1. Observing with ARO

Proposals

Arizona Radio Observatory 2025A Call For Proposals

The deadline for proposals is 23:59 MST on February 7, 2025.

Email the proposal to:

astro-aroproposals@list.arizona.edu.

The Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) solicits proposals for semester 25A (Feb 21 – Jun 15, 2025) for observations with:

  1. The UArizona ARO Submillimeter Telescope (SMT), located on Mount Graham, Arizona.
    Proposals from the general astronomical community are invited for observations with the 1.3 (ALMA Band 6) and 0.8 (ALMA Band 7) mm receivers.
  2. The UArizona ARO 12-meter Telescope (12M), located on Kitt Peak, Arizona.
    Proposals from the general astronomical community are invited for observations with the 4-band receiver covering the 4, 3 (ALMA Band 3), 2, and 1 (ALMA Band 6) mm bands.

In case of oversubscription, preference will be given to Arizona (UA, ASU, and NAU) and student thesis proposals.

Proposers are requested to fill out both pages of the cover sheet and combine into one single PDF file the following:

  1. Proposal Cover Sheet (two pages - must use the new 2-page cover sheet found here): https://aro.as.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/ARO_Proposal_Cover_Sheet.pdf 
  2. Science justification (no more than two pages)
  3. Technical justification (no more than one page)
  4. Update on analysis/publication of past time allocations of observing time (no more than one page). Students should describe the current status of their thesis research and how the current proposal advances that work.

Note: references do not count against your page limit and may be included as a separate additional page.

The combined PDF should follow the following naming convention:

           LastName_FirstInitial_Semester_1.pdf

where the LastName and FirstInitial are of the PI of the proposal, Semester as announced in the call (‘25a’), and with sequence nr _1, _2, etc. increasing for multiple proposals from the same PI.

Email the PDF file to astro-aroproposals@list.arizona.edu.

The UArizona SMT supports dual-polarization sideband-separating observations at 1mm (210 – 280 GHz SIS) and dual-polarization double sideband observations at 0.8mm (325 – 370 GHz SIS) with its standard backend offering bandwidths of 32 to 2000 MHz and channel resolutions from 0.25 to 1 MHz.

In parallel with the current backend, a new digital backend, SWRDS (offering bandwidths of 15.6 kHz to 1 MHz), is available on a shared-risk basis (see https://aro.as.arizona.edu/?q=facilities/uarizona-aro-submillimeter-telescope). Proposals for which SWRDS is essential for meeting their scientific objectives need to checkmark the designated box on the Proposal Cover Sheet.

The UArizona 12-meter Telescope supports dual-polarization sideband-separating observations at 4mm (69 – 90 GHz HEMT), 3mm (84 – 116 GHz SIS), 2mm (129 – 180 GHz SIS), and 1mm (210 – 275 GHz SIS) with the AROWS backend offering bandwidths of 20 to 4000 MHz and channel spacings from 9.8 to 625 kHz. Observations are restricted to single-sideband observations until further notice.

Both telescope control systems support dual-polarization position-switched, beam-switched, and On-The-Fly observations. Proposal candidates should consult the ARO Equipment Summary and Status sheet for additional and up-to-date technical specifications and observational capabilities: http://aro.as.arizona.edu/?q=observing-aro/instrumentation

ARO facilities are currently restricted to remote observing:

Proposals will be reviewed by the ARO TAC and scheduling recommendations are made by the TAC to the Director of Steward Observatory. Proposals will be scheduled according to the availability of the requested receivers. Institutions (or individuals) outside of the State of Arizona that wish to acquire longer or guaranteed commitments of time through a limited duration agreement with The University of Arizona should contact Buell Jannuzi, Director.