INGNEWS Content: 1. Announcement of Opportunity to adopt LDSS-2 and TAURUS-2 2. Support astronomer vacancies ================================================================== Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes LDSS and TAURUS on the William Herschel Telescope ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes will retire the Low Dispersion Survey Spectrograph and the TAURUS Fabry-Perot imaging spectrograph on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope as common-user instruments on February 2000. A combination of financial and operational pressures are the basis for this decision. The instruments will, however, not be de-commissioned, but offered to interested groups in the user community to take on as private instruments. In this way the ING wishes to save the instruments for continued use by the astronomical community, despite the financial challenges faced. This announcement invites groups in the astronomical community to bid for adopting and possibly enhancing these instruments. If no suitable bids are received, the instruments will be de-commissioned. Invitation to adopt LDSS and/or TAURUS -------------------------------------- The instrumentation suite on the 4.2-m WHT currently offers a wide range of common-user facilities, and also receives a variety of visiting private instruments. Due to a combination of financial and operational pressures, and given the fact that new common-user instruments are under construction, the ING Board has decided to withdraw two of its less-used common-user instruments. These instruments are the Low-Dispersion Survey Spectrograph (LDSS-2) and the Fabry-Perot imaging spectrograph (TAURUS-2). A brief description of these instruments is presented in Annex 1. Considering that this decision will impact on some particular science projects and user groups, the observatory seeks to retain the capability of these instruments, but as private instruments rather than common-user instruments. For this reason user groups are invited to express their interest in taking responsibility for operating and developing these instruments. Formal ownership of the instrument would remain with ING, but the group adopting an instrument on permanent loan would take responsibility for all maintenance and support activities, and for the running costs. ING staff would assist in these activities as would normally be the case with other private instruments. Apart from the instrument itself, all available information, manuals, special tools, spares, and software related to the instruments will be made available to the successful bidder. It must not be the intention that the instrument will just be dismantled or only be used for spares or experiments. Note that the TAURUS narrow-band filters are excluded from this offer. Also the expensive etalons will have to remain under the control of ING, but will remain available when TAURUS is deployed on the WHT as private instrument. Both LDSS and TAURUS interface with ING's standard CCD cryostat design and current data acquisitions system. These systems are excluded from the offer, but will be made available if the instrument were to be deployed on the WHT as private instrument. Note that ING is in the process of upgrading its standard data acquisition system. In its initial implementation the new system will not support data cubes for TAURUS observations. Interested groups are asked to provide a brief description of their scientific programme for the instrument, possible plans for enhancing the instrument, their experience in the field of instrumentation, and how the resources for support would be obtained. We also ask interested groups to indicate whether the instrument would be made available to other groups through scientific collaboration or otherwise. If more than one group would be interested in adopting an instrument ING would wish to promote collaboration between the groups. In case of competition preference will be given primarily on the basis of the quality of the proposed scientific programme. Procedure --------- Submission of proposals are invited in hardcopy, or electronic format (MS-WORD or PostScript format). Proposals should be send to: The Director Dr. R.G.M. Rutten Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes Apartado de Correos 321 E-38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma SPAIN email: rgmr@ing.iac.es tel: +34 922 425420 fax: +34 922 425408 Annex 2 provides a checklist of the proposal content. Deadline for submission is 10 October 1999, after which the proposals will be put forward to the ING Instrumentation Working Group for recommendation. The ING Board will review the recommendations in November 1999. For further information or assistance please contact Dr. Nic Walton (naw@ing.iac.es, tel: +34 922 425440) or Dr. Rene Rutten (rgmr@ing.iac.es, tel: +34 922 425420). Date: 8 July 1999 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ANNEX 1 LDSS-2: the Low-Dispersion Survey Spectrograph LDSS is a wide-field multi-aperture spectrograph for the Cassegrain focus of the WHT. The instrument obtains spectra of many objects simultaneously using custom made multi-slit masks held in the focal plane. Its high throughput and excellent sky subtraction provide good signal-to-noise spectra of faint objects, while its 11.5 arcmin field of view and multiplex capability offer an important advantage for survey projects. Light at the focal plane passes through the aperture mask and a collimator. The collimated beam then passes through a grism, and camera optics, projecting a spectrum of each aperture on the detector. TAURUS-2: the Fabry-Perot imaging spectrograph TAURUS is a wide-field imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer for the Cassegrain focus of the WHT. The instrument is designed to take spectra over a field up to 9 arcmin with a resolving power anywhere between 2,000 and 100,000. Its main use is to measure velocity fields of extended emission line objects. Light from the focal plane is first collimated and then passed through a Fabry-Perot etalon. The field modulated by the FP interference rings is re-imaged through the camera onto a CCD detector. The observing wavelength, and hence the order of interference at which the interferometer works, is determined by an order sorting filter. Two sets of camera optics offer a choice of plate scale. Further information can be obtained at http://www.ing.iac.es/ or from Dr. Nic Walton (naw@ing.iac.es). ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ANNEX 2 Checklist for design study -------------------------- 1. Name and affiliation of PI and Co-Is. 2. Scientific case and plan for use of the instrument. 3. In case of enhancement of the instrument, provide a brief technical description. 4. Statement of expertise in instrumentation. 5. Resource plan for maintaining (and developing) the instrument. ====================================================================== SUPPORT ASTRONOMERS (2 POSTS) ISAAC NEWTON GROUP OF TELESCOPES LA PALMA, CANARY ISLANDS Closing date: 31 July 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vacancies have arisen for 2 Support Astronomers at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) on the island of La Palma in the Canaries. Both posts will be at Band 4 level with starting pay at 17,530 pounds per annum plus allowances and free accommodation. Higher starting pay may be given to candidates with particularly relevant knowledge or experience. These appointments will be fixed-term for a period of 3 years, but with the possibility of an extension for an additional 2 years. The ING comprises three world-class optical telescopes: 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope, the largest and most advanced optical telescope in Europe, the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope and the 1-m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope. They are located in a multi-national observatory site, el Roque de Los Muchachos, at an altitude of 2,400 metres. The ING is pursuing a vigorous optical and IR development programme concentrating on the areas of wide field astronomy and Adaptive Optics. The last year has seen the Wide Field Camera's highly successful debut on the INT, while a new IR camera, INGRID, is scheduled for service on the WHT in early 2000. Next year will also see delivery and commissioning of NAOMI, the natural guide star adaptive optics system on the WHT. Other important developments are upgrades to AF2/WYFFOS, the WHT's wide field fibre positioner and spectrograph, and an optical camera for NAOMI. DUTIES The core responsibilities of the successful applicants will include the night-time support of visiting observers, the provision of scientific and technical advice, execution of service observations and responsibility, as instrument specialist, for the welfare of a particular instrument or instruments. We are especially interested in hearing from applicants with new or innovative ideas for exploiting the research opportunities at the ING. Support astronomers are also expected to spend a substantial fraction of their time on a personal research programme. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE Applicants should have experience of observational astronomy to Ph.D. level, together with a good understanding of astronomical instrumentation. The ability to work effectively with engineering staff to diagnose and solve technical problems is essential, as is a strong and competitive programme of research. Experience relevant to any of the development areas mentioned above would be an advantage, as would be research interests overlapping those of existing astronomy staff. The successful candidate must also hold a valid current drivers licence. FURTHER INFORMATION The weather on el Roque, especially during the winter, can be extremely cold with heavy snow. Travel to and from el Roque will be necessary during such conditions, as will working in unheated telescope domes. APPLICATIONS Applicants should submit their CV's by the 31 July 1999 to: Personnel Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes Apartado de Correos 321 38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma Canary Islands Spain Tel: (00 34) 922 425415/425418 Fax: (00 34) 922 425401 e-mail: lie@ing.iac.es or ssh@ing.iac.es Further information on the duties of the post may be obtained from the Head of Astronomy, Dr Danny Lennon, on (00 34) 922 425441, or e-mail djl@ing.iac.es Personnel queries may be addressed to Les Edwins or Scott Hunter at the e-mail address above. ===================================================================== ============================================================= * To unsubscribe from [INGNEWS] send to majordomo@ing.iac.es the command "unsubscribe ingnews" in the body of the message. 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