO management and the installation and commissioning of the Dark
Energy Camera (DECam), Smith also followed through on his participation in multiple large surveys. In
December 2011, as a member of the High-z Supernova Team, Smith traveled to Stockholm to participate
with the team’s leaders in their receipt of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Smith continued to support the study of light echoes of Galactic supernovae discovered by a largescale observational project targeted mostly at young, Galactic supernova remnants (Rest et al. 2008,
ApJL; Rest et al. 2011, ApJ). Further work on the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey (MCELS)
continued, with a research assistant (L. Paredes) working part time on the final MCELS data in collaboration with Sean Points (CTIO) and Armin Rest (STScI). As a member of the Dark Energy Survey (DES)
collaboration, Smith participated in planning for DES observations and, particularly, in the development
of plans for the supernova discovery and follow-up aspects of the survey.
FY13 Plans
As he steps down from his position as CTIO director, Smith looks forward to having additional time to
dedicate to scientific research. With the DES initiating its survey observations in December 2012, he
looks forward to fully engaging in the survey operations and, in particular, the analysis of the supernovae
that will be discovered as part of the survey. Smith will continue his participation in other NOAO survey
projects. He will continue to participate in the search for light echoes from ancient supernovae, in particular in our galaxy, using the newly available DECam to cover more area faster, thus improving the possibilities of discovering these faint echoes in the confused regions of the Galactic plane. Smith will be
working to get the results of the SuperMACHO and ESSENCE surveys into the NOAO Science Archive
(still not complete). He plans to push forward in mining the MCELS data set, extracting new samples of
supernova remnants and planetary nebulae, and investigating the evolution of these objects. Smith is also
participating in the supernova working group of the LSST Project, and the planning for various aspects of
LSST data management.
VERNE V. SMITH, Astronomer (Associate Director for NSSC)
Research Interests
High-resolution spectroscopy, cosmochemistry, nuclear astrophysics, chemical evolution, stellar Populations, stellar atmospheres, stellar evolution
125
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
FY12 Accomplishments
A large portion of Smith's research efforts in FY12 centered on a sabbatical leave (1 August 2011–31
July 2012), which he spent in residence at Observatório Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During that
time, his work focused on one of the SDSS III projects, the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution
Experiment (APOGEE). One goal was to refine an H-band spectral line list, which is being used as a major component in an automated analysis pipeline for extracting stellar parameters and detailed chemical
abundances from the observed high-resolution (R = 22,500) near-IR spectra (λ = 1.51–1.68 μm) of
~100,000 Galactic red giants being observed by APOGEE over the time period from September 2011 to
September 2014. Using his expertise on the spectral line list, Smith also led the analysis of archival
KPNO Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) high-resolution H-band spectra of red giants using the
APOGEE line list to pioneer the first quantitative chemical abundance analyses for the 15–16 elements
being studied by APOGEE. A paper based on these efforts is the first detailed chemical abundance analysis APOGEE science paper and was submitted to The Astrophysical Journal just after the end of Smith’s
sabbatical. In addition, he was a co-author on two other papers that have been submitted and are based on
early APOGEE results: one being a study of velocities and metallicities of stars in the inner disk and
bulge, and the other being a paper based on the most metal-poor stars found in the Galactic bulge. Smith
also continued work on the detailed chemistry of stars with planets, as well as a project connecting rapid
rotation and lithium enhancement in red giants with the ingestion and accretion of sub-stellar objects
(both brown dwarf and giant planet companions) as a result of tidal interactions during evolution up the
red giant branch.
FY13 Plans
Smith will continue to spend a significant fraction of his research time working on APOGEE, with the
plan being to lead much of the work in testing pipeline results for open and globular clusters that will
form the foundation on which the results for general field populations in the Milky Way will be based.
He also will continue to vigorously pursue his research on correlating detailed stellar chemistry in planethosting stars with their planetary-system architectures, with much of this work being in the Kepler field.
In addition, the study of rapid rotation in a small fraction of red giants continues and will be the subject
of an APOGEE project.
DAVID SPRAYBERRY, Senior Scientist (Head of Program, NSTC)
Research Interests
Instrumentation and observing techniques, risk management, statistical properties of galaxy populations,
galaxy formation and evolution, QSOs and AGN, early universe
FY12 Accomplishments
Within the NOAO System Technology Center (NSTC), Sprayberry led the System Instrumentation (SI)
program’s efforts to implement the ReSTAR program funding of three new instruments: KOSMOS,
COSMOS, and TripleSpec. He oversaw the progress of these instrument development projects during
FY12. (See section 4.4.2 for details of these three projects.) Sprayberry also oversaw SI’s efforts on the
SOAR Adaptive Optics Module (SAM). (See section 4.4.1 for the SAM project details.) Under
Sprayberry’s leadership, the TORRENT detector controller, a miniaturized version of the MONSOON
system, achieved its first two deployments; remaining TORRENT kits were assembled and ready for deployment by the end of FY12. Sprayberry continued acting as AURA Technical Representative in
AURA’s funding of technology risk reduction for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) as an Alternative GSMT Technology program; that work came to a close late in FY12 with the receipt of the final reports from the GMT project and the close-out of that sub-award. Finally, Sprayberry took over the oversight of the TSIP program, organizing the TSIP proposal review process, negotiating the sub-award with
the successful proposer, and overseeing the prior TSIP instrument projects still outstanding.
126
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
FY13 Plans
Sprayberry plans to lead the efforts to recover from the optics assembly problems with KOSMOS and
COSMOS, with the goal of deploying the KOSMOS spectrograph at Kitt Peak before the end of FY13
and the COSMOS spectrograph at Cerro Tololo as soon as CTIO is ready to receive it. Sprayberry will
also continue to lead the work for constructing the TripleSpec near-infrared spectrograph, with a goal of
being ready, with the Cornell partner, to begin the assembly and integration of the instrument in early
FY14. Sprayberry also plans to oversee resumption of the work to complete the SAM ground-layer adaptive optics system at the SOAR telescope during FY13. Finally, Sprayberry will continue to oversee the
outstanding TSIP instrumentation projects.
LETIZIA STANGHELLINI, Associate Astronomer
Research Interests
Stellar structure and evolution, galactic and extragalactic planetary nebulae (PNe), stellar populations
FY12 Accomplishments
Stanghellini and collaborators analyzed and published 150 spectra of compact Galactic PNe acquired
with Spitzer/IRS; they found a clear correlation between dust distribution and metallicity. Stanghellini
and L. Magrini (Arcetri) continued to study several nearby spirals to detect metallicity gradients from
PNe and H II region spectra, for insight on chemical enrichment in spiral galaxies. Spectra of several H II
regions in M81 were acquired with Gemini/GMOS in early 2012, and data are being analyzed still. R.
Shaw (NOAO), Stanghellini, and E. Villaver (Universidad de Autónoma de Madrid) completed the analysis of HST/WFC3 images of Galactic PNe. A. Garcia-Hernandez (IAC), Stanghellini, and others completed a third paper of the fullerene series, where a finer analysis of Spitzer/IRS spectra discloses fullerene molecules in a sizable sample of PNe, and the origins of these molecules is discussed in detail.
Stanghellini served as chair for the “IAU Symposium 283: Planetary Nebulae, an Eye to the Future,” and
was elected chair of the IAU PN Working Group.
FY13 Plans
Stanghellini, with L. Magrini and others, plans to complete the analysis of PNe and H II regions in M81,
and in two galaxies in the Sculptor group, to analyze the properties of metallicity gradients and their evolution in spiral galaxies across galaxy type. Stanghellini is analyzing the Galactic PN sample to determine whether its metallicity gradient is similar to those of nearby galaxies, and also whether there is a
thick-thin disk separation, using emission line targets as probes. To this end, transversal gradients are
being studied. To extend the sample of Galactic PNe with known metallicity, T.-H. Lee (WKU), R.
Shaw, and Stanghellini are observing Galactic PNe with SOAR and, together with the IR spectra available from Spitzer, they plan to determine the PN abundances with the aim of doubling the sample size of
metallicity probes available to date.
STEPHEN STROM, Astronomer Emeritus
Research Interests
Formation of stars and planetary systems
FY12 Accomplishments
Strom’s efforts were directed largely toward support of a proposal to the NSF by A. Goodman (CfA) and
colleagues aimed at developing the World Wide Telescope (WWT) as a tool for K-12 science education
as well as public outreach. Strom served as a co-investigator on two versions of the initial proposal, and
currently serves on an external advisory committee for the WWT Ambassadors program.
127
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
JOHN SUBASAVAGE, JR., Research Associate 
ANDREI TOKOVININ, Associate Astronomer
Research Interests
Statistics and formation of binary and multiple stars, adaptive optics, site testing
FY12 Accomplishments
Tokovinin worked on testing the SOAR Adaptive Module at the telescope and fixing its various subsystems. As a result, the instrument demonstrated its expected performance with the laser guide star in
March and May 2012. Tokovinin supports the echelle spectrometer at the 1.5-m telescope; he contributed
to the data reduction pipeline and participated in the instrument upgrade and re-commissioning.
Tokovinin studied the statistics of nearby astrometric binaries based on observations at Gemini and
SOAR and published the catalog of wide common-proper-motion companions (with S. Lepine, American
Museum of Natural History). Analysis of this catalog established the distributions of separations and
mass ratios of wide binaries in the solar neighborhood.
FY13 Plans
Tokovinin plans to pursue several observing programs (speckle interferometry of fast binaries and
exoplanet hosts, adaptive optics (AO) observations at Gemini and Palomar) and to publish the statistical
analysis of multiplicity in the solar neighborhood. He will commission the SOAR AO module and proceed with supporting the instrument through science verification and first observations.
FRANCISCO VALDES, Scientist
Research Interests
Cosmology, gravitational lensing, stellar spectroscopy, search for solar system objects, astronomical
software
FY12 Accomplishments
During FY12, Valdes was primarily involved with pipelines for the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on
the Blanco 4-m telescope, and the WIYN One Degree Imager (ODI). For DECam, he acted as the NOAO
Pipeline Scientist to shape the development of a Community Pipeline by the Dark Energy Survey Collaboration. For ODI he was a lead in the pipeline to be developed for this instrument. He also was involved, in a minor role, with development of the BigBOSS pipeline proposal. Valdes and A. Dey
(NOAO) collaborated in using the historical Mosaic Imager data to study the long-term delivered image
quality of the NOAO 4-m telescopes.
FY13 Plans
The majority of Valdes’ time will be spent on the DECam Community Pipeline development, installation, deployment, and operation. He also will be developing a community pipeline for ODI to be deployed at Indiana University making use of NSF-supported XSEDE resources. He will continue with his
responsibilities as the NOAO Pipeline Scientist. Valdes will provide support for the COSMOS/KOSMOS
instruments in data acquisition and data reductions. He is a co-investigator on proposals for DECam in
the areas of moving objects and galactic populations.
NICOLE VAN DER BLIEK, Scientist (Deputy Director, CTIO)
Research Interests
Instrumentation, young stars, and cool stars
128
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
FY12 Accomplishments
Van der Bliek led the project to upgrade the Blanco 4-m Telescope Control System (TCS) through to the
completion of the installation and integration of the new hardware and software. Initial tests of the system took place in February, prior to the DECam installation, and commissioning of the new TCS continued in August and September in parallel with the commissioning of DECam. Together with T.Prusti, L.
Spezzi, and S. Vincente (ESTEC/ESA), van der Bliek studied the population of young stars in the Musca
dark cloud and in IC 2118, both of which are star forming regions. These collaborators mapped Musca in
the optical (VRI and H alpha) as well as in the near infrared (NIR) to be able to identify young stellar
objects and study their properties. A pilot study based on data for two pointings in Musca suggests that
the number of young stars in this cloud is much higher than was thought previously. For IC 2118, NIR
data of two pointings was analyzed, and a complete map of IC 2118 was obtained at the beginning of
2012. Van der Bliek, in collaboration with B. Rodgers (Gemini Observatory), S. Thomas (Lick Observatory) and G. Doppmann (NOAO) worked to complete a survey on multiplicity of Herbig Ae/Be stars.
The survey consists of a spectroscopic and photometric study of a large sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars to
detect close companions and investigate their properties. These collaborators observed 143 stars, of
which 70 are very likely to be binaries or multiples, with a total of 103 likely companions.
FY13 Plans
Van der Bliek will become acting associate director for NOAO South and CTIO director on 1 October
2012. Her scientific efforts will continue to be focused on the survey of multiplicity of Herbig Ae/Be
stars and the survey’s associated projects, such as the detailed study of HK Ori, a Herbig Ae binary that
has at least three Herbig Haro objects associated with it. The latter is a project together with S. Heathcote
(SOAR) and J. Seron (CTIO). Van der Bliek also will continue to pursue the research with T. Prusti, L.
Spezzi and S. Vicente on the two star forming regions Musca and IC 2118, for which optical and NIR
data have been obtained.
ALISTAIR R. WALKER, Astronomer
Research Interests
Stellar populations, the Magellanic Clouds, the distance scale, astronomical instrumentation
FY12 Accomplishments
Walker published a review of the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a key step in the cosmic distance ladder. The Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (HST WFC3) Science Oversight Committee (chair, R. O’Connell, University of Virginia), of which Walker is a member, were awarded 200
orbits of HST Director’s Discretionary time for observations of both nearby and distant galaxies, with the
aim of demonstrating the scientific capabilities of the new panchromatic camera. Three papers were published during this report period.
FY13 Plans
Walker is a team member (PI D. Nidever, University of Michigan) of a project to study the structure and
star formation history of the Magellanic Clouds using DECam on the Blanco 4-m telescope. In a longterm project with J. Nemec (Victoria, Canada) and Y-B Jeon (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Korea), Walker will continue to monitor secular period changes in the RR Lyrae populations of several Large Magellanic Cloud globular clusters. Walker is a member of the Dark Energy Survey (DES)
consortium, whose first science observations will be made in FY13. His particular interest is in galactic
structure and nearby galaxies that are expected to be discovered in the DES footprint. Walker will continue the analysis of deep CCD photometry for a number of galactic globular clusters, collaborating on
this and associated studies with A. Kunder (NOAO), G. Bono (Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy), M.
Monelli and C. Gallart (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Spain), P. Stetson (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Canada), and others.
129
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
CONSTANCE WALKER, Associate Scientist
Research Interests
Development of educational activities, research projects, and best pedagogical practices related to dark
skies preservation issues; modeling ground-light propagation through the atmosphere; monitoring light
pollution locally and near observatories
FY12 Accomplishments
Walker’s efforts in FY12 were devoted primarily to working on the Dark Skies Education program for
Education and Public Outreach. In her work on the GLOBE at Night campaigns, she created/managed the
capability to receive all the data submissions at NOAO, the on-the-fly map generation for the campaign,
Facebook and Twitter on-line communities for GLOBE at Night, a Web application to submit the data
using mobile devices, a map application for people to map results from their city, four separate campaigns (double the usual number), an Adopt-A-Street method for taking data grid-style, and a 10-day online forum on GLOBE at Night for the ASP/NASA program “Astronomy From the Ground Up.” Walker
also supervised an REU summer student who characterized Tucson’s sky brightness during the night. She
managed new partnerships between EPO and the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), Coalition
on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU), and National
Geographic’s BioBlitz. Walker created evaluation metrics through an online survey showing a successful
Dark Skies program. She was the chair of the Dark Skies Awareness Programs for Global Astronomy
Month. She created a planetarium public service announcement with Loch Ness Productions as the IDA
Education chair. Walker managed the 3rd International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. She presented 4- to
6-hour Dark Skies Education workshops at meetings of the National Science Teachers Association, Galileo Teacher Training Program, and AAS. In addition to those presentations, she made seven dark skies
presentations at the ASP 2012 conference, gave an SPIE talk and paper on illumination engineering, and
co-chaired a 2.5-day IAU 2012 Special Session on Light Pollution. Walker also helped supervise the
EPO students who provided 30 two-hour dark skies sessions to 50 local upper elementary/ middle school
students (50 per session) at the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning.
Walker was awarded the IDA Hoag/Robinson Award. She continued as a member of the board for
the International Dark Skies Association and ASP and was elected in August 2012 to be the vice president for IAU’s Commission 50 on Light Pollution.
FY13 Plans
Walker will continue to concentrate on educational outreach in Arizona and Chile, focusing on dark sky
education programs and their improvements.
LLOYD WALLACE, Astronomer Emeritus
Research Interests
Planetary atmospheric structure, stellar atmospheres
FY12 Accomplishments
Wallace and W. Livingston (NSO) have completed further analysis of the infrared absorption lines of
hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) in the solar spectrum of the Earth’s atmosphere
with instrumentation at the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. This is the longest data string obtained in
the US, extending from 1970 through 2012. HCl is of particular importance because its rapid increase
due to the dissociation of dumped chlorofluorocarbons has caused the destruction of ozone. HCl reached
its maximum amount in the period of 1993–1998 and is now in a very slow decrease due to the fewer
chlorofluorocarbons being dumped. HF has not yet reached a maximum, but its rate of increase has decreased substantially.
130
NOAO KEY MANAGEMENT & SCIENTIFIC STAFF ACTIVITY
FY13 Plans
Wallace with K. Hinkle (NOAO) and R. Ram (University of Arizona) will complete measurements and
analysis of the three most abundant isotopes of magnesium in the A–X band of MgH. This is important
because these lines are being analyzed in stellar spectra but high-resolution laboratory spectra have only
been analyzed for the most abundant magnesium isotope, mass 24, and the stellar spectra also appear to
show the less abundant mass 25 and 26 isotopes. Wallace and his collaborators will continue to analyze
spectra of laboratory sources that show these three isotopes and were obtained by J. H. Black (U. of Arizona) with the Fourier Transform Spectrometer on Kitt Peak in 1984.
SIDNEY WOLFF, Astronomer Emerita (President LSST Corporation)
Research Interests
Star formation, evolution of disks around pre-main sequence stars, astronomy education research
FY12 Accomplishments
Wolff’s efforts this past year were devoted entirely to the LSST Project. At its meeting in July 2012, the
National Science Board authorized the NSF director to advance the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope to
the final design stage. This action permits the NSF director to include funds for LSST construction in a
future budget request. To be located in Chile, the LSST is a proposed 8-m wide-field survey telescope
that will survey the entire sky approximately twice per week, delivering a large and comprehensive data
set that will transform astronomical research.
FY13 Plans
Wolff will complete the transfer of responsibility for leading the LSST Project to a new director. Recruitment is currently in progress.
131
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
C NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
NOAO Scientific Staff were authors and/or editors on a total of 187 publications in FY12.1
Abt, H.A. 2012, Organizations, People and Strategies in Astronomy, ed. A. Heck (Venngeist Books),
245, “The h- and a-Indexes in Astronomy”
Abt, H.A. 2012, International Workshop: Binaries Inside and Outside the Local Interstellar Bubble, eds.
J. Docobo, V. Tamazian, Y. Balega (AIP), 9, “The Age of the Local Interstellar Bubble”
Abt, H.A. 2012, Scientometrics, 91, 863, “A Publication Index That Is Independent of Age”
Abt, H.A. 2012, BAAS, 44, 15, “Obituary: Aden B. Meinel”
Abt, H.A. 2012, BAAS, 44, 12, “Obituary: William A. Baum”
Abt, H.A. 2011, ASP Conf. 451, eds. S. Qian, et al. (ASP), 315, “The Age of the Local Interstellar
Bubble”
Abt, H.A. 2011, HAD Newsletter, 79, 8, “The Van Biesbroeck Prize”
An, D., Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 179, “Metallicity Distribution of the Galactic Halo from SDSS Photometry”
Andersen, J., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 73, “Binaries in rProcess Enhanced Extremely Metal-Poor Stars: Chemical Tagging in the Early Galactic Halo”
Arcavi, I., … Matheson, T., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, L18, “SN 2011dh: Discovery of a Type IIb Supernova
from a Compact Progenitor in the Nearby Galaxy M51”
Baines, E.K., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, ASP Conf. 448, ed. C. Johns-Krull (ASP), 779, “Fundamental Properties of 37 Giant Stars from the CHARA Array and the NPOI Interferometers”
Baines, E.K., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 130, “Fundamental Parameters of the Exoplanet
Host K Giant Star ι Draconis from the CHARA Array”
Baron, F., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 20, “Imaging the Algol Triple System in the H Band
with the CHARA Interferometer”
1
Author Name in bold = NOAO Scientific Staff member; Author Name underlined = Undergraduate student in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program or Prácticas de Investigación en Astronomía (PIA) program
132
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Baron, F., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8445, eds. F. Delplancke, J.K. Rajagopal, F.
Malbet (SPIE), 84451E, “The 2012 Interferometric Imaging Beauty Contest”
Beers, T.C., Carollo, D. 2012, Assembling the Puzzle of the Milky Way, eds. C. Reyle, A. Robin, M.
Schultheis (EPJ Web of Conferences), 2001, “The Assembly of the Halo System of the Milky Way as
Revealed by SDSS/SEGUE - The CEMP Star Connection”
Beers, T.C. 2012, Nature, 486, 38, “Astrophysics: Young Dwarfs Date an Old Halo”
Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 34, “The Case for the Dual Halo of the Milky Way”
Bell, E.F., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 167, “What Turns Galaxies Off? The Different
Morphologies of Star-Forming and Quiescent Galaxies Since z ~ 2 from CANDELS”
Besuner, R., … Dey, A., … Joyce, R., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8446, eds. I. McLean, S. Ramsay, H.
Takami (SPIE), 844652, “Integrating BigBOSS with the Mayall Telescope”
Béthermin, M., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2012, A&A, 542, A58, “HerMES: Deep Number Counts at 250
μm, 350 μm and 500 μm in the COSMOS and GOODS-N Fields and the Build-Up of the Cosmic Infrared Background”
Bianchi, L., … Olsen, K.A.G., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 74, “A Treasury Study of Star-Forming Regions in
the Local Group. I. HST Photometry of Young Populations in Six Dwarf Galaxies”
Bigot, L., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, A&A, 534, L3, “The Diameter of the CoRoT Target HD 49933.
Combining the 3D Limb Darkening, Asteroseismology, and Interferometry”
Blondin, S., Matheson, T., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 126, “The Spectroscopic Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae”
Bournaud, F., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 81, “An Observed Link between Active Galactic
Nuclei and Violent Disk Instabilities in High-Redshift Galaxies”
Bovy, J., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 115, “The Vertical Motions of Mono-abundance
Bovy, J., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 148, “The Spatial Structure of Mono-abundance Subpopulations of the Milky Way Disk”
Boyajian, T.S., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, ASP Conf. 448, ed. C. Johns-Krull (ASP), 811, “Fundamental Properties of Cool Stars with Interferometry”
Boyajian, T.S., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 101, “Stellar Diameters and Temperatures. I.
Main-Sequence A, F, and G Stars”
133
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Breckenridge, J.B., Abt, H.A. 2012, Physics Today, 65, 66, “Aden Baker Meinel”
Brodwin, M., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 162, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: SunyaevZel’dovich Measurement of a Massive Infrared-Selected Cluster at z = 1.75”
Brown, T.M., Latham, D.W., Everett, M.E., Esquerdo, G.A. 2011, AJ, 142, 112, “Kepler Input Catalog:
Photometric Calibration and Stellar Classification”
Buat, V., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, A&A, 545, 141, “GOODS-Herschel: Dust Attenuation
Properties of UV Selected High Redshift Galaxies”
Buchhave, L.A., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 3, “Kepler-14b: A Massive Hot Jupiter
Transiting an F Star in a Close Visual Binary”
Buckley-Geer, E.J., … Smith, R.C., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 48, “The Serendipitous Observation of a
Gravitational Lensed Galaxy at z = 0.9057 from the Blanco Cosmology Survey: The Elliot Arc”
Bussmann, R.S., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 150, “The Star Formation Histories of
z ~ 2 Dust-Obscured Galaxies and Submillimeter-Selected Galaxies”
Caputi, K.I., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, L20, “The Nature of Extremely Red H –5 [4.5] > 4
Galaxies Revealed with SEDS and CANDELS”
Carlin, J.L., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, RAA, 12, 755, “An Algorithm for Preferential Selection of
Spectroscopic Targets in LEGUE”
Cassata, P., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 96, “The Relative Abundance of Compact and
Normal Massive Early-Type Galaxies and Its Evolution from Redshift z ~ 2 to the Present”
Che, X., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 29, “Imaging Disk Distortion of Be Binary System δ
Scorpii near Periastron”
Chen, C.H., … Mamajek, E.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 133, “A Spitzer MIPS Study of 2.5‒2.0 M⊙ Stars
in Scorpius‒Centaurus”
Cheng, J.Y., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 51, “A Short Scale Length for the α-Enhanced Thick
Disk of the Milky Way: Evidence from Low-Latitude SEGUE Data”
Cheng, J.Y., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 149, “Metallicity Gradients in the Milky Way Disk as
Observed by the SEGUE Survey”
Cheng, J.Y., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 105, “Abundance
Trends in the Milky Way Disk as Observed by SEGUE”
134
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Chesneau, O., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, A&A, 534, L11, “The 2011 Outburst of the Recurrent Nova
T Pyxidis. Evidence for a Face-On Bipolar Ejection”
Chou, M.-Y., … Cunha, K., Smith, V.V., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 209,
“Chemical Fingerprinting of Stellar Populations in the Milky Way Halo”
Cieza, L.A., … Najita, J., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, L25, “Herschel Observations of the T Cha Transition
Disk: Constraining the Outer Disk Properties”
Cochran, W.D., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 7, “Kepler-18b, c, and d: A System of Three
Planets Confirmed by Transit Timing Variations, Light Curve Validation, Warm-Spitzer Photometry, and
Radial Velocity Measurements”
Contreras Ramos, R., … Saha, A., et al. 2011, ApJ, 739, 74, “Spatial Distribution and Evolution of the
Stellar Populations and Candidate Star Clusters in the Blue Compact Dwarf I Zwicky 18”
Cook, D.O., … Olsen, K.A.G., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 100, “The ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury.
X. Quantifying the Star Cluster Formation Efficiency of Nearby Dwarf Galaxies”
Cool, R.J., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 10, “The Galaxy Optical Luminosity
Function from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey”
Cooper, M.C., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 2116, “The Arizona CDFS Environment
Survey (ACES): A Magellan/IMACS Spectroscopic Survey of the Chandra Deep Field-South”
Courbin, F., … Boroson, T., et al. 2012, A&A, 540, A36, “Three Quasi-stellar Objects Acting as Strong
Gravitational Lenses”
Cunha, K., Hubeny, I., Lanz, T. 2012, Assembling the Puzzle of the Milky Way, eds. C. Reyle, A.
Robin, M. Schultheis (EPJ Web of Conferences), 8005, “Chemical Homogeneity in the Orion Association: Oxygen Abundances of B Stars”
D’Onofrio, M., … Boroson, T., et al. 2012, Fifty Years of Quasars, eds. M. D’Onofrio, P. Marziani, J.
Sulentic (Springer), 217, “Quasars Classes and Their Relationships”
D’Onofrio, M., … Boroson, T., et al. 2012, Fifty Years of Quasars, eds. M. D’Onofrio, P. Marziani, J.
Sulentic (Springer), 91, “Quasars: The Observational Perspectives”
Dalcanton, J.J., … Lauer, T.R., … Dong, H., … Olsen, K.A.G., … Saha, A., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200,
18, “The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury”
Dalcanton, J.J., … Olsen, K., et al. 2012, ApJS, 198, 6, “Resolved Near-Infrared Stellar Populations in
Nearby Galaxies”
135
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
de Boer, T.J.L., … Saha, A., Olsen, K., et al. 2012, A&A, 539, A103, “The Star Formation and
Chemical Evolution History of the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy”
de Boer, T.J.L., … Saha, A., et al. 2012, A&A, 544, A73, “The Star Formation and Chemical Evolution
History of the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy”
Deng, L.-C., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, RAA, 12, 735, “LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE)—The Survey’s Science Plan”
Dong, H., Wang, Q.D., Morris, M.R. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 884, “A Multiwavelength Study of Evolved
Massive Stars in the Galactic Centre”
Donley, J.L., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 142, “Identifying Luminous Active Galactic
Nuclei in Deep Surveys: Revised IRAC Selection Criteria”
Dupree, A.K., … Schuler, S.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 73, “TW Hya: Spectral Variability, X-rays, and
Accretion Diagnostics”
Endl, M., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 13, “Kepler-15b: A Hot Jupiter Enriched in Heavy
Elements and the First Kepler Mission Planet Confirmed with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope”
Eracleous, M., Boroson, T.A., Halpern, J.P., Liu, J. 2012, ApJS, 201, 23, “A Large Systematic Search
for Close Supermassive Binary and Rapidly Recoiling Black Holes”
Everett, M.E., Howell, S.B., Kinemuchi, K. 2012, PASP, 124, 316, “A UBV Photometric Survey of the
Kepler Field”
Fabrizio, M., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 519, “The Carina Project. V. The Impact of
NLTE Effects on the Iron Center”
Faherty, J.K., … van der Bliek, N., et al. 2011, ASP Conf.448, ed. C.M. Johns-Krull, M.K. Browning,
A.A. West (ASP), 1343, “The Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project III: Preliminary Parallax Results”
Faherty, J.K., … van der Bliek, N., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 56, “The Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project
(BDKP). III. Parallaxes for 70 Ultracool Dwarfs”
Finkelstein, S.L., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 164. “Candels: The Evolution of Galaxy RestFrame Ultraviolet Colors from z = 8 to 4”
Fiorentino, G., … Saha, A., et al. 2012, A&A, 539, A138, “The Ancient Stellar Population of M 32: RR
Lyrae Variable Stars Confirmed”
Ford, E.B., … Everett, M.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 113, “Transit Timing Observations from Kepler. II.
Confirmation of Two Multiplanet Systems via a Non-parametric Correlation Analysis”
136
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Fortney, J.J., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 9, “Discovery and Atmospheric Characterization of
Giant Planet Kepler-12b: An Inflated Radius Outlier”
Ganeshalingam, M., … Matheson, T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 142, “The Low-Velocity, Rapidly Fading
Type Ia Supernova 2002es”
Giavalisco, M., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 95, “Discovery of Cold, Pristine Gas Possibly
Accreting onto an Overdensity of Star-Forming Galaxies at Redshift z ~ 1.6”
Gómez, F.A., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 3727, “Signatures of Minor Mergers in the
Milky Way Disc - I. The SEGUE Stellar Sample”
Gonzalez, A.H., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 163, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: Cosmological Implications of a Massive, Strong Lensing Cluster at z = 1.75”
Gordon, K.D., … Blum, R., … Harris, J., … Olsen, K., … Points, S., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 102,
“Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic
Cloud (SAGE-SMC). I. Overview”
Graur, O., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 916, “Supernovae in the Subaru Deep Field: The
Rate and Delay-Time Distribution of Type Ia Supernovae out to Redshift 2”
Griffith, C.A., … Cunha, K., Schuler, S., et al. 2011, EPSC Abstracts, 6, 140, “Observational Constraints on the Composition of Exoplanets”
Grogin, N.A., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 35, “CANDELS: The
Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey”
Grondin, M.-H., … Points, S., Smith, R.C. 2012, A&A, 539, A15, “XMMU JO541.8-6659, A New
Supernova Remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud”
Gültekin, K., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 38, “Is There a Black Hole in NGC 4382?”
Guo, Y., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 149, “Rest-Frame UV-Optically Selected Galaxies at
2.3 ≲ z ≲ 3.5: Searching for Dusty Star-Forming and Passively Evolving Galaxies”
Gutermuth, R.A., … Allen, L.E., et al. 2011, ApJ, 739, 84, “A Correlation between Surface Densities of
Young Stellar Objects and Gas in Eight Nearby Molecular Clouds”
Haberl, F., …Points, S. et al. 2012, A&A, 543, A154, “Multi-Frequency Observations of SNR J0453629 in the LMC. A Composite Supernova Remnant with a Pulsar Wind Nebula”
Harker, B.J., Mighell, K.J. 2012, ApJ, 757, 8, “A GPU-Computing Approach to Solar Stokes Profile
Inversion”
137
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Hatchell, J., … Allen, L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 104, “The Spitzer Survey of Interstellar Clouds in the
Gould Belt. V. Ophiuchus North Observed with IRAC and MIPS”
Hattori, K., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 225, “Distribution
Function of the Milky Way Inner Halo”
Hermes, J.J., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, L16, “Discovery of a ZZ Ceti in the Kepler Mission
Field”
Hinkle, K.H., Joyce, R.R., … Smith, V.V., Wallace, L., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8446, eds. I. McLean,
S. Ramsay, H. Takami (SPIE), 84463B, “Echelle Gratings for the Near-Infrared”
Howell, S.B., … Everett, M., … Silva, D.R., Mighell, K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 123, “Kepler-21b: A
1.6REarth Planet Transiting the Bright Oscillating F Subgiant Star HD 179070”
Hsu, W.-H., … Allen, L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 59, “The Low-Mass Stellar Population in L1641:
Evidence for Environmental Dependence of the Stellar Initial Mass Function”
Hwang, H.S., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2011, A&A, 535, A60, “GOODS-Herschel:
The Impact of Galaxy-Galaxy Interactions on the Far-Infrared Properties of Galaxies”
Ivezić, Z., Beers, T.C., Juric, M. 2012, ARAA, 50, 251, “Galactic Stellar Populations in the Era of the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Other Large Surveys”
Johnson, L.C., … Olsen, K.A.G., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 95, “PHAT Stellar Cluster Survey. I. Year 1
Catalog and Integrated Photometry”
Jurcsik, J., … Saha, A., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 2173, “Long-Term Photometric Monitoring of RR
Lyrae Stars in Messier 3”
Kartaltepe, J.S., Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, 757, 23, “GOODS-Herschel and CANDELS: The
Morphologies of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies at z ~ 2”
Kim, H., … Saha, A., Kaleida, C.C., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 26, “The Resolved Stellar
Population in 50 Regions of M83 from HST/WFC3 Early Release Science Observations”
Kinman, T.D., Aoki, W., Beers, T.C., Brown, W.R. 2012, ApJ, 755, L18, “A New CEMP-s RR Lyrae
Star”
Kinman, T.D., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 2116, “The Kinematic Properties of BHB and RR Lyrae Stars
towards the Anticentre and the North Galactic Pole: The Transition between the Inner and the Outer Halo”
138
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Kirkpatrick, J.D., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 19, “The First Hundred Brown Dwarfs
Discovered by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)”
Kocevski, D.D., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 148, “CANDELS: Constraining the AGNMerger Connection with Host Morphologies at z ~ 2”
Kochanek, C.S., … Jannuzi, B.T., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 8, “AGES: The AGN and Galaxy
Evolution Survey”
Koekemoer, A.M., … Dickinson, M., … Pope, A., … Reddy, N.A., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 36,
“CANDELS: The Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey—The Hubble
Space Telescope Observations, Imaging Data Products, and Mosaics”
Krug, H.B., … Probst, R., Dey, A., Dickinson, M., Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 122, “Searching for z ~ 7.7 Lyα Emitters in the COSMOS Field with NEWFIRM”
Kryukova, E., … Allen, L.E., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 31, “Luminosity Functions of Spitzer-Identified
Protostars in Nine Nearby Molecular Clouds”
Lacy, M., … Ridgway, S.E., et al. 2012, IAU Symp. 284, eds. R. Tuffs and C. Popescu (Cambridge),
224, “Spectral Energy Distributions of Quasars Selected in the Mid-Infrared”
Lacy, M., … Ridgway, S.E., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 196, “The Stellar, Molecular Gas, and Dust Content of
the Host Galaxies of Two z ~ 2.8 Dust-Obscured Quasars”
Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 121, “The Cluster of Blue Stars Surrounding the M31 Nuclear Black
Hole”
Law, D.R., … Reddy, N.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 85, “An HST/WFC3-IR Morphological Survey of
Galaxies at z = 1.5–3.6. I. Survey Description and Morphological Properties of Star-Forming Galaxies”
Lee, K.-S., … Dickinson, M.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 66, “How Do Star-Forming Galaxies at z > 3
Assemble Their Masses?”
Lee, Y.S., Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 229, “Observational
Properties of the Chemically Divided Galactic Disks”
Ligi, R., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, A&A, 545, 5, “A New Interferometric Study of Four Exoplanet
Host Stars: θ Cygni, 14 Andromedae, υ Andromedae and 42 Draconis”
Lin, L., Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 71, “Clustering Properties of BzK-Selected Galaxies in
GOODS-N: Environmental Quenching and Triggering of Star Formation at z ~ 2”
Lotz, J.M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 103, “The Major and Minor Galaxy Merger Rates at z < 1.5”
139
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Luridiana, V., Morisset, C., Shaw, R.A. 2012, IAU Symp. 283, eds. A. Manchado, L. Stanghellini, D.
Schonberner (Cambridge), 422, “PyNeb: A New Software for the Analysis of Emission Lines”
Lyubenova, M., … Silva, D.R., et al. 2012, A&A, 543, A75, “Integrated J- and H-Band Spectra of
Globular Clusters in the LMC: Implications for Stellar Population Models and Galaxy Age Dating”
Magdis, G.E., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2011, A&A, 534, A15, “GOODS-Herschel: A
Population of 24 μm Dropout Sources at z < 2”
Magdis, G.E., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, L15, “GOODS-Herschel: Gas-to-Dust Mass
Ratios and CO-to-H2 Conversion Factors in Normal and Starbursting Galaxies at High-z”
Magrini, L., Stanghellini, L., Goncalves, D. 2012, IAU Symp. 283, eds. A. Manchado, L. Stanghellini,
D. Schonberner (Cambridge), 251, “Extragalactic Planetary Nebulae: Tracers of the Chemical Evolution
of Nearby Galaxies”
Majewski, S.R., … Smith, V.V., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, L37, “Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant
Stars: Substructure in the Local Halo as Seen in the Grid Giant Star Survey Including Extended Tidal
Debris from ωCentauri”
Mamajek, E.E. 2012, ApJ, 754, L20, “On the Age and Binarity of Fomalhaut”
Mao, M.Y., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, IAU Symp. 284, eds. R. Tuffs and C. Popescu (Cambridge),
404, “No Evidence for Evolution in the Far-Infrared-Radio Correlation Out to z ~ 2 in the ECDFS”
Masiunas, L.C., … Allen, L.E., et al.. 2012, ApJ, 752, 127, “A Structural Analysis of Star-Forming
Region AFGL 490”
Mason, B.D., … Subasavage, J.P., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 176, “Know the Star, Know the Planet. II.
Speckle Interferometry of Exoplanet Host Stars”
Matheson, T., Blum, R., Jannuzi, B., Lauer, T., Norman, D., Olsen, K., Ridgway, S., Saha, A.,
Shaw, R., Walker, A. 2012, IAU Symp. 285, eds. E. Griffin, R. Hanisch, R. Seaman (Cambridge), 361,
“The NOAO Variable-Sky Project”
Matheson, T., Joyce, R.R., Allen, L.E., Saha, A., Silva, D.R., … Everett, M., … Rajagopal, J., et al.
2012, ApJ, 754, 19, “The Infrared Light Curve of SN 2011fe in M101 and the Distance to M101”
Mauduit, J.-C., … Pforr, J., … Ridgway, S.E., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 714, “The Spitzer Extragalactic
Representative Volume Survey (SERVS): Survey Definition and Goals”
McAlister, H.A., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8445, eds. F. Delplancke, J.K. Rajagopal, F.
Malbet (SPIE), 84450H, “Recent Technical and Scientific Highlights from the CHARA Array”
140
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
McConnell, N.J., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 179, “Dynamical Measurements of Black Hole
Masses in Four Brightest Cluster Galaxies at 100 Mpc”
McConnell, N.J., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2011, Nature, 480, 215, “Two Ten-Billion-Solar-Mass Black
Holes at the Centres of Giant Elliptical Galaxies”
Melbourne, J., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 125, “The Spectral Energy Distributions and Infrared Luminosities of z ≈ 2 Dust-Obscured Galaxies from Herschel and Spitzer”
Melbourne, J., … Olsen, K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 47, “The Contribution of TP-AGB and RHeB Stars to
the Near-IR Luminosity of Local Galaxies: Implications for Stellar Mass Measurements of High-Redshift
Galaxies”
Mighell, K.J. 2012, ASP Conf. 461, eds. P. Ballester, D. Egret, and N.P.F. Lorente (ASP), 13, “Benchmarking the CRBLASTER Computational Framework on the 350-MHz 49-core Maestro Development
Board”
Molinaro, R., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 69, “Cors Baade-Wesselink Distance to the LMC
NGC 1866 Blue Populous Cluster”
Monachesi, A., … Lauer, T.R., … Mighell, K.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 97, “The Star Formation History
of M32”
Monnier, J.D., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, L1, “First Visual Orbit for the Prototypical
Colliding-Wind Binary WR 140”
Mourard, D., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, A&A, 544, A91, “A High Angular and Spectral Resolution
View into the Hidden Companion of ɛ Aurigae”
Mourard, D., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8445, eds. F. Delplancke, J.K. Rajagopal, F.
Malbet (SPIE), 84450K, “Performance, Results, and Prospects of the Visible Spectrograph VEGA on
CHARA”
Mullaney, J.R., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 95, “GOODS-Herschel:
The Far-Infrared View of Star Formation in Active Galactic Nucleus Host Galaxies Since z ≈ 3”
Musella, I., … Saha, A., et al. 2012, MSAIS, 19, 146, “The Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy IZw18”
Najita, J.R., Ádámkovics, M., Glassgold, A.E. 2011, ApJ, 743, 147, “Formation of Organic Molecules
and Water in Warm Disk Atmospheres”
Nemec, J.M., … Kunder, A., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 1022, “Fourier Analysis of Non-Blazhko abType RR Lyrae Stars Observed with the Kepler Space Telescope”
141
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Nielsen, D.M., de Propris, R., Ridgway, S.E., Tomotsugu, G. 2012, IAU Symp. 284, eds. R. Tuffs and
C. Popescu (Cambridge), 468, “Determining the Average SFR of K+A Galaxies”
O’Shea, B.W., … Beers, T., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 359, “Probing the
Formation of the Milky Way”
Ono, Y., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 83, “Spectroscopic Confirmation
of Three z-Dropout Galaxies at z = 6.844–7.213: Demographics of Lyα Emission in z ~ 7 Galaxies”
Optical and Infrared Interferometry III, eds. F. Delplancke, J.K. Rajagopal, F. Malbet (SPIE), 2012
Pellegrini, E.W., … Points, S.D., Smith, R.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 40, “The Optical Depth of H II
Regions in the Magellanic Clouds”
Pentericci, L., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 132, “Spectroscopic Confirmation of z ~ 7
Lyman Break Galaxies: Probing the Earliest Galaxies and the Epoch of Reionization”
Pillitteri, I., … Allen, L., et al. 2011, ASP Conf. 448, ed. C. Johns-Krull (ASP), 705, “Clustered Star
Formation Explored with X-rays and IR Observations of SOXS: L1641 and ι Orionis Regions”
Placco, V., Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ASP Conf. 458, eds. W. Aoki, et al. (ASP), 77, “Making Good Use
of Bad Weather: Finding Extremely Metal-Poor Stars in the Clouds”
Planetary Nebulae: An Eye to the Future, eds. A. Manchado, L. Stanghellini, D. Schonberner (Cambridge), 2011
Popesso, P., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2012, A&A, 537, A58, “The Evolution of the
Star Formation Activity per Halo Mass up to Redshift ~1.6 as Seen by Herschel”
Postman, M., Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 159, “A Brightest Cluster Galaxy with an Extremely
Large Flat Core”
Prescott, M.K.M., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 86, “Resolving the Galaxies within a
Giant Lyα Nebula: Witnessing the Formation of a Galaxy Group?”
Prescott, M.K.M., Dey, A., Jannuzi, B.T. 2012, ApJ, 748, 125, “A Successful Broadband Survey for
Giant Lyα Nebulae. I. Survey Design and Candidate Selection”
Pritzl, B.J., … Saha, A., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 198, “Probing the M33 Halo Using RR Lyrae Stars”
Raghavan, D., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 24, “A Search for Separated Fringe Packet
Binaries Using the CHARA Array”
142
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Ragland, S., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 126, “First Keck Nulling Observations of a Young
Stellar Object: Probing the Circumstellar Environment of the Herbig Ae Star MWC 325”
Re Fiorentin, P., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, Assembling the Puzzle of the Milky Way, eds. C. Reyle, A.
Robin, M. Schultheis (EPJ Web of Conferences), 2008, “High-Velocity Streams in the Milky Way Halo
with the SDSS and GSC-II Kinematic Survey”
Reddy, N., Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 154, “GOODS-Herschel Measurements of the Dust Attenuation of Typical Star-Forming Galaxies at High Redshift: Observations of Ultraviolet-Selected Galaxies at z ~ 2”
Reddy, N.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 25, “The Characteristic Star Formation Histories of Galaxies at
Redshifts z ~ 2–7”
Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8448, eds. A. Peck, R. Seaman, F. Comeron (SPIE), 844810,
“Measuring the Effectiveness of Simulated LSST Observing Programs”
Riedel, A.R., … Subasavage, J.P. 2011, AJ, 142, 104, “The Solar Neighborhood. XXVI. AP Col: The
Closest (8.4 pc) Pre-Main-Sequence Star”
Riguccini, L., … Kartaltepe, J., et al. 2011, A&A, 534, A81, “Dust-Obscured Star Formation and the
Contribution of Galaxies Escaping UV/Optical Color Selections at z ~ 2”
Roederer, I.U., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, L8, “Detection of the Second r-Process Peak
Element Tellurium in Metal-Poor Stars”
Romero, G.A., … Allen, L.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 79, “The Nature of Transition Circumstellar Disks.
II. Southern Molecular Clouds”
Rosenfield, P., … Lauer, T.R., … Olsen, K.A.G., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 131, “The Panchromatic
Hubble Andromeda Treasury. I. Bright UV Stars in the Bulge of M31”
Rudie, G.C., … Reddy, N., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 67, “The Gaseous Environment of High-z Galaxies:
Precision Measurements of Neutral Hydrogen in the Circumgalactic Medium of z ~ 2–3 Galaxies in the
Keck Baryonic Structure Survey”
Rutkowski, M.J., … Saha, A., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, ApJS, 199, 4, “A Panchromatic Catalog of
Early-Type Galaxies at Intermediate Redshift in the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 Early
Release Science Field”
Ryan, R.E., … Saha, A., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 53, “The Size Evolution of Passive
Galaxies: Observations from the Wide-Field Camera 3 Early Release Science Program”
Salmi, F., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, L14, “Dissecting the Stellar-Mass-SFR Correlation in
z = 1 Star-Forming Disk Galaxies”
143
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Salvato, M., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 61, “Dissecting Photometric Redshift for Active
Galactic Nucleus Using XMM- and Chandra-COSMOS Samples”
Sarajedini, A., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 1459, “An Ancient Metal-Poor Population in
M32, and Halo Satellite Accretion in M31, Identified by RR Lyrae Stars”
Schlaufman, K.C., … Beers, T.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 77, “Insight into the Formation of the Milky
Way through Cold Halo Substructure. III. Statistical Chemical Tagging in the Smooth Halo”
Schneider, N., … Allen, L., et al. 2012, A&A, 542, L18, “Globules and Pillars Seen in the [C II] 158 μm
Line with SOFIA”
Schöck, M., … Blum, R., … De Young, D., … Walker, A. 2011, RMxAC, 41, 32, “Thirty Meter
Telescope (TMT) Site Merit Function”
Seymour, N., … Dey, A., Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 146, “Rapid Coeval Black Hole and Host
Galaxy Growth in MRC 1138-262: The Hungry Spider”
Shaw, R.A., Lee, T.-H., Stanghellini, L., et al. 2012, IAU Symp. 283, eds. A. Manchado, L.
Stanghellini, D. Schonberner (Cambridge), 502, “A Detailed Look at Chemical Abundances in the
Magellanic Clouds”
Shaw, R.A. 2012, IAU Symp. 283, eds. A. Manchado, L. Stanghellini, D. Schonberner (Cambridge),
156, “Shape, Structure, and Morphology in Planetary Nebulae”
Sholl, M.J., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8446, eds. I. McLean, S. Ramsay, H. Takami (SPIE),
844667, “BigBOSS: A Stage IV Dark Energy Redshift Survey”
Silverman, J.M., … Matheson, T., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 1789, “Berkeley Supernova Ia Program—
I. Observations, Data Reduction and Spectroscopic Sample of 582 Low-Redshift Type Ia Supernovae”
Smith, M.A., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, A&A, 540, A53, “The Relationship between γ Cassiopeiae’s
X-ray Emission and Its Circumstellar Environment”
Smith, N., … Matheson, T., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 17, “Systematic Blueshift of Line Profiles in the Type
IIn Supernova 2010jl: Evidence for Post-Shock Dust Formation?”
Snyder, G.F., … Dey, A., Jannuzi, B., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 114, “Assembly of the Red Sequence in
Infrared-Selected Galaxy Clusters from the IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey”
Stanford, S.A., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 164, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: Discovery of a Massive,
Infrared-Selected Galaxy Cluster at z = 1.75”
144
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Stanghellini, L., … Shaw, R.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 172, “The Nature of Dust in Compact Galactic
Planetary Nebulae from Spitzer Spectra”
Stanghellini, L., … Shaw, R.A., et al. 2012, IAU Symp. 283, eds. A. Manchado, L. Stanghellini, D.
Schonberner (Cambridge), 29, “Spitzer IRS Spectra of Compact Galactic Planetary Nebulae: The Link
between Dust, Evolution, and Metallicity”
Stee, P., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, A&A, 545, 59, “The Relationship between γ Cassiopeiae’s X-ray
Emission and its Circumstellar Environment. II. Geometry and Kinematics of the Disk from MIRC and
VEGA Instruments on the CHARA Array”
Steffen, J.H., … Everett, M.E., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 2342, “Transit Timing Observations from
Kepler—III. Confirmation of Four Multiple Planet Systems by a Fourier-Domain Study of Anticorrelated
Transit Timing Variations”
Stern, D., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 30, “Mid-Infrared Selection of Active Galactic Nuclei with
the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. I. Characterizing WISE-Selected Active Galactic Nuclei in
COSMOS” Sub-populations in the Milky Way Disk”
Suh, J., Mighell, K.J., Kang, D.-I., Crago, S.P. 2012, IEEE Aerospace Conference, 6187230, “Implementation of FFT and CRBLASTER on the Maestro Processor”
Suzuki, N., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 85, “The Hubble Space Telescope Cluster Supernova
Survey. V. Improving the Dark-Energy Constraints above z > 1 and Building an Early-Type-Hosted Supernova Sample”
Talia, M., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, A&A, 539, A61, “GMASS Ultradeep Spectroscopy of Galaxies
at z ~ 2. VI. Star Formation, Extinction, and Gas Outflows from UV Spectra”
ten Brummelaar, T., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, SPIE Proc. 8447, eds. B. Ellerbroek, E. Marchetti, J.P. Veran (SPIE), 84473I, “Adaptive Optics for the CHARA Array”
Thompson, S.E., Everett, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 86, “A Class of Eccentric Binaries with Dynamic
Tidal Distortions Discovered with Kepler”
Toala, J.A., … Smith, R.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 77, “X-Ray Emission from the Wolf-Rayet Bubble S
308”
Tojeiro, R., … Pforr, J., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 136, “The Progenitors of Present-Day Massive Red
Galaxies up to z ≈ 0.7—Finding Passive Galaxies Using SDSS-I/II and SDSS-III”
Tokovinin, A. 2012, AJ, 144, 56, “Speckle Interferometry and Orbits of ‘Fast’ Visual Binaries”
Tokovinin, A., Hartung, M., Hayward, T.L., Makarov, V. 2012, AJ, 144, 7, “Revealing Companions to
Nearby Stars with Astrometric Acceleration”
145
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Trichas, M., … Jannuzi, B.T., … Smith, M.G., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 17, “The Chandra MultiWavelength Project: Optical Spectroscopy and the Broadband Spectral Energy Distributions of X-raySelected AGNs”
Trump, J.R., … Dickinson, M., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 144, “A CANDELS WFC3
Grism Study of Emission-Line Galaxies at z ~ 2: A Mix of Nuclear Activity and Low-Metallicity Star
Formation”
van Belle, G.T., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, ASP Conf. 448, ed. C. Johns-Krull (ASP), 517,
“Fundamental Stellar Properties from Optical Interferometry”
van der Wel, A., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 111, “Extreme Emission-Line Galaxies in
CANDELS: Broadband-Selected, Starbursting Dwarf Galaxies at z > 1”
Van Dyk, S.D., Matheson, T. 2012, ApJ, 746, 179, “It’s Alive! The Supernova Impostor 1961V”
Van Dyk, S.D., Matheson, T. 2012, Eta Carinae and the Supernova Imposters, eds. K. Davidson and R.
Humphreys (Springer), 384, 249, “The Supernova Impostors”
Vanzella, E., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 70, “On the Detection of Ionizing Radiation
Arising from Star-Forming Galaxies at Redshift z ~ 3–4: Looking for Analogs of ‘Stellar Re-ionizers’”
von Braun, K., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, EPSC Abstracts, 6, 1622, “Interferometric Studies of
Exoplanet Hosting Stars”
von Braun, K., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 171, “The GJ 436 System: Directly Determined
Astrophysical Parameters of an M Dwarf and Implications for the Transiting Hot Neptune”
von Braun, K., … Ridgway, S.T., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 49, “55 Cancri: Stellar Astrophysical Parameters, a Planet in the Habitable Zone, and Implications for the Radius of a Transiting Super-Earth”
Wagg, J., … Dey, A., Jannuzi, B., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 91, “CO J = 2–1 Line Emission in Cluster
Galaxies at z ~ 1: Fueling Star Formation in Dense Environments”
Walker, C.E. 2011, EPSC Abstracts, 6, 1760, “Dark Skies Awareness during Global Astronomy Month”
Walker, C.E. 2011, EPSC Abstracts, 6, 1761, “Dark Skies Awareness through the GLOBE at Night
Citizen-Science Campaign”
Walter, F., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, Nature, 486, 233, “The Intense Starburst HDF 850.1 in a
Galaxy Overdensity at z ≈ 5.2 in the Hubble Deep Field”
Wang, X., … Matheson, T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 126, “Evidence for Type Ia Supernova Diversity from
Ultraviolet Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope”
146
NOAO SCIENTIFIC STAFF PUBLICATIONS
Weinzirl, T., … Dickinson, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 87, “Insights on the Formation, Evolution, and
Activity of Massive Galaxies from Ultracompact and Disky Galaxies at z = 2–3”
Yang, Y., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 178, “Constraining Dust and Molecular Gas Properties in
Lyα Blobs at z ~ 3”
Zeimann, G.R., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 115, “IDCS J1433.2+3306: An Infrared-Selected
Galaxy Cluster at z = 1.89”
Zheng, W., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, Nature, 489, 406, “A Magnified Young Galaxy from About 500
Million Years after the Big Bang”
147
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
# of Publications in FY12
D PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Telescopes/Data
D.1 TELESCOPES AT CERRO TOLOLO INTER-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY
During FY12 (Oct. 2011–Sept. 2012), 135 publications used data taken at the CTIO telescopes (included
the Blanco, SOAR, and others) for which NOAO allocates observing time: 1
Ackermann, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 159, “Multi-Wavelength Observations of Blazar AO 0235+164 in the
2008-2009 Flaring State”
Alencar, S.H.P., et al. 2012, A&A, 541, A116, “Accretion Dynamics in the Classical T Tauri Star V2129
Ophiuchi”
Allen, P.R., Burgasser, A.J., Faherty, J.K., Kirkpatrick, J.D. 2012, AJ, 144, 62, “Low-Mass Tertiary Companions
to Spectroscopic Binaries. I. Common Proper Motion Survey for Wide Companions Using 2MASS”
Ashcraft, T.A., Hynes, R.I., Robinson, E.L. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 620, “Optical and Infrared Light Curves of
Eclipsing X-Ray Binary V395 Car = 2S 0921 ‒ 630”
Bachelet, E., et al., ApJ, 754, 73, “MOA 2010-BLG-477Lb: Constraining the Mass of a Microlensing Planet
from Microlensing Parallax, Orbital Motion, and Detection of Blended Light”
Bally, J., Youngblood, A., Ginsburg, A. 2012, ApJ, 756, 137, “The Spindle: An Irradiated Disk and Bent
Protostellar Jet in Orion”
Bastien, F.A., Stassun, K.G., Weintraub, D.A. 2011, AJ, 142, 141, “High-Cadence Time-Series Photometry of
V1674 Orionis”
Bell, K.J., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 14, “Hα Emission Variability in Active M Dwarfs”
Bellagamba, F., Meneghetti, M., Moscardini, L., Bolzonella, M. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 553, “Accuracy of
Photometric Redshifts for Future Weak Lensing Surveys from Space”
1
Author Name in bold = NOAO Scientific Staff member; Author Name underlined = Undergraduate student in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program or Prácticas de Investigación en Astronomía (PIA) program
148
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Bendo, G.J., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 1833, “ Investigations of Dust Heating in M83 and NGC 2403 with
Herschel Space Observatory”
Berry, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 4, “Stacked Rest-Frame Ultraviolet Spectra of Lα-Emitting and ContinuumSelected Galaxies at 2 ˂ z ˂ 3.5”
Binder, B. 2011, ApJ, 739, L51, “CHANDRA Detection of SN 2010da Four Months after Outburst: Evidence for
a High-Mass X-Ray Binary in NGC 300”
Botticella, M.T., et al. 2012, A&A, 537, A132, “A Comparison between Star Formation Rate Diagnostics and
Rate of Core Collapse Supernovae within 11 Mpc”
Bozza, V., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 902, “OGLE-2008-BLG-510: First Automated Real-Time Detection of a
Weak Microlensing Anomaly—Brown Dwarf or Stellar Binary?”
Bozzetto, L.M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 420, 2588, “Multifrequency Study of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Supernova Remnant J0529‒6653 Near Pulsar B0529‒66”
Buckley-Geer, E.J., … Smith, R.C.,et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 48, “The Serendipitous Observation of a Gravitational
Lensed Galaxy at z = 0.9057 from the Blanco Cosmology Survey: The Elliot Arc”
Capelo, H.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, L18, “Locating the Trailing Edge of the Circumbinary Ring in the KH 15D
System”
Carlin, J.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 145, “The Origin of the Virgo Stellar Substructure”
Carraro, G., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 127, “A UBVI and uvbyCaHβ Analysis of the Intermediate-Age Open Cluster,
NGC 5822”
Carraro, G., Seleznev, A.F. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 3608, “UBVI CCD Photometry and Star Counts in Nine Inner
Disc Galactic Star Clusters”
Choi, J.-Y., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 41, “Characterizing Lenses and Lensed Stars of High-Magnification SingleLens Gravitational Microlensing Events with Lenses Passing over Source Stars”
Ciardullo, R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 110, “The Evolution of Lyα-Emitting Galaxies between z = 2.1 and z = 3.1”
Clem, J.L., Landolt, A.U. 2012, PASP, 124, 535, “Two Short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars in the Field of PG
1047+003”
Courbin, F. et al. 2011, A&A, 536, A53, “COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological Monitoring of GRAvItational
Lenses. IX. Time Delays, Lens Dynamics and Baryonic Fraction in HE 0435-1223”
Cushing, M.C., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 50, “The Discovery of Y Dwarfs Using Data from the Wide-Field Infrared
Survey Explorer (WISE)”
Da Silva, R., et al. 2012, A&A, 542, A85, “Accurate and Homogeneous Abundance Patterns in Solar-Type Stars
of the Solar Neighbourhood: A Chemo-Chronological Analysis”
De Boer, T.J.L., et al. 2012, A&A, A103, “The Star Formation and Chemical Evolution History of the Sculptor
Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy”
149
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
De Horta, A.Y., et al. 2012, A&A, A25, “Multi-Frequency Study of Supernova Remnants in the Large
Magellanic Cloud. The Case of LMC SNR J0530-7007”
Desai, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 83, “The Blanco Cosmology Survey: Data Acquisition, Processing, Calibration,
Quality Diagnostics, and Data Release”
Dragomir, D., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 115, “Terms Photometry of Known Transiting Exoplanets”
Dragomir, D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 37, “The HD 192263 System: Planetary Orbital Period and Stellar
Variability Disentangled”
Elias-Rosa, N., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 6, “The Massive Progenitor of the Possible Type II-Linear Supernova
2009hd in Messier 66”
Erickson, K.L., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 140, “The Initial Mass Function and Disk Frequency of the ρ Ophiuchi
Cloud: An Extinction-Limited Sample”
Evans, C.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 173, “A Rare Early-Type Star Revealed in the Wing of the Small Magellanic
Cloud”
Fabrizio, M., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 519, “The Carina Project. V. The Impact of NLTE
Effects on the Iron Center”
Faherty, J.K, … van der Bliek, N., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 56, “The Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project (BDKP).
III. Parallaxes for 70 Ultracool Dwarfs”
Faherty, J.K., … van der Bliek, N., et al. 2011, ASP Conf.448, ed. C.M. Johns-Krull, M.K. Browning, A.A.
West (ASP), 1343, “The Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project III: Preliminary Parallax Results”
Farrell, S.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, L13, “A Young Massive Stellar Population around the Intermediate-Mass
Black Hole ESO 243-49 HLX-1”
Finch, C.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 118, “UCAC3 Proper Motion Survey. II. Discovery of New Proper Motion
Stars in UCAC3 with 0ʺ.40 yr-1 μ ≥ 0ʺ.18 yr-1 between Declinations ‒47° and 00°”
Frinchaboy, P.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 74, “A 2MASS All-Sky View of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy. VII.
Kinematics of the Main Body of the Sagittarius dSph”
Gallagher, J.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 109, “Optical and Infrared Analysis of Type II SN 2006bc”
Gandhi, P., Yamamura, I., Takita, S. 2012, ApJ, 751, L1, “Dramatic Infrared Variability of WISE J1810‒3305:
Catching Early-Time Dust Ejection during the Thermal Pulse of an Asymptotic Giant Branch Star?”
Ganeshalingam, M., Li, W., Filippenko, A.V. 2011, MNRAS, 416, 2607, “The Rise-Time Distribution of Nearby
Type Ia Supernovae”
Gaur, H., Gupta, A.C., Wiita, P.J. 2012, AJ, 143, 23, “Multiwavelength Variability of the Blazars Mrk 421 and
3C 454.3 in the High State”
Geach, J.E. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 2633, “Unsupervised Self-Organized Mapping: A Versatile Empirical Tool for
Object Selection, Classification and Redshift Estimation in Large Surveys”
150
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Glikman, E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 51, “First-2MASS Red Quasars: Transitional Objects Emerging from the
Dust”
Hamilton-Morris, V., et al. 2012, ApJ, L23, “A Weak-Lensing and Near-Infrared Study of A3192: Disassembling a Richness Class 3 Abell Cluster”
Harbeck, D., Gallagher III, J., Crnojevic, D. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 629, “Intermediate Old Star Clusters in a
Young Starburst: The Case of NGC 5253”
Hartkopf, W.I, Tokovinin, A., Mason, B.D. 2012, AJ, 143, 42, “Speckle Interferometry at SOAR in 2010 and
2011: Measures, Orbits, and Rectilinear Fits”
Henderson, C.B., Stassun, K.G. 2012, ApJ, 747, 51, “Time-Series Photometry of Stars in and around the Lagoon
Nebula. I. Rotation Periods of 290 Low-Mass Pre-Main-Sequence Stars in NGC 6530”
Hidgon, J.L., Hidgon, S.J., Rand, R.J. 2011, ApJ, 739, 97, “Wheels of Fire. IV. Star Formation and the Neutral
Interstellar Medium in the Ring Galaxy AM0644 -741”
Hoyer, S., Rojo, P., Lopez-Morales, M. 2012, ApJ, 748, 22, “Transit Monitoring in the South (TraMos) Project:
Discarding Transit Timing Variations in WASP-5b”
Huchra, J.P., et al. 2012, ApJS, 199, 26, “The 2MASS Redshift Survey—Description and Data Release”
Hui, C.Y., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 7, “Identification Campaign of Supernova Remnant Candidates in the Milky
Way. I. CHANDRA Observation of G308.3-1.4”
Humphreys, R.M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 118, “The Photometric and Spectral Evolution of the 2008 Luminous
Optical Transient in NGC 300”
Hung, L.W., Chen, W.P., Walter, F.M. 2012, ASP Conf.451, ed. S.B. Qiam, K.C. Leung, L.Y. Zhu, S. Kwow
(ASP), 271, “Optical and X-Ray Observations of the Nova KT Eridani 2009”
Johnson, C.I., Rich, R.M., Kobayashi, C., Fulbright, J.P. 2012, ApJ, 749, 175, “Constraints on the Formation of
the Galactic Bulge from Na, Al and Heavy-Element Abundances in Plaut’s Field”
Kawka, A., Vennes, S. 2012, A&A, 538, A13, “VLT/X-Shooter Observations and the Chemical Composition of
Cool White Dwarfs”
Kawka, A., Vennes, S. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 1394, “A Study of High Proper-Motion White Dwarfs I.
Spectropolarimetry of a Cool Hydrogen-Rich Sample”
Kirkpatrick, J.D., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 19, “The First Hundred Brown Dwarfs Discovered by the Wide-Field
Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)”
Kirkpatrick, J.D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 156, “Further Defining Spectral Type ‘Y’ and Exploring the Low-Mass
End of the Field Brown Dwarf Mass Function”
Kunder, A., … De Propris, R., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 57, “The Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA). II.
Complete Sample and Data Release”
151
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Landt, H. 2012, MNRAS, 423, L84, “Optical Spectroscopy of the γ-Ray Bright Blazars PKS 0447‒439 and PMN
J0630‒24”
Laurikainen, E., Salo, H., Buta, R., Knapen, H. 2011, MNRAS, 418, 1452, “Near-Infrared Atlas of S0-Sa
Galaxies (NIRS0S)”
Leaman, R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 33, “The Resolved Structure and Dynamics of an Isolated Dwarf Galaxy: A
VLT and Keck Spectroscopic Survey of WLM”
Lee, J.C., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 782, “A Dual-Narrowband Survey for Hα Emitters at Redshift of 2.2:
Demonstration of the Technique and Constraints on the Hα Luminosity Function”
Lützgendorf, N., et al. 2012, A&A, 542, A129, “Central Kinematics of the Globular Cluster NGC 2808: Upper
Limit on the Mass of an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole”
Lützgendorf, N., et al. 2012, A&A, 543, A82, “High-Velocity Stars in the Cores of Globular Clusters: the
Illustrative Case of NGC 2808”
Majerotto, E., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 1392, “Probing Deviations from General Relativity with the Euclid
Spectroscopic Survey”
Mamajek, E.E., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 72, “Planetary Construction Zones in Occultation: Discovery of an
Extrasolar Ring System Transiting a Young Sun-Like Star and Future Prospects for Detecting Eclipses by
Circumsecondary and Circumplanetary Disks”
Marian, L., Smith, R.E., Hilbert, S., Schneider, P. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 1711, “Optimized Detection of Shear
Peaks in Weak Lensing Maps”
Masetti, N., et al. 2012, A&A, 538, A123, “Unveiling the Nature of INTEGRAL Objects through Optical
Spectroscopy. IX. 22 More Identifications, and a Glance Into the Far Hard X-Ray Universe”
Massey, P., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 96, “Photometric and Spectroscopic Studies of Massive Binaries in the Large
Magellanic Cloud. I. Introduction and Orbits for Two Detached Systems: Evidence for Mass Discrepancy?”
Mauduit, J.-C., … Ridgway, S.E., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 714, “The Spitzer Extragalactic Representative
Volume Survey (SERVS)l Survey Definition and Goals”
Maxwell, M.P., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 1465, “The Helium Abundance in the Ejecta of U Scorpii”
McCall, M.L., et al. 2012, A&A, 540, A49, “Fundamentals of the Dwarf Fundamental Plane”
Mehner, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 73, “Secular Changes in Eta Carinae’s Wind 1998-2011”
Mehrtens, N., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 1024, “The XMM Cluster Survey: Optical Analysis Methodology and
the First Data Release”
Miller, A.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 98, “Discovery of Bright Galactic R Coronae Borealis and DY Persei
Variables: Rare Gems Mined from ACVS”
Milone, A.P., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 58, “Multiple Stellar Populations in 47 Tucanae”
152
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Molinaro, R., … Walker, A.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 69, “Cors Baade-Wesselink Distance to the LMC NGC
1866 Blue Populous Cluster”
Napoli, V.J., McSwain, M.V., Marsh Boyer, A.N., Roettenbacher, M. 2011, PASP, 123, 1262, “The Distance of
the γ-Ray Binary 1FGL J1018.6‒5856”
Neugent, K.F., Massey, P., Skiff, B., Meynet, G. 2012, ApJ, 749, 177, “Yellow and Red Supergiants in the Large
Magellanic Cloud”
Noble, A.G., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 1983, “Submillimetre Source Counts in the Fields of High-Redshifts
Galaxy Clusters”
Noll, S., et al. 2012, A&A, 543, A92, “An Atmospheric Radiation Model for Cerro Paranal. I. The Optical
Spectral Range”
Oliver, S.J., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 1614, “The Herchel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey: HerMES”
Paul, K.T., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 3622, “Study of Candidate Be Stars in the Magellanic Clouds Using NearInfrared Photometry and Optical Spectroscopy”
Paunzen, E., Heiter, U., Frega, L., Pintado, O. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 3604, “HD 210111: A New λ Bootis-Type
Spectroscopic Binary System”
Pecaut, M.J., Mamajek, E.E., Bubar, E.J 2012, ApJ, 746, 154, “A Revised Age for Upper Scorpius and the Star
Formation History among the F-Type Members of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB Association”
Petit, J.-M., et al. AJ, 142, 131, “The Canada-France Ecliptic Plane Survey—Full Data Release: The Orbital
Structure of the Kuiper Belt”
Piatti, A.E. 2011, MNRAS, 418, L40, “New Insights on the Bursting Formation of Star Clusters in the Large
Magellanic Cloud”
Piatti, A.E. 2011, MNRAS, 418, L69, “Towards a Comprehensive Picture of the Star Cluster Age-Metallicity
Relationship in the Small Magellanic Cloud”
Piatti, A.E. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 1109, “The Star Field Age-Metallicity Relationship of the Small Magellanic
Cloud”
Piatti, A.E., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 1559, “Washington Photometry of 14 Intermediate-Age to Old Star
Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud”
Pilyavsky, G., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 162, “A Search for the Transit of HD 168443b: Improved Orbital Parameters and Photometry”
Prieto, G. et al. 2012, A&A, 543, A148, “Variable Stars in the Globular Cluster M 28 (NGC 6626)”
Provencal, J.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 91, “Empirical Determination of Convection Parameters in White Dwarfs.
I. Whole Earth Telescope Observations of EC 14012-1446”
Ramos Almeida, C., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 687, “Are Luminous Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nuclei
Triggered by Galaxy Interactions?”
153
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Ratti, E.M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 2656, “The Black Hole Candidate XTE J1752-223 and in Quiescence:
Optical and Simultaneous X-Ray-Radio Observations”
Riaz, B., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 1887, “Young Stellar Objects in NGC 6823”
Richardson, N.D., Gies, D.R., Williams, S.J. 2011, AJ, 142, 201, “A Binary Orbit for the Massive, Evolved Star
HDE 326823, A WR+O System Progenitor”
Richtler, T., Bassino, L.P., Dirsch, B., Kumar, B. 2012, A&A, 543, L131, “The Globular Cluster System of NGC
1316. I. Wide-Field Photometry in the Washington System”
Richtler, T., et al. 2012, A&A, 543, L7, “The Globular Cluster System of NGC 1316. II. The Extraordinary
Object SH2”
Riedel, A.R., … Subasavage, J.P. 2011, AJ, 142, 104, “The Solar Neighborhood. XXVI. AP Col: The Closest
(8.4 pc) Pre-Main-Sequence Star”
Rivero Gonzalez, J.G., Puls, J., Massey, P., Najarro, F. 2012, A&A, 543, A95, “Nitrogen Line Spectroscopy in
O-Stars. III. The Earliest O-Stars”
Rodriguez-Gil, P., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 2332, “The Fight for Accretion: Discovery of Intermittent Mass
Transfer in BB Doradus in the Low State”
Rossi, A., et al. 2012, A&A, 545, A77, “A Deep Search for the Host Galaxies of Gamma-Ray Bursts with No
Detected Optical Afterglow”
Russeil, D., et al. 2012, A&A, 538, A142, “Statistical Study of OB Stars in NGC 6334 and NGC 6357”
Salinas, R., et al. 2012, A&A, 538, A87, “Kinematic Properties of the Field Elliptical NGC 7507”
Santos, F.P., Roman-Lopes, A., Franco, G.A.P. 2012, ApJ, 751, 138, “A Young Stellar Cluster within the
RCW41 H II Region: Deep NIR Photometry and Optical/NIR Polarimetry”
Saripalli, L., et al. 2012, ApJS, 199, 27, “ATLBS Extended Source Sample: The Evolution in Radio Source
Morphology with Flux Density”
Sasaki, M., et al. 2012, A&A, 544, A144, “Supernova Remnants and Candidates Detected in the XMM-Newton
M31 Large Survey”
Sayres, C., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 103, “A Multi-Survey Approach to White Dwarf Discovery”
Schaefer, B.E. 2011, ApJ, 742, 112, “The Change of the Orbital Periods across Eruptions and the Ejected Mass
for Recurrent Novae CI Aquilae and U Scorpii”
Schaefer, B.E., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 113, “Eclipses during the 2010 Eruption of the Recurrent Nova U Scorpii”
Schiavon, R.P., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 14, “Star Clusters in M31. IV. A Comparative Analysis of Absorption Line
Indices in Old M31 and Milky Way Clusters”
Schlieder, J.E., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 114, “The Na 8200 Ǻ Doublet as an Age Indicator in Low-Mass Stars”
154
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Sheen, Y.-K., Yi, S.K., Ree, C.H., Lee, J. 2012, ApJS, 202, 8, “Post-Merger Signatures of Red-Sequence
Galaxies in Rich Abell Clusters at z ≲ 0.1”
Shimizu, T., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 418, .625, “Extinction Law in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies at z ~ 1”
Shin, I.-G., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 127, “Microlensing Binaries Discovered through High-Magnification Channel”
Silva-Villa, E., Larsen, S.S. 2012, A&A, 537, A145, “The Relation between Surface Star Formation Rate
Density and Spiral Arms in NGC 5236 (M 83)”
Silva-Villa, E., Larsen, S.S. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 213, “Evidence of an Interaction from Resolved Stellar
Populations: The Curious Case of NGC 1313”
Silverman, J.M., Ganeshalingam, M., Li, W, Filipenko, A.V. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 1889, “Berkeley Supernova Ia
Program III: Spectra Near Maximum Brightness Improve the Accuracy of Derived Distances to Type Ia Supernovae”
Smith Castelli, A.V., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 2472, “Galaxy Populations in the Antlia Cluster—III. Properties
of Faint Early-Type Galaxies”
Šuhada, R., et al. 2012, A&A, 537, A39, “The XMM-BCS Galaxy Cluster Survey. I. The X-Ray Selected Cluster
Catalog from the Initial 6 Deg2”
Tokovinin, A., Hartung, M., Hayward, T.L., Makarov, V. 2012, AJ, 144, 7, “Revealing Companions to Nearby
Stars with Astrometric Acceleration”
Trichas, M., … Jannuzi, B.T., … Smith, M.G., et al. ApJS, 200, 17, “The Chandra Multi-Wavelength Project:
Optical Spectroscopy and the Broadband Spectral Energy Distributions of X-Ray-Selected AGNs”
Valageas, P., Clerc, N., Pacaud, F., Pierre, M. 2011, A&A, 536, A95, “Covariance Matrices for Halo Number
Counts and Correlation Functions”
Van Dyk, S.D. et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 19, “Supernova 2008bk and Its Red Supergiant Progenitor”
Williams, S.J., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 146, “Radial Velocities of Galactic O-Type Stars. I. Short-Term Constant
Velocity Stars”
Wittman, D., Ryan, R., Thorman, P. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 2251, “Ubercalibration of the Deep Lens Survey”
Woitke, P., et al. 2011, A&A, 534, A44, “The Unusual Protoplanetary Disk around the T Tauri Star ET
Chamaeleontis”
Wright, N.J., Barlow, M.J., Ercolano, B., Rauch, T. 2011, MNRAS, 418, 370, “A 3D Photoionization Model of
the Extreme Planetary Nebula NGC 6302”
Zhang, Y., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 1678, “Testing Three Derivative Methods of Stellar Population Synthesis
Models”
Zhao, J.K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 144, “The Initial-Final Mass Relation among White Dwarfs in Wide Binaries”
155
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
D.2 TELESCOPES AT KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY
During FY12 (Oct. 2011–Sept. 2012), 194 publications used data taken at the KPNO telescopes (included the Mayall, WIYN, 1.2-m, and others) for which NOAO allocates observing time:2
Adams, J.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 92, “The Central Dark Matter Distribution of NGC 2976”
Allen, P.R., Burgasser, A.J., Faherty, J.K., Kirkpatrick, J.D. 2012, AJ, 144, 62, “Low-Mass Tertiary Companions
to Spectroscopic Binaries. I. Common Proper Motion Survey for Wide Companions Using 2MASS”
Arcavi, I., … Matheson, T., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, L18, “SN 2011dh: Discovery of a Type IIb Supernova from a
Compact Progenitor in the Nearby Galaxy M51”
Azimlu, M., Marciniak, R., Barmby, P. 2011, AJ, 142, 139, “A New Catalog of H II Regions in M31”
Bai, Y., et al. 2012, RAA, 12, 443, “M Dwarf Stars—The By-product of X-ray Selected AGN Candidates”
Ballard, S., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 200, “The Kepler-19 System: A Transiting 2.2 R Planet and a Second Planet
Detected via Transit Timing Variations”
Barnes, K.L., van Zee, L., Côté, S., Schade, D. 2012, ApJ, 757, 64, “Star Formation in the Outer Disk of Spiral
Galaxies”
Barnes, K.L., van Zee, L., Skillman, E.D. 2011, ApJ, 743, 137, “Star Formation in the Outer Disks of Spiral
Galaxies: Ultraviolet and Hα Photometry”
Barrows, R.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 7, “A Candidate Dual Active Galactic Nucleus at z = 1.175”
Bastien, F.A., Stassun, K.G., Weintraub, D.A. 2011, AJ, 142, 141, “High-Cadence Time-Series Photometry of
V1647 Orionis”
Beck, T.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 72, “Circumbinary Gas Accretion onto a Central Binary: Infrared Molecular
Hydrogen Emission from GG Tau A”
Bell, K.J., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 14, “Hα Emission Variability in Active M Dwarfs”
Borucki, W.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 120, “Kepler-22b: A 2.4 Earth-Radius Planet in the Habitable Zone of a
Sun-Like Star”
Bresolin, F., Kennicutt, R.C., Ryan-Weber, E. 2012, ApJ, 750, 122, “Gas Metallicities in the Extended Disks of
NGC 1512 and NGC 3621. Chemical Signatures of Metal Mixing or Enriched Gas Accretion?”
Brodwin, M., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 162, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: SunyaevZel’dovich Measurement of a Massive Infrared-Selected Cluster at z = 1.75”
Buchhave, L.A., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 3, “Kepler-14b: A Massive Hot Jupiter Transiting an F
Star in a Close Visual Binary”
2
Author Name in bold = NOAO Scientific Staff member; Author Name underlined = Undergraduate student in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program
156
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Bussmann, R.S., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 150, “The Star Formation Histories of z ~ 2
Dust-Obscured Galaxies and Submillimeter-Selected Galaxies”
Carlin, J.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 25, “Kinematics and Chemistry of Stars along the Sagittarius Trailing Tidal
Tail and Constraints on the Milky Way Mass Distribution”
Carlin, J.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 145, “The Origin of the Virgo Stellar Substructure”
Carrell, K., Wilhelm, R., Chen, Y. 2012, AJ, 144, 18, “Red Clump Stars in the Sagittarius Tidal Streams”
Cauley, P.W., Johns-Krull, C.M., Hamilton, C.M., Lockhart, K. 2012, ApJ, 756, 68, “Testing Disk-Locking in
NGC 2264”
Clem, J.L., Landolt, A.U. 2012, PASP, 124, 535, “Two Short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars in the Field of PG
1047+003”
Cochran, W.D., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 7, “Kepler-18b, c, and d: A System of Three Planets
Confirmed by Transit Timing Variations, Light Curve Validation, Warm-Spitzer Photometry, and Radial Velocity Measurements”
Coe, D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 22, “CLASH: Precise New Constraints on the Mass Profile of the Galaxy Cluster
A2261”
Cook, R.I., Dell’Antonio, I.P. 2012, ApJ, 750, 153, “The Missing Weak Lensing Mass in A781”
Cool, R.J., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 10, “The Galaxy Optical Luminosity Function
from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey”
Coppa, G., et al. 2011, A&A, 535, A10, “The Bimodality of the 10k zCOSMOS-bright Galaxies up to z ~ 1: A
New Statistical and Portable Classification Based on Optical Galaxy Properties”
Crawford, S.M., Wirth, G.D., Bershady, M.A., Hon, K. 2011, ApJ, 741, 98, “Spectroscopy of Luminous
Compact Blue Galaxies in Distant Clusters. I. Spectroscopic Data”
Davidge, T.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 74, “The Recent Stellar Archeology of M31—The Nearest Red Disk
Galaxy”
Davis, B.L., et al. 2012, ApJS, 199, 33, “Measurement of Galactic Logarithmic Spiral Arm Pitch Angle Using
Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform Decomposition”
Dawson, W.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, L42, “Discovery of a Dissociative Galaxy Cluster Merger with Large
Physical Separation”
de Bergh, C., et al. 2012, P&SS, 61, 85, “Applications of a New Set of Methane Line Parameters to the Modeling
of Titan’s Spectrum in the 1.58 μm Window”
Deming, D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 106, “Infrared Eclipses of the Strongly Irradiated Planet WASP-33b, and
Oscillations of Its Host Star”
Deming, D., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 33, “Kepler and Ground-Based Transits of the Exo-Neptune HAT-P-11b”
157
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Dhital, S., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 67, “Refined Metallicity Indices for M Dwarfs Using the SLoWPoKES Catalog
of Wide, Low-Mass Binaries”
Dilday, B., et al. 2012, Science, 337, 942, “PTF 11kx: A Type Ia Supernova with a Symbiotic Nova Progenitor”
Edwards, L.O.V., Fadda, D. 2011, AJ, 142, 148, “A Multi-Wavelength Analysis of Spitzer Selected Coma
Cluster Galaxies: Star Formation Rates and Masses”
Eisenhardt, P.R.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 173, “The First Hyper-Luminous Infrared Galaxy Discovered by
WISE”
Elias-Rosa, N., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 6, “The Massive Progenitor of the Possible Type II-Linear Supernova
2009hd in Messier 66”
Endl, M., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 13, “Kepler-15b: A Hot Jupiter Enriched in Heavy Elements
and the First Kepler Mission Planet Confirmed with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope”
Eracleous, M., Boroson, T.A., Halpern, J.P., Liu, J. 2012, ApJS, 201, 23, “A Large Systematic Search for Close
Supermassive Binary and Rapidly Recoiling Black Holes”
Erickson, K.L., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 140, “The Initial Mass Function and Disk Frequency of the ρ Ophiuchi
Cloud: An Extinction-Limited Sample”
Everett, M.E., Howell, S.B., Kinemuchi, K. 2012, PASP, 124, 316, “A UBV Photometric Survey of the Kepler
Field”
Fabbri, J., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 418, 1285, “The Effects of Dust on the Optical and Infrared Evolution of SN
2004et”
Fan, Z., de Grijs, R. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 2009, “Systematic Differences in Simple Stellar Population Model
Results: Application to the M31 Globular-Like Cluster System”
Fang, G., Kong, X., Chen, Y., Lin, X. 2012, ApJ, 751, 109, “Passive and Star-Forming Galaxies at 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 2.5
in the AEGIS Field”
Fekel, F.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 7, “Third Component Search and Abundances of the Very Dusty Short-Period
Binary BD +20°307”
Ferreras, I., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 1636, “The Swift/UVOT Catalogue of NGC 4321 Star-Forming Sources:
A Case against Density Wave Theory”
Ford, E.B., … Everett, M.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 113, “Transit Timing Observations from Kepler. II.
Confirmation of Two Multiplanet Systems via a Non-parametric Correlation Analysis”
Fortney, J.J., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 9, “Discovery and Atmospheric Characterization of Giant
Planet Kepler-12b: An Inflated Radius Outlier”
Franchetti, N.A., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 85, “Physical Structure and Nature of Supernova Remnants in M101”
Fressin, F., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 5, “Kepler-10 c: A 2.2 Earth Radius Transiting Planet in a Multiple System”
158
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Gómez Maqueo Chew, Y., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 58, “Luminosity Discrepancy in the Equal-Mass, Pre-mainsequence Eclipsing Binary Par 1802: Non-coevality or Tidal Heating?”
Gautier, T.N., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 15, “Kepler-20: A Sun-Like Star with Three Sub-Neptune Exoplanets and
Two Earth-Size Candidates”
Geisler, D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, L40, “The Unique Na:O Abundance Distribution in NGC 6791: The First
Open(?) Cluster with Multiple Populations”
Geller, A.M., Mathieu, R.D. 2012, AJ, 144, 54, “WIYN Open Cluster Study. XLVIII. The Hard-Binary
Population of NGC 188”
Geller, A.M., Mathieu, R.D. 2011, Nature, 478, 356, “A Mass Transfer Origin for Blue Stragglers in NGC 188 as
Revealed by Half-Solar-Mass Companions”
Geller, M.J., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 102, “The Faint End of the Luminosity Function and Low Surface Brightness
Galaxies”
George, M.R., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 125, “Galaxies in X-ray Groups. I. Robust Membership Assignment and the
Impact of Group Environments on Quenching”
Giammichele, N., Bergeron, P., Dufour, P. 2012, ApJS, 199, 29, “Know Your Neighborhood: A Detailed Model
Atmosphere Analysis of Nearby White Dwarfs”
Gosnell, N.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 57, “An Unexpected Discovery in the Rich Open Cluster NGC 6819 Using
XMM-Newton”
Green, P.J., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 81, “A Multiwavelength Study of Binary Quasars and Their Environments”
Guerrero, M.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 129, “Rebirth of X-ray Emission from the Born-Again Planetary Nebula
A30”
Haines, C.P., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 97, “LoCuSS: A Dynamical Analysis of X-ray Active Galactic Nuclei in
Local Clusters”
Hart, Q.N., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 59, “The Evolution of Radio Galaxies and X-ray Point Sources in Coma
Cluster Progenitors since z ~ 1.2”
Herald, J.E., Bianchi, L. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 2440, “The Winds of Hydrogen-Rich Central Stars of Planetary
Nebulae”
Hermes, J.J., … Everett, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, L16, “Discovery of a ZZ Ceti in the Kepler Mission Field”
Hodges-Kluck, E.J., Bregman, J.N., Miller, J.M., Pellegrini, E. 2012, ApJ, 747, L39, “A New Ultraluminous Xray Source in the Nearby Edge-On Spiral NGC 891”
Holberg, J.B., Oswalt, T.D., Barstow, M.A. 2012, AJ, 143, 68, “Observational Constraints on the Degenerate
Mass-Radius Relation”
Horch, E.P., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 10, “Speckle Observations of Binary Stars with the WIYN Telescope. VII.
Measures during 2008–2009”
159
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Howell, S.B. 2012, PASP, 124, 263, “Fringe Science: Defringing CCD Images with Neon Lamp Flat Fields”
Howell, S.B., … Everett, M., … Silva, D.R., Mighell, K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 123, “Kepler-21b: A 1.6REarth
Planet Transiting the Bright Oscillating F Subgiant Star HD 179070”
Hunter, D.A., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 121, “The Outer Disks of Dwarf Irregular Galaxies”
Hussain, G.A.J., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 493, “Chandra Study of the Eclipsing M Dwarf Binary, YY Gem”
Ideue, Y., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, 42, “The Role of Galaxy Interaction in Environmental Dependence of the Star
Formation Activity at z ≅ 1.2”
Indriolo, N., McCall, B.J. 2012, ApJ, 745, 91, “Investigating the Cosmic-Ray Ionization Rate in the Galactic
Diffuse Interstellar Medium through Observations of
”
Irwin, P.G.J., et al. 2012, Icarus, 220, 369, “The Application of New Methane Line Absorption Data to GeminiN/NIFS and KPNO/FTS Observations of Uranus’ Near-Infrared Spectrum”
Jang, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, L20, “Dust Properties in the Afterglow of GRB 071025 at z ~ 5”
Johnson, C.I., Pilachowski, C.A. 2012, ApJ, 754, L38, “Oxygen and Sodium Abundances in M13 (NGC 6205)
Giants: Linking Globular Cluster Formation Scenarios, Deep Mixing, and Post-RGB Evolution”
Jurcsik, J., … Saha, A., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 419, 2173, “Long-Term Photometric Monitoring of RR Lyrae
Stars in Messier 3”
Kaplan, D.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 174, “Discovery of the Optical/Ultraviolet/Gamma-ray Counterpart to the
Eclipsing Millisecond Pulsar J1816+4510”
Kastner, J.H., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 58, “The Chandra X-ray Survey of Planetary Nebulae (CHANPLANS):
Probing Binarity, Magnetic Fields, and Wind Collisions”
Kawka, A., Vennes, S. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 1394, “A Study of High Proper-Motion White Dwarfs—I.
Spectropolarimetry of a Cool Hydrogen-Rich Sample”
Keel, W.C., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 420, 878, “The Galaxy Zoo Survey for Giant AGN-Ionized Clouds: Past and
Present Black Hole Accretion Events”
Keel, W.C., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 66, “The History and Environment of a Faded Quasar: Hubble Space Telescope
Observations of Hanny’s Voorwerp and IC 2497”
Keenan, R.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 131, “Testing for a Large Local Void by Investigating the Near-Infrared
Galaxy Luminosity Function”
Kellar, J.A., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 145, “Hα Dots: A Catalog of Faint Emission-Line Objects Discovered in
Narrowband Images”
Kijbunchoo, N., et al. 2011, PASP, 123, 1149, “NSV 11154 Is a New R Coronae Borealis Star”
Kiminki, D.C., Kobulnicky, H.A. 2012, ApJ, 751, 4, “An Updated Look at Binary Characteristics of Massive
Stars in the Cygnus OB2 Association”
160
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Kiminki, D.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, 41, “Additional Massive Binaries in the Cygnus OB2 Association”
Kinman, T.D., Aoki, W., Beers, T.C., Brown, W.R. 2012, ApJ, 755, L18, “A New CEMP-s RR Lyrae Star”
Kinman, T.D., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 2116, “The Kinematic Properties of BHB and RR Lyrae Stars towards
the Anticentre and the North Galactic Pole: The Transition between the Inner and the Outer Halo”
Ko, J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 181, “AKARI Observation of the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Supercluster at z =
0.087: Mid-Infrared View of Transition Galaxies”
Kobulnicky, H.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 50, “A Fresh Catch of Massive Binaries in the Cygnus OB2 Association”
Kochanek, C.S., … Jannuzi, B.T., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 8, “AGES: The AGN and Galaxy
Evolution Survey”
Koss, M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 739, 57, “Host Galaxy Properties of the Swift Bat Ultra Hard X-ray Selected Active
Galactic Nucleus”
Kraus, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 19, “Gas Distribution, Kinematics, and Excitation Structure in the Disks around
the Classical Be Stars β Canis Minoris and ζ Tauri”
Krug, H.B., … Probst, R., Dey, A., Dickinson, M., Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 122, “Searching for z ~
7.7 Lyα Emitters in the COSMOS Field with NEWFIRM”
Kurtz, M.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 168, “Testing Weak-Lensing Maps with Redshift Surveys: A Subaru Field”
Laurikainen, E., Salo, H., Buta, R., Knapen, J.H. 2011, MNRAS, 418, 1452, “Near-Infrared Atlas of S0-Sa
Galaxies (NIRS0S)”
Leauthaud, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 159, “New Constraints on the Evolution of the Stellar-to-Dark Matter
Connection: A Combined Analysis of Galaxy-Galaxy Lensing, Clustering, and Stellar Mass Functions from z =
0.2 to z = 1”
Lee, K.-S., … Dickinson, M.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 66, “How Do Star-Forming Galaxies at z > 3 Assemble
Their Masses?”
Levesque, E.M., Massey, P. 2012, AJ, 144, 2, “Spectral Types of Red Supergiants in NGC 6822 and the WolfLundmark-Melotte Galaxy”
Lin, L., Dickinson, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 71, “Clustering Properties of BzK-Selected Galaxies in GOODSN: Environmental Quenching and Triggering of Star Formation at z ~ 2”
Lissauer, J.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 112, “Almost All of Kepler’s Multiple-Planet Candidates Are Planets”
Ly, C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 63, “The Stellar Population and Star Formation Rates of z ≈ 1.5–1.6 [O II]-emitting
Galaxies Selected from Narrowband Emission-Line Surveys”
Ly, C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, L16, “Dust Attenuation and Hα Star Formation Rates of z ~ 0.5 Galaxies”
161
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Ma, J. 2012, AJ, 144, 41, “An Updated Catalog of M33 Clusters and Candidates: UBVRI Photometry and Some
Statistical Results”
MacLachlan, J.M., Matthews, L.D., Wood, K., Gallagher, J.S. 2011, ApJ, 741, 6, “The Stability of Low Surface
Brightness Disks Based on Multi-Wavelength Modeling”
Mainzer, A., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 156, “NEOWISE Observations of Near-Earth Objects: Preliminary Results”
Majaess, D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, L9, “Discovery of the Host Cluster for the Fundamental Cepheid Calibrator
Zeta Geminorum”
Marchesini, D., Stefanon, M., Brammer, G.B., Whitaker, K.E. 2012, ApJ, 748, 126, “The Evolution of the RestFrame V-Band Luminosity Function from z = 4: A Constant Faint-End Slope over the Last 12 Gyr of Cosmic
History”
Marriner, J., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 72, “A More General Model for the Intrinsic Scatter in Type Ia Supernova
Distance Moduli”
Masiunas, L.C., … Allen, L.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 127, “A Structural Analysis of Star-Forming Region
AFGL 490”
Mason, B.D., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 176, “Know the Star, Know the Planet. II. Speckle Interferometry of
Exoplanet Host Stars”
Matheson, T., Joyce, R.R., Allen, L.E., Saha, A., Silva, D.R., … Everett, M., … Rajagopal, J., et al. 2012,
ApJ, 754, 19, “The Infrared Light Curve of SN 2011fe in M101 and the Distance to M101”
Mazzuca, L.M., Swaters, R.A., Knapen, J.H., Veilleux, S. 2011, ApJ, 739, 104, “Nuclear Rings in Galaxies—
Kinematic Perspective”
McConnell, N.J., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2011, Nature, 480, 215, “Two Ten-Billion-Solar-Mass Black Holes at the
Centres of Giant Elliptical Galaxies”
Mehrtens, N., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 1024, “The XMM Cluster Survey: Optical Analysis Methodology and
the First Data Release”
Melbourne, J., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 125, “The Spectral Energy Distributions and
Infrared Luminosities of z ≈ 2 Dust-Obscured Galaxies from Herschel and Spitzer”
Meyer, D.M., Lauroesch, J.T., Peek, J.E.G., Heiles, C. 2012, ApJ, 752, 119, “The Remarkable High Pressure of
the Local Leo Cold Cloud”
Mitchell-Wynne, K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 23, “HerMES: A Statistical Measurement of the Redshift Distribution
of Herschel-SPIRE Sources Using the Cross-Correlation Technique”
Morales-Calderón, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 149, “YSOVAR: Six Pre-main-sequence Eclipsing Binaries in the
Orion Nebula Cluster”
Mosher, J., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 17, “A Precision Photometric Comparison between SDSS-II and CSP Type Ia
Supernova Data”
162
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Nakajima, K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 12, “Average Metallicity and Star Formation Rate of Lyα Emitters Probed
by a Triple Narrowband Survey”
O’Connell, J.E., Johnson, C.I., Pilachowski, C.A., Burks, G. 2011, PASP, 123, 1139, “Chemical Abundances of
Red Giant Stars in the Globular Cluster M107 (NGC 6171)”
Otsuka, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 26, “Late-Time Light Curves of Type II Supernovae: Physical Properties of
Supernovae and Their Environment”
Park, H.S. 2012, JKAS, 45, 71, “Washington Photometry of the Globular Clusters in the Virgo Giant Elliptical
Galaxy M86”
Parker, A.H., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 1, “Characterization of Seven Ultra-wide Trans-Neptunian Binaries”
Patterson, M.T., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 401, “An Oxygen Abundance Gradient into the Outer Disc of M81”
Petit, J.-M., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 131, “The Canada-France Ecliptic Plane Survey—Full Data Release: The
Orbital Structure of the Kuiper Belt”
Pierce, C.M., Ballantyne, D.R., Ivison, R.J. 2011, ApJ, 742, 45, “Radio Stacking Reveals Evidence for Star
Formation in the Host Galaxies of X-ray-Selected Active Galactic Nuclei at z < 1”
Prescott, M.K.M., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 86, “Resolving the Galaxies within a Giant
Lyα Nebula: Witnessing the Formation of a Galaxy Group?”
Prescott, M.K.M., Dey, A., Jannuzi, B.T. 2012, ApJ, 748, 125, “A Successful Broadband Survey for Giant Lyα
Nebulae. I. Survey Design and Candidate Selection”
Provencal, J.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 91, “Empirical Determination of Convection Parameters in White Dwarfs.
I. Whole Earth Telescope Observations of EC14012-1446”
Raichoor, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 130, “Early-Type Galaxies at z ~ 1.3. IV. Scaling Relations in Different
Environments”
Relaño, M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 2933, “On How Leakage Can Affect the Star Formation Rate Estimation
Using Hα Luminosity”
Ringwald, F.A., Velasco, K., Roveto, J.J., Meyers, M.E. 2012, New Astronomy, 17, 433, “The Orbital Period
and Negative Superhumps of the Nova-Like Cataclysmic Variable V378 Pegasi”
Romani, R.W. 2012, ApJ, 754, L25, “2FGL J1311.7-3429 Joins the Black Widow Club”
Romani, R.W., Shaw, M.S. 2011, ApJ, 743, L26, “The Orbit and Companion of Probable γ-Ray Pulsar J23390533”
Rossi, A., et al. 2012, A&A, 545, A77, “A Deep Search for the Host Galaxies of Gamma-ray Bursts with No
Detected Optical Afterglow”
Sánchez-Gallego, J.R., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 3208, “The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey—VII. Hα
Imaging and Massive Star Formation Properties”
163
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Sada, P.V., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 212, “Extrasolar Planet Transits Observed at Kitt Peak National Observatory”
Sakai, S., Kennicutt Jr., R.C., Moss, C. 2012, ApJS, 199, 36, “A Deep, Wide-Field Hα Survey of Nearby Clusters
of Galaxies: Data”
Salim, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 105, “Galaxy-Scale Star Formation on the Red Sequence: The Continued
Growth of S0s and the Quiescence of Ellipticals”
Salvato, M., … Kartaltepe, J.S., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 61, “Dissecting Photometric Redshift for Active Galactic
Nucleus Using XMM- and Chandra-COSMOS Samples”
Sandberg Lacy, C.H., Fekel, F.C. 2011, AJ, 142, 185, “Absolute Properties of the Eclipsing Binary Star HY
Virginis”
Sandberg Lacy, C.H., Fekel, F.C., Claret, A. 2012, AJ, 144, 63, “Absolute Properties of the Eclipsing Binary Star
V335 Serpentis”
Sandberg Lacy, C.H., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 129, “Absolute Properties of the Eclipsing Binary Star BF Draconis”
Sasaki, M., et al. 2012, A&A, 544, A144, “Supernova Remnants and Candidates Detected in the XMM-Newton
M 31 Large Survey”
Savage, B.D., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 80, “The Properties of Two Low-Redshift O VI Absorbers and Their
Associated Galaxies toward 3c 263”
Schaefer, B.E. 2011, ApJ, 742, 112, “The Change of the Orbital Periods across Eruptions and the Ejected Mass
for Recurrent Novae CI Aquilae and U Scorpii”
Schneider, M.D., Becker, R.H., de Vries, W., White, R.L. 2012, ApJ, 750, 154, “Foreground Predictions for the
Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum from Measurements of Faint Inverted Radio Sources at 5
GHz”
Servillat, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 32, “Spectroscopic Follow-Up of X-ray Sources in the ChaMPlane Survey:
Identification of a New Cataclysmic Variable”
Shara, M.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 107, “The Inter-eruption Timescale of Classical Novae from Expansion of
the Z Camelopardalis Shell”
Shara, M.M., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 143, “GK Per (Nova Persei 1901): Hubble Space Telescope Imagery and
Spectroscopy of the Ejecta, and First Spectrum of the Jet-Like Feature”
Shimizu, T., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 418, 625, “Extinction Law in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies at z ~ 1”
Silvotti, R., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 1752, “Orbital Properties of an Unusually Low-Mass sdB Star in a Close
Binary System with a White Dwarf”
Smith, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 61, “The SDSS-II Supernova Survey: Parameterizing the Type Ia Supernova
Rate as a Function of Host Galaxy Properties”
Sowell, J.R., Henry, G.W., Fekel, F.C. 2012, AJ, 143, 5, “Absolute Properties of the Highly Eccentric, SolarType Eclipsing Binary HD 74057”
164
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Spinelli, P.F., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 420, 1384, “Weak-Lensing Mass Estimates of Galaxy Groups and the Lineof-Sight Contamination”
Stanford, S.A., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 164, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: Discovery of a Massive, InfraredSelected Galaxy Cluster at z = 1.75”
Starikova, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 126, “Clustering of Star-Forming Galaxies Detected in Mid-Infrared with the
Spitzer Wide-Area Survey”
Starikova, S., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 15, “Constraining Halo Occupation Properties of X-ray Active Galactic
Nuclei Using Clustering of Chandra Sources in the Boötes Survey Region”
Steinfadt, J.D.R., et al. 2012, PASP, 124, 1, “A Search for Pulsations in Helium White Dwarfs”
Strassmeier, K.G., et al. 2011, A&A, 535, A98, “Binary-Induced Magnetic Activity? Time-Series Echelle
Spectroscopy and Photometry of HD 123351 = CZ CVn”
Szkody, P., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 158, “HST and Optical Data Reveal White Dwarf Cooling, Spin, and
Periodicities in GW Librae 3–4 Years after Outburst”
Takagi, T., et al. 2012, A&A, 537, A24, “The AKARI NEP-Deep Survey: A Mid-Infrared Source Catalogue”
Taylor, J.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 127, “Measuring the Geometry of the Universe from Weak Gravitational
Lensing behind Galaxy Groups in the HST COSMOS Survey”
Teixeira, P.S., Lada, C.J., Marengo, M., Lada, E.A. 2012, A&A, 540, A83, “Spitzer Observations of NGC 2264:
The Nature of the Disk Population”
Telting, J.H., et al. 2012, A&A, 544, A1, “Three Ways to Solve the Orbit of KIC 11 558 725: A 10-day Beaming
sdB+WD Binary with a Pulsating Subdwarf”
Thompson, S.E., Everett, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 86, “A Class of Eccentric Binaries with Dynamic Tidal
Distortions Discovered with Kepler”
Todorov, K.O., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 111, “Warm Spitzer Observations of Three Hot Exoplanets: XO-4b, HATP-6b, and HAT-P-8b”
Tofflemire, B.M., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 12, “The Implications of M Dwarf Flares on the Detection and Characterization of Exoplanets at Infrared Wavelengths”
Tollerud, E.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 45, “The SPLASH Survey: Spectroscopy of 15 M31 Dwarf Spheroidal
Satellite Galaxies”
Trichas, M., … Jannuzi, B.T., … Smith, M.G., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 17, “The Chandra Multi-Wavelength
Project: Optical Spectroscopy and the Broadband Spectral Energy Distributions of X-ray-Selected AGNs”
Trouille, L., Barger, A.J., Tremonti, C. 2011, ApJ, 742, 46, “The OPTX Project. V. Identifying Distant Active
Galactic Nuclei”
Turner, D.G., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 2501, “Alessi 95 and the Short-Period Cepheid SU Cassiopeiae”
165
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
van den Berg, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 31, “The ChaMPlane Bright X-ray Sources—Galactic Longitudes l =
2°–358°”
van Eyken, J.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 42, “The PTF Orion Project: A Possible Planet Transiting a T-Tauri Star”
Vennes, S., Kawka, A. 2012, ApJ, 745, L12, “The Core Composition of a White Dwarf in a Close DoubleDegenerate System”
Vennes, S., Kawka, A., O’Toole, S.J., Thorstensen, J.R. 2012, ApJ, 756, L5, “The 1.17 Day Orbit of the DoubleDegenerate (DA+DQ) NLTT 16249”
Weisskopf, M.C., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 74, “The Identification of the X-ray Counterpart to PSR J2021+4026”
Weistrop, D., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 98, “Characteristics of Star-Forming Regions in the Advanced Minor-Merger,
Luminous Infrared Galaxy NGC 4194”
Westfall, K.B., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 18, “The DiskMass Survey. IV. The Dark-Matter-Dominated Galaxy UGC
463”
Whitaker, K.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 179, “A Large Population of Massive Compact Post-Starburst Galaxies at
z > 1: Implications for the Size Evolution and Quenching Mechanism of Quiescent Galaxies”
Whitaker, K.E., van Dokkum, P.G., Brammer, G., Franx, M. 2012, ApJ, 754, L29, “The Star Formation Mass
Sequence out to z = 2.5”
Williams, R.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, L12, “A Direct Measurement of Hierarchical Growth in Galaxy Groups
since z ~ 1”
Williams, S.J., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 146, “Radial Velocities of Galactic O-Type Stars. I. Short-Term Constant
Velocity Stars”
Willman, B., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 128, “Willman 1—A Probable Dwarf Galaxy with an Irregular Kinematic
Distribution”
Wittman, D., Ryan, R., Thorman, P. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 2251, “Ubercalibration of the Deep Lens Survey”
Xu, C.K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, 85, “Major-Merger Galaxy Pairs in the COSMOS Field—Mass-Dependent
Merger Rate Evolution since z = 1”
Zhang, H.-X., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 47, “Outside-In Shrinking of the Star-Forming Disk of Dwarf Irregular
Galaxies”
Zhao, J.K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 144, “The Initial-Final Mass Relation among White Dwarfs in Wide Binaries”
D.3 GEMINI TELESCOPES (NOAO SYSTEM SCIENCE CENTER)
During FY12 (Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012), 94 publications used data taken at the Gemini telescopes:3
3
Author Name in bold = NOAO Scientific Staff member; Author Name underlined = Undergraduate student in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program
166
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Alaghband-Zadeh, S., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 2232, “Integral Field Spectroscopy of 2.0 < z < 2.7
Submillimetre Galaxies: Gas Morphologies and Kinematics”
Arnold, T.J., Eisner, J.A., Monnier, J.D., Tuthill, P. 2012, ApJ, 750, 119, “New Spatially Resolved Mid-Infrared
Observations of the Transitional Disk TW Hya and Tentative Evidence for a Self-Luminous Companion”
Barone-Nugent, R.L., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 425, 1007, “Near-Infrared Observations of Type Ia Supernovae: The
Best Known Standard Candle for Cosmology”
Bayliss, M.B. 2012, ApJ, 744, 156, “Broadband Photometry of 105 Giant Arcs: Redshift Constraints and
Implications for Giant Arc Statistics”
Bazin, G., et al. 2011, A&A, 534, A43, “Photometric Selection of Type Ia Supernovae in the Supernova Legacy
Survey”
Beck, T.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 72, “Circumbinary Gas Accretion onto a Central Binary: Infrared Molecular
Hydrogen Emission from GG Tau A”
Beichman, C.A., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 85, “Multi-Epoch Observations of HD 69830: High-Resolution
Spectroscopy and Limits to Variability”
Bell, E., Slater, C.T., Martin, N.F. 2011, ApJ, 742, L15, “Andromeda XXIX: A New Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
200 kpc from Andromeda”
Berger, E., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 204, “The Spectroscopic Classification and Explosion Properties of SN 2009nz
Associated with GRB 091127 at z = 0.490”
Berger, E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, L29, “Ultraluminous Supernovae as a New Probe of the Interstellar Medium in
Distant Galaxies”
Bianco, F.B., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 20, “Constraining Type Ia Supernovae Progenitors from Three Years of
Supernova Legacy Survey Data”
Bilíková, J., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 3, “Spitzer Search for Dust Disks around Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae”
Brinkworth, C.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 86, “A Spitzer Space Telescope Study of the Debris Disks around Four
SDSS White Dwarfs”
Buckley-Geer, E.J., … Smith, R.C., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 48, “The Serendipitous Observation of a Gravitationally Lensed Galaxy at z = 0.9057 from the Blanco Cosmology Survey: The Elliot Arc”
Bussmann, R.S., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et.al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 150, “The Star Formation Histories of z ~ 2
Dust-Obscured Galaxies and Submillimeter-Selected Galaxies”
Cano, Z., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 41, “XRF 100316D/SN 2010bh and the Nature of Gamma-ray Burst Supernovae”
Capelo, H.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, L18, “Locating the Trailing Edge of the Circumbinary Ring in the KH 15D
System”
Casassus, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, L31, “The Dynamically Disrupted Gap in HD 142527”
167
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Chomiuk, L., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 114, “Pan-STARRS1 Discovery of Two Ultraluminous Supernovae at z 
0.9”
Churcher, L.J., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 1715, “Multiwavelength Modelling of the  Leo Debris Disc: One,
Two, or Three Planetesimal Populations?”
Clayton, G.C., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 44, “The Circumstellar Environment of R Coronae Borealis: White Dwarf
Merger or Final-Helium-Shell Flash?”
Close, L.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 180, “High-Resolution Images of Orbital Motion in the Orion Trapezium
Cluster with the LBT AO System”
Corsi, A., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 76, “PTF 10bzf (SN 2010ah): A Broad-Line Ic Supernova Discovered by the
Palomar Transient Factory”
Cucchiara, A., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 154, “Constraining Gamma-ray Burst Emission Physics with Extensive
Early-Time, Multiband Follow-Up”
D’Andrea, C.B., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 172, “Spectroscopic Properties of Star-Forming Host Galaxies and Type
Ia Supernova Hubble Residuals in a Nearly Unbiased Sample”
Damjanov, I., et al. 2011, ApJ, 739, L44, “Red Nuggets at High Redshift: Structural Evolution of Quiescent
Galaxies over 10 Gyr of Cosmic History”
De Buizer, J.M., Bartkiewicz, A., Szymczak, M. 2012, ApJ, 754, 149, “Testing the Hypothesis that Methanol
Maser Rings Trace Circumstellar Disks: High-Resolution Near-Infrared and Mid-Infrared Imaging”
De Rosa, R.J., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 2765, “The Volume-Limited A-Star (VAST) Survey—II. Orbital
Motion Monitoring of A-Type Star Multiples”
Dufour, P., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 6, “Detailed Compositional Analysis of the Heavily Polluted DBZ White Dwarf
SDSS J073842.56+183509.06: A Window on Planet Formation?”
Dupree, A.K., … Schuler, S.C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 73, “TW Hya: Spectral Variability, X-rays, and Accretion
Diagnostics”
Fabbri, J., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 418, 1285, “The Effects of Dust on the Optical and Infrared Evolution of SN
2004et”
Fong, W., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 189, “A Jet Break in the X-ray Light Curve of Short GRB 111020A: Implications for Energetics and Rates”
Fraser, M., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 1417, “SN 2009md: Another Faint Supernova from a Low-Mass
Progenitor”
Gallagher, J.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 109, “Optical and Infrared Analysis of Type II SN 2006bc”
Georgiev, I.Y., Goudfrooij, P., Puzia, T.H. 2012, MNRAS, 420, 1317, “New Insights into the Star Formation
Histories of Candidate Intermediate-Age Early-Type Galaxies from K'-band Imaging of Globular Clusters”
168
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Gonzalez, A.H., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 163, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: Cosmological Implications of a
Massive, Strong Lensing Cluster at z = 1.75”
Grützbauch, R., Bauer, A.E., Jørgensen, I., Varela, J. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 3652, “Suppression of Star Formation
in the Central 200 kpc of a z = 1.4 Galaxy Cluster”
Guidorzi, C., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 2124, “A Faint Optical Flash in Dust-Obscured GRB 080603A:
Implications for GRB Prompt Emission Mechanisms”
Hainaut, O.R., et al. 2012, A&A, 537, A69, “P/2010 A2 Linear. I. An Impact in the Asteroid Main Belt”
Hsieh, H.H., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, L15, “Discovery of Main-Belt Comet P/2006 VW139 by Pan-Starrs1”
Inada, N., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 119, “The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Lens Search. V. Final Catalog from
the Seventh Data Release”
Indriolo, N., McCall, B.J. 2012, ApJ, 745, 91, “Investigating the Cosmic-Ray Ionization Rate in the Galactic
Diffuse Interstellar Medium through Observations of
”
Ingleby, L., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 105, “Near-Ultraviolet Excess in Slowly Accreting T Tauri Stars: Limits
Imposed by Chromospheric Emission”
Jalali, B., et al. 2012, A&A, 538, A19, “A Dynamical N-Body Model for the Central Region of  Centauri”
Janson, M., Bonavita, M., Klahr, H., Lafrenière, D. 2012, ApJ, 745, 4, “How Do Most Planets Form?—
Contraints on Disk Instability from Direct Imaging”
Khargharia, J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 183, “PSR J1903+0327: A Unique Millisecond Pulsar with a MainSequence Companion Star”
Koss, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, L22, “Understanding Dual Active Galactic Nucleus Activation in the Nearby
Universe”
Kwitter, K.B., Lehman, E.M.M., Balick, B., Henry, R.B.C. 2012, ApJ, 753, 12, “Abundances of Planetary
Nebulae in the Outer Disk of M31”
Lebreton, J., et al. 2012, A&A, 539, A17, “An Icy Kuiper Belt around the Young Solar-Type Star HD 181327”
Littlejohns, O.M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 2692, “The Origin of the Early-Time Optical Emission of Swift
GRB 080310”
Long, K.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 18, “Recovery of the Historical SN1957D in X-rays with Chandra”
Margutti, R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 63, “The Afterglow and Environment of the Short GRB 111117A”
Mason, R.E., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 11, “The Nuclear Infrared Emission of Low-Luminosity Active Galactic
Nuclei”
McConnell, N.J., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2011, Nature, 480, 215, “Two Ten-Billion-Solar Mass Black Holes at the
Centres of Giant Elliptical Galaxies”
169
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
McConnell, N.J., … Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 179, “Dynamical Measurements of Black Hole Masses
in Four Brightest Cluster Galaxies at 100 Mpc”
McDonald, M., et al. 2012, Nature, 488, 349, “A Massive, Cooling-Flow-Induced Starburst in the Core of a
Luminous Cluster of Galaxies”
Mehner, A., et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 80, “Critical Differences and Clues in Eta Car’s 2009 Event”
Mehner, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 73, “Secular Changes in Eta Carinae’s Wind 1998–2011”
Mehrtens, N., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 1024, “The XMM Cluster Survey: Optical Analysis Methodology and
the First Data Release”
Mei, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 141, “Early-Type Galaxies at z = 1.3. I. The Lynx Supercluster: Cluster and
Groups at z = 1.3. Morphology and Color-Magnitude Relation”
Melis, C., et al. 2012, Nature, 487, 74, “Rapid Disappearance of a Warm, Dusty Circumstellar Disk”
Mikles, V.J., Hynes, R.I. 2012, ApJ, 750, 132, “Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph Spectroscopy of EXO 0748676 (=UY Vol) in Outburst”
Miszalski, B., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 934, “IC 4663: The First Unambiguous [WN] Wolf-Rayet Central Star
of a Planetary Nebula”
Muzzin, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 188, “The Gemini Cluster Astrophysics Spectroscopic Survey (GClass): The
Role of Environment and Self-Regulation in Galaxy Evolution at z ~ 1”
Oguri, M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 420, 3213, “Combined Strong and Weak Lensing Analysis of 28 Clusters from
the Sloan Giant Arcs Survey”
Otsuka, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 26, “Late-Time Light Curves of the Type II Supernovae: Physical Properties of
Supernovae and Their Environment”
Parker, A.H., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 1, “Characterization of Seven Ultra-Wide Trans-Neptunian Binaries”
Parrent, J.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, L26, “Analysis of the Early-Type Optical Spectra of SN 2011fe in M101”
Perrett, K., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 59, “Evolution in the Volumetric Type Ia Supernova Rate from the Supernova
Legacy Survey”
Petit, J.-M., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 131, “The Canada-France Ecliptic Plane Survey—Full Data Release: The
Orbital Structure of the Kuiper Belt”
Placco, V.M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 142, 188, “Searches for Metal-Poor Stars from the Hamburg/ESO Survey Using
the CH G Band”
Postman, M., Lauer, T.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 159, “A Brightest Cluster Galaxy with an Extremely Large Flat
Core”
Pritzl, B.J., … Saha, A., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 198, “Probing the M33 Halo Using RR Lyrae Stars”
170
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Raichoor, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 130, “Early-Type Galaxies at z ~ 1.3. IV. Scaling Relations in Different
Environments”
Rapoport, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 139, “Testing Gravitational Lensing as the Source of Enhanced Strong Mg II
Absorption toward Gamma-ray Bursts”
Rossi, A., et al. 2012, A&A, 545, A77, “A Deep Search for the Host Galaxies of Gamma-ray Bursts with No
Detected Optical Afterglow”
Salyk, C., Blake, G.A., Boogert, A.C.A., Brown, J.M. 2011, ApJ, 743, 112, “CO Rovibrational Emission as a
Probe of Inner Disk Structure”
Samra, R.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, L12, “Proper Motions and Internal Dynamics in the Core of the Globular
Cluster M71”
Sand, D.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 163, “The Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey: Type Ia Supernova Rate
Measurement in z ~ 0.1 Clusters and the Late-Time Delay Time Distribution”
Sanders, N.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 184, “SN 2010ay is a Luminous and Broad-Lined Type Ic Supernova within
a Low-Metallicity Host Galaxy”
Sheppard, S.S., Ragozzine, D., Trujillo, C. 2012, AJ, 143, 58, “2007 TY430: A Cold Classical Kuiper Belt Type
Binary in the Plutino Population”
Smith, R., Wyatt, M.C., Haniff, C.A. 2012, MNRAS, 422, 2560, “Resolving the Terrestrial Planet Forming
Regions of HD 113766 and HD 172555 with MIDI”
Soria, R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 152, “The Birth of an Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M83”
Sromovsky, L.A., et al. 2012, Icarus, 220, 6, “Episodic Bright and Dark Spots on Uranus”
Sromovsky, L.A., et al. 2012, Icarus, 220, 694, “Post-Equinox Dynamics and Polar Cloud Structure on Uranus”
Steele, M.M., et al. 2011, ApJ, 739, 95, “Velocity Structure and Variability of [O III] Emission in Black Hole
Host Globular Cluster RZ2109”
Stritzinger, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 756, 173, “Multi-Wavelength Observations of the Enduring Type IIn Supernovae 2005ip and 2006jd”
Sugerman, B.E.K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 170, “Thirty Years of SN 1980K: Evidence for Light Echoes”
Swinbank, A.M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 420, 672, “From Star-Forming Spirals to Passive Spheroids: Integral
Field Spectroscopy of E+A Galaxies”
Tanvir, N.R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 754, 46, “Star Formation in the Early Universe: Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg”
Thöne, C.C., et al. 2011, Nature, 480, 72, “The Unusual γ-ray Burst GRB 101225A from a Helium Star/Neutron
Star Merger at Redshift 0.33”
Trichas, M., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 17, “The Chandra Multi-Wavelength Project: Optical Spectroscopy and the
Broadband Spectral Energy Distributions of X-ray-Selected AGNs”
171
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Vachier, F., Berthier, J., Marchis, F. 2012, A&A, 543, A68, “Determination of Binary Asteroid Orbits with a
Genetic-Based Algorithm”
Wuyts, E., Rigby, J.R., Sharon, K., Gladders, M.D. 2012, ApJ, 755, 73, “Constraints on the Low-Mass End of the
Mass-Metallicity Relation at z = 1-2 from Lensed Galaxies”
D.4 W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY: KECK I AND II
During FY12 (Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012), 13 publications used data taken at Keck telescopes as a result of
available community-access time:4
Bakos, G.Á., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 116, “HAT-P-20b-HAT-P-23b: Four Massive Transiting Extrasolar Planets”
Bakos, G.Á., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 19, “HAT-P-34b-HAT-P-37b: Four Transiting Planets More Massive than
Jupiter Orbiting Moderately Bright Stars”
Coil, A.L., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 46, “Outflowing Galactic Winds in Post-Starburst and Active Galactic Nucleus
Host Galaxies at 0.2 < z < 0.8”
Cooke, R., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 417, 1534, “The Most Metal-Poor Damped Lyα Systems: Insights into
Chemical Evolution in the Very Metal-Poor Regime”
Dufour, P., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 6, “Detailed Compositional Analysis of the Heavily Polluted DBZ White Dwarf
SDSS J073842.56+183509.06: A Window on Planet Formation?”
Gómez Maqueo Chew, Y., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 58, “Luminosity Discrepancy in the Equal-Mass, Pre-mainsequence Eclipsing Binary Par 1802: Non-coevality or Tidal Heating?”
Giguere, M.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 4, “A High-Eccentricity Component in the Double-Planet System around
HD 163607 and a Planet around HD 164509”
Hartman, J.D., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 59, “HAT-P-32b and HAT-P-33b: Two Highly Inflated Hot Jupiters
Transiting High-Jitter Stars”
Howard, A.W., et al. 2012, ApJ, 749, 134, “HAT-P-17b,c: A Transiting, Eccentric, Hot Saturn and a LongPeriod, Cold Jupiter”
Jiang, L., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 65, “Keck Spectroscopy of Lyman-Break Galaxies and Its Implications for the
UV-Continuum and Lyα Luminosity Functions at z > 6”
Mace, G.N., et al. 2012, AJ, 144, 55, “Dynamical Measurements of the Young Upper Scorpius Triple NTTS
155808-2219”
Quinn, S.N., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 80, “HAT-P-25b: A Hot-Jupiter Transiting a Moderately Faint G Star”
Schaefer, G.H., Prato, L., Simon, M., Zavala, R.T. 2012, ApJ, 756, 120, “Orbit and Stellar Properties of the
Young Triple V807 Tau”
4
Time allocation from Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) award or Facilities Instrumentation Program (FIP).
172
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
D.5 HET AND MMT
During FY12 (Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012), nine publications used data taken at the HET and MMT telescopes
as a result of available community-access time:5
Carlin, J.L., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 25, “Kinematics and Chemistry of Stars along the Sagittarius Trailing Tidal
Tail and Constraints on the Milky Way Mass Distribution”
Drout, M.R., Massey, P., Meynet, G. 2012, ApJ, 750, 97, “The Yellow and Red Supergiants of M33”
Hanami, H., et al. 2012, PASJ, 64, 70, “Star Formation and AGN Activity in Galaxies Classified Using the
1.6 μm Bump and PAH Features at z = 0.4–2”
Ko, J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 181, “AKARI Observation of the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Supercluster at z =
0.087: Mid-Infrared View of Transition Galaxies”
Lacy, M., … Ridgway, S.E., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 196, “The Stellar, Molecular Gas, and Dust Content of the
Host Galaxies of Two z ~ 2.8 Dust-Obscured Quasars”
Ly, C., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 63, “The Stellar Population and Star Formation Rates of z ≈ 1.5–1.6 [O II]-Emitting
Galaxies Selected from Narrowband Emission-Line Surveys”
Moran, S.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 66, “The GALEX Arecibo SDSS Survey. V. The Relation between the H I
Content of Galaxies and Metal Enrichment at Their Outskirts”
Ross, N.P., et al. 2012, ApJS, 199, 3, “The SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Quasar Target
Selection for Data Release Nine”
Shafter, A.W., Darnley, M.J., Bode, M.F., Ciardullo, R. 2012, ApJ, 752, 156, “On the Spectroscopic Classes of
Novae in M33”
D.6 MAGELLAN
During FY12 (Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012), six publications used data taken at the Magellan telescopes as a
result of available community-access time:6
Aird, J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 746, 90, “PRIMUS: The Dependence of AGN Accretion on Host Stellar Mass and
Color”
Coil, A.L., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 8, “The PRIsm MUlti-object Survey (PRIMUS). I. Survey Overview and
Characteristics”
Cushing, M.C., et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 50, “The Discovery of Y Dwarfs Using Data from the Wide-Field Infrared
Survey Explorer (WISE)”
Kirkpatrick, J.D., et al. 2011, ApJS, 197, 19, “The First Hundred Brown Dwarfs Discovered by the Wide-Field
Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)”
5
6
Time Allocation from Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) award or Facilities Instrumentation Program (FIP).
Ibid.
173
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Levesque, E.M., Massey, P. 2012, AJ, 144, 2, “Spectral Types of Red Supergiants in NGC 6822 and the WolfLundmark-Melotte Galaxy”
Soria, R., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 152, “The Birth of an Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M83”
D.7 CHARA AND HALE
During FY12 (Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012), zero publications used data taken at the CHARA and Hale telescopes as a result of available community-access time:7
D.8 NOAO SCIENCE ARCHIVE
During FY12 (Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012), 30 publications used data stored in the NOAO Science Archive:
Barrows, R.S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 7, “A Candidate Dual Active Galactic Nucleus at z = 1.175”
Brodwin, M., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 162, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: SunyaevZel’dovich Measurement of a Massive Infrared-Selected Cluster at z = 1.75”
Bussmann, R.S., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 744, 150, “The Star Formation Histories of z ~ 2
Dust-Obscured Galaxies and Submillimeter-Selected Galaxies”
Coil, A.L., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 8, “The PRIsm MUlti-object Survey (PRIMUS). I. Survey Overview and
Characteristics”
Cook, R.I., Dell’Antonio, I.P. 2012, ApJ, 750, 153, “The Missing Weak Lensing Mass in A781”
Cool, R.J., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 10, “The Galaxy Optical Luminosity Function
from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey”
Davidge, T.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 751, 74, “The Recent Stellar Archeology of M31—The Nearest Red Disk
Galaxy”
Dawson, W.A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 747, L42, “Discovery of a Dissociative Galaxy Cluster Merger with Large
Physical Separation”
Eisenhardt, P.R.M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 173, “The First Hyper-Luminous Infrared Galaxy Discovered by
WISE”
Fang, G., Kong, X., Chen, Y., Lin, X. 2012, ApJ, 751, 109, “Passive and Star-Forming Galaxies at 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 2.5
in the AEGIS Field”
Geller, M.J., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 102, “The Faint End of the Luminosity Function and Low Surface Brightness
Galaxies”
Kochanek, C.S., … Jannuzi, B.T., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJS, 200, 8, “AGES: The AGN and Galaxy
Evolution Survey”
Kurtz, M.J., et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 168, “Testing Weak-Lensing Maps with Redshift Surveys: A Subaru Field”
7
Time allocation from Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) award.
174
PUBLICATIONS USING DATA FROM NOAO TELESCOPES
Marchesini, D., Stefanon, M., Brammer, G.B., Whitaker, K.E. 2012, ApJ, 748, 126, “The Evolution of the RestFrame V-Band Luminosity Function from z = 4: A Constant Faint-End Slope over the Last 12 Gyr of Cosmic
History”
Mehrtens, N., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 1024, “The XMM Cluster Survey: Optical Analysis Methodology and
the First Data Release”
Melbourne, J., … Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, AJ, 143, 125, “The Spectral Energy Distributions and
Infrared Luminosities of z ≈ 2 Dust-Obscured Galaxies from Herschel and Spitzer”
Mitchell-Wynne, K., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 23, “HerMES: A Statistical Measurement of the Redshift Distribution
of Herschel-SPIRE Sources Using the Cross-Correlation Technique”
Piatti, A.E. 2011, MNRAS, 418, L40, “New Insights on the Bursting Formation of Star Clusters in the Large
Magellanic Cloud”
Prescott, M.K.M., Dey, A., … Jannuzi, B.T., et al. 2012, ApJ, 752, 86, “Resolving the Galaxies within a Giant
Lyα Nebula: Witnessing the Formation of a Galaxy Group?”
Prescott, M.K.M., Dey, A., Jannuzi, B.T. 2012, ApJ, 748, 125, “A Successful Broadband Survey for Giant Lyα
Nebulae. I. Survey Design and Candidate Selection”
Relaño, M., et al. 2012, MNRAS, 423, 2933, “On How Leakage Can Affect the Star Formation Rate Estimation
Using Hα Luminosity”
Sasaki, M., et al. 2012, A&A, 544, A144, “Supernova Remnants and Candidates Detected in the XMM-Newton
M31 Large Survey”
Schneider, M.D., Becker, R.H., de Vries, W., White, R.L. 2012, ApJ, 750, 154, “Foreground Predictions for the
Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum from Measurements of Faint Inverted Radio Sources at 5
GHz”
Stanford, S.A., … Dey, A., et al. 2012, ApJ, 753, 164, “IDCS J1426.5+3508: Discovery of a Massive, InfraredSelected Galaxy Cluster at z = 1.75”
Starikova, S., et al. 2011, ApJ, 741, 15, “Constraining Halo Occupation Properties of X-ray Active Galactic
Nuclei Using Clustering of Chandra Sources in the Boötes Survey Region”
Teixeira, P.S., Lada, C.J., Marengo, M., Lada, E.A. 2012, A&A, 540, A83, “Spitzer Observations of NGC 2264:
The Nature of the Disk Population”
van den Berg, M., et al. 2012, ApJ, 748, 31, “The ChaMPlane Bright X-ray Sources—Galactic Longitudes l =
2°–358°”
Whitaker, K.E., et al. 2012, ApJ, 745, 179, “A Large Population of Massive Compact Post-Starburst Galaxies at
z > 1: Implications for the Size Evolution and Quenching Mechanism of Quiescent Galaxies”
Whitaker, K.E., van Dokkum, P.G., Brammer, G., Franx, M. 2012, ApJ, 754, L29, “The Star Formation Mass
Sequence out to z = 2.5”
Wittman, D., Ryan, R., Thorman, P. 2012, MNRAS, 421, 2251, “Ubercalibration of the Deep Lens Survey”
175
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
E USAGE STATISTICS FOR ARCHIVED DATA
The first two tables below illustrate access to and usage of reduced data in the NOAO Science Archive
(R2) from NOAO Survey programs. The table on the left shows the data download volume in gigabytes,
the number of files retrieved and the number of unique visitors (for that month) who downloaded archive
data through the ftp site. The table on the right shows the Web activity logged from the NOAO Science
Archive Web site. It includes users (visitors) collecting additional information before or after downloading data, as well as visualization of the data online.
Archive Data Retrieval Activity (ftp)
Retrieved
Files
Unique
Date
(GB)
Retrieved
Visitors
Oct 2011
Nov 2011
Dec 2011
Jan 2012
Feb 2012
Mar 2012
Apr 2012
May 2012
Jun 2012
Jul 2012
Aug 2012
Sep 2012
Total:
78.08
20.02
80.37
88.93
93.91
189.60
3.72
18.40
19.77
1.58
20.57
103.09
718.04
3,659
96
3,644
3,774
4,527
1,079
21
109
186
45
187
5,439
13
14
11
9
22
22
5
16
11
7
14
10
22,766
154
NOAO Science Archive Web Site Activity
Bandwidth
Pages
Unique
Date
(GB)
Viewed
Visitors
Oct 2011
Nov 2011
Dec 2011
Jan 2012
Feb 2012
Mar 2012
Apr 2012
May 2012
Jun 2012
Jul 2012
Aug 2012
Sep 2012
Total:
268.59
202.32
232.34
294.82
611.69
257.76
181.09
138.57
209.78
137.26
44.28
69.13
21,146
23,461
20,089
41,953
48,934
28,081
19,688
13,014
20,930
14,985
12,200
9,799
1,045
1,212
2,381
2,270
2,484
1,978
1,431
1,324
2,327
1,427
1,052
1,592
2,647.63
274,280
20,523
The NOAO SkyNode provides access to catalogs and is complementary to the NOAO Science Archive, which provides access to images.
Date
Oct 2011
Nov 2011
Dec 2011
Jan 2012
Feb 2012
Mar 2012
Apr 2012
May 2012
Jun 2012
Jul 2012
Aug 2012
Sep 2012
Total:
Tucson NOAO SkyNode
Bandwidth
Pages
(MB)
Viewed
Unique
Visitors
11.34
11.04
10.10
10.75
11.03
10.12
12.00
38.52
17.42
12.55
7.46
0
1,611
1,085
1,105
1,056
1,156
1,003
1,164
2,127
3,995
3,870
2,411
0
255
190
198
175
147
138
165
227
185
164
106
0
152.33
20,583
1,950
176
USAGE STATISTICS FOR ARCHIVED DATA
The NOAO Portal provides principal investigators (PIs) access to their raw data from all instruments
and to pipeline-reduced products from the Mosaic instruments at the CTIO and KPNO 4-meter telescopes and the NEWFIRM instrument. After the requisite proprietary period (usually 18 months), the
data become accessible to the general public.
Portal Data Retrieval Activity (ftp)
Bandwidth
Pages
Unique
Date
(GB)
Viewed
Visitors
NVO Portal Data Retrieval Activity
Bandwidth
Pages
Unique
Date
(MB)
Viewed
Visitors
Oct 2011
162.36
6,835
24
Oct 2011
390.53
12,8673
621
Nov 2011
401.77
13,643
20
Nov 2011
1,300.48
18,283
556
Dec 2011
123.39
4,847
13
Dec 2011
415.44
15,570
639
Jan 2012
56.20
6,221
22
Jan 2012
607.62
16,857
592
Feb 2012
220.89
12,289
31
Feb 2012
719.49
19,193
643
Mar 2012
186.87
8,968
22
Mar 2012
2,119.68
39,156
743
Apr 2012
90.74
3,853
10
Apr 2012
821.60
26,450
621
May 2012
136.25
8,347
38
May 2012
3,112.96
22,132
736
Jun 2012
308.94
9,401
34
Jun 2012
656.69
39,741
678
Jul 2012
411.71
27,363
22
Jul 2012
8,540.16
74,557
967
Aug 2012
464.05
7,333
19
Aug 2012
1,054.72
59,357
712
Sep 2012
185.78
5,199
27
Sep 2012
3,338.24
31,054
668
2,748.95
114,299
282
23,077.61
491,023
8,176
Total:
Total:
177
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
F TELESCOPE PROPOSAL STATISTICS
F.1
SEMESTER 2012A PROPOSAL STATISTICS
The following tables include 2012A observing request statistics for standard and survey proposals requesting resources in the US ground-based observing system coordinated by NOAO.
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
Telescope
Nights
Requests
Requested
Nights
Average Nights
DD Nights
Previously
Request Allocated (*)
Allocated
Nights
Subscription
Scheduled for
Rate for New
New ProPrograms
grams
CT-4m
14
52.0
3.71
14
0
1
13
4.00
SOAR
48
125.0
2.60
37
0
0
37
3.38
CT-1.5m
9
25.5
2.83
13.5
0
6.8
6.7
3.81
CT-1.3m
19
61.5
3.24
34.95
0
3.8
31.15
1.97
CT-1.0m
9
42.0
4.67
18
0
0
18
2.33
CT-0.9m
8
29.0
3.62
20
0
0
20
1.45
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Telescope
Nights
Requests
Requested
Nights
Average Nights
DD Nights
Previously
Request Allocated (*)
Allocated
Nights
Subscription
Scheduled for
Rate for New
New ProPrograms
grams
KP-4m
75
269.9
3.60
145
0
17
128
2.11
WIYN
45
165.4
3.68
26
0
2
24
6.89
KP-2.1m
36
174.0
4.83
122
0
0
122
1.43
KP-0.9m
6
11.0
1.83
9
0
0
9
1.22
Gemini Observatory
Telescope
Nights
Requests
Requested
Nights
Average Nights
DD Nights
Previously
Request Allocated (*)
Allocated
Nights
Subscription
Scheduled for
Rate for New
New ProPrograms
grams
GEM-N
213
247.2
1.16
56.08
0
1
55.08
4.49
GEM-S
90
96.0
1.07
40.68
0.1
0
40.68
2.36
178
TELESCOPE PROPOSAL STATISTICS
Community-Access Telescopes
Telescope
Nights
Requests
Requested
Nights
Average Nights
DD Nights
Previously
Request Allocated (*)
Allocated
Nights
Subscription
Scheduled for
Rate for New
New ProPrograms
grams
CHARA
15
22.9
1.53
6.2
0
0
6.2
3.69
MMT
19
44.5
2.34
13
0
0
13
3.42
Hale
9
23.0
2.56
8
0
0
8
2.88
* - Nights allocated by NOAO Director
F.2
SEMESTER 2012B PROPOSAL STATISTICS
The following tables include 2012B observing request statistics for standard and survey proposals requesting resources in the US ground-based observing system coordinated by NOAO. Semester 2012B is
the first semester in which proposals were accepted for community-access time on the Anglo-Australian
Telescope.
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
Telescope
Nights
Requests
Requested
Nights
Average Nights
DD Nights
Previously
Request Allocated (*)
Allocated
Nights
Subscription
Scheduled for
Rate for New
New ProPrograms
grams
CT-4m
11
24.5
2.23
12.5
0
0
12.5
1.96
SOAR
36
121.3
3.37
47
1
0
47
2.58
CT-1.5m
10
37.0
3.70
19.35
0
5.2
14.15
2.61
CT-1.3m
13
43.2
3.32
25.94
0
8.1
17.84
2.42
CT-1.0m
3
21.0
7.00
0
0
CT-0.9m
12
39.0
3.25
0
0
29
1.34
29
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Telescope
Nights ReRequests
quested
Average
Request
Nights
Nights
Nights Allo- DD Nights
Scheduled
Previously
cated
(*)
for New
Allocated
Programs
Subscription
Rate for New
Programs
KP-4m
77
322.3
4.19
113.5
0
0
113.5
2.84
WIYN
26
81.0
3.12
38.5
0
0
38.5
2.10
KP-2.1m
33
165.5
5.02
128.5
0
7.5
121
1.37
KP-0.9m
1
9.0
9.00
13
0
4
9
1.00
179
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Observatory
Telescope
Nights ReRequests
quested
Average
Request
Nights
Nights
Nights Allo- DD Nights
Scheduled
Previously
cated
(*)
for New
Allocated
Programs
Subscription
Rate for New
Programs
GEM-N
251
204.6
0.82
49.121
0
4.3
44.821
4.56
GEM-S
124
98.7
0.80
39.651
0
5.2
34.451
2.86
Community-Access Telescopes
Telescope
Requests
Nights Requested
Average
Request
Nights
Nights
Nights Allo- DD Nights
Scheduled
Previously
cated
(*)
for New
Allocated
Programs
Subscription
Rate for New
Programs
MMT
15
24.5
1.63
13.5
0
0
13.5
1.81
Hale
14
29.3
2.09
10
0
0
10
2.93
AAT
5
6.2
1.24
3.9
0
0
3.9
1.59
* - Nights allocated by NOAO Director
180
G OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
The following statistics and observing programs describe only those standard and survey proposals from
the NOAO time allocation process that were scheduled for observing time in semesters 2012A/B
G.1 DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographics for the 366 unique observing programs covering 1093.4 nights and their investigators are
provided below.
Annual Summary Data for Semesters 2012A/B Observing Programs
(Excludes NOAO Staff except for unique observing programs)
Description
US
Foreign
Unique NOAO TAC observing programs scheduled on NOAO telescopes
(includes programs under TSIP/FIP on private telescopes)
325
41
1012.8
80.6
Unique Investigators (PIs + Co-Is) associated with approved observing programs
828
368
Ph.D. thesis observers
72
35
Non-thesis graduate students
80
23
Discrete institutions represented
166
146
US states represented (including District of Columbia)
41
NA
Foreign countries represented
NA
32
Total number of nights scheduled for above unique observing programs
Breakdown of Investigators from US Institutions for Approved 2012A/B Observing Programs
(Excluds NOAO Staff)
5
NH
8
0
3
0
VT
2
0
0
0
10
0
27
2
18
3
0
2
196
208
33
3
18
27
22
3
15
0
6
17
2
8
16
61
3
6
0
9
0
24
1
21
7
1
Investigators by State
0 to 1, 10
1 to 5, 13
5 to 15, 8
15 to 40, 15
40 to 200, 5
40
HI
181
29
18
NJ
2
DE
65
MD
17
DC
82
MA
2
RI
22
CT
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Investigators by Country
Observing Programs for
Semesters 2012A/B
(Excludes NOAO Staff)
Country*
#
Top 10 US Institutions with the Most Unique Investigators
Observing Programs for Semesters 2012A/B (Excludes NOAO Staff)
Rank
US Institution
# of
Investigators
1
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
45
USA
UK
828
86
2
University of California, Berkeley
30
3
Space Telescope Science Institute, University of Arizona
28
Canada
50
4
Gemini Observatory North
24
Germany
39
Australia
27
5
California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology-IPAC
Chile
24
6
University of Florida
The Netherlands
Belgium
19
13
7
Carnegie Observatories, Pennsylvania State University
15 ea.
Japan
13
8
Georgia State University; University of Colorado; University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of Texas, Austin
14 ea.
Spain
12
Brazil
11
9
13 ea.
Italy
11
Carnegie Institution of Washington; Harvard University; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California,
Santa Cruz; University of Chicago
Taiwan
France
11
10
10
California Institute of Technology--JPL, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland
12 ea.
Israel
7
Korea
5
Denmark
4
Argentina
2
Austria
Greece
2
2
India
2
Mexico
2
Poland
2
19 ea.
17
Top 10 Foreign Institutions with the Most Unique Investigators
Observing Programs for Semesters 2012A/B (Excludes NOAO Staff)
Rank
Foreign Institution
# of
Investigators
1
University of Oxford
15
2
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
13
3
University of Montreal
11
4
University of Durham
10
5
European Southern Observatory, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
9 ea.
6
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Max-Planck-Institut für
extraterrestrische Physik, McGill University, Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad de Chile, University of
Leicester, University of Nottingham
7 ea.
South Africa
Sweden
2
2
Venezuela
2
China
1
Czech Republic
1
Iceland
1
New Zealand
Other
1
1
7
Australian National University, National Tsing Hua University,
University of Toronto
6 ea.
Russia
1
8
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh; Swinburne University of Technology
5 ea.
South Korea
1
Switzerland
1
9
Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias,
Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Macquarie University,
McMaster University, National Astronomical Observatory of
Japan, Open University, Tel Aviv University, Universidad
Federale do Rio Grande do Sul, University College London,
University of Tokyo, University of Western Ontario
4 ea.
10
Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Australian Astronomical Observatory, Commissariat à
l'Énergie Atomique, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble,
Leiden Observatory, Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie,
Monash University, Netherlands Institute for Space Research,
Queen's University Belfast, Seoul National University, University of Exeter, University of Portsmouth, University of Sydney,
University of Warwick, Weizmann Institute of Science, York
University
3 ea.
* The location of the investigator’s institution determines the
country of origin for the investigator.
182
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
G.2 CERRO TOLOLO INTER-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY

Blanco 4-m Telescope: 90% of time available to public through NOAO TAC (including exchange time); 10% to Chilean proposers.

SOAR 4.1-m Telescope: The US community has access to approximately 30% of SOAR time.

CTIO Small Telescopes: NOAO has access to 25% time on each of the four telescopes now
operated by the SMARTS consortium: CTIO 1.5-m, 1.3-m (former 2MASS), 1.0-m, and 0.9-m
telescopes. During January through September 2012, only three telescopes were operating at the
same time, and NOAO had access to 25% time on each of the three in operation.
CTIO Semester 2012A
CTIO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (30), and US Theses (5) 
Telescope
Nights
J. Bauer, A. Mainzer (CalTech-JPL), T. Grav (PSI), J. Masiero (CalTech-JPL), R. McMillan (U. of
Arizona): “A WISE Long Period Comet Survey”
SOAR
2
S. Benecchi (Carnegie Institution of Washington), W. Grundy (Lowell Observatory), K. Noll
(STScI): “Resolved Lightcurves of Cold Classical Transneptunian Binaries and One Mutual Event”
SOAR
1
F. Bianco (UC Santa Barbara), A. Rest (STScI), J. Prieto (Carnegie Observatories), B. Sinnott
(McMaster University), N. Smith (U. of Arizona), A. van der Wel (McMaster University), D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), S. Points (CTIO): “Multiband Monitoring of Light Echoes from the Historical Eruptions of Eta Carinae”
SOAR
2
CT-1.5m-SVC
CT-1.3m
0.95
0.7
CT-1.3m
3.6
CT-0.9m-SVC
3.5
C. Gelino, J. Kirkpatrick, K. Marsh (IPAC), M. Cushing (U. of Toledo), P. Eisenhardt (CalTechJPL), M. Skrutskie (U. of Virginia), R. Griffith (O) (IPAC): “Photometric Follow-up of WISE
Brown Dwarf Candidates”
SOAR
5
C. Hamilton-Drager (Dickinson College), C. Johns-Krull (Rice U.): “Rotational Velocities of PreMain Sequence Stars in NGC 2362”
CT-4m
1
T. Hillwig (Valparaiso U.), D. Frew, O. De Marco, D. Douchin (G) (Macquarie University), A. Bain
(U), J. Long (U), A. Seider (U), H. Rotter (U) (Valparaiso U.): “Detecting Close Binary Central
Stars of Planetary Nebulae: Faint Target Photometry”
CT-1.3m
7
H. Hsieh, H. Kaluna (G), K. Meech (U. of Hawai’i): “Nucleus Characterization of Main-Belt Comet
P/Garradd”
SOAR
2
C. Johnson, R. Rich (UCLA), A. Kunder (CTIO): “Exploring the Population of Galactic Bulge
Globular Clusters”
CT-4m-TBD
2
C. Kaleida, R. Students (U), N. van der Bliek, A. Kunder (CTIO), A. Layden (Bowling Green State
U.), P. Hegel (U) (Arizona State U.), T. Anderson (G) (Bowling Green State U.): “CTIO REU/PIA
Observations: Lyman-Alpha Blob Candidates and RR Lyrae Variables”
CT-1.0m
1
H. Bond (STScI): “Intermediate-Luminosity Red Transients: SMARTS Monitoring”
B. Cobb (George Washington U.), C. Bailyn (Yale U.), J. Bloom (UC Berkeley): “Optical/IR Follow-up of Gamma-Ray Bursts from SMARTS”
A. Crotts (Columbia U.): “SN 1987A’s Vacuum UV/Optical Light Echo Evolution”

Key: (T) = Thesis Student; (G) = Graduate; (U) = Undergraduate; (O) = Other
183
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
CTIO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (30), and US Theses (5) 
Telescope
Nights
J. Liu (O), R. Di Stefano (O), J. McClintock (O) (SAO): “In Search of Black Hole Binaries in Quiescence and Low State”
CT-1.3m
5
C. Lonsdale, M. Lacy, A. Kimball, J. Condon (O) (NRAO), C. Tsai, T. Jarrett (O) (IPAC), M. Kim
(Carnegie Observatories), P. Eisenhardt (O) (CalTech-JPL), A. Blain (O) (University of Leicester):
“Young and Highly Obscured Radio Feedback Candidates in the WISE Survey”
SOAR
4
J. Lotz, E. Barker (O) (STScI): “The Evolutionary Paths of Nearby Green Galaxies”
CT-1.0m
3
J. Mauerhan (U. of Arizona): “A Search for Eclipses from Three Extraordinary Massive CollidingWind Binaries”
CT-1.3m
2.25
J. Mauerhan (U. of Arizona), S. Van Dyk, S. Wachter (IPAC): “Photometric Monitoring of a New
Sample of Candidate Luminous Blue Variables”
CT-1.3m
4.9
T. Metcalfe (HAO), S. Basu (Yale U.), T. Henry (Georgia State U.), P. Judge (HAO), D. Soderblom
(STScI): “Activity Cycles of Southern Asteroseismic Targets”
CT-1.5m-SVC
4.3
A. Miller (G), J. Richards, S. Bhattacharyya (G), D. Starr (O), J. Bloom (UC Berkeley): “The Automated Detection of R Cor Bor Stars—Spectroscopic Confirmation”
CT-1.5m-SVC
0.5
J. Najita (NOAO), J. Muzerolle (STScI), G. Doppmann (Keck), S. Strom (NOAO): “Transition
Objects: Photoevaporation, Grain Growth, or Planet-Forming Disks?”
CT-4m-TBD
2
H. Oluseyi (Florida Institute of Technology), Z. Ivezic (U. of Washington): “Multi-Color Photometry of New SX Phe Stars”
CT-0.9m-SVC
3
N. Richardson (G), D. Gies (Georgia State U.), T. Gull (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center): “The
Effects of Multiplicity on Luminous Blue Variables”
CT-1.5m-SVC
3.75
R. Romani, M. Kerr (Stanford U.), R. Corbet (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), R. Dubois
(SLAC), M. Coe (University of Southampton): “The Radial Velocity Curve of a Gamma-ray Binary”
CT-1.5m-SVC
2.5
K. Sahu, H. Bond (O), J. Anderson (O) (STScI), M. Dominik (O) (University of St. Andrew), A.
Udalski (O) (Warsaw University Observatory): “Detecting Isolated Black Holes through HST Astrometry and SMARTS Photometry of Microlensing Events”
CT-1.3m
3.8
S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington), M. Person, C. Zuluaga (O), A. Bosh (MIT): “Precise Astrometry for Predicting Kuiper Belt Object Occultations”
CT-0.9m-SVC
8.5
G. Stringfellow (U. of Colorado), V. Gvaramadze (Sternberg Astronomical Institute): “Confirming
LBV Candidates through Variability: A Photometric and Spectroscopic Monitoring Study”
CT-1.5m-SVC
CT-1.3m
1.5
1
M. Trippe, M. Koss, R. Mushotsky, S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), L. Winter (U. of Colorado): “Understanding the Activation of Local Dual AGN”
SOAR
4
C. Tsai, R. Griffith (O) (IPAC), D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), T. Jarrett (IPAC), P. Eisenhardt (CalTechJPL), L. Yan (IPAC), A. Stanford (UC Davis), Y. Wu (Mars and company), S. Petty (UCLA), D.
Benford (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), J. Wu (CalTech-JPL), F. Masci (IPAC), C. Bridge
(California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), A. Blain (University of Leicester):
“Searching for Mid-IR Bright, Low-Metallicity Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies”
SOAR
3
L. Winter (U. of Colorado), S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), D. Rupke (Rhodes College), H. Krug (G)
(U. of Maryland): “Optical Outflows and Emission Line Properties in X-ray Obscured AGNs”
SOAR
3
P. Zhao, J. Grindlay, J. Hong, M. Servillat (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), E. Berger (University of Utrecht), J. Liu (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “The Mass Function of a New Candidate of Quiescent Low-Mass X-ray Binary”
CT-4m-TBD
3
184
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
US Thesis Programs (5)
C. Britt (T), R. Hynes (Louisiana State U.), P. Jonker (SRON), G. Nelemans (Radboud University
Nijmegen), D. Steeghs (University of Warwick), T. Maccarone (University of Southampton), C.
Bassa (University of Manchester), V. Mikles, L. Gossen (U), J. Clem (Louisiana State U.): “Photometric Calibration and Bright Variables in the Chandra Galactic Bulge Survey”
CT-1.0m
7
J. Curtis (T), J. Wright (Pennsylvania State U.), S. Saar (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “Ruprecht 147: Membership and Chromospheric Activity Survey of the Closest Old Cluster”
CT-4m-TBD
2
A. Gonzalez, D. Gettings (T) (U. of Florida), A. Stanford (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), M. Brodwin (U. of Missouri, Kansas City), P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Fedeli, C. Mancone
(G) (U. of Florida), C. Papovich (Texas A&M U.), Y. Lin, A. Vikhlinin (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), M. Hilton (University of Nottingham), G. Zeimann
(G) (UC Davis): “A WISE Search for the Most Massive High Redshift Galaxy Clusters”
SOAR
5
S. Kannappan, M. Norris, K. Eckert (T), S. Niemi (U. of North Carolina), M. Haynes (Cornell U.),
S. Khochfar (Max Planck Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik), A. Berlind (Vanderbilt U.), A. Moffett (G), D. Stark (G), J. Burchett (G), G. Cecil (U. of North Carolina): “Toward a Cosmic Mass
Census: An Early Science Velocity Function for the RESOLVE Survey”
SOAR
3
J. Winters (T), T. Henry (Georgia State U.): “Finding Friends for 1200 Red Dwarfs”
CT-0.9m
5
CTIO Telescopes: 2012A Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (2)
Telescope
Nights
CT-4m-TBD
2
J. Vanderbeke (T), M. West (ESO), M. Baes (University of Ghent): “Finishing Off The Galactic
Globular Cluster System”
CT-1.0m
7
P. Wilson (T) (University of Exeter), T. Evans (G) (University of Oxford), D. Sing (University of
Exeter), S. Aigrain (University of Oxford): “Monitoring the Stellar Activity of Transit-Hosting Stars
II: Supporting HST Exoplanet Atmosphere Observations”
CT-1.3m
6.7
Telescope
Nights
L. Allen (NOAO), D. Trilling (Northern Arizona U.), E. Beshore (O) (Lunar and Planetary Lab), T.
Axelrod (LSST), M. Trueblood (O) (NOAO), D. James (CTIO), E. Christensen, S. Larson (Lunar
and Planetary Lab): “DECam NEO Search Pilot Project”
CT-4m
2
B. Barlow (Pennsylvania State U.), S. Geier, U. Heber, T. Kupfer (G), V. Schaffenroth (G) (Dr.
Remeis-Sternwarte): “The MUCHFUSS Project: Searching for the Most Massive Companions to
Hot Subdwarf Stars (Follow-up)”
SOAR
4
J. Faherty (Universidad de Chile), A. Burgasser (UC San Diego), N. van der Bliek (CTIO), K. Cruz
(Hunter College), F. Vrba (US Naval Observatory), E. Rice (College of Staten Island): “The Brown
Dwarf Kinematics Project: Disentangling How Dust and Age Effect Brown Dwarf and Exoplanet
Data”
Foreign Thesis Programs (2)
CTIO Semester 2012B
CTIO Telescopes: 2012BApproved US Programs (38), and US Theses (4) 

Key: (T) = Thesis Student; (G) = Graduate; (U) = Undergraduate; (O) = Other
185
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
CTIO Telescopes: 2012BApproved US Programs (38), and US Theses (4) 
Telescope
Nights
J. Bauer, A. Mainzer (CalTech-JPL), T. Grav (PSI), R. Stevenson, J. Masiero (CalTech-JPL), R.
McMillan (U. of Arizona): “A WISE Long Period Comet Survey—Southern Summer Targets”
SOAR
2
F. Bianco (Las Cumbres Observatory), A. Rest (STScI), J. Prieto (Carnegie Institution of Washington), B. Sinnott (McMaster University), N. Smith (U. of Arizona), A. van der Wel (McMaster University), D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), S. Points, L. Fraga (CTIO): “Multiband Monitoring of
Light Echoes from the Historical Eruptions of Eta Carinae”
SOAR
1
CT-1.5m-SVC
CT-1.3m
1.2
1.5
A. Bosh, M. Person (MIT), G. Schaefer (The CHARA Array of Georgia State University), S. Levine
(US Naval Observatory, Flagstaff): “Seasonal Change in Pluto’s Atmosphere”
SOAR
1
B. Cobb (George Washington U.), C. Bailyn (Yale U.), J. Bloom (UC Berkeley): “Optical/IR Follow-up of Gamma-Ray Bursts from SMARTS”
CT-1.3m
3.6
I. Damjanov (Harvard U.), R. Abraham (University of Toronto), K. Glazebrook (Swinburne University), J. Brinchmann (Sterrewacht Leiden), P. McCarthy (Carnegie Institution of Washington), E.
Mentuch (U. of Texas, Austin), A. Green (Australian Astronomical Observatory), P. McGregor
(Australian National University), G. Poole (Swinburne University): “The Adaptive Optics Deep
Field”
CT-4m
1.5
P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Tsai (IPAC), J. Wu (CalTech-JPL), R. Griffith (O) (IPAC), L. Yan,
D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), A. Stanford (UC Davis), A. Blain (University of Leicester), D. Benford
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), C. Bridge (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), S. Petty (UCLA), R. Assef (CalTech-JPL), E. Donoso (IPAC), S. Lake (G) (UCLA): “The
Most Luminous Galaxies Found by WISE”
SOAR
5
L. French (Illinois Wesleyan U.), R. Stephens (O) (Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station),
T. Henry, J. Chatelain (G) (Georgia State U.), L. Wasserman (Lowell Observatory): “Photometric
Study of Jovian Trojan Asteroids”
CT-0.9m
7
C. Gelino, J. Kirkpatrick (IPAC), M. Cushing (U. of Toledo), R. Griffith (O) (IPAC): “Photometric
Follow-up of WISE Brown Dwarf Candidates”
SOAR
5
D. Kelson, R. Williams, A. Dressler, P. McCarthy, J. Mulchaey, S. Shectman (Carnegie Observatories): “The Carnegie Spitzer IMACS Survey: 5-Band Optical Imaging of the Southern Fields”
CT-4m
2
A. Kunder (CTIO), P. Stetson (Canadian Astronomy Data Centre), G. Bono (University of Rome
Tor Vergata), S. Cassisi (INAF), M. Catelan (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile), B. Chaboyer
(Dartmouth College), J. Clem (Louisiana State U.), A. Layden (Bowling Green State U.), N.
Matsunaga (University of Tokyo), M. Salaris (Liverpool John Moores University), A. Walker
(CTIO): “CCD Photometry of the M22 RR Lyrae Instability Strip”
CT-0.9m
6
T. Lee (Western Kentucky U.), R. Shaw, L. Stanghellini (NOAO): “Chemical Abundances of Compact Planetary Nebulae in the Galactic Disk”
SOAR
2
J. Liu (O), R. Di Stefano (O), J. McClintock (O) (SAO): “In Search of Black Hole Binaries in Quiescence and Low State”
CT-1.3m
1
C. Lonsdale, M. Lacy, A. Kimball (NRAO), D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), J. Condon (NRAO): “The
Astrophysics of Extreme Feedback in WISE-Radio Selected AGN”
SOAR
4
L. Macri (Texas A&M U.), T. Jarrett (IPAC), K. Masters (University of Portsmouth): “Mapping the
Nearby Universe: The 2MASS Redshift Survey”
CT-1.5m-SVC
3.6
F. Menanteau, J. Hughes (Rutgers U.), F. Barrientos, L. Infante (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de
Chile), M. Hilton (University of Nottingham), T. Marriage, M. Gralla (Johns Hopkins U.): “Optical/NIR Identification of New SZ Galaxy Clusters from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope”
SOAR
3
H. Bond (STScI): “Intermediate-Luminosity Red Transients: SMARTS Monitoring”
186
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
CTIO Telescopes: 2012BApproved US Programs (38), and US Theses (4) 
Telescope
Nights
T. Metcalfe (HAO), S. Basu (Yale U.), T. Henry (Georgia State U.), P. Judge (HAO), D. Soderblom
(STScI): “Activity Cycles of Southern Asteroseismic Targets”
CT-1.5m-SVC
4
J. Muzerolle (STScI), K. Flaherty (U. of Arizona), T. Beck (STScI): “Photometric Monitoring of
Close Binary T Tauri Stars: Connecting Accretion Activity with Inner Disk Structure”
CT-1.3m
3.4
D. Nidever (U. of Virginia), K. Olsen, A. Saha (NOAO), E. Olszewski (U. of Arizona), C. Gallart,
M. Monelli (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias), A. Kunder (CTIO), R. Gruendl, Y. Chu (U. of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign), A. Walker (CTIO), D. Zaritsky (U. of Arizona), N. Martin (MaxPlanck-Institute für Astronomie), G. Stringfellow (U. of Colorado), R. Munoz (Universidad de
Chile), B. Conn, N. Noel (Max-Planck-Institute für Astronomie), R. Blum (NOAO), S. Majewski
(U. of Virginia), R. Van Der Marel (STScI): “DECam Magellanic Clouds Survey Pilot Program”
CT-4m
2
T. Oswalt, J. Zhao (Florida Institute of Technology), J. Holberg (U. of Arizona), M. Barstow (University of Leicester): “Observational Constraints on the White Dwarf Mass-Radius Relation”
SOAR
4
N. Richardson, D. Gies (Georgia State U.), T. Gull (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), A. Moffat
(University of Montreal): “Interactions in the LBV Binaries Carinae and HD 5980”
CT-1.5m-SVC
3.2
K. Sahu, H. Bond (O), J. Anderson (O) (STScI), M. Dominik (O) (University of St. Andrews), A.
Udalski (O) (Warsaw University Observatory): “Detecting Isolated Black Holes through HST Astrometry and SMARTS Photometry of Microlensing Events”
CT-1.3m
4
M. Schirmer (Gemini Observatory), S. Suyu (UC Santa Barbara), R. Carrasco (Gemini Observatory), K. Holhjem (SOAR): “Determining the Redshift of the Strong Lens System in the Fossil Group
J0454-0309”
SOAR
1
M. Schirmer (Gemini Observatory), S. Suyu (UC Santa Barbara), R. Carrasco (Gemini Observatory), K. Holhjem (SOAR), H. Hildebrandt (University of British Columbia): “Redshifts of Strongly
Lensed Multiple Image Systems in a High Redshift Double Cluster”
SOAR
2
S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington), M. Person, C. Zuluaga (O), A. Bosh (MIT): “Precise Astrometry for Predicting Kuiper Belt Object Occultations”
CT-0.9m-SVC
2
S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory): “Beyond the
Kuiper Belt Edge”
CT-4m
1
I. Shivvers (G), J. Bloom (UC Berkeley): “Observationally Constraining the Effects of Orbital Circularization for Stars in Binary Orbits”
CT-1.5m-SVC
CT-1.3m
1.35
1.8
J. Smith (Austin Peay State U.), D. Tucker, S. Allam (FNAL), H. Head (U) (Austin Peay State U.),
J. Mohr (Universitäts-Sternwarte München), T. Oswalt (Florida Institute of Technology), W. Wester
(FNAL), N. Silvestri (U. of Washington), M. Butner (U) (Austin Peay State U.): “Targeted Samples
of the Hot Stellar Content in the Southern Sky”
CT-1.5m-SVC
2.4
G. Stringfellow (U. of Colorado), V. Gvaramadze (Sternberg Astronomical Institute): “Confirming
LBV Candidates through Variability: A Photometric and Spectroscopic Monitoring Study”
CT-1.3m-SVC
1.84
P. Thorman, C. Morrison (G) (UC Davis), R. Ryan (STScI), S. Schmidt, D. Wittman, J. Tyson (UC
Davis): “Galaxy and Mass Evolution via Deep u-Band Imaging in the Deep Lens Survey”
CT-4m
2
CT-1.5m-SVC
0.4
S. Van Dyk (O) (SSC): “Monitoring Core-Collapse Supernovae with Potential Progenitor Identifications”
CT-1.3m
1.4
F. Walter (SUNY, Stony Brook), W. Sherry (Eureka Scientific), S. Kim (U. of Arizona): “Substellar
Mass Objects in Orion OB1b”
SOAR
2
L. Winter (U. of Colorado), S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), D. Rupke (Rhodes College), H. Krug (G)
(U. of Maryland): “Optical Outflows and Emission Line Properties in X-ray Obscured AGNs”
SOAR
4
A. Tokovinin (CTIO): “Kappa Fornax, a Triple Radio-Star?”
187
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
CTIO Telescopes: 2012BApproved US Programs (38), and US Theses (4) 
Telescope
Nights
D. Zaritsky, A. Zabludoff (U. of Arizona), A. Gonzalez (U. of Florida): “Searching for Systematic
Effects in SNe Ia Distances”
SOAR
3
P. Zhao, J. Grindlay, J. Hong (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Servillat (CEA),
E. Berger (University of Utrecht), S. Laycock (U. of Massachusetts, Lowell): “The Mass Function of
a New Candidate of Quiescent Low-Mass X-ray Binary”
CT-1.3m
1
J. Bloom (UC Berkeley), T. Matheson, S. Ridgway (NOAO), A. Miller (T), C. Klein (T) (UC Berkeley), L. Walkowicz (Princeton U.), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), K. Olsen
(NOAO), A. Becker (U. of Washington), D. Norman (NOAO), R. Simcoe (MIT), H. Oluseyi (Florida Institute of Technology), S. Ridgway, A. Saha (NOAO), J. Richards, S. Cenko (UC Berkeley), T.
Lauer (NOAO): “A Pilot DECam Time-Domain Survey”
CT-4m-TBD
2
J. Chatelain (T), T. Henry, N. Scott (G) (Georgia State U.), L. French (Illinois Wesleyan U.), R.
Stephens (O) (Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station): “Light Curves and Low Phase Angle
Photometry for Jupiter Trojans.”
CT-0.9m
7
T. Hufford (T), I. Song, A. Schneider (G) (U. of Georgia), C. Melis (UC San Diego), B. Zuckerman
(UCLA): “Debris Disks in the Scorpius-Centaurus OB Association”
CT-1.5m-SVC
3.2
R. Roettenbacher (T), J. Monnier (U. of Michigan), R. Harmon (Ohio Wesleyan University), H.
Korhonen (Niels Bohr Institute): “Photometric Observations for Gem with Simultaneous
Interferometric and Doppler Imaging”
CT-1.3m
1.8
CTIO Telescopes: 2012B Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (2) 
Telescope
Nights
T. Sakamoto (Japan Spaceguard Association): “Determination of Spatial Distribution of the Miras in
Galactic Halo”
CT-1.3m
3
Foreign Thesis Programs (2)
Telescope
Nights
J. Gagne (T), R. Doyon, D. Lafreniere, L. Malo (G), E. Artigau, M. Naud (University of Montreal):
“Spectroscopic Confirmation of Very Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarf Candidates in Nearby,
Young Moving Groups”
SOAR
4
P. Wilson (T) (University of Exeter), T. Evans (G) (University of Oxford), D. Sing (University of
Exeter), S. Aigrain (University of Oxford): “Monitoring the Stellar Activity of Transit-Hosting Stars
II: Supporting HST Exoplanet Atmosphere Observations”
CT-1.3m
1.6
US Thesis Programs (4)
G.3 KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY

Mayall 4-m Telescope: The US community has access to 100% of science time on the Mayall.

WIYN 3.5-m Telescope: The US community has access to approximately40% of WIYN time.

Kitt Peak Small Telescopes: KP 2.1-m (100% community access) and the KP 0.9-m (maximum
of 20% community access).

Key: (T) = Thesis Student; (G) = Graduate; (U) = Undergraduate; (O) = Other
188
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
KPNO Semester 2012A
KPNO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (40), and US Theses (20) 
Telescopes
Nights
D. Atlee, J. Pforr (NOAO): “A Spectroscopic Study of the Contribution of TP-AGB Stars to Integrated NIR Starlight”
KP-4m
2.5
D. Austerberry (U), J. Gabel, D. McGinnis (G) (Creighton University): “Constraining BALQSO
Kinetic Luminosity with C III* Absorption”
KP-4m
3
C. Badenes (U. of Pittsburgh), M. Kilic (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), T. Matheson (NOAO), S. Thompson, F. Mullally (NASA Ames Research Center): “Spectroscopic Follow-up
of the SWARMS Survey”
KP-4m
4.5
W. Barkhouse, C. Rude (G), J. Burgad (U) (U. of North Dakota), A. Vikhlinin, D. Kim (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “Optical Counterparts to ChaMPx Extended Sources”
KP-2.1m
4
P. Cargile (Vanderbilt U.), A. Quillen (G) (University of Oxford), L. Hebb (Vanderbilt U.), S.
Aigrain (University of Oxford): “Measuring the Initial Main Sequence Stellar Rotation Distribution:
Correlating Lithium and Rotation in Solar-Type Stars in the Kepler Field”
KP-4m
3
R. Ciardullo (Pennsylvania State U.), K. Gebhardt (U. of Texas, Austin), C. Gronwall (Pennsylvania
State U.), G. Hill, S. Tuttle (U. of Texas, Austin), J. Feldmeier (Youngstown State U.), A. Hagen
(G) (Pennsylvania State U.), M. Cornell (U. of Texas, Austin), J. Bridge (G) (Pennsylvania State
U.): “An Imaging Survey for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment”
KP-4m
8
D. Deming (U. of Maryland), P. Sada (Universidad de Monterrey), D. Jennings (NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center), J. Fraine (G) (U. of Maryland), A. Mandell (O) (NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center), B. Morris (U) (U. of Maryland): “A Near-Infrared Exoplanet Transit and Eclipse Survey”
KP-2.1m
6.5
S. Dhital (G) (Vanderbilt U.), S. Lepine (American Museum of Natural History), A. West (Boston
U.), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.): “Calibrating the Relative Metallicity Scale of M Subdwarfs Using
Wide, Common Proper Motion Binaries”
KP-4m
5
P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Tsai (IPAC), J. Wu (CalTech-JPL), R. Griffith (O), L. Yan (IPAC),
D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), A. Stanford (UC Davis), A. Blain (University of Leicester), D. Benford
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), C. Bridge (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), S. Petty (UCLA), R. Assef (CalTech-JPL), E. Donoso (IPAC), S. Lake (G) (UCLA):
“Spectroscopy and Imaging of a Complete Sample of WISE Hyper-Luminous Galaxy Candidates”
WIYN
3
C. Haines (U. of Arizona), E. O’Sullivan, S. Raychaudhury (University of Birmingham), A.
Gargiulo (Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera), L. Campusano (Universidad de Chile): “KPNO
0.9m Hα Imaging Survey of ‘Transforming Galaxies’ in Local Galaxy Groups”
KP-0.9m
7
T. Hillwig (Valparaiso U.), D. Frew, O. De Marco, D. Douchin (G) (Macquarie University), A.
Bain (U), J. Long (U), A. Seider (U), H. Rotter (U) (Valparaiso U.): “Detecting Close Binary Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae: Faint Target Photometry”
KP-2.1m
4.5
A. Howard (UC Berkeley), I. Crossfield (G) (UCLA), H. Isaacson (O) (UC Berkeley), S. Kane
(NEXScI), D. Glomboske (U) (College of the Canyons): “Properties and Ephemeris of HD 97658b”
KP-0.9m
2
S. Howell (NASA Ames Research Center), M. Everett, D. Silva (NOAO), J. Rowe (NASA Ames
Research Center), P. Szkody (U. of Washington), K. Mighell (NOAO), D. Ciardi (NEXScI): “Spectroscopy of Kepler Exo-planet Transit Candidate Stars”
KP-4m
7.5
C. Johnson, R. Rich (UCLA), A. Kunder (CTIO): “Exploring the Population of Galactic Bulge
Globular Clusters”
WIYN
5
W. Keel (U. of Alabama), B. Holwerda (European Space Agency), C. Lintott (University of Oxford), K. Schawinski (Yale U.): “Extended Dust in Dwarf Galaxies—Solving an Energy-Budget
Paradox?”
KP-2.1m
6.5

Key: TOO: Target of Opportunity scheduling; (G): Graduate; (O): Other; (T): Thesis Student; (U): Undergraduate
189
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (40), and US Theses (20) 
Telescopes
Nights
B. Keeney, J. Stocke, S. Penton, J. Green (U. of Colorado), B. Savage (U. of Wisconsin, Madison):
“Gas and Galaxies in the Cosmic Web: A Galaxy Redshift Survey around HST/COS Target Sight
Lines”
WIYN
5
T. Krane (U), M. Sako (U. of Pennsylvania), J. Peterson (Purdue U.), G. Jernigan (UC Berkeley):
“Photometric Imaging and Richness Analysis of High Redshift X-ray Bright Galaxy Clusters”
KP-2.1m
4
A. Landolt, J. Clem (Louisiana State U.): “Faint UBVRI Photometric Standard Star Fields: KPNO”
KP-2.1m
26
K. Lee (Yale U.), A. Dey, B. Jannuzi, N. Reddy (NOAO), A. Gonzalez (U. of Florida): “Unveiling
the Most Massive Structure at z = 3.78”
KP-4m
4
C. Ly (STScI), M. Malkan (UCLA), K. Motohara (University of Tokyo), M. Hayashi, N.
Kashikawa (NAOJ), K. Shimasaku (University of Tokyo), T. Nagao (Kyoto University): “Galaxy
Evolution with a Complete Photometric Redshift Census at z ~ 2–3”
KP-4m
2
Y. Maqueo Chew (Vanderbilt U.), F. Faedi (Queen’s University Belfast), L. Hebb (Vanderbilt U.),
D. Pollacco (Queen’s University Belfast), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.), L. Ghezzi (Observatorio
Nacional Brazil), P. Cargile (Vanderbilt U.), S. Barros (Queen’s University Belfast), B. Smalley
(Keele University), C. Mack (G) (Vanderbilt U.): “Homogeneous Characterization of Transiting
Exoplanet Systems”
KP-4m
3
E. Martin (U. of Florida), R. Tata (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias), E. Martioli (U. of
Hawai’i/IfA-CFHT): “A Spectroscopic Follow-up of Ultracool Dwarf Candidates in the Kepler
Field of View”
KP-4m
4
R. Mathieu, K. Milliman (G), N. Gosnell (G) (U. of Wisconsin, Madison), A. Geller (Northwestern
U.): “A Study of the Binary and Anomalous Stellar Populations in Two Intermediate-Aged Open
Clusters”
WIYN
3.5
R. McMillan (U. of Arizona), A. Mainzer (CalTech-JPL), J. Larsen (US Naval Academy), J. Scotti
(O) (U. of Arizona), J. Masiero, J. Bauer (CalTech-JPL), T. Grav (Johns Hopkins U.), G. Porter (U)
(US Naval Academy): “Astrometry and Multicolor Taxonomic Photometry of Near-Earth Objects
Detected by WISE”
KP-4m
1.5
S. Meibom (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S. Barnes (Lowell Observatory), A.
Geller (Northwestern U.), R. Mathieu (U. of Wisconsin, Madison), J. Hartman, M. Holman (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “The Connections between Binarity, Circumstellar
Disks, and Stellar Rotation”
WIYN
1
KP-2.1m
7.5
A. Prsa (Villanova U.), J. Orosz (San Diego State U.), R. Slawson (SETI Institute/NASA Ames
Research Center), H. Knutson (UC Berkeley), N. Batalha (San Jose State U.), L. Doyle (SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center), W. Welsh (San Diego State U.), J. Pepper (Vanderbilt U.), J.
Jenkins (SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center), D. Fabrycky (UC Santa Cruz), S. Engle (G)
(Villanova U.), M. Rucker (U) (San Jose State U.), B. Kirk (G), R. Louis-Ballouz (G), K.
Hambleton (G), K. Conroy (G) (Villanova U.), J. Stevick (G) (San Diego State U.): “Towards Unprecedented Accuracy of Fundamental Parameters for Kepler Eclipsing Binary Stars”
KP-4m
8
T. Rector (U. of Alaska Anchorage): “Long-Term Monitoring of Solar-Type Semi-Regular Variable
Stars”
KP-CF
3
M. Reed, A. Baran (Missouri State U.), S. O’Toole (Australian Astronomical Observatory), J.
Telting (Nordic Optical Telescope), M. Shadwick (U) (Missouri State U.), R. Ostensen (Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven): “Testing Theoretical Models of Subdwarf B Stars Using Multicolor Photometry”
KP-2.1m
12
B. Mueller, N. Samarasinha (PSI): “The Rotational Evolution of Comet 10P/Tempel 2”
190
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (40), and US Theses (20) 
Telescopes
Nights
A. Rest (STScI), F. Bianco (Las Cumbres Observatory), R. Chornock, R. Foley (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), T. Matheson (NOAO), B. McDonald (G) (McMaster University), K. Olsen (NOAO), J. Prieto (Princeton U.), B. Sinnott (G) (McMaster University), N.
Smith (U. of Arizona), A. van der Wel (McMaster University): “Light Echoes of Galactic Explosions and Eruptions”
KP-4m
7
G. Rudnick (U. of Kansas), P. Jablonka (École Polytechnique de Lausanne), D. Zaritsky, D. Just (G)
(U. of Arizona), V. Desai (SSC), R. Finn (Siena College), B. Poggianti (Osservatorio Astronomico
di Padova), G. De Lucia (Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste), B. Milvang-Jensen (University of
Copenhagen): “The Suppression of Star Formation in the Infall Regions of Clusters”
KP-4m
2.5
A. Saha (NOAO), R. Wade, C. Bender (Pennsylvania State U.), D. Harmer (O), D. Willmarth (O)
(NOAO): “Confirming the Binarity of the RR Lyrae Star TU UMa”
WIYN
3
A. Sheffield, K. Johnston (Columbia U.), S. Majewski (U. of Virginia), K. Cunha, V. Smith
(NOAO): “Exploring the Origin of M Giant Stars in the Nearby Galactic Halo”
KP-4m
3.5
S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory): “Beyond the
Kuiper Belt Edge”
KP-4m
5
G. Stringfellow (U. of Colorado), R. Probst (NOAO): “Star Formation within the Giant H II Region
W80”
KP-4m
9.5
C. Thomas, D. Trilling (Northern Arizona U.), J. Emery (U. of Tennessee), E. Maclennan (U)
(Northern Arizona U.): “Physical Characterization of the Near-Earth Object Population”
KP-4m
3
M. Trueblood (O) (NOAO), R. Crawford (O) (Rincon-Ranch Observatory), L. Lebofsky (PSI):
“Long Term Follow-up of Near Earth Objects”
KP-2.1m
5.5
S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), D. Rupke (Rhodes College), S. Teng (NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center), M. Trippe, K. Smith (G), K. Kreimeyer (G) (U. of Maryland), E. Sturm (Max Planck
Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik): “Neutral Winds in Local Quasar-Dominated Mergers”
KP-4m
5
S. Williams, D. Gies, R. Matson (G), Z. Guo (G) (Georgia State U.): “Spectroscopic Orbits for Kepler FOV Eclipsing Binaries”
KP-4m
6
G. Worseck (UC Santa Cruz), M. McQuinn (UC Berkeley), J. Hennawi, N. Crighton (Max-PlanckInstitut für Astronomie), J. Prochaska (UC Santa Cruz): “A Dedicated Quasar Survey to Identify the
Sources of He2 Reionization”
KP-4m
5
L. Allen (NOAO), T. Megeath (U. of Toledo), J. Tobin (G) (U. of Michigan), C. Poteet (T), W.
Fischer (U. of Toledo), L. Hartmann, N. Calvet (U. of Michigan): “High Resolution Imaging of
Orion Protostars”
KP-4m
0.5
F. Bastien (T), J. Pepper, K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.), L. Walkowicz (Princeton U.), G. Basri (UC
Berkeley): “Identifying Photometric and Chromospheric Activity Correlations of Kepler Stars”
WIYN
2.5
G. Bryngelson (T), M. Leising (Clemson U.), P. Milne (U. of Arizona), D. Drozdov (G), T. Yu (G)
(Clemson U.): “Physics of Supernovae Type Ia at Late Epochs”
KP-4m
9
I. Ginsburg (T) (Dartmouth College), W. Brown (Harvard U.), G. Wegner (Dartmouth College):
“Detecting Photometric Variability of Hypervelocity Stars”
WIYN
4
US Thesis Programs (20)
191
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (40), and US Theses (20) 
Telescopes
Nights
A. Gonzalez, D. Gettings (T) (U. of Florida), A. Stanford (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), M. Brodwin (U. of Missouri, Kansas City), P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Fedeli, C.
Mancone (G) (U. of Florida), C. Papovich (Texas A&M U.), Y. Lin, A. Vikhlinin (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), M. Hilton (University of Nottingham), G. Zeimann (G) (UC Davis): “A WISE Search for the Most Massive High Redshift Galaxy
Clusters”
WIYN
5
J. Hargis (T), K. Rhode (Indiana U.): “Probing Giant Galaxy Formation with Mosaic Imaging of
Globular Cluster Systems”
KP-4m
5
S. Jacobson (T) (U. of Colorado), P. Pravec (Astronomical Institute), D. Scheeres (U. of Colorado):
“Directly Detecting the BYORP Effect and Further Characterization of Near- Earth Asteroid Binaries”
KP-2.1m
5
S. Kulkarni (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State
U.), A. Gal-Yam, I. Arcavi (T) (Weizmann Institute of Science), M. Kasliwal (T), R. Quimby, E.
Ofek (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), T. Matheson (NOAO), P. Nugent
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), A. Horesh (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of
Astronomy), B. Cenko (UC Berkeley), Y. Cao (G), K. Mooley (U) (California Institute of Technology-Dept of Physics, Math, Astronomy): “Palomar Transient Factory: A Discovery Machine”
KP-4m
0.5
D. Levitan (T) (California Institute of Technology-Dept of Physics, Math, Astronomy), P. Groot
(Radboud University Nijmegen), S. Kulkarni (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), T. Matheson (NOAO), T. Prince, G. Simonian (U) (California Institute of Technology-Dept of
Physics, Math, Astronomy): “Classification of PTF-Identified Outbursting Galactic Sources”
KP-4m
2
B. Ma (T), J. Ge, J. Wang (T), B. Lee, N. De Lee, R. Li (G) (U. of Florida), S. Fleming (Pennsylvania State U.): “Follow-up of an Unbiased Binary (Brown Dwarf) Sample Using EXPERT”
KP-2.1mQ
7
R. Mandelbaum (Carnegie Mellon U.), R. Nakajima (Universität Bonn), G. Bernstein, C. MacDonald (T) (U. of Pennsylvania), S. Deb (Argonne National Laboratory), M. Donahue (Michigan State
U.), J. Hughes (Rutgers U.), N. Bahcall (Princeton U.), T. Schrabback (Stanford U.), S. Miyazaki
(NAOJ), A. Kravtsov (U. of Chicago): “Normalization and Scatter of the Mass-Temperature Relation for Supermassive Galaxy Clusters”
KP-4m
4
S. Mortazavi (T) (Johns Hopkins U.), J. Lotz (STScI): “SparsePak Kinematics of Tidally Interacting
Galaxy Pairs”
WIYN
4
M. Patterson (T), R. Walterbos (New Mexico State U.), D. Thilker (Johns Hopkins U.), G. Heald,
G. Jozsa (ASTRON), T. Team (O) (Various): “Continuing Observations of Stellar Streams and Star
Formation in the Outskirts of HALOGAS Spiral Galaxies”
KP-4m
4
J. Pepper (Vanderbilt U.), B. Gaudi (Ohio State U.), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.), T. Beatty (T) (Ohio
State U.), J. Ge (U. of Florida), R. Siverd (O) (Vanderbilt U.): “Follow-up and Confirmation of
Transiting Planet Candidates from the KELT Survey”
KP-2.1mQ
8
E. Petersen (T), J. Ge, B. Ma (G), R. Li (G) (U. of Florida): “Spectroscopic Verification of Stellar
Parameters for a Subsample of Metal-Poor MARVELS Stars”
KP-2.1mQ
7
J. Rhoads, S. Malhotra (Arizona State U.), H. Krug (T) (U. of Maryland), V. Tilvi (Texas A&M U.),
S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), R. Probst (NOAO), P. Hibon (Gemini Observatory), R. Swaters (U.
of Maryland), Z. Zheng (G), B. Smith (U) (Arizona State U.): “Narrow-Band Search for Redshift
7.7 Lyman-α Galaxies”
KP-4m
4
J. Salzer, A. Parker (T) (Indiana U.), M. Haynes, R. Giovanelli (Cornell U.), E. Wilcots (U. of Wisconsin, Madison), N. Haurberg (G) (Indiana U.): “Making Hay with ALFALFA: The StarFormation Properties of an HI-Selected Galaxy Sample”
KP-2.1m
11.5
T. Williams (Rutgers U.), G. Narayan, K. Spekkens (Royal Military College of Canada), E. Briere
(T) (Queen’s University), J. Sellwood (Rutgers U.): “Cold Dark Matter and the Structure of Spiral
Galaxies”
KP-2.1m
8
192
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012A Approved US Programs (40), and US Theses (20) 
Telescopes
Nights
M. Wood-Vasey (U. of Pittsburgh), P. Garnavich (U. of Notre Dame), T. Matheson (NOAO), S. Jha
(Rutgers U.), A. Rest (STScI), L. Allen (NOAO), A. Weyant (T) (U. of Pittsburgh): “Type Ia Supernova as Standard Candles in the Near Infrared”
WIYN
1
P. van Dokkum, R. Bezanson (T), G. Brammer (T) (Yale U.), M. Franx (Leiden Observatory), G.
Illingworth (UC Santa Cruz), M. Kriek (Princeton U.), I. Labbe (Carnegie Observatories), B.
Lundgren, D. Marchesini, A. Muzzin (Yale U.), R. Quadri (Leiden Observatory), G. Rudnick (U. of
Kansas), T. Tal (T), D. Wake, K. Whitaker (T) (Yale U.): “The NEWFIRM Medium Band Survey
II: Hunting Monster Galaxies”
KP-4m
11
Telescopes
Nights
KP-4m
3
N. Giammichele (T), P. Bergeron, M. Limoges (University of Montreal): “Understanding the Spectral Evolution of Helium-Line DB White Dwarfs”
KP-4m-PRE
4
T. Mazeh, S. Faigler (T), L. Tal-Or (G) (Tel Aviv University), A. Shporer (UC Santa Barbara), R.
Mathieu (U. of Wisconsin, Madison): “Radial-Velocity Follow-up of Non-Transiting Binaries Discovered with the Beaming Photometric Modulation in CoRoT Lightcurves”
WIYN
2
Telescopes
Nights
S. Adelman (Citadel): “Stellar Spectroscopy”
KP-CF
5
B. Anthony-Twarog, B. Twarog (U. of Kansas), C. Deliyannis (Indiana U.): “Constraining the Evolution of Li via the Turnoff Structure of NGC 7789”
WIYN
1
“C. Badenes (U. of Pittsburgh), T. Matheson (NOAO), M. Kilic (U. of Oklahoma), D. Maoz (Tel
Aviv University): “Spectroscopic Follow-up of the SWARMS Survey”
KP-4m
1.5
C. Briceno (U. of Michigan), L. Allen (NOAO), N. Calvet, K. Vivas (U. of Michigan), J. Downes,
J. Hernandez (Centro de Investigacion de Astronomía): “A NEWFIRM JHK Variability Study of 410 Myr Members of the Orion OB1 Association”
KP-4m
7
G. Bryngelson (G) (Clemson U.), P. Milne (U. of Arizona), M. Leising (Clemson U.), J. Lair (Eastern Kentucky U.), D. Drozdov (G), J. Florez (U) (Clemson U.): “Physics of Supernovae Type Ia at
Late Epochs”
KP-4m
3
KPNO Telescopes: 2012A Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (2)
J. Mould (Swinburne University), M. Brown (Monash University), B. Jannuzi (NOAO), P.
McGregor (Australian National University), D. Floyd, H. Jones (Monash University), L. Ferrarese
(Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics): “The Dynamics and Excitation of Circumnuclear Disks in
Radio-Active Galaxies”
Foreign Thesis Programs (2)
KPNO Semester 2012B
KPNO Telescopes: 2012B Approved US Programs (38), and US Theses (10) 

Key: TOO: Target of Opportunity scheduling; (G): Graduate; (O): Other; (T): Thesis Student; (U): Undergraduate
193
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012B Approved US Programs (38), and US Theses (10) 
Telescopes
Nights
P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Tsai (IPAC), J. Wu (CalTech-JPL), R. Griffith (O) (IPAC), L. Yan,
D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), A. Stanford (UC Davis), A. Blain (University of Leicester), D. Benford
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), C. Bridge (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), S. Petty (UCLA), R. Assef (CalTech-JPL), E. Donoso (IPAC), S. Lake (G) (UCLA):
“The Most Luminous Galaxies Found by WISE”
WIYN
3.5
A. Geller (Northwestern U.), S. Meibom (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S. Barnes
(Space Science Institute), R. Mathieu (U. of Wisconsin, Madison): “Towards a Complete Census of
the Solar-Type Binaries in the Young Open Cluster M37”
WIYN
2
J. Gizis (U. of Delaware), K. Cruz (Hunter College), A. Burgasser (UC San Diego), E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S. Metchev (SUNY, Stony Brook): “A Great Spot on a
Kepler L Dwarf”
KP-2.1m
3.5
P. Guhathakurta (UC Santa Cruz), R. Beaton (G) (U. of Virginia), K. Gilbert (U. of Washington),
M. Boyer (STScI), K. Johnston (Columbia U.), R. Swaters (NOAO), E. Toloba (UC Santa Cruz),
M. Chiba (Tohoku University), A. Dey (NOAO), J. Kalirai (STScI), E. Kirby (California Institute of
Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), S. Majewski (U. of Virginia), K. Olsen (NOAO), R. Patterson
(U. of Virginia), M. Tanaka (Tohoku University), K. Hamren (G) (UC Santa Cruz): “NEWFIRM
Survey of Intermediate Age Populations in M31’s Halo: A Test of (Lambda)CDM”
KP-4m
13
C. Haines (U. of Arizona), E. O’Sullivan, S. Raychaudhury (University of Birmingham), E. Egami
(U. of Arizona), L. Campusano (Universidad de Chile): “KPNO 0.9m H(alpha) Imaging Survey of
‘Transforming Galaxies’ in Local Galaxy Groups”
KP-0.9m
9
KP-4m
5
A. Heinze, S. Metchev (SUNY, Stony Brook), D. Apai (STScI), D. Flateau (G) (U. of Arizona), E.
Artigau (University of Montreal), J. Radigan (University of Toronto), M. Marley (NASA Ames
Research Center): “Intensive Multi-Band Photometry to Elucidate Weather on a Spitzer-Identified
Variable L-Dwarf”
KP-2.1m
7.5
A. Heinze, S. Metchev (SUNY, Stony Brook), D. Apai, D. Flateau (G), B. Rackham (G) (U. of
Arizona): “Simultaneous Ground Based Monitoring of Brown Dwarfs Being Observed with
Spitzer”
KP-2.1m-TBD
5
K. Hinkle (NOAO), S. Brittain (Clemson U.), R. Joyce (NOAO), R. Gehrz (U. of Minnesota):
“Keplerian Disks around RV Tauri Stars”
KP-2.1m
7
E. Horch (SCSU), R. Mathieu (U. of Wisconsin, Madison), A. Geller (Northwestern U.), R. Genet
(Cuesta College): “A Multiplicity Survey of M35 and M67 with the Differential Speckle Survey
Instrument”
WIYN
4
S. Howell (NASA Ames Research Center), M. Everett, D. Silva (NOAO), P. Szkody (U. of Washington), D. Ciardi (IPAC): “Spectroscopy of Kepler Exoplanet Host Stars”
KP-4m
8
S. Howell (NASA Ames Research Center), M. Everett (NOAO), E. Horch (SCSU), D. Ciardi
(NEXScI): “Speckle and Lucky Imaging of Kepler Exoplanet Candidate Host Stars”
WIYN
7
N. Indriolo (Johns Hopkins U.), B. McCall, K. Crabtree (G), J. Pearson (G) (U. of Illinois UrbanaChampaign), T. Geballe (Gemini Observatory), K. Hinkle (NOAO): “The Utility of
Observations in Diffuse Molecular Clouds”
KP-4m
4
L. Ingleby (G), N. Calvet (U. of Michigan), K. Luhman (Pennsylvania State U.), S. Edwards (Smith
College), M. McClure (G) (U. of Michigan): “Peering through the Magnetospheres of Slowly Accreting T Tauri Stars”
KP-4m
6
S. Jacobson (U. of Colorado), P. Pravec (Astronomical Institute), D. Scheeres (U. of Colorado):
“Directly Detecting the BYORP Effect and Further Characterization of Near- Earth Asteroid Binaries”
KP-2.1m
5.5
P. Hartigan (Rice U.): “The Layered Skin of the Elephant’s Trunk”
194
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012B Approved US Programs (38), and US Theses (10) 
Telescopes
Nights
A. Landolt, J. Clem (Louisiana State U.): “Faint UBVRI Photometric Standard Star Fields: KPNO”
KP-2.1m
28.5
Y. Maqueo Chew (Vanderbilt U.), E. Garcia-Melendo (Fundació Observatori Esteve Duran), L.
Hebb (Vanderbilt U.), F. Faedi (Queen’s University Belfast), M. Lopez-Morales (Carnegie Institution of Washington), D. Pollacco (Queen’s University Belfast): “A SuperWASP Benchmark Eclipsing Binary with a Very Low-Mass Secondary in the Brown Dwarf Desert”
KP-2.1m
4
T. Megeath (U. of Toledo), L. Allen (NOAO), T. Allen (G) (U. of Toledo), R. Gutermuth (U.
Mass), E. Kryukova (U. of Toledo), A. Stutz (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), W. Fischer (U.
of Toledo), B. Ali (NASA Herschel Science Center): “A Deep NEWFIRM Survey of the Orion B
Cloud”
KP-4m
5
M. Morales-Calderon, A. Cody, J. Stauffer (IPAC): “Characterizing Variable Young Stars in NGC
2264”
WIYN
4
B. Mueller (PSI), Y. Fernandez (U. of Central Florida), N. Samarasinha (PSI), E. Kramer (G) (U. of
Central Florida): “The Continuing Rotational Evolution of Comet 2P/Encke”
KP-2.1m
12.5
T. Oswalt, J. Zhao (Florida Institute of Technology), J. Holberg (U. of Arizona), M. Barstow (University of Leicester): “Observational Constraints on the White Dwarf Mass-Radius Relation”
KP-4m
5.5
KP-2.1m
7
T. Rector (U. of Alaska Anchorage): “Long-Term Monitoring of Solar-Type Semi-Regular Variable
Stars”
KP-CF
3
M. Reed, A. Baran (Missouri State U.), R. Ostensen (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), S. O’Toole
(Australian Astronomical Observatory): “Testing Theoretical Models of Subdwarf B Stars Using
Multicolor Photometry”
KP-2.1m
5.5
M. Reed, A. Baran (Missouri State U.), J. Telting (Nordic Optical Telescope), R. Ostensen
(Katholieke Universiteit Leuven): “Constraining Masses of Kepler Compact Binary Stars.”
KP-4m
5
A. Rest (STScI), F. Bianco (Las Cumbres Observatory), R. Chornock, R. Foley (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Huber (Johns Hopkins U.), T. Matheson (NOAO), B.
McDonald (G) (McMaster U.), K. Olsen (NOAO), J. Prieto (Princeton U.), B. Sinnott (G) (McMaster U.), N. Smith (U. of Arizona), D. Welch (McMaster U.), G. Dobler (G) (UC Santa Barbara):
“Light Echoes of Galactic Explosions and Eruptions”
KP-4m
6.5
C. Salyk (NOAO), G. Blake (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), K. Pontoppidan (STScI), K. Zhang (G) (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy): “CO Variability in HAeBe Disks: A Search for Planet-Disk Interactions”
KP-4m
2
A. Sheffield, K. Johnston (Columbia U.), K. Cunha, V. Smith (NOAO), S. Majewski (U. of Virginia): “Exploring the Origin of M Giant Stars in the Nearby Galactic Halo”
KP-4m
4
R. Siverd (O), L. Hebb (Vanderbilt U.), B. Jackson (Carnegie Institution of Washington), J. Pepper,
K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.), T. Beatty (G), B. Gaudi (Ohio State U.), J. Ge (U. of Florida): “Revealing the Origins and Fates of Hot Jupiters with Eccentric Eclipsing Binaries”
KP-2.1mQ
14
J. Stauffer, D. Ciardi, J. Van Eyken, L. Rebull, M. Morales-Calderon (IPAC), A. Boden (California
Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy): “The Death Spiral of a 1 Myr Exoplanet?”
KP-4m
3
M. Trueblood (O) (NOAO), R. Crawford (O) (Rincon-Ranch Observatory), L. Lebofsky (PSI), K.
Mighell (NOAO): “Long Term Follow-up of Near Earth Objects”
KP-2.1m
5.5
S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), D. Rupke (Rhodes College), M. Trippe (U. of Maryland), S. Teng
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), H. Krug (G), K. Kreimeyer (G) (U. of Maryland), E. Sturm
(Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik): “Neutral Winds in Local Quasar-Dominated
Mergers. II.”
KP-4m
2.5
C. Pilachowski, C. Pace (G) (Indiana U.): “Fluorine in Metal-Poor Stars with Phoenix”
195
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
KPNO Telescopes: 2012B Approved US Programs (38), and US Theses (10) 
Telescopes
Nights
D. Walter (St. Cloud State U.): “CF Spectra of RV Tauri and Semi-Regular Variables”
KP-CF
3
T. Allen (T), T. Megeath (U. of Toledo), R. Gutermuth (U. Mass), J. Pipher (U. of Rochester), L.
Allen (NOAO), S. Wolk (SAO): “Mosaic Imaging of the Cep OB3b Cloud”
KP-0.9m
4
P. Canton (T), M. Kilic (U. of Oklahoma), W. Brown, S. Kenyon (SAO), A. Gianninas (U. of Oklahoma): “The ELM Survey: Finding the Shortest Period Binary White Dwarfs”
KP-4m
5
J. Ge, B. Ma (T), E. Petersen (T), R. Li (T), J. Wang (U. of Florida), B. Lee (U. of Washington), N.
De Lee (Vanderbilt U.), S. Fleming (Pennsylvania State U.): “Follow-up of MARVELS Brown
Dwarf and Planet Candidates”
KP-2.1mQ
10
A. Gonzalez, D. Gettings (T) (U. of Florida), A. Stanford (UC Davis), M. Brodwin (U. of Missouri,
Kansas City), P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Fedeli (U. of Florida), D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), G.
Zeimann (G) (UC Davis), M. Nair, M. Huff (U) (U. of Missouri, Kansas City): “The Massive Distant Clusters of Wise Survey (MaDCoWS)”
WIYN
5
C. Lada (SAO), E. Lada (U. of Florida), J. Alves (Universität Wien (University of Vienna)), K.
Romita (T), K. Jorgenson (T) (U. of Florida), C. Roman-Zuniga (UNAM), S. Meingast (T)
(Universität Wien (University of Vienna)), H. Bouy (CAB): “Deep NIR Imaging Surveys of the
Nearest GMCs: Determining the Factors that Control the Star Formation Rates in Dense Gas”
KP-4m
7
R. Li (T), J. Ge, B. Ma (G), E. Peterson (G) (U. of Florida): “Tracing Metallicity of Brown
Dwarf/Giant Planet Candidates from MARVELS using EXPERTS”
KP-2.1mQ
3
S. Mortazavi (T) (Johns Hopkins U.), J. Lotz (STScI): “SparsePak Kinematics of Tidally Interacting
Galaxy Pairs”
WIYN
4
R. Patel (T), S. Metchev (SUNY, Stony Brook): “Age Diagnostics of New WISE Detected Debris
Disk-Host Stars”
KP-4m
2.5
J. Salzer, A. Parker (T) (Indiana U.), M. Haynes, R. Giovanelli (Cornell U.), E. Wilcots (U. of Wisconsin, Madison), N. Haurberg (G) (Indiana U.): “Making Hay with ALFALFA: The StarFormation Properties of an HI-Selected Galaxy Sample”
KP-2.1m
7.5
M. Wood-Vasey (U. of Pittsburgh), P. Garnavich (U. of Notre Dame), T. Matheson (NOAO), S. Jha
(Rutgers U.), A. Rest (STScI), L. Allen (NOAO), A. Weyant (T) (U. of Pittsburgh), H. Marion
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “Type Ia Supernovae in the Near-Infrared: A
Three-Year Survey toward a One Percent Distance Measurement with WIYN+WHIRC”
WIYN
8
Telescopes
Nights
KP-4m
4
US Thesis Programs (10)
KPNO Telescopes: 2012B Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (4) 
J. Schlieder (Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik), M. Simon (SUNY, Stony Brook), E. Rice (College of Staten Island), S. Lepine (American Museum of Natural History): “New Low-Mass Members of Nearby Young Moving Groups”

Key: TOO: Target of Opportunity scheduling; (G): Graduate; (O): Other; (T): Thesis Student; (U): Undergraduate
196
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Foreign Thesis Programs (4)
T. Desjardins (T), S. Gallagher (University of Western Ontario), I. Konstantopoulos (Pennsylvania
State U.), K. Fedotov (G) (University of Western Ontario), K. Johnson (U. of Virginia), P.
Tzanavaris (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), L. Walker (G) (U. of Virginia), J. Charlton, B.
Mullan (U) (Pennsylvania State U.), L. Lenkic (U) (University of Western Ontario): “Mapping Star
Formation in Dense Environments: H(alpha) Imaging of Compact Galaxy Groups”
KP-4m
3.5
N. Giammichele (T), P. Bergeron, L. Seguin-Charbonneau (G) (University of Montreal): “Understanding the Spectral Evolution of Helium-Line DB White Dwarfs”
KP-4m
4
Y. Jeon (T), M. Im (Seoul National University), S. Pak (Kyunghee University), W. Park (KASI), C.
Choi (T) (Seoul National University): “Optical Spectroscopic Observation of z ~ 5 Quasar Candidates”
KP-4m
2.5
M. Limoges (T) (University of Montreal), S. Lepine (American Museum of Natural History), P.
Bergeron (University of Montreal): “A Spectroscopic Census of White Dwarfs within 40 pc of the
Sun II: A Spectroscopic Analysis”
KP-4m
4
G.4 GEMINI OBSERVATORY

Gemini North. The US community has access to approximately 40% of all science time during
semester 2012A and 39% during semester 2012B on the 8-m Gemini North telescope.

Gemini South. The US community has access to approximately 36% of all science time during
semester 2012A and 34% during semester 2012B on the 8-m Gemini South telescope.
Gemini Semester 2012A
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
P. Allen (U. of Pennsylvania), L. Close (U. of Arizona): “A Multi-Epoch Survey for Faint, Close,
Low-Mass Tertiaries to Nearby Spectroscopic Binaries: Follow-up Confirmation”
GEM-NQ
0.61
M. Aller, V. Kulkarni (U. of South Carolina), S. Higdon, J. Higdon (Georgia Southern U.): “A Multi-Wavelength Optical Imaging Study of a Unique Star-Forming Environment: Polar Rings”
GEM-SQ
1.61
J. Andrews (U. Mass), G. Clayton (Louisiana State U.), R. Wesson, M. Barlow (University College
London), J. Gallagher (U. of Cincinnati), B. Sugerman (Goucher College), B. Ercolano (LudwigMaximilians Universität-München), M. Meixner, M. Otsuka (STScI), A. van der Wel (McMaster
University): “Dust Formation and Circumstellar Medium Interaction in Two Massive, Bright CoreCollapse SNe, 2010jl and 2011fh”
GEM-SQ
0.87
J. Bartlett (CalTech-JPL), R. Chary (IPAC), C. Lawrence (CalTech-JPL), F. Marleau (University of
Toronto), S. Mei (IPAC), A. Stanford (UC Davis), P. Eisenhardt, D. Stern (CalTech-JPL): “Planck
SZ Clusters: Follow-up of the Planck Galaxy Cluster Catalog”
GEM-SQ
5
T. Beers (NOAO), V. Placco, S. Rossi (IAGUSP), C. Kennedy (Australian National University), N.
Christlieb (Heidelberg University), Y. Lee (Michigan State U.), T. Sivarani (Indian Institute of Astrophysics): “A Survey for Unrecognized Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars in the Galaxy”
GEM-SQ
*

Key: GEM-NQ = Gemini N Queue; GEM-SQ = Gemini S Queue; GEM-N = Gemini N classical; GEM-S = Gemini S classical;
GEM-K = Gemini/Keck time exchange; GEM-Su = Gemini/Subaru time exchange; * = poor weather program; (T) = Thesis
student; (G) = Graduate student; (U) = Undergraduate; (O) = Other
197
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
S. Brittain (Clemson U.), L. Podio (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute), E. Whelan, M. Benisty, C.
Dougados (LAOG): “HI Emission Lines on Young Stars: Accretion or Ejection Tracers? A SpectroAstrometric Survey with GEMINI/NIFS”
GEM-NQ
1.05
R. Bussmann (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A. Verma (University of Oxford), D.
Smith (University of Nottingham), M. Swinbank (University of Durham), L. Dunne (University of
Nottingham), M. Negrello (Open University), S. Dye, S. Eales (Cardiff University), R. Hopwood
(Open University), R. Ivison (University of Edinburgh), M. Jarvis (University of Hertfordshire), S.
Maddox, E. Rigby (University of Nottingham): “Longslit Spectroscopy of Lensing Galaxies Discovered in the Herschel-ATLAS”
GEM-SQ
0.78
B. Castanheira, US Lead Scientist for S. Kepler (UFRGS), A. Corsico, L. Althaus (Universidad
Nacional de la Plata), B. Castanheira, D. Winget (U. of Texas, Austin), D. Koester (Universität Kiel),
M. Montgomery (U. of Texas, Austin), A. Nitta (Gemini Observatory): “The Most Massive Pulsating White Dwarf Stars”
GEM-NQ
0.8
B. Castanheira, US Lead Scientist for S. Kepler (UFRGS), B. Castanheira (U. of Texas, Austin), S.
Kleinman, A. Nitta (Gemini Observatory), D. Winget (U. of Texas, Austin), D. Koester (Universität
Kiel): “Are All High Mass White Dwarf Stars Magnetic? A Test via GMOS Spectroscopy.”
GEM-NQ
0.8
B. Cenko, US Lead Scientist for A. Levan (University of Warwick), B. Cenko (UC Berkeley), N.
Tanvir (University of Leicester), J. Bloom (UC Berkeley), K. Wiersema (University of Leicester), D.
Perley (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), R. Tunnicliffe (University of Warwick): “The Late Time Behaviour of a Relativistic Tidal Disruption Event”
GEM-NQ
0.49
G. Clayton (Louisiana State U.), T. Geballe (Gemini Observatory), A. van der Wel (McMaster University), P. Tisserand (MSSSO), B. Sugerman (Goucher College), H. Bond (STScI): “The Natural
Coronographs of R Coronae Borealis Stars”
GEM-SQ
0.29
B. Cobb, US Lead Scientist for N. Tanvir (University of Leicester), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.),
B. Cobb (George Washington U.), E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A.
Levan (University of Warwick), A. Cucchiara (UC Santa Cruz), J. Bloom, B. Cenko (UC Berkeley),
D. Perley (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), A. Fruchter (STScI), B. Schmidt
(Australian National University), K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), K. Wiersema (University of
Leicester): “Late-Time Observations of Exceptional GRBs: Gemini North Standard Targets of Opportunity”
GEM-NQ
0.3
A. Cucchiara (UC Santa Cruz), N. Tanvir (University of Leicester), B. Cobb (George Washington
U.), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.), E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J.
Bloom, B. Cenko (UC Berkeley), D. Perley (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), A. Fruchter (STScI), A. Levan (University of Warwick), D. Bersier (Liverpool John Moores
University), B. Schmidt (Australian National University), A. Bunker (University of Oxford), H.
Chen (U. of Chicago), W. Fong (G), R. Chornock (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics),
K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), J. Greiner (Max Planck Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik), L.
Tanmoy (G) (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), N. Butler, A. Morgan (UC Berkeley),
P. O’Brian (University of Leicester), S. Lopez (Universidad de Chile), M. Pettini (University of
Cambridge), J. Prochaska, E. Ramirez-Ruiz (UC Santa Cruz), R. Starling, K. Wiersema (University
of Leicester), B. Penprase (Pomona College), T. de Jaeger (G) (Universidad de Chile), M. Maureira
(G) (Yale U.), N. Tejos (G) (University of Durham), A. Rau (Max Planck Institut fuer
extraterrestrische Physik), J. Graham (G) (STScI), J. Hjorth (University of Copenhagen), P.
Jakobsson (University of Iceland), K. Glazebrook (Swinburne University), S. Rapoport (G) (Australian National University), J. Rhoads (Arizona State U.): “Exceptional Swift and Fermi GRBs: Gemini
South Rapid Targets of Opportunity”
GEM-SQ
0.5
M. Cushing (U. of Toledo), J. Kirkpatrick, C. Gelino, R. Griffith (O), K. Marsh (IPAC), M.
Skrutskie (U. of Virginia), P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL): “Northern Hemisphere Follow-up Observations of WISE Brown Dwarf Candidates”
GEM-NQ
2.41
198
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
I. Dell’Antonio, R. Cook (G) (Brown U.): “A Strong Lensing Measurement in the Anomalous Cluster Abell 781D”
GEM-NQ
0.7
J. Desert (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Bean (U. of Chicago), J. Fortney (UC
Santa Cruz), M. Bergmann (NOAO): “Relative Atmospheric Compositions of a Multiplanet System”
GEM-NQ
0.8
T. Do (UC Irvine), J. Lu (U. of Hawai’i/IfA-CFHT), A. Peter, G. Martinez, M. Kaplinghat (UC
Irvine), A. Ghez, M. Morris, L. Meyer (UCLA): “Determining the Physical Properties and Dynamical Evolution of the Milky Way Nuclear Star Cluster with NIFS”
GEM-NQ
1.5
H. Dong (NOAO), A. Cotera (SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center), J. Mauerhan (U. of
Arizona): “Isolated Massive Star Formation in the Galactic Center: Constraining Key Stellar Properties with High-Resolution NIR Spectroscopy”
GEM-NQ
0.7
A. Drake (California Institute of Technology-Ctr for Advanced Computing Research), J. Prieto
(Princeton U.), S. Djorgovski (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), A. Mahabal
(California Institute of Technology-Ctr for Advanced Computing Research), E. Beshore (O) (Lunar
and Planetary Lab), M. Graham (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), M.
Catelan (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile), E. Christensen (O) (Gemini Observatory), R.
Stoll (G) (Ohio State U.): “Supernovae in Extreme Environments”
GEM-SQ
0.9
P. Durrell, US Lead Scientist for P. Cote (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics), R. McDermid (Gemini Observatory), D. McLaughlin (Keele University), P. Durrell (Youngstown State U.), J. Blakeslee,
L. Ferrarese (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics), E. Emsellem (ESO), L. MacArthur (Herzberg
Institute of Astrophysics), E. Peng (Peking University): “The Origin of Low-Mass, Early-Type Galaxies: A GMOS/IFU Survey of the Virgo Cluster”
GEM-NQ
0.86
R. Fadely, B. Willman (Haverford College), M. Geha (Yale U.): “Searching for Our Faintest Neighbors: Deep Imaging of Candidate Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy Satellites”
GEM-NQ
1.26
D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.), B. Cobb (George Washington U.), N. Tanvir (G) (University of
Leicester), A. Cucchiara (UC Santa Cruz), A. Levan (University of Warwick), J. Bloom (UC Berkeley), E. Berger (Harvard U.), B. Schmidt (Australian National University), B. Cenko (UC Berkeley),
K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), A. Fruchter (STScI), D. Perley (California Institute of TechnologyDept. of Astronomy), A. Fruchter (STScI), D. Bersier (Liverpool John Moores University), A. Bunker (University of Oxford), H. Chen (U. of Chicago), W. Fong (G), R. Chornock (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), J. Greiner (Max Planck
Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik), L. Tanmoy (G) (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), N. Butler, A. Morgan (UC Berkeley), P. O’Brian (University of Leicester), S. Lopez (Universidad de Chile), M. Pettini (University of Cambridge), J. Prochaska, E. Ramirez-Ruiz (UC Santa
Cruz), R. Starling, K. Wiersema (University of Leicester), B. Penprase (Pomona College), T. de
Jaeger (G) (Universidad de Chile), M. Maureira (G) (Yale U.), N. Tejos (G) (University of Durham),
A. Rau (Max Planck Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik), J. Graham (G) (STScI), J. Hjorth (University of Copenhagen), P. Jakobsson (University of Iceland), K. Glazebrook (Swinburne University): “Gamma-Ray Bursts: Progenitors, Physics, and Cosmology”
GEM-NQ
1.2
P. Garnavich, US Lead Scientist for B. Tucker (G) (Australian National University), P. Garnavich
(U. of Notre Dame), B. Schmidt (Australian National University): “Catching Supernovae in the Act
with KISS (Kepler International Supernova Search)”
GEM-NQ
1.2
T. Geballe (Gemini Observatory), T. Oka (U. of Chicago): “Additional Probes of the Galactic Center’s Interstellar Medium—Continuation”
GEM-NQ
*
J. Gizis (U. of Delaware), A. Burgasser (UC San Diego): “L Dwarf Variability: Clouds or Spots?”
GEM-NQ
0.9
F. Grise, P. Kaaret (U. of Iowa), S. Corbel, D. Cseh (G) (CEA): “A Direct Test on the Nature of the
Optical Emission in an Ultraluminous X-ray Source”
GEM-SQ
0.67
199
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
D. Haggard, A. Geller (Northwestern U.), A. Cool (San Francisco State U.): “X-ray Binary Candidates along Omega Centauri’s Anomalous Subgiant Branch”
GEM-SQ
3.1
K. Hinkle, R. Joyce (NOAO): “Imaging the Debris Cloud around the Final Flash Star IRAS151545258”
GEM-SQ
0.1
H. Hsieh, B. Yang (U. of Hawai’i/IfA-CFHT), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory): “The SublimationDriven Nature of Main-Belt Comet Activity”
GEM-SQ
0.6
M. Janson (Princeton U.), R. Jayawardhana (University of Toronto), D. Lafreniere (University of
Montreal), M. Bonavita (University of Toronto), J. Gizis (U. of Delaware): “Follow-up of Young
Planet and Brown Dwarf Candidates in the Sco-Cen Region”
GEM-SQ
0.55
S. Jha (Rutgers U.), T. Matheson (NOAO), S. Rodney, A. Riess (Johns Hopkins U.), C. McCully
(G), B. Patel (G) (Rutgers U.): “Adding to the Treasury: Spectroscopic Classification of HighRedshift Supernovae Discovered by HST”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
1.12
1.12
P. Jonker (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Torres (SRON), D. Chakrabarty
(MIT), D. Steeghs (University of Warwick): “The Unique Opportunity to Determine the Mass of an
Accreting Neutron Star: The Eclipsing Accretion Powered X-ray Pulsar SWIFT J1749.4-2807”
GEM-NQ
0.2
M. Kasliwal (Carnegie Institution of Washington), S. Kulkarni (California Institute of TechnologyDept of Physics, Math, Astronomy), E. Ofek, A. Gal-Yam (Weizmann Institute of Science), A.
Horesh, E. Bellm, Y. Cao (G) (California Institute of Technology-Dept of Physics, Math, Astronomy), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.): “Rapid Spectroscopy of Elusive Transients and Young Supernovae”
GEM-SQ
0.45
M. Kasliwal (Carnegie Institution of Washington), S. Kulkarni (California Institute of TechnologyDept of Physics, Math, Astronomy), E. Ofek, A. Gal-Yam (Weizmann Institute of Science), A.
Horesh, E. Bellm, Y. Cao (G) (California Institute of Technology-Dept of Physics, Math, Astronomy), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.): “Rapid Spectroscopy of Elusive Transients and Young Supernovae”
GEM-NQ
0.45
B. Keeney, J. Stocke, D. Syphers, C. Danforth (U. of Colorado), B. Wakker, B. Savage (U. of Wisconsin, Madison), S. Morris, N. Tejos (G) (University of Durham): “Gas and Galaxies in the Cosmic
Web: II. Associations of Galaxies with O VI Absorbers”
GEM-NQ
2.3
K. Luhman (Pennsylvania State U.), N. Calvet (U. of Michigan): “Confirmation of an Edge-on Disk
around a Brown Dwarf”
GEM-NQ
0.06
K. Luhman (Pennsylvania State U.): “Spectroscopy of a New T Dwarf Companion to a Nearby Star”
GEM-NQ
0.09
R. Mason (Gemini Observatory), A. Alonso-Herrero (Universidad de Cantabria), A. Bluck (Gemini
Observatory), L. Colina (CAB), R. Diaz (Gemini Observatory), T. Diaz Santos (SSC), H. Flohic
(Universidad de Chile), P. Gomez (Gemini Observatory), O. Gonzalez-Martin (Instituto de
Astrofísica de Canarias), L. Ho (Carnegie Observatories), I. Jorgensen, M. Lemoine-Busserolle, N.
Levenson (Gemini Observatory), P. Lira (Universidad de Chile), R. McDermid (Gemini Observatory), E. Perlman (Florida Institute of Technology), A. Rodriguez-Ardila (CNPq), R. Riffel (UFRGS),
R. Schiavon (Gemini Observatory), C. Ramos Almeida (University of Sheffield), K. Thanjavur (U.
of Hawai’i/IfA-CFHT), C. Winge (Gemini Observatory): “NIR Spectroscopy of Palomar EmissionLine Galaxies”
GEM-NQ
1.9
R. McDermid (Gemini Observatory), C. Maraston (University of Portsmouth), L. Young (New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology), H. Kuntschner (ESO), T. Geballe (Gemini Observatory), M.
Cappellari (University of Oxford), E. Emsellem, D. Krajnovic (ESO), R. Davies, M. Bureau (University of Oxford), L. Blitz (UC Berkeley), A. Crocker (U. Mass), K. Alatalo (UC Berkeley): “Characterizing the Near-Infrared SEDs of Early-Type Galaxies with Atlas3D: Answering the TP-AGB
Question”
GEM-NQ
0.5
200
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
C. Melis (UC San Diego), B. Zuckerman (UCLA), I. Song (U. of Georgia), J. Rhee (Cal Poly Pomona): “The Amazing Disappearing Disk”
GEM-SQ
0.02
S. Metchev (SUNY): “A Sensitive Search for Exozodi Across the Ten-Micron Silicate Feature”
GEM-SQ
2.1
D. Milisavljevic, A. Soderberg (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), R. Chevalier (U. of
Virginia), R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), R. Fesen (Dartmouth College), E. Pian (SNS), P. Mazzali (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), C. Fransson (Stockholm
University), S. Hachinger (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie): “Resolving SN Ejecta Asymmetries
with High-Dispersion Spectra”
GEM-SQ
0.36
M. Modjaz (NYU), A. Gal-Yam, I. Arcavi (G) (Weizmann Institute of Science): “Host Galaxy Spectra of Stripped SN from the Palomar Transient Factory: SN Progenitor Diagnostics and the SN-GRB
Connection”
GEM-SQ
0.6
A. Myers (U. of Wyoming), J. Prochaska (UC Santa Cruz), J. Hennawi, K. Rubin (Max-PlanckInstitut für Astronomie): “Characterizing the Circumgalactic Medium of Low and High Mass Galaxies with Close Quasar Pairs”
GEM-SQ
2
C. Papovich (Texas A&M U.), K. Glazebrook, G. Kacprzak (Swinburne University), I. Labbe (Leiden Observatory), L. Spitler (Swinburne University), K. Tran, V. Tilvi (Texas A&M U.): “H-alpha
Narrow Band Imaging of a Forming Cluster at z = 2.2”
GEM-NQ
1.45
S. Perlmutter (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), C. Lidman (Australian Astronomical Observatory), I. Hook (University of Oxford), E. Rykoff, T. Spadafora, N. Suzuki (Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory), J. Meyers (G), D. Rubin (G), K. Barbary (G) (UC Berkeley), G. Aldering, J.
Nordin (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory): “Galaxy Cluster Supernovae at z ~ 0.5: Dissecting the Hubble Diagram”
GEM-NQ
0.41
M. Phillips (Carnegie Institution of Washington), E. Hsiao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), C. Burns, W. Freedman, E. Persson (Carnegie Observatories), M. Stritzinger (Stockholm Observatory), N. Suntzeff (Texas A&M U.): “Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Follow-up of Type Ia Supernovae in the Hubble Flow”
GEM-NQ
1
B. Rothberg (George Mason U.), J. Fischer (Naval Research Laboratory), C. Hayward (G), L.
Hernquist, P. Jonsson (Harvard U.), T. Cox (Carnegie Observatories), G. Snyder (G) (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), P. Torrey (G) (Harvard U.), S. Satyapal (George Mason U.):
“Unveiling the Young Central Stellar Disk in the Advanced LIRG Arp 193: An In-Depth, MultiWavelength Case Study”
GEM-NQ
0.8
D. Rupke (Rhodes College), S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland), M. Westmoquette (ESO): “QSO Feedback in Action: The Inner Structure of a Large-Scale QSO Wind”
GEM-NQ
1
K. Sahu, S. Casertano, H. Bond, T. Brown (STScI), M. Dominik (University of St. Andrew), H.
Ferguson (STScI), A. Udalski (Warsaw University Observatory), M. Albrow (University of Canterbury): “Discovery of Isolated Black Holes and Neutron Stars through Astrometric Microlensing”
GEM-SQ
2.1
S. Schuler (NOAO), J. Teske (G) (U. of Arizona), K. Cunha (NOAO), C. Griffith (U. of Arizona),
V. Smith (NOAO): “C/O Ratios of Stars with Transiting Hot Jupiters: Connecting Stars to Planets”
GEM-Su
1
A. Seth (U. of Utah), M. Cappellari (University of Oxford), D. Krajnovic (ESO), R. McDermid
(Gemini Observatory), N. Neumayer (ESO), B. Miller (Gemini Observatory): “VCC 1254: A Fat
Black Hole in a Wimpy Galaxy?”
GEM-NQ
0.81
M. Strauss, J. Greene, R. Alexandroff (U) (Princeton U.), N. Zakamska (Johns Hopkins U.): “RestFrame Optical Spectra of High-Redshift Obscured Quasars”
GEM-NQ
1.5
J. Tobin (NRAO), T. Megeath (U. of Toledo), B. Whitney (Space Science Institute), H. Arce (Yale
U.), L. Hartmann (U. of Michigan), L. Allen (NOAO), W. Fischer (U. of Toledo): “Probing the
Youngest Proto-Planetary Disks: Mid-Infrared Scattered Light Imaging at High Resolution”
GEM-SQ
0.04
201
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington): “Water Ice on
Outer Satellites of the Giant Planets”
GEM-NQ
0.5
J. Wang (SAO), R. Mason (Gemini Observatory), G. Fabbiano, M. Elvis (Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics), G. Risaliti (INAF): “Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectroscopy of an AGN
Pair in a Nearby Spiral Galaxy”
GEM-NQ
0.26
S. Zepf, M. Steele (G) (Michigan State U.), T. Maccarone (University of Southampton), K. Rhode, J.
Salzer (Indiana U.), A. Kundu (Eureka Scientific): “A Search for Optical Emission Lines from the
Globular Cluster Black-Hole Source CXOU1229410+075744”
GEM-SQ
0.6
M. Bentz, E. Manne-Nicholas (T) (Georgia State U.), C. Onken (MSSSO), M. Valluri (U. of Michigan): “A Stellar Dynamical Black Hole Mass for the Reverberation-Mapped Active Galaxy
NGC6814”
GEM-NQ
1.4
E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), A.
Soderberg (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), G. Narayan (T) (Harvard U.), I. Czekala
(T), N. Sanders (T), R. Chornock, R. Foley (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), C.
Stubbs (Harvard U.), A. Rest (STScI): “Exotic Explosions and Eruptions: Exploring a New Transient Phase-Space with Pan-STARRS”
GEM-NQ
0.6
E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), A.
Soderberg (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), G. Narayan (T) (Harvard U.), I. Czekala
(T), N. Sanders (T), R. Chornock, R. Foley (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), C.
Stubbs (Harvard U.), A. Rest (STScI): “Exotic Explosions and Eruptions: Exploring a New Transient Phase-Space with Pan-STARRS”
GEM-SQ
0.6
B. Bowler (T) (U. of Hawai’i), M. Liu (University of Hawaii, Manoa), A. Kraus (U. of Hawai’i), M.
Ireland (Macquarie University), Z. Wahhaj (U. of Hawai’i): “An Efficient Search for Young Wide
Planetary-Mass Companions”
GEM-SQ
2.2
B. Cobb (George Washington U.), A. Cucchiara (UC Santa Cruz), N. Tanvir (University of Leicester), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.), E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J.
Bloom, B. Cenko (UC Berkeley), D. Perley (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), A. Fruchter (STScI), A. Levan (University of Warwick), D. Bersier (Liverpool John Moores
University), B. Schmidt (Australian National University), A. Bunker (University of Oxford), H.
Chen (U. of Chicago), W. Fong (T), R. Chornock (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics),
K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), J. Greiner (Max Planck Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik), L.
Tanmoy (G) (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), N. Butler, A. Morgan (UC Berkeley),
P. O’Brian (University of Leicester), S. Lopez (Universidad de Chile), M. Pettini (University of
Cambridge), J. Prochaska, E. Ramirez-Ruiz (UC Santa Cruz), R. Starling, K. Wiersema (University
of Leicester), B. Penprase (Pomona College), T. de Jaeger (Universidad de Chile), M. Maureira (G)
(Yale U.), N. Tejos (University of Durham), A. Rau (Max Planck Institut fuer extraterrestrische
Physik), J. Graham (T) (STScI), J. Hjorth (University of Copenhagen), P. Jakobsson (University of
Iceland), K. Glazebrook (Swinburne University), S. Rapoport (T) (Australian National University):
“Late-Time Observations of Exceptional Swift and Fermi GRBs: Gemini South Standard Targets of
Opportunity”
GEM-SQ
0.15
R. Foley, N. Sanders (T) (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), D. Scolnic (T) (Johns
Hopkins U.), R. Chornock (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Huber (U. of
Hawai’i), R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A. Rest (STScI): “The Most
Precise Distances to Type Ia Supernovae”
GEM-SQ
1.35
US Thesis Programs (32)
202
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
T. Geballe, US Lead Scientist for P. Najarro (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), D.
Figer (Rochester Institute of Technology), T. Geballe (Gemini Observatory), A. Fuentes (T)
(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas): “Metallicity in the Quintuplet Cluster and the
Galactic Center: Evidence for a Top-Heavy Star Formation History?”
GEM-NQ
0.6
W. Grundy, H. Roe (Lowell Observatory), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), S. Porter (T) (Arizona
State U.), K. Noll (STScI): “Mutual Orbits and Masses of Kuiper Belt Binaries and Multiple Systems”
GEM-NQ
2.5
D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), M. Sullivan (University of Oxford), J. Parrent (T) (Dartmouth College), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), I. Hook (University of Oxford), B.
Dilday (Las Cumbres Observatory), K. Maguire (University of Oxford), M. Graham (UC Santa
Barbara): “Early-Time Observations of Type Ia Supernovae to Reveal Progenitors”
GEM-SQ
0.5
D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), M. Sullivan (University of Oxford), J. Parrent (T) (Dartmouth College), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), I. Hook (University of Oxford), B.
Dilday (UC Santa Barbara), K. Maguire (University of Oxford), M. Graham (UC Santa Barbara):
“Early-Time Observations of Type Ia Supernovae to Reveal Progenitors”
GEM-NQ
1
D. Howell, US Lead Scientist for M. Sullivan (University of Oxford), D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), I. Hook, K. Maguire, S. Blake (T), Y. Pan
(T) (University of Oxford): “The Host Galaxies of Local PTF Type Ia Supernovae”
GEM-NQ
2.38
E. Hsiao (Carnegie Institution of Washington), P. Hoeflich, T. Diamond (T) (Florida State U.), C.
Burns (Carnegie Institution of Washington), C. Gerardy (Florida State U.), N. Morrell (Carnegie
Institution of Washington), B. Penney (Florida State U.), M. Phillips (Carnegie Institution of Washington), C. Pritchet (University of Victoria), M. Stritzinger (Stockholm Observatory): “Late-Time
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of SN 2011fe”
GEM-NQ
0.47
B. James (STScI), M. Barlow (University College London), A. Aloisi (STScI), M. Westmoquette
(ESO), T. Beck (STScI), O. Karczewski (T) (University College London): “The True Abundances of
Star-Forming Galaxies: Ionized Gas with GMOS-IFU vs. Neutral Gas with HST-COS”
GEM-NQ
1.1
B. Jannuzi, US Lead Scientist for N. Tejos (T), S. Morris (University of Durham), N. Crighton
(Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), B. Jannuzi (NOAO), J. Bechtold (U. of Arizona), J. Stocke,
B. Keeney (U. of Colorado), T. Theuns, G. Altay, C. Finn (University of Durham): “Gas around
Galaxies over the Last 7 Billion Years”
GEM-SQ
0.35
P. Jonker (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), R. Hynes (Louisiana State U.), E. Ratti
(T) (SRON), D. Steeghs (University of Warwick): “Completing the Galactic Bulge Survey: Categorizing the Plethora of Faint X-ray Sources in the Galactic Bulge”
GEM-SQ
3
B. Keeney, US Lead Scientist for N. Tejos (T), S. Morris (University of Durham), N. Crighton
(Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), J. Stocke, B. Keeney (U. of Colorado), C. Finn (T) (University of Durham): “Gas and Galaxies in the Cosmic Web”
GEM-SQ
0.55
M. Kilic (U. of Oklahoma), J. Hermes (T) (U. of Texas, Austin), W. Brown, S. Kenyon (SAO), D.
Winget (U. of Texas, Austin): “Gravitational Waves from the 12-Minute Orbital Period Binary
White Dwarf J0651+2844”
GEM-NQ
0.5
A. Kirkpatrick (T), A. Pope (U. Mass), K. Coppin (McGill University), D. Alexander, M. Swinbank
(University of Durham), K. Menendez-Delmestre (Carnegie Observatories): “Determining What
Drives Outflows in High Redshift Galaxies”
GEM-NQ
2.25
M. Kriek (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), T. Jones (T) (UC Berkeley), K. Whitaker
(G) (Yale U.), I. Labbe (Leiden Observatory), C. Conroy (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), P. Van Dokkum (Yale U.): “Physical Properties of z ~ 1.5 Galaxies as a Function of Spectral Type”
GEM-NQ
1.75
203
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Programs for US Time (57), and Theses (32) 
Telescopes
Nights
D. Lena (T), A. Robinson (Rochester Institute of Technology), T. Bergmann (UFRGS), D. Axon
(Rochester Institute of Technology), A. Muller (UFRGS): “Mapping Sub-kiloparsec Gas Flows in
Nearby AGN”
GEM-NQ
0.7
D. Li (T), C. Telesco (U. of Florida): “Probing the Protoplanetary Disk of TW Hya with T-ReCS”
GEM-SQ
0.32
N. McConnell (T), C. Ma (UC Berkeley), K. Gebhardt (U. of Texas, Austin), T. Lauer (NOAO), J.
Graham (UC Berkeley), D. Richstone (U. of Michigan): “A Southern Hemisphere Survey of Black
Holes”
GEM-SQ
1.8
B. McIntosh, US Lead Scientist for M. Naud (T), E. Artigau, L. Malo (T), R. Doyon, D. Lafreniere
(University of Montreal), C. Marois (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics), B. McIntosh (Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory), T. Barman (Lowell Observatory), J. Patience (University of Exeter): “A Planet Search around Young-Associations M Dwarfs (PSYM Survey)”
GEM-SQ
0.3
F. Menanteau (Rutgers U.), L. Barrientos (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile), J. Hughes
(Rutgers U.), L. Infante, C. Sifon (T), J. Gonzalez (T) (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile), M.
Hilton (University of Nottingham), K. Moodley (University of KwaZulu-Natal): “Mass Calibration
of a Sample of ACT SZE-Selected Galaxy Clusters”
GEM-S
1
S. Quinn (T), R. White (Georgia State U.), L. Buchhave (Niels Bohr Institute), D. Raghavan (Georgia State U.): “Close Visual Companions to Transiting Exoplanet Host Stars”
GEM-NQ
1.5
D. Rupke (Rhodes College), S. Veilleux, K. Kreimeyer (T) (U. of Maryland): “QSO Feedback in
Action: Surveying Large-Scale QSO Winds in Major Mergers”
GEM-NQ
1.3
S. Satyapal (George Mason U.), A. Seth (U. of Utah), N. Secrest (T) (George Mason U.), T. Boeker
(European Space Agency (ESTEC)): “The Lowest Mass Supermassive Black Hole in the Universe?
The Gemini View of NGC 4178”
GEM-NQ
0.25
A. Schechtman-Rook (T), M. Bershady (U. of Wisconsin, Madison): “Stellar Populations in Edge-on
Spiral Disks”
GEM-NQ
0.8
J. Stocke, T. Yan (T), J. Darling (U. of Colorado), N. Kanekar (NCRA): “Highly Obscured RadioLoud Quasars”
GEM-NQ
1.5
C. Stubbs (Harvard U.), M. Ashby (SAO), K. Anderson, G. Bazin (Max Planck Institut fuer
extraterrestrische Physik), B. Benson, L. Bleem (G) (U. of Chicago), M. Brodwin (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Carlstrom (U. of Chicago), A. Clocchiatti (O) (Pontifícia
Universidad Católica de Chile), T. Crawford (U. of Chicago), T. De Haan (G), M. Dobbs, J. Dudley
(G) (McGill University), R. Foley (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Gladders, F.
High (U. of Chicago), G. Holder (McGill University), W. Holzapfel (UC Berkeley), R. Keisler (G),
D. Marrone (U. of Chicago), J. Mohr (Universitäts-Sternwarte München), T. Montroy (G) (Case
Western Reserve U.), C. Reichardt (UC Berkeley), A. Rest (STScI), J. Ruel (T) (Harvard U.), J.
Ruhl, B. Saliwanchik (G) (Case Western Reserve U.), L. Shaw (Yale U.), J. Song (U. of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign), B. Stalder (Harvard U.), A. Stanford (UC Davis), A. Stark (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Story (G) (Harvard U.), K. Vanderlinde (McGill University), R. Williamson (STScI): “Spectroscopy of Galaxies in Massive Clusters: Galaxy Properties and
Dynamical Cluster Mass Calibration”
GEM-SQ
3.83
C. Telesco, D. Li (T) (U. of Florida), E. Pantin (Service d’Astrophysique): “Mid-IR Exploration of
an Edge-on Protoplanetary Disk”
GEM-SQ
0.27
S. Veilleux, H. Krug (T) (U. of Maryland), S. Malhotra, J. Rhoads (Arizona State U.), V. Tilvi (Texas A&M U.), P. Hibon (Gemini Observatory): “Spectroscopic Follow-up of z ~ 8 Lyα Emitters in
the COSMOS Field”
GEM-N
1
204
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012A Approved Foreign Programs for US Time (2), and Theses (2) 
Telescopes
Nights
R. Cooke (Institute of Astronomy), M. Pettini (University of Cambridge): “The Physical Properties
of Near-Pristine Gas at High Redshift”
GEM-Su
2
A. Kong (NTHU), C. Hui (Chungnam National University), R. Huang (NTHU): “Spectroscopic
Confirmation of a Compact Binary System within a Supernova Remnant”
GEM-SQ
0.1
P. Chiang (T), W. Chen (National Central University), M. Liu, E. Magnier (U. of Hawai’i): “Young
Planetary Objects in the Ophiuchi Dark Cloud”
GEM-NQ
1.5
H. Hsieh (T), S. Lai (NTHU): “Searching for High Velocity Jets in DCE185—The Only VeLLO
with H2 Jet Detection”
GEM-NQ
0.05
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Programs for US Time (49), and Theses (17)
Telescopes
Nights
D. Atlee, J. Pforr (NOAO): “A Spectroscopic Study of the Contribution of TP-AGB Stars to Integrated NIR Starlight”
GEM-NQ
0.4
T. Axelrod (U. of Arizona), A. Saha, K. Olsen (NOAO), E. Olszewski (U. of Arizona), S. Axelrod
(U) (BASIS High School): “LMC Microlensing Source Stars - Stripped from the SMC?”
GEM-SQ
1
T. Beck (STScI), H. Takami (ASIAA), M. White (G) (Australian National U.), M. Chou (G)
(ASIAA), P. McGregor (Australian National U.), J. Karr (ASIAA): “Understanding the Jet Launching Mechanism in Young Star Outflows”
GEM-NQ
0.85
T. Beers (NOAO), V. Placco, S. Rossi (IAGUSP), C. Kennedy (Australian National University), N.
Christlieb (Heidelberg University), Y. Lee (Michigan State U.), T. Sivarani (Indian Institute of Astrophysics): “A Survey for Unrecognized Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars in the Galaxy”
GEM-SQ
*
J. Bibby (American Museum of Natural History), S. Clark (Open University), P. Crowther (University of Sheffield), B. Ritchie (Open University), O. Schnurr (Astrophysical Institute Potsdam): “A
WR+BH X-Ray Binary in M74?”
GEM-NQ
0.13
J. Bilikova (U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), K. Su (U. of Arizona), Y. Chu, R. Gruendl (U. of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign): “High-Resolution Spectroscopic Study of the Complex Nucleus of
EGB 6”
GEM-NQ
0.17
A. Bosh, M. Person (MIT), G. Schaefer (The CHARA Array of Georgia State University), S. Levine
(US Naval Observatory, Flagstaff): “Seasonal Change in Pluto’s Atmosphere”
GEM-NQ
0.32
A. Burgasser (UC San Diego), A. Drake, S. Djorgovski (California Institute of Technology--Ctr for
Advanced Computing Research), A. Christensen (U) (UC San Diego), E. Beshore, S. Larson (Lunar
and Planetary Lab), E. Christensen (Gemini Observatory): “Hunting for Halo Brown Dwarfs in the
Catalina Rapid Transient Survey”
GEM-SQ
0.821
Foreign Thesis Programs (2)
Gemini Semester 2012B

Key: GEM-NQ = Gemini N Queue; GEM-SQ = Gemini S Queue; GEM-N = Gemini N classical; GEM-S = Gemini S classical;
GEM-Su = Gemini/Subaru time exchange; * = Band 4 poor weather program; (T) = Thesis student; (G) = Graduate student; (U)
= Undergraduate; (O) = Other
205
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Programs for US Time (49), and Theses (17)
Telescopes
Nights
S. Cenko, J. Bloom (UC Berkeley), A. Levan (University of Warwick), N. Tanvir (University of
Leicester), E. Quataert, A. Miller (G) (UC Berkeley), N. Butler (Arizona State U.), A. Morgan (UC
Berkeley), L. Strubbe (CITA): “Probing the Central Black Holes of Distant, Quiescent Galaxies via
Tidal Disruption Flares”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
0.15
0.15
A. Crotts (Columbia U.), S. Lawrence (Hofstra University), S. Heathcote (SOAR), K. France (U. of
Colorado): “Spectroscopic Evolution of SNR 1987A”
GEM-SQ
0.4
T. Currie (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), A. Burrows (Princeton U.), R. Murray-Clay (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Kuchner (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), N.
Madhusudhan (Princeton U.), S. Kenyon (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S.
Matsumura (U. of Maryland), C. Thalmann (University of Amsterdam), B. Bromley (U. of Utah), R.
Dawson (G) (Harvard U.), J. Chambers (Carnegie Institution of Washington): “A Panchromatic
Study of the Massive Planet and Debris Disk around beta Pictoris”
GEM-SQ
0.83
M. Cushing (U. of Toledo), J. Kirkpatrick, C. Gelino (IPAC), G. Mace (G) (UCLA), K. Marsh
(IPAC), M. Skrutskie (U. of Virginia), R. Griffith (O) (IPAC): “The Search for Y Dwarfs in the
Solar Neighborhood with WISE”
GEM-NQ
3.6
J. Desert (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Bean (U. of Chicago), J. Fortney (UC
Santa Cruz), M. Bergmann (NOAO): “Relative Atmospheric Compositions of a Multiplanet System”
GEM-NQ
0.8
J. Desert (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Bean (U. of Chicago), J. Fortney (UC
Santa Cruz), M. Bergmann (NOAO), D. Deming (U. of Maryland), S. Seager (MIT), A. Seifahrt (U.
of Chicago): “Comparative Exoplanetology of Hot-Jupiter Prototypes”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
3
2
S. Dhital (Vanderbilt U.), N. Law (University of Toronto), A. West (Boston U.), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.), A. Kraus (U. of Hawai’i): “The Extremely Extreme: Searching for Companions in Wide
M-Dwarf Binaries”
GEM-NQ
0.6
P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Tsai (IPAC), J. Wu (CalTech-JPL), R. Griffith (O) (IPAC), L. Yan,
D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), A. Stanford (UC Davis), A. Blain (University of Leicester), D. Benford
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), C. Bridge (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), S. Petty (UCLA), R. Assef (CalTech-JPL), E. Donoso (IPAC), S. Lake (G) (UCLA): “The
Most Luminous Galaxies Found by WISE”
GEM-S
2
C. Fassnacht (UC Davis), T. Treu, S. Suyu (UC Santa Barbara), M. Auger (University of Cambridge), L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute), P. Marshall (University of Oxford): “Quantifying the Line-of-Sight Mass Distributions to Time-Delay Lenses”
GEM-NQ
0.37
K. Flaherty (U. of Arizona), J. Muzerolle (STScI), C. Espaillat (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics): “Understanding the Influence of Variable Accretion on Protoplanetary Disk Structure”
GEM-NQ
1.4
P. Garnavich, US Lead Scientist for B. Tucker (G) (Australian National University), P. Garnavich
(U. of Notre Dame): “Catching Supernovae in the Act with KISS (Kepler International Supernova
Search)”
GEM-NQ
1.2
J. Gizis, P. Castro (G) (U. of Delaware): “Completing the Nearby L Dwarf Sample”
GEM-NQ
0.9
H. Hsieh, B. Yang (U. of Hawai’i/IfA-CFHT), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory): “The SublimationDriven Nature of Main-Belt Comet Activity”
GEM-SQ
0.3
C. Johnson (UCLA), S. Margheim (Gemini Observatory), R. Rich (UCLA), A. Koch (Zentrum für
Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg), A. Kunder (CTIO): “A 10,000 Star Survey for Li-Rich K
Giants in the Galactic Bulge”
GEM-SQ
1.55
S. Kafka (Carnegie Institution of Washington), R. De Propris (ESO): “The Mixing of Blue Stragglers”
GEM-N
0.5
206
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Programs for US Time (49), and Theses (17)
Telescopes
Nights
M. Kasliwal (Carnegie Institution of Washington), S. Kulkarni (California Institute of TechnologyDept. of Astronomy), E. Ofek, A. Gal-Yam (Weizmann Institute of Science), A. Horesh, Y. Cao (G)
(California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), D. Fox (Pennsylvania State U.), I. Arcavi
(G) (Weizmann Institute of Science): “Rapid Spectroscopy of Elusive Transients and Young Supernovae”
GEM-SQ
0.48
M. Kriek (UC Berkeley), P. van Dokkum (Yale U.): “Resolved Kinematics of a Compact z = 2.1
Quiescent Galaxy: Evidence for a Rotating Disk?”
GEM-NQ
1.8
G. Liu, N. Zakamska (Johns Hopkins U.), J. Greene (Princeton U.): “Feedback in Unobscured vs.
Obscured Quasars”
GEM-NQ
1.5
B. Macintosh, US Lead Scientist for R. Galicher, C. Marois (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics), B.
Macintosh (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), B. Zuckerman (UCLA), T. Barman (Lowell
Observatory), R. Doyon, D. Lafreniere (University of Montreal), I. Song (U. of Georgia), J. Patience
(University of Exeter): “Completing the Follow-Ups of the 300 Stars International Deep Planet Survey”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
0.36
0.21
N. McConnell (G), C. Ma, J. Graham (UC Berkeley), K. Gebhardt (U. of Texas, Austin), T. Lauer
(NOAO), D. Richstone (U. of Michigan): “The Most Massive Galaxies and Black Holes”
GEM-SQ
1.6
F. Menanteau (Rutgers U.), F. Barrientos, C. Sifon (G) (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile), J.
Hughes (Rutgers U.), L. Infante (Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile), M. Hilton (University of
Nottingham), T. Marriage, M. Gralla (Johns Hopkins U.): “Mass Estimation of Four z ~ 1 ACT/SZE
Discovered Galaxy Clusters”
GEM-SQ
0.2
A. Myers (U. of Wyoming), J. Prochaska (University of California Observatories), J. Hennawi, K.
Rubin (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie): “Characterizing the Circumgalactic Medium of Low
and High Mass Galaxies with Close Quasar Pairs”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
1.71
2.6
E. Nielsen, M. Liu, Z. Wahhaj (U. of Hawai’i), B. Biller (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), L.
Close (U. of Arizona), T. Hayward (Gemini Observatory): “The Deepest Search for Planets around
Newly Identified Young, Nearby Stars”
GEM-SQ
3.3
R. Overzier, US Lead Scientist for S. McGee (University of Durham), M. Balogh (University of
Waterloo), R. Overzier, Y. Chiang (G) (U. of Texas, Austin), N. Hatch (University of Nottingham),
G. Miley (Leiden University), B. Venemans (ESO): “The High Redshift Progenitors of Massive
Galaxy Clusters”
GEM-NQ
0.49
M. Phillips (Carnegie Institution of Washington), E. Hsiao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), C. Burns, W. Freedman, E. Persson (Carnegie Observatories), M. Stritzinger (Stockholm Observatory), N. Suntzeff (Texas A&M U.): “Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Followup of Type Ia Supernovae in the Hubble Flow”
GEM-NQ
1
D. Rabinowitz, M. Schwamb (Yale U.), S. Benecchi (Carnegie Institution of Washington), A.
Verbiscer (U. of Virginia), W. Grundy (Lowell Observatory): “Measuring the Rotational Light
Curve of (79360) Sila-Nunam: An Eclipsing Binary in the Kuiper Belt”
GEM-NQ
0.66
A. Rest (STScI), F. Bianco (Las Cumbres Observatory), R. Chornock (Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics), T. Matheson (NOAO), J. Prieto (Princeton U.), B. Sinnott (G) (McMaster University), N. Smith (U. of Arizona), N. Walborn (STScI), A. van der Wel (McMaster University): “Spectroscopic Time Series of Carinae’s Great Eruption”
GEM-SQ
1.35
S. Ridgway (NOAO), M. Lacy (NRAO), A. Petric (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), A. Sajina (Tufts U.), T. Urrutia (Leibnit Institute for Astrophysics), D. Farrah (University
of Sussex): “The Evolution of the Obscured and Unobscured Quasar Population”
GEM-SQ
2
A. Robinson, US Lead Scientist for T. Storchi-Bergmann (UFRGS), R. Riffell (Universidade Federal
de Santa Maria), A. Robinson, D. Axon, D. Lena (Rochester Institute of Technology): “The CoEvolution of Supermassive Black Holes and Galaxies Probed with NIFS”
GEM-NQ
0.876
207
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Programs for US Time (49), and Theses (17)
Telescopes
Nights
H. Roe (Lowell Observatory), E. Schaller (NASA Dryden Flight Research), M. Brown (California
Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory): “Titan’s Methane
Weather Post-Equinox: Seasonal Climate Change and Large Storm Systems”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
0.3
0.2
D. Rupke (Rhodes College), S. Veilleux (U. of Maryland): “QSO Feedback in Action: The AGN
Threshold”
GEM-NQ
0.6
L. Sromovsky, P. Fry (O) (U. of Wisconsin, Madison): “Probing Uranus’ Atmosphere with Discrete
Cloud Observations”
GEM-NQ
1.6
L. Stanghellini (NOAO), L. Magrini (Osservatorio Astrosico di Arcetri), V. Casasola (Instituto di
Radioastronomia): “Chemical Evolution of Two Sculptor Galaxies through the Abundances of Planetary Nebulae and H II Regions”
GEM-SQ
1.86
G. Stringfellow (U. of Colorado): “Is It Alive? Recovering the Supernova Impostor SN1961V”
GEM-NQ
0.45
L. Trafton (U. of Texas, Austin), T. Geballe (Gemini Observatory): “Investigation of Thermal Tides
in Uranus’ Thermosphere”
GEM-NQ
1.6
D. Trilling (Northern Arizona U.), J. Spencer (Southwest Research Institute), A. Parker (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute), J. Kavelaars (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics), D. Tholen (U. of Hawai’i), C. Fuentes (Northern Arizona U.), S.
Stern (Southwest Research Institute), M. Holman (SAO), S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington), R. Binzel (MIT): “Finding KBO Flyby Targets for New Horizons”
GEM-N
2
C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), S. Sheppard (Carnegie Institution of Washington): “Surface Composition of Pluto’s Moons Nix and Hydra”
GEM-NQ
0.25
J. Walsh (U. of Texas, Austin), R. Van Den Bosch (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), K.
Gultekin (U. of Michigan), K. Gebhardt (U. of Texas, Austin), D. Richstone (U. of Michigan): “Examining Massive Black Holes in Small, High-Dispersion Galaxies”
GEM-NQ
0.95
B. Willman (Haverford College), A. West (Boston U.): “Investigating Overdensities of Cool Stars at
the Edge of the Milky Way”
GEM-NQ
2
P. Zhao, J. Grindlay, J. Hong (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Servillat (CEA), E.
Berger (University of Utrecht), S. Laycock (U. of Massachusetts, Lowell): “The Mass Function of a
New Candidate of Quiescent Low-Mass X-ray Binary”
GEM-SQ
1
B. Zuckerman, US Lead Scientist for C. Marois (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics), B. Zuckerman
(UCLA), T. Barman (Lowell Observatory), R. Galicher (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics): “Further Constraining the Nature of the Enigmatic Fomalhaut b Planet Candidate with NICI”
GEM-SQ
0.35
E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Roth (Gemini Observatory), A.
Soderberg, R. Lunnan (T), I. Czekala (T), R. Chornock (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A. Rest (STScI), R. Foley, L. Chomiuk, R. Margutti (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “Unveiling the Explosion Physics of Nature’s Most Luminous Supernovae”
GEM-SQ
0.8
P. Cauley (T), C. Johns-Krull (Rice U.): “A Survey of Mass Flows in Herbig Ae/Be Stars”
GEM-NQ
0.7
R. Foley, N. Sanders (T) (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), D. Scolnic (T) (Johns
Hopkins U.), R. Chornock (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Huber (U. of
Hawai’i), R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A. Rest (STScI): “The Most
Precise Distances to Type Ia Supernovae”
GEM-SQ
1.35
Thesis Programs (17)
208
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Programs for US Time (49), and Theses (17)
Telescopes
Nights
A. Gonzalez, D. Gettings (T) (U. of Florida), A. Stanford (UC Davis), M. Brodwin (U. of Missouri,
Kansas City), P. Eisenhardt (CalTech-JPL), C. Fedeli (U. of Florida), D. Stern (CalTech-JPL), G.
Zeimann (G) (UC Davis), M. Nair, M. Huff (U) (U. of Missouri, Kansas City): “The Massive Distant Clusters of Wise Survey (MaDCoWS)”
GEM-NQ
0.2
W. Grundy, H. Roe (Lowell Observatory), C. Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), S. Porter (T) (Arizona
State U.), K. Noll (STScI): “Mutual Orbits and Masses of Kuiper Belt Binaries and Multiple Systems”
GEM-NQ
2.5
D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), M. Sullivan, K. Maguire (University of Oxford), J. Parrent (T)
(Dartmouth College), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), R. Ellis (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), B. Dilday (Las Cumbres Observatory), M. Graham (UC
Santa Barbara), I. Hook (University of Oxford): “Early-Time Observations of Type Ia Supernovae to
Reveal Progenitors and Metallicity”
GEM-SQ
0.5
D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), M. Sullivan, K. Maguire (University of Oxford), J. Parrent (T)
(Dartmouth College), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), R. Ellis (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), B. Dilday (Las Cumbres Observatory), M. Graham (UC
Santa Barbara), I. Hook (University of Oxford): “Early-Time Observations of Type Ia Supernovae to
Reveal Progenitors and Metallicity”
GEM-NQ
1
S. Leggett (Gemini Observatory), J. Fortney (UC Santa Cruz), M. Marley (NASA Ames Research
Center), C. Morley (T) (UC Santa Cruz), D. Saumon (LANL), C. Visscher (Southwest Research
Institute): “Near-Infrared Characterization of the WISE Y Dwarfs”
GEM-NQ
0.4
D. Lena (T), A. Robinson (Rochester Institute of Technology), T. Storchi-Bergmann (UFRGS), D.
Axon (Rochester Institute of Technology), R. Riffel (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria), A.
Schnorr-Muller (T) (UFRGS): “Mapping Sub-kpc Gas Flows in NGC1365”
GEM-SQ
0.4
D. Levitan (T), T. Prince (California Institute of Technology-Dept of Physics, Math, Astronomy), P.
Groot, T. Kupfer (T) (Radboud University): “Orbital Periods for Two Unique, Recently Discovered
AM CVn Systems”
GEM-NQ
1.86
C. Papovich (Texas A&M U.), R. McLure (Royal Observatory, Edinburgh), M. Dickinson (NOAO),
O. Almaini (University of Nottingham), R. Bowler (T), M. Cirasuolo, E. Curtis-Lake, J. Dunlop
(Royal Observatory, Edinburgh), S. Faber (UC Santa Cruz), G. Fazio (Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics), H. Ferguson (STScI), A. Fontana (INAF), S. Finkelstein (U. of Texas, Austin), M.
Giavalisco (U. Mass), B. Mobasher (UC Riverside), L. Pentericci (INAF), B. Salmon (T) (Texas
A&M U.), D. Stark (U. of Arizona), V. Tilvi (Texas A&M U.): “A Comprehensive Spectroscopic
Survey of z > 4 Galaxies in CANDELS”
GEM-NQ
GEM-SQ
0.15
0.15
S. Quinn (T), R. White (Georgia State U.), L. Buchhave (Niels Bohr Institute), D. Raghavan (Georgia State U.): “Close Visual Companions to Transiting Exoplanet Host Stars”
GEM-NQ
1.29
M. Rich (T) (UCLA), A. Koch, B. Hendricks (T) (Heidelberg-Königstuhl Landessternwarte): “Hydra I: An Odd, Double-Lobed ‘Globular Cluster’“
GEM-NQ
1.225
C. Slater (T), E. Bell (U. of Michigan), N. Martin (Université de Strasbourg): “Deep Follow-Up of
Two New Distant Satellites of Andromeda”
GEM-NQ
0.86
A. Sonnenfeld (T), S. Suyu (UC Santa Barbara), G. Lewis (University of Sydney), V. Belokurov
(IoA, Cambridge), M. Auger (University of Cambridge), Y. Hezaveh (McGill University), B. Brewer (UC Santa Barbara), S. Vegetti (MIT), N. Bate (University of Sydney): “Probing Dark Matter in
the Cosmic Horseshoe”
GEM-NQ
0.06
209
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Programs for US Time (49), and Theses (17)
Telescopes
Nights
C. Stubbs (Harvard U.), M. Ashby (SAO), K. Anderson, G. Bazin (Max-Planck-Institut für
extraterrestrische Physik), B. Benson, L. Bleem (G) (U. of Chicago), M. Brodwin (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Carlstrom (U. of Chicago), A. Clocchiatti (O) (Pontifícia
Universidad Católica de Chile), T. Crawford (U. of Chicago), T. De Haan (G), M. Dobbs, J. Dudley
(G) (McGill University), R. Foley (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), M. Gladders, F.
High (U. of Chicago), G. Holder (McGill University), W. Holzapfel (UC Berkeley), R. Keisler (G),
D. Marrone (U. of Chicago), J. Mohr (Universitäts-Sternwarte München), T. Montroy (G) (Case
Western Reserve U.), C. Reichardt (UC Berkeley), A. Rest (STScI), J. Ruel (T) (Harvard U.), J.
Ruhl, B. Saliwanchik (G) (Case Western Reserve U.), L. Shaw (Yale U.), J. Song (U. of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign), B. Stalder (Harvard U.), A. Stanford (UC Davis), A. Stark (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Story (G) (Harvard U.), K. Vanderlinde (McGill University), R. Williamson (STScI): “Spectroscopy of Galaxies in Massive Clusters: Galaxy Properties and
Dynamical Cluster Mass Calibration”
GEM-SQ
5.2
K. Tran, A. Tomczak (T), C. Papovich (Texas A&M U.), G. Rudnick (U. of Kansas), T. Kodama
(NAOJ), K. Tadaki (G) (University of Tokyo): “Mapping Cool Gas in and around Star-Forming
Cluster Galaxies at z = 1.62”
GEM-SQ
0.05
Telescopes
Nights
B. Biller (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), J. Radigan (T) (University of Toronto), M. Liu, Z.
Wahhaj, E. Nielsen (U. of Hawai’i), T. Hayward (Gemini Observatory), L. Close, A. Skemer (U. of
Arizona): “Weather on Planets: A Search for Photometric Variability in the Young Exoplanets HR
8799bc”
GEM-SQ
1
T. Hsieh (T), S. Lai, R. Sung (G) (NTHU): “Studying the Nature of Very Low Luminosity Objects
(VeLLOs)”
GEM-NQ
0.47
M. Sullivan (University of Oxford), D. Howell (UC Santa Barbara), I. Hook, Y. Pan (T) (University
of Oxford), P. Nugent (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), K. Maguire (University of Oxford): “The Host Galaxies of Local PTF Type Ia Supernovae”
GEM-NQ
1.87
Gemini Telescopes: 2012B Approved Foreign Thesis Programs for US Time (3) 
G.5 COMMUNITY ACCESS TO PRIVATE TELESCOPES
Community access to telescopes of private observatories is provided through TSIP and ReSTAR programs and specific agreements. The available nights for semesters 2012A/B are as follows: MMT
(12/12), Palomar Hale 200-inch telescope (10/10), the CHARA Telescope Interferometer (5, for entire
year), and AAT (5 in 2012B as a time trade with the CTIO 4-m).

Key: GEM-NQ = Gemini N Queue; GEM-SQ = Gemini S Queue; GEM-N = Gemini N classical; GEM-S = Gemini S classical;
GEM-Su = Gemini/Subaru time exchange; * = Band 4 poor weather program; (T) = Thesis student; (G) = Graduate student; (U)
= Undergraduate; (O) = Other
210
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy 2012
CHARA Telescope: 2012 Approved US Programs (2)
Telescope
Nights
E. Baines (Naval Research Laboratory), M. Dollinger (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie), A.
Hatzes, E. Guenther (Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenberg), M. Hrudkovu (Isaac Newton
Group): “Measuring Potential Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Host K Giant Stars”
CHARA
1
J. Eisner, C. Bilinski (G) (U. of Arizona): “Imaging Sub-AU-Sized Regions of Protoplanetary Disks
in the Near-IR”
CHARA
3
Telescope
Nights
CHARA
1.2
CHARA
1
Telescope
Nights
M. Brown (U. of Colorado), L. Walkowicz (Princeton U.), S. Hawley, A. Kowalski (G) (U. of
Washington), S. Saar, G. Furesz (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “MMT
Hectochelle Spectral Variability of Active Late-Type Stars in the Kepler Field (2012A)”
MMT
4
A. Dey (NOAO), M. Prescott (UC Santa Barbara), S. Hong (NOAO): “Mapping the Cosmic Web at
z ~ 2.7”
MMT
2
MMT
1
Telescope
Nights
MMT
3
CHARA Telescope: 2012 Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (1)
M. Kishimoto (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie), R. Barvainis (NSF), R. Antonucci, S.
Hoenig (UC Santa Barbara), F. Millour (Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur), K. Tristram, G. Weigelt
(Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie): “Resolving the Innermost Dusty Accretion in the
Brightest Type 1 AGN with the CHARA Array”
Foreign Thesis Programs (1)
M. Hillen (T) (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), J. Mikolajewska (Copernicus Astronomical Center),
A. Jorissen, T. Dermine (G) (Université Libre de Bruxelles), T. Verhoelst, P. Degroote, S. Bloemen
(G) (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven): “Resolving the Roche Lobe Filling Giant in the Recurrent
Nova T CrB: a Solution to the ‘Continually Embarrassing Problem’ of Symbiotic Binaries?”
MMT Observatory Semester 2012A
MMT Telescope: 2012A Approved US Programs (2), and US Theses (1)
US Thesis Programs (1)
C. Mack (T), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt U.), S. Schuler (NOAO), J. Bechtold (U. of Arizona), L. Ghezzi
(Observatorio Nacional Brazil), L. Hebb, P. Cargile, J. Pepper, Y. Maqueo Chew (Vanderbilt U.), F.
Faedi, S. Barros (Queen’s University Belfast): “Detailed Chemical Abundance Analysis of PlanetHosting Wide Binaries”
MMT Telescope: 2012A Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (1)
S. Fine, T. Shanks (University of Durham), P. Green (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S. Croom (University of Sydney), R. Webster (University of Melbourne): “Reverberation mapping of ~1000 QSOs”
211
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
MMT Telescope: 2012A Approved Foreign Programs (1), and Foreign Theses (1)
Telescope
Nights
MMT
3
MMT Telescope: 2012B Approved US Programs (4), and US Theses (2)
Telescope
Nights
M. Brown (U. of Colorado), L. Walkowicz (Princeton U.), S. Hawley, A. Kowalski (G) (U. of
Washington), S. Saar, G. Furesz (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics): “MMT
Hectochelle Spectral Variability of Active Late-Type Stars in the Kepler Field (2012B)”
MMT-TBD
3
J. Gizis (U. of Delaware), K. Cruz (Hunter College), A. Burgasser (UC San Diego), E. Berger (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S. Metchev (SUNY, Stony Brook): “A Great Spot on a
Kepler L Dwarf”
MMT-TBD
2
K. Neugent (O), P. Massey (Lowell Observatory), G. Meynet (Geneva Observatory): “Determining
the Binary Frequency of Wolf-Rayet Stars as a Function of Metallicity”
MMT-TBD
2.5
N. Zakamska (Johns Hopkins U.), R. Alexandroff (U), M. Strauss (Princeton U.), P. Smith (U. of
Arizona), J. Greene (Princeton U.): “Spectropolarimetry of High-Redshift Type 2 Quasar Candidates”
MMT-TBD
2
L. Hillenbrand, K. Findeisen (T) (California Institute of Technology-Dept. of Astronomy), L. Rebull
(SSC): “Connecting Stellar Properties and Aperiodic Photometric Variability Origins in Young
Stars”
MMT-TBD
1
M. Kriek, T. Jones (T) (UC Berkeley): “Physical Properties of Galaxies as a Function of Spectral
Type”
MMT-TBD
1
MMT Telescope: 2012B Approved Foreign Programs (1)
Telescope
Nights
J. Farihi (University of Leicester), J. Holberg (U. of Arizona), D. Koester (Universität Kiel), S. Redfield (Wesleyan U.), M. Barstow (University of Leicester): “The Bulk Composition of Rocky Planetary Debris and a Search for Water”
MMT-TBD
2
Foreign Thesis Programs (1)
P. Papics (T), C. Aerts (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), M. Briquet (Université de Liège), P.
Degroote, A. Tkatchenko, J. Debosscher (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven): “Core Overshooting and
Rotation inside Main-Sequence B Pulsators: An Intensive Spectroscopic Follow-up in Quest of
Mode Identification from Line Profile Variations”
MMT Observatory Semester 2012B
US Thesis Programs (2)
212
OBSERVING PROGRAMS & INVESTIGATORS FOR 2012
Palomar Observatory: Hale Semester 2012A
Hale Telescope: 2012A Approved US Thesis Programs (2)
Telescope
Nights
M. Kilic, P. Canton (T) (U. of Oklahoma), W. Brown, S. Kenyon (SAO): “The ELM Survey: Finding the Shortest Period Binary White Dwarfs”
Hale
4
J. Prochaska, R. Da Silva (O) (UC Santa Cruz), A. Meyers (U. of Wyoming), J. Hennawi, G. Maier
(T) (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie): “Quasars Probing Quasars: New Constraints on the Quasar Phenomenon from the Transverse Proximity Effect”
Hale
4
Telescope
Nights
J. Rogerson (G) (NYU), P. Hall, P. Hidalgo, L. Chajet (G) (York University): “Spectroscopic Follow
Up of Variable Quasars”
Hale
2
E. Schlawin (G), T. Herter (Cornell U.), J. Wilson (U. of Virginia): “Imager-Corrected NIR SpectroPhotometry of a Hot Jupiter”
Hale
1
G. Worseck (University of California Observatories), J. Hennawi (Max-Planck-Institute für
Astronomie), J. Prochaska (University of California Observatories): “Revealing the Proximity Zones
of Helium-Reionizing Quasars at ~3”
Hale
5
R. Yan, M. Blanton (NYU), L. Ho (Carnegie Observatories): “Probing the Warm Ionized Gas in
Nearby Early-Type Galaxies”
Hale
2
AAT: 2012B Approved US Programs (3), and US Theses (1) 
Telescope
Nights
V. Antoniou (Iowa State U.), A. Zezas (SAO), D. Hatzidimitriou (University of Athens), G.
Maravelias (G) (University of Crete), F. Haberl (Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik):
“Classification of X-ray Sources Detected in the XMM-Newton Survey of the SMC”
AAT-SVC
0.6
A. Kim (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), C. D’Andrea (University of Portsmouth), M.
Smith (UWC), R. Thomas (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory): “Spectroscopic Diversity in
Supernovae Discovered by the Dark Energy Survey”
AAT-SVC
2
A. Kunder (CTIO), R. Rich (UCLA), R. De Propris (CTIO), A. Koch (Heidelberg-Königstuhl
Landessternwarte), C. Johnson (UCLA): “Search for Stellar Sub-Structure in the Galactic Bulge”
AAT-SVC
0.3
AAT-SVC
1
Palomar Observatory: Hale Semester 2012B
Hale Telescope: 2012B Approved US Programs (4)
Anglo-Australian Observatory: AAT Semester 2012B
US Thesis Programs (1)
R. Patel (T), S. Metchev (SUNY, Stony Brook): “Age Diagnostics of New WISE Detected Debris
Disk-Host Stars”

Key: (G) = Graduate; (O) = Other; (T) = Thesis Student; (U) = Undergraduate
213
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
H BROADENING PARTICIPATION
NOAO is committed to foster, encourage, and enhance geographic, gender, ethnic, and racial diversity
among its employees and programs in promoting astronomical research. NOAO is proud to assist in preparing diverse, globally engaged science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities.
The focus is to broaden participation from underrepresented groups, institutions that do not have access
to activities in astronomy (especially smaller institutions and institutions with high percentages of underrepresented groups), and geographic areas that have not had the opportunity to participate in the field
of astronomy.
NOAO’s activities in this area are spearheaded by the NOAO Diversity Co-Advocates (DAs). They
participate in a broad range of activities chosen to advance the goals of diversity and broader participation, as well as improve workplace climate. The DAs participated in a number of activities this year to
broaden participation of underrepresented minorities in the astronomy enterprise, that is, in scientific,
engineering, and technological development for astronomy. During FY12, the NOAO representation of
AURA diversity advocates was reduced to one person. Specific broadening participation activities are
listed below.
AURA/NOAO Activities

The “Excellence and Diversity at NOAO” talks about best practices for hiring scientific/technical staff were given to staff subsets and search committees.

The NOAO DA participated on the AURA Workforce and Diversity Committee (WDC) subcommittee that produced the AURA recruitment guide and brochure on unconscious bias. This is
intended to be used by search committees.

With the NOAO TAC staff, the DAs began a study of the demographics of telescope time proposers and awardees over the last 3–5 years.

The DAs were involved in helping to define in more detail AURA’s (and NOAO’s) support of
its partnership with a group that received an Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary
Research and Education (INSPIRE) grant.

Astronomy Community Outreach Activities

A DA co-wrote a white paper for the NSF Portfolio Review on how parts of the NSF portfolio
affect minority students and researchers, including public access to world class telescopes and
instrumentation.

A DA organized a career development workshop at the 2012 AAS summer meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

A DA led and co-wrote a National Research Council-invited testimonial on Women of Color in
Astronomy.

A DA attended the Association for Women in Science AWARDS (Advancing Ways of Awarding Recognition in Disciplinary Societies) workshop on behalf of AAS. With two other AAS attendees, the DA made recommendations to the AAS council on actions to improve the diversity
of the AAS’s award recipients.
214
BROADENING PARTICIPATION
Staff Diversity
The total number of employees at NOAO North and South during FY12 was approximately 351. Of
those, approximately 117 are staff in Chile who are local hires (106 males and 11 females) employed
under a collective bargaining agreement that is renegotiated every two years. FY12 demographics for the
NOAO workforce, new hires, and promotions are illustrated below with separate tables for the US-hired
and expatriate staff and the Chilean local hires.
Workforce Demographics
Table H-1: NOAO FY 2012 US-Hired Workforce Demographics*
Professional, Science
38
26
5
1
20
12
Professional, Technical
39
37
3
3
31
2
Professional, Business
15
5
1
4
10
Operatives
1
1
1
0
Administrative
41
15
10
26
2
Sales Workers
4
0
4
2
Service Workers
9
4
2
1
1
5
1
Skilled Craft/Trades
14
14
2
1
4
7
0
Technicians
43
32
1
1
1
29
11
Laborers/Helpers
0
0
234
156
TOTAL
2
2
1
1
4
1
1
White
3
Two or More Races
5
12
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
10
12
Hispanic or Latino
10
15
Black/African American
15
First Level Managers
Asian
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
Total Females
Managers and Executives
Job Group
Asian
Total
Employees*
White
Two or More Races
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latino
Black/African American
FEMALES
Total Males
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
MALES
1
2
1
9
2
2
8
5
19
1
1
4
1
1
9
0
7
8
3
13
0
1
124
78
6
* Includes US-hired and expatriate staff (excludes temporary staff). Chilean employees are included in Table H-2.
215
2
3
9
0
0
58
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Table H-2: NOAO South FY 2012 Chilean Workforce Demographics*
Managers and Executives
1
1
1
First Level Managers
12
11
8
Professional, Science
1
1
1
Professional, Technical
30
30
23
6
Professional, Business
8
5
4
1
Operatives
6
6
6
Administrative
13
6
6
Sales Workers
0
Service Workers
14
14
14
Skilled Craft/Trades
6
6
6
Technicians
26
26
25
Laborers/Helpers
0
1
0
0
3
3
7
5
White
Two or More Races
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latino
Black/African American
Asian
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
Total Females
1
2
1
94
0
11
0
11
0
0
0
9
0
2
0
White
106
1
Two or More Races
117
3
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
TOTAL
1
White
Two or More Races
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
FEMALES
Hispanic or Latino
Black/African American
Asian
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
Total
Employees*
Job Group
Total Males
MALES
* Includes Chilean permanent and temporary staff. US-Hired and expatriate staff are included in Table H-1.
New Hires Demographics
Table H-3: NOAO FY 2012 New US Hires*
Professional, Business
2
1
Operatives
0
0
Administrative
3
3
Sales Workers
0
0
Service Workers
1
1
1
Skilled Craft/Trades
2
2
1
Technicians
7
5
Laborers/Helpers
0
0
25
17
68%
TOTAL
% of Total Hires
Hispanic or Latino
1
Black/African American
1
0
Asian
Professional, Technical
1
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
3
Total Females
7
White
Professional, Science
Two or More Races
0
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
1
1
FEMALES
Hispanic or Latino
1
First Level Managers
Black/African American
Managers and Executives
Job Group
Asian
Total FY12
New Hires*
Total Males
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
MALES
1
2
1
4
1
0
1
1
1
3
1
1
0
1
2
0
0
0
1
0
1
4
2
2
0
3
12%
2
8%
0
0%
3
12%
0
0%
0
0%
9
36%
8
32%
0
0%
*Includes US-hired and expatriate staff (excludes temporary staff). Chilean employees are included in Table H-4.
216
1
4%
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
7
28%
BROADENING PARTICIPATION
Table H-4: NOAO South FY 2012 Chilean New Hires*
Two or More Races
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latino
Black/African American
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
Total Females
Two or More Races
Native Hawaiian/or Other
Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latino
Black/African American
FEMALES
0
0
0
Professional, Science
0
0
Professional, Technical
1
1
1
0
Professional, Business
2
1
1
1
Operatives
0
0
0
Administrative
0
0
0
Sales Workers
0
0
0
Service Workers
0
0
Skilled Craft/Trades
7
7
7
0
Technicians
1
1
1
0
Laborers/Helpers
0
0
11
10
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
91%
0%
0%
0%
91%
0%
0%
0%
9%
0%
0%
0%
9%
0%
0%
0%
TOTAL
% of Total Hires
White
0
0
Asian
0
First Level Managers
White
Managers and Executives
Job Group
Asian
Total FY12
New Hires
Total Males
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
MALES
0
1
0
0
* Includes Chilean permanent and temporary staff. US-Hired and expatriate staff are included in Table H-3.
Promotions Demographics
Table H-5: NOAO FY 2012 Promotions for US-Hires*
Total # of
Incumbents
# of
Females
Female
Incumbency %
# of
Minorities
Minority
Incumbency %
# of
Promotions
Female
Promotions
Managers and Executives
15
5
33.3%
1
6.7%
1
1
First Level Managers
15
3
20.0%
1
6.7%
2
1
Professional, Science
38
12
31.6%
9
23.7%
2
1
Professional, Technical
39
2
5.1%
6
15.4%
2
Professional, Business
15
10
66.7%
3
20.0%
2
Operatives
1
0
0.0%
0
0.0%
Administrative
41
26
63.4%
12
29.3%
Sales Workers
4
4
100.0%
3
75.0%
Service Workers
9
5
55.6%
6
66.7%
Skilled Craft/Trades
14
0
0.0%
7
50.0%
3
Technicians
43
9
20.9%
5
11.6%
1
76
32.5%
53
22.6%
13
Job Group
Laborers/Helpers
0
TOTAL
234
*Includes US-hired and expatriate staff (excludes temporary staff). Chilean employees are included in Table H-6.
217
Minority
Promotions
1
1
2
1
1
5
4
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Table H-6: NOAO South FY 2012 Promotions for Chilean Staff
Total # of
Incumbents
# of
Females
Female
Incumbency %
# of
Minorities
Minority
Incumbency %†
Managers and Executives
1
0
First Level Managers
12
1
0.0%
1
100.0%
8.3%
12
Professional, Science
1
0
100.0%
0.0%
1
100.0%
Professional, Technical
30
Professional, Business
8
0
0.0%
30
3
37.5%
8
Operatives
6
0
0.0%
6
100.0%
Administrative
13
7
53.8%
13
100.0%
Sales Workers
0
0
0.0%
0
0.0%
Service Workers
14
0
0.0%
14
100.0%
Skilled Craft/Trades
6
0
0.0%
6
100.0%
Technicians
26
0
0.0%
26
100.0%
Laborers/Helpers
0
TOTAL
117
11
9.4%
117
100.0%
Job Group
# of
Promotions
Female
Promotions
Minority
Promotions
1
1
100.0%
1
1
100.0%
2
2
4
0
*Includes Chilean permanent and temporary staff. US-hired and expatriate staff are included in Table H-5.
†Categorization of NOAO staff by minority group is the same for North and South; therefore, most, if not all, Chilean staff are in a minority group.
218
4
I
GRANTS OBTAINED IN FY12
The following table lists the grant funding received by NOAO staff from non-NSF agencies during FY
2012.
Principal
Investigator or
Program
Manager
Awarding
Agency
Title/Description
Award Period of
Amount Performance Account
$17,311
12/1/2010–
11/30/2013
ZKH002013
Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep
Extragalactic Legacy Survey
(CANDELS) - I
$141,345
10/01/2011–
10/30/2013
ZXH010009
Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Herschel and Candles: Unraveling
the Physical Processes
$303,595
03/28/201206/30/2015
ZXP010013
Dong, Sungryong
Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Constraining the TP-AGB
$25,050
08/02/201206/30/2015
ZXP093001
Elias, Jay
Thirty Meter
TMT System Engineering Support
Telescope Corpo- 2012
ration
$298,830
01/01/201212/31/2012
ZXP096018
Garmany, Katy
Science Foundation of Arizona
Tohono O’odham Education Program
1,050.95
12/01/201112/31/2011
ZXP042003
Goble, Will
L3 Communications
Mirror Maintenance Training
$10,000
10/3/2011–
03/31/2012
ZKP080006
Goble, Will
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Aluminizing agreement
$10,000
11/7/2011–
11/11/2011
ZKP080007
Hong, Sungryhong Space Telescope
Science Institute
Constraining Stellar Feedback: A
Census of Shock-Ionized Gas in
Nearby Starbursts Galaxies
$25,701
12/01/201111/30/2014
ZKH079001
Karletepe, Jeyhan
Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Investigating the Starburst AGN
Connection
$13,000
9/1/2011–
9/1/2013
ZXP063002
Karletepe, Jeyhan
Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
The Role of AGN at the Peak Epoch
of Galaxy Growth
$15,000
07/01/201206/30/2014
ZXP063003
Pompea, Steve
Astronomy Socie- Galileo Education Network
ty of the Pacific
10,414
04/06/201104/05/2013
ZXP041004
Pompea, Steve
Arizona Power
Supply
Dark Skies Energy Education Program
$62,671
07/01/201205/30/2013
ZXP041005
Ridgway, Steven
Space Telescope
Science Institute
Convection and Mass Loss through
the Chromosphere of Betelgeuse
$6,432
03/01/201202/28/2015
ZKH054003
Schuler, Simon
Associated Universities Inc.
Characterizing Planetary Systems:
Chemical Abundances of Kepler
Stars
$247,172
01/01/201209/30/2013
ZXP082001
Shaw, Dick,
Space Telescope
Science Institute
Carbon and Nitrogen Enrichment
Patterns
$30, 759
01/01/201212/31/2014
ZKH024007
Allen, Lori
NASA
DECam NEO: A Sensitive Wide
Field Search for Near Earth Objects
Dickinson, Mark
Space Telescope
Science Institute
Dickinson, Mark
219
NOAO FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012
Smith, Chris
University of São T80S Telescope Development and
Paulo
Operations
$10,000
6/21/2011–
9/30/2012
ZCP083010
Smith, Verne
Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
$15,000
07/01/2012–
06/30/2014
ZXP028005
Using Chemical Abundance Signatures in Kepler-Field Solar-Twins
220
J SAFETY REPORT FOR Q4
The NOAO South safety coordinator continued his focused involvement in the safety preparations and
oversight of the DECam installation and commissioning on the Blanco 4-m telescope during the fourth
quarter (Q4) of FY12. After DECam saw first light, he submitted his letter of resignation to pursue opportunities in the mining industry. The safety coordinator developed positive relationships with the
NOAO staff and proactively worked with two different safety cultures during the installation of DECam.
Preparations to fill this position were begun during this quarter and will continue into the first quarter of
FY13. An interview committee was selected and an advertisement issued in Chile. Interviews are
planned for the week of 10 November 2012.
The hazard analysis process (a variation of military standard 882) was continued with the LSST telescope engineers and camera engineers. The focus during Q4 was on reviewing expected maintenance
activities and access when the camera is mounted on the telescope.
The AURA insurance program administrator with the help of the CFO secretary completed all insurance applications for AURA, WIYN, SOAR, and LSST. Hawai’i workers’ compensation and AURA
Directors and Officers insurance were re-competed due to potentially high renewal premiums. The
AURA Directors and Officers 2011–2012 insurance was extended to 1 November 2012 to allow time for
more competitors to quote. Premiums were slightly up from last year. With the goal of potentially reducing insurance premiums, the AURA insurance program administrator conducted a tour of Kitt Peak for
insurance underwriters on August 8 to review risk management practices during summer shutdowns and
realuminizing mirrors.
Risk management support continued in Q4
during the movement of and critical procedures for
the Blanco ƒ/8 secondary mirror, which is now at
the Tucson headquarters. Mercury safe handling
procedures were followed, and critical lift plans
and engineering procedures were executed without
incident as the mirror was moved to various testing
locations in the Tucson optics lab. Also during this
report period, fall-protection equipment was put
into use when NEWFIRM was installed on the
KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope (Figure 32).
An NSO employee sustained minor injuries
when on his way to work on August 31. The employee tripped on the University of Arizona side- Figure 32: Hillary Mathis and Brent Hansey using fallwalk near the construction zone on Warren Avenue protection experiment during the NEWFIRM installation
on the Mayall 4-m telescope at Kitt Peak. (Image credit:
and suffered a sprained arm and leg.
Chuck Gessner, NOAO/AURA/NSF.)
221