Phase I Checklist

A number of common errors are made by PIs when creating phase I files writing their technical justifications. The PI should consider the following checklist when writing the Phase I proposal.

• Instrument configuration:
  • Are the filter, slit, and grism specified in the proposal instrument resource list?
  • Did you choose the appropriate filter?
  • Does your choice of slit and grism give appropriate spectral resolution and spectral coverage?

• Baseline Calibrations:
  • Will the Baseline Calibrations be sufficient? If not has sufficient observing time been requested for additional calibrations?
  • If flux calibration is required then the requested conditions should include CC=50%. Also, please consider the extra time needed for taking these data.
• Observing time:
  • The minimal exposure time is 2sec.
  • Did you confirm the exposure time and S/N using the FLAMINGOS-2 Integration Time Calculator?
  • Are overheads included in the time requested in your proposal?
  • Have overheads been included for additional calibrations, if needed?
  • Is time included for off-source sky measurements, if needed?
  • If many very short exposures are needed, please consider the extra time needed for each readout. Please remember that the multiple read mode adds extra overheads.
  • If accurate centering of the slit on the target is essential, have appropriate overheads been included to allow periodic checks of the slit centering? The typical flexure of the instrument is such that we recommend reacquiring the target every 2 hours.
• Telescope peripheral wavefront sensors:
  • It is not recommended to use the peripheral wavefront sensors P2 with FLAMINGOS-2 in most cases due to vignetting. Have you made sure that an OIWFS guide star is selected?
• On-instrument wavefront sensor
  • Have you considered that the field of view could by vignetted by the OIWFS?
  • Will your OIWFS guide star likely be accessible at all dither positions?
• Observing conditions requested (for both queue- and classically-scheduled observations):
  • Is the expected image quality (scaled to the airmass of your target) sufficient for your program? What is the minimum image quality necessary for the science? Please check the Performance Monitoring webpage for the most recent info about the instrumental IQ.
  • What level of cloud cover is acceptable? Is photometric weather required?
  • Note the product of the probabilities of each of the conditions listed above. This is related to the likelihood of your observations being executed, especially in the lower ranking bands. You might wish to reconsider some of your constraints if the product is very low.