UKST + 6dF

• The UKST is the AAO’s 1.2m UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding OPTICON and the Spring Mountain in Australia • The 6dF multi-object UKST spectrograph uses a robot to position optic fibres on up to 132 target objects over a 6º diameter field of view Matthew Colless OPTICON Medium Telescope Directors’ Meeting Paris, 14 September 2005

A unique & valuable Science with the facility UKST • Though the UKST is a ‘small’ facility if the figure of merit is • Southern Sky Surveys: series of aperture A, if the figure of merit is AΩ (aperture x field of view) or photographic surveys that are the MAΩ (multiplex x aperture x field of view) then the UKST+6dF is basis of much high-impact science: a ‘large’ facility APM/COSMOS, 2dFGRS • The 6dF fibre spectrograph on the UKST is not just rare and • Hα Sky Survey: photographic valuable relative to other European-accessible facilities, it is survey of Hα in the unique in the world: no other MOS can cover the sky as • 6dF Survey: 150,000 efficiently at low target densities, so it is ideal for all-sky surveys redshifts and 15,000 peculiar velocities over 17000 sq.deg. Instrumentof bright objects 2dF AAΩ 6dF Sloan FLAMES VIMOS Telescope AAT AAT UKST APO VLT VLT • RAVE: Experiment Mirror diam. (D) 3.9 3.9 1.2 2.5 8 8 measures velocities & abundances Aperture (D2) 11.9 11.9 1.1 4.9 50.3 50.3 for up to 106 stars in order to System efficiency (e) 0.15 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 recover the dynamical and star- FoV diam. (deg) 2 2 6 3 0.42 0.50 forming history of the Milky Way FoV area (deg2) 3.1 3.1 28 7.1 0.14 0.20 # objects (M) 400 392 150 640 132 560 # photons/time (eAM) 700 1900 50 900 2000 11000 Survey duration (eAΩ)-1 0.18 0.07 0.11 0.10 0.47 0.25

1 RAVE peer review

• The RAVE project has undergone peer-review by the UKST Workpackages Time Allocation Committee on 5 occasions (normal observing proposals in 4 semesters plus a further review for long-term # status). Country # people institutions • It was further reviewed by the AAT Board prior to signing the Australia 4 12 MoU; the AAT Board continues to review the progress of the Canada 1 1 survey at 6-month intervals. France 1 3 Germany 2 8 • RAVE has also been peer-reviewed for almost all its numerous Italy 1 2 grants (so far from UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands 1 3 Australia, USA and Canada). Slovenia 1 2 Switzerland 1 2 UK 4 8 USA 3 7 Totals: 19 48 10

RAVE and RAVE-AAO MoU OPTICON RAVE has Memorandam of Understanding with the AAO… • The cost of a UKST night under the OPTICON Trans-National Access program is €1131 (i.e. €351k for a year of 310 nights) • The AAO provides: • The RAVE team provides €931 per night (€289k p.a.; 82%), with – UKST and 6dF in working order (full maintenance) funds coming almost entirely from the competitive grant – observing time on 25 nights/lunation (310 nights/year) programs of the various national funding agencies – service observers for 20/25 nights per lunation • The AAO supplies difference of €200 per night (€62k p.a.; 18%) – 4 x 0.5 FTE observers (one also acts as Project Manager) • The financial plan for the RAVE program assumes that… – 1 FTE technical/engineering staff (day&night; service in BoM) – OPTICON Trans-National Access funds are provided at the • The RAVE team provides: agreed level (15 nights p.a. x €1131 per night = €17k p.a.) – €289k per annum (i.e. €931 per night) – RAVE team members and students are supported by – 15 months advance funding ‘reasonably assured’ OPTICON for observing travel at the allowed level; this helps – observers (team or students) for 5/25 nights per lunation support use of the 5 nights per lunation not serviced (in addition to travel funding provided by RAVE institutions)

2 RAVE funding OPTICON criteria

total-expenditures status Contributor Date contribution AUD subtotal total for Phase1 (incl. 1.5 month trade with 6 • OPTICON provides less than 20% of running already paid Gilmore 1/12/2002 $3,000 $5,455 1/8/2005 Munari/Zwitter 1/12/2002 $3,000 $5,397 Wyse 1/4/2003 $10,000 $15,637 costs… Freeman et al 1/9/2003 $161,663 Bienayme 15/5/2004 Ū 6,250 $11,114 Steinmetz 1/12/2004 Ū 50,000 $87,286 – OPTICON provides a small but valuable fraction (~5%) of Grebel 24/12/2004 SFr. 4,000 $4,480 21/12/2004 SFr. 6,400 $7,254 RAVE running costs (€17k of €351k p.a.) plus travel support 21/9/2004 SFr. 2,900 $3,254 Helmi Ū 10,000 $16,996 that effectively helps to increase productivity by 25% subtotal $318,537 $318,537 $73,537 committed Steinmetz 1/12/2004 Ū 50,000 $86,000 Steinmetz 1/12/2004 Ū 30,000 $51,600 – The RAVE team provides a much larger sum (€289k p.a.) out subtotal $137,600 $456,137 $211,137 22/ Feb 06 expected Opticon 05A $25,000 Grebel $15,000 of competitively-won grants Helmi Ū 100,000 $172,000 Wyse $15,000 $22,500 Bienayme Ū 10,000 $17,200 – The AAO provides €45k p.a. and covers non-negligible Navarro 2005-2007 $105,000 $109,058 Steinmetz 2006 (AIP) Ū 50,000 $86,000 subtotal $446,758 $902,895 $657,895 27/ Jan 07 hidden overheads not included in nominal cost of nights open Grebel ??? Ū 5,000 $8,600 Steinmetz 2007 (AIP) Ū 50,000 $86,000 Steinmetz 2007 (DFG) Ū 35,000 $60,200 • Competitive time allocation… Steinmetz 2008 (AIP) Ū 50,000 $86,000 Helmi ??? Ū 10,000 $17,200 Opticon 04 ? – RAVE was considered the best use of the UKST and 6dF by Opticon 05B ? subtotal $258,000 $1,160,895 $915,895 11/ Aug 07 applied Binney 2006 £35,000 $84,000 the UKST Time Allocation committee (over several reviews) 2007 £35,000 $84,000 2008 £35,000 $84,000 subtotal $252,000 $1,412,895 $1,167,895 18/ Feb 08 – RAVE is successful in winning competed grants from several remaining funds: $1,167,895 national funding agencies (all with high over-subscription)

OPTICON adds value • Provides access to a unique facility for a major project that successfully wins competed grants • Contributes 5% of running costs - critical for smoothing sporadic nature of grant funding • Assists support of RAVE team observing - increases utilised nights from 20 to 25 per lunation • Assists Central European astronomers - two RAVE team members are from Slovenia, including, notably, Project Scientist Tomas Zwitter (Ljubjana)

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