2013 Annual Progress Report and 2014 Program Plan of the Gemini Observatory
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2013 Annual Progress Report and 2014 Program Plan of the Gemini Observatory Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. Table&of&Contents& 1 Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 1! 2 Introduction and Overview .............................................................................. 4! 3 Science Highlights ........................................................................................... 5! 3.1! First Results using GeMS/GSAOI ..................................................................... 5! 3.2! Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign ............................................................. 6! 3.3! The Sun’s Closest Neighbor Found in a Century ........................................... 7! 3.4! The Surprisingly Low Black Hole Mass of an Ultraluminous X-Ray Source 7! 3.5! GRB 130606A ...................................................................................................... 8! 3.6! Observing the Accretion Disk of the Active Galaxy NGC 1275 ..................... 9! 4 Operations ...................................................................................................... 10! 4.1! Gemini Publications and User Relationships ................................................ 10! 4.2! Operations Summary ....................................................................................... 11! 4.3! Instrumentation ................................................................................................ 11! 4.4! Data Reduction ................................................................................................. 12! 4.5! User Software Improvements ......................................................................... 13! 4.6! Remote Eavesdropping ................................................................................... 13! 4.7! Storage and Archiving ..................................................................................... 13! 4.8! Telescopes and Enclosures ............................................................................ 14! 4.9! Operations Metrics ........................................................................................... 15! 4.10! Administration and Facilities ........................................................................ 17! 4.11! Safety ............................................................................................................... 17! 4.12! Transition Program ........................................................................................ 18! 5 Instrumentation and Facility Development ................................................. 22! 5.1! GeMS/GSAOI ..................................................................................................... 23! 5.2! FLAMINGOS-2 ................................................................................................... 24! 5.3! GPI ..................................................................................................................... 25! 5.4! GMOS CCD Upgrade ........................................................................................ 26! 5.5! GHOS ................................................................................................................. 26! 5.6! GRACES ............................................................................................................ 26! 5.7! Other Development Activities ......................................................................... 26! 6 Public Outreach and Broadening Participation .......................................... 28! 6.1! Primary Outreach Programming ..................................................................... 28! 6.1.1! Local Observatory Career Awareness ......................................................... 28! 6.1.2! Hawaii’s Journey Through the Universe and Chile’s Viaje al Universo ....... 28! 6.1.3! StarLab Planetarium .................................................................................... 29! 6.1.4! Family Astro ................................................................................................. 29! 6.1.5! Live From Gemini ......................................................................................... 29! 6.2! New and Social Media ...................................................................................... 29! 6.3! Strategic Communications .............................................................................. 30! 6.3.1! Publications ................................................................................................. 30! 6.3.2! Press Releases and Web Features ............................................................. 30! 6.4! Broadening Participation and Workforce Development .............................. 30! i 7 Administration and Finance .......................................................................... 32! 7.1! Finance .............................................................................................................. 32! 7.2! Management and Organization ....................................................................... 32! 7.3! Staffing Plan for 2013 and 2014 ...................................................................... 33! 7.4! Budget ............................................................................................................... 34! 7.4.1! Partner Contributions ................................................................................... 34! 7.4.2! Expenditures by Fund .................................................................................. 34! 7.4.3! 2013 Instrument Development Fund (IDF) Expenses .................................. 36! 7.4.4! 2013 Facilities Development Fund (FDF) Expenses ................................... 36! 8 2014 Program Plan ......................................................................................... 38! 8.1! Overview through 2016 .................................................................................... 38! 8.2! Future Staffing and Budget ............................................................................. 38! 8.2.1! Staffing Plan through 2016 .......................................................................... 38! 8.2.2! Partner Contributions 2013–2015 ................................................................ 39! 8.2.3! Overall Budget ............................................................................................. 40! 8.3! Science and Engineering Operations in 2014 ............................................... 41! 8.3.1! Regular Operations ...................................................................................... 42! 8.3.2! Science and Engineering Operations Core Projects .................................... 43! 8.3.3! Optional Science and Engineering Operations Projects .............................. 44! 8.4! Transition Program .......................................................................................... 46! 8.4.1! Transition Program Overview ...................................................................... 46! 8.4.2! Transition Program Core Goals ................................................................... 47! 8.4.3! Optional Transition Projects ......................................................................... 48! 8.4.4! Contingency Plan ......................................................................................... 49! 8.5! Instrumentation and Facility Development in 2014 ...................................... 49! 8.5.1! Development Core Goals ............................................................................. 49! 8.5.2! Development Optional Projects ................................................................... 50! 8.6! Administration and Facilities in 2014 ............................................................. 51! 8.7! Public Information and Outreach in 2014 ...................................................... 52! Appendix A. Publications by Staff .................................................................. 54! A.1 Refereed Staff Publications ............................................................................... 54! A.2 Non-Refereed Staff Publications ....................................................................... 60! Appendix B. Publications by Users ................................................................ 64! Appendix C. Research Staff Effort .................................................................. 86! Appendix D. Science Programs 2012B and 2013A ........................................ 88! Appendix E. Organizational Chart ................................................................. 101! Appendix F. Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................. 102! & ii 1 Executive Summary The Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. Locations in the northern and southern hemispheres (Hawai‘i and Chile) provide access to the entire sky. A range of instrumentation provides imaging and spectroscopic capabilities, with enhancements from adaptive optics and specialized instrumentation. The vast majority of activity within the Observatory is dedicated to maintaining and supporting operations on behalf of the international scientific community of the Gemini Partnership. The Observatory’s goal is to enable their scientific progress, as they address problems on all scales