2008 Sep 2 - First Call for proposal: NICI available for 2009A

NICI is available for the first time on a shared risk basis for classical and queue-scheduled observing in 2009A. The instrument characterization has not been completed, yet, for the offered modes performance fulfills or exceeds already specifications. NICI will be the first Gemini instrument to be used in "campaign" mode. A single planet-search program has been awarded a significant amount of observing time (50 nights over three years). NICI campaign observing is planned to start October 2008, following instrument commissioning.

For 2009A only, due to uncertainty in the NICI campaign targets at this time, science targets must be closer than 1 parsec or farther than 200 parsecs away. Preferably, open time proposals are complementary to the campaign science goals, i.e. not focussing on planet search.

Tracking and low-order correction of the primary mirror is done by the off-axis peripheral wavefront sensor (P2), and the correction of atmospheric turbulence with the NICI built-in AO system using a natural guide star.

Currently, the instrument is offered for IQ 70 or better (corresponding to a seeing better than 0.8” in V band). Cloud coverage (CC) has to be in the 70 percentile at least. Off-axis and/or extended AO reference targets are not allowed. L and M band imaging is not offered.

To date the instrument's default mode of observing uses the AO reference target on-axis, the coronagraph with a flat-topped Gaussian focal plane mask and a 90% hard-edged pupil-plane mask, spectral-difference imaging (SDI) with 4% filters around the 1.6 micron methane feature, and angular-difference imaging (ADI). For ADI observations the Cassegrain rotator is kept fixed. Therefore, the observer has the choice between the Cassegrain rotator in fixed or follow mode.

While some tests have been done with other filters and without ADI, these other modes are predominantly untested. Sensitivity and contrast strongly depend on the reached AO correction (Strehl), hence the given contrast and sensitivities rely on bright NICI OI guide stars and good seeing conditions. The announced performance can only be granted fo bright guide stars (V>11).

First Light

NICI arrived on Cerro Pachon in early January 2007. Commissioning in the lab began immediately, led by Tom Hayward (Gemini Instrument Scientist), Doug Toomey (Mauna Kea Infrared) and Mark Chun (Univ. of Hawaii). The instrument was installed on the telescope February 14, 2007 and saw "first light" on the sky February 20th. The AO loop was successfully closed the second night (the first suffered from very poor seeing). An intensive, and largely successful, six night commissioning run concluded on February 27th. Commissioning and performance optimization has been continued until end of 2008.

NICI Campaign Science Team

The NICI Campaign Science Team was selected January 2006.The Gemini Director, with input from the ITAC and a panel of independent experts, has chosen an international team led by Dr. Michael Liu of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii to conduct a major campaign to directly image planets around nearby stars using NICI. The team includes members of the instrument team building NICI and a number of other collaborators from across the Gemini partnership. The NICI Campaign will be carried out over two to three years using 50 nights of observing time. With strong observational, technical, and theoretical expertise, Gemini expects that the NICI Campaign will significantly advance our understanding of the properties and frequencies of extrasolar planets using this exciting new instrument.

The NICI Campaign team includes:

Michael Liu, PI, Mark Chun, co-PI (University of Hawaii), Laird Close, co-PI (University of Arizona), Doug Toomey (Mauna Kea Infrared), Christ Ftaclas, Zahed Wahhaj, Beth Biller, Evgenya Shkolnik (University of Hawaii), Adam Burrows (University of Arizona), Neill Reid (STScI), Niranjan Thatte, Matthias Tecza, Fraser Clarke (University of Oxford), Harvey Richer (University of British Columbia), Jane Gregorio Hetem, Elisabete De Gouveia Dal Pino (University of Sao Paolo), Sylvia Alencar (University of Minas Gerais), Pawel Artymowicz (University of Toronto), Doug Lin (University of California Santa Cruz), Shigeru Ida (Tokyo Institute of Technology), Alan Boss (DTM, Carnegie Institution of Washington), Mark Kuchner (NASA Goddard), Chris Tinney (University of New South Wales), Tom Hayward, Markus Hartung, Etienne Artigau (Gemini Observatory).

References NICI Campaign:

• Announcement and call for Letters of Interest (7 July 2005)
• Letters of Interest team members [HTML, and PDF] and team formation information (31 August 2005)
• Campaign Science Call for Proposals introduction
• Campaign RFP Documents:
  • Request for Proposals (RFP)
  • Statement of Work (SOW)
  • RFP Addendum #1 - improved legibility of performance plots; tables added (16 Sep 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #2 - clarification of policy for adding individuals to winning team after team selection (7 Oct 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #3 - supplemental information on calculating performance and sensitivity (11 Oct 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #4 - extra information of filters, coronagraphic masks and WFS performance (15 Oct 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #5 - potential funding for additional filters or masks (28 Oct 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #6 - clarification of sensitivity estimates (1 Nov 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #7 - clarification on page limits (2 Nov 2005)
  • RFP Addendum #8 - additional information on CVs, filters and image quality (3 Nov 2005)

Last update: Nov 11, 2008; Markus Hartung