1. Observing with ARO

Proposals

Arizona Radio Observatory 2026A Call For Proposals

The deadline for proposals is 23:59 MST on February 6, 2026.

Email the proposal to:

astro-aroproposals@list.arizona.edu.

The Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) solicits proposals for semester 26A (Feb 25 - Jun 20, 2025) for observations with the UA 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 institutions (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 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 (‘26A’) with a sequence number _1, _2, etc., to distinguish multiple proposals from the same PI.

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

The 12M 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.

The telescope control system supports 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

Observations with ARO facilities by default are remote:

Observers who desire in-person presence need to submit a request, which will be subject to special approval and is not guaranteed.

Note: Science verification is ongoing at the UA ARO Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) with the new dual-frequency 1.3/0.8 mm (ALMA Bands 6/7) receiver and high-resolution digital backend that support concurrent dual-polarization sideband-separating observations at 1 mm (210 - 275 GHz SIS) and 0.8 mm (275 - 373 GHz SIS) with bandwidths of 15.6 kHz to 1 MHz (see: http://aro.as.arizona.edu/?q=facilities/uarizona-aro-submillimeter-telescope). A call for proposals for SMT observations for 26A may be issued at a later time.

Proposals will be reviewed by the ARO TAC, which will make scheduling recommendations 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.