Utilizing ARK, the Astrophysics Research Knowledgebase,
a service of
NASA's High Energy Astrophysics
Science Archive Research Center, RPS provides a
facility for filling out the Request for Observation form for RXTE Targets of
Opportunity (TOOs). Electronic submission of the form is required.
In order to access the RXTE TOO request web form, you must first
create an ARK account and/or join the XTETOO
group.
If you already have an ARK account, login first and select "Join Group"
from the menu next to "RXTE Target of Opportunity RPS (XTETOO)" and
then click on the Submit Changes button.
If you do not already have an ARK account, enter your e-mail address in
the input field provided and click on the check box next to "RXTE Target of
Opportunity Request for Observation (XTETOO)" and then click on the Join
ARK button. Check your e-mail and click on the activation code found
therein. Fill out the ARK registration form and submit.
Next, proceed to the RXTE Target of Opportunity Request
for Observation web form and fill out the form as directed below.
Click the Verify button to make sure you have entered the form
information correctly. Once the form verifies successfully, a Submit
button will appear, allowing you to you to submit the proposal to RPS.
After clicking on the Submit button, go to your
Recent Activity page. Summary information for the
proposal that you just submitted should be listed here. If it is, then you
have successfully completed the submission of your RXTE TOO request.
Note: After submission, ARK has the capability to Modify or
Discard proposals using the appropriate buttons on the Recent Activity page. However, you should be aware
that discarding your RXTE TOO proposal in ARK really has no effect. In order
for the TOO requests to be responded to in a timely fashion, the TOO request
is sent to the RXTE Science Operations Facility (SOF) immediately upon
submission. Similarly, modifying your TOO proposal in ARK does not modify the
TOO request in the RXTE SOF system. Indeed, modifying an already submitted
proposal in ARK will actually result in sending an additional request to the
RXTE SOF. Any modifications to a TOO request should be communicated directly
to one of the RXTE Help Desks.
Additional information on how to use RPS and the answers to some
frequently asked questions can be found on the
RPS Quick Help page.
Short descriptions of the forms and fields are below. The fields are
listed in the same order as found on the web page. The labels for the fields
in the web form will link to the appropriate field description below.
The form contains fields for specifying the type of request, the
justification for the TOO, its urgency, etc.
Specify whether the request is for a "New Target of Opportunity" or a "Target
from an Accepted Proposal." Required.
The type of objects(s) to be viewed in the proposal. Required. Specify one of
the following categories:
STARS
CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES
PULSARS
LMXB
HMXB
BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS AND GALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION
NORMAL GALAXIES
AGN
CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES AND SUPERCLUSTERS
OTHER
The title of the proposal (up to 120 characters). Required.
1000 characters maximum..
Please provide a compelling scientific case why XTE should interrupt its
NRA-approved activities to observe this TOO.
Required.
500 characters maximum.
Even though the NRA peer review may have approved the scientific objectives and
observing plan of the proposal, the TOO itself must also be justified. Please
state why this particular TOO should be observed, i.e., why it is a good example
of the phenomena addressed in the proposal. Required.
500 characters maximum. Please provide estimates of
a) how likely it will be that XTE will observe the transient behavior;
b) the duration of the transient behavior;
c) its likelihood of recurrence. Required.
500 characters maximum.
Please state the urgency of observing the TOO. Should it be observed
as soon as possible, or in, say ten days' time? The RXTE team, upon receipt
of an RFO, will make the decision whether or not to observe the target.
Agreement results in implementation, without further consultation with the
PI; therefore, please make sure that your RFO includes all information
required to actually plan and schedule the entire observation, as you may
not have an opportunity for additional feedback or information before
the observation occurs. Required.
The form contains fields for specifying who the RXTE team should contact
(Principal Investigator and/or Lead Co-Investigator) and how.
Flag indicating whether or not the lead Co-Investigator listed is also a
contact person in cases where the Principal Investigator cannot be reached.
The default is "No."
The first name of the Lead Co-Investigator. Up to 30 characters.
The last name of the Lead Co-Investigator. Up to 30 characters.
The e-mail address for the Lead Co-Investigator. Up to 60 characters.
Telephone number of the Lead Co-Investigator that should be contacted.
Up to 20 characters.
Your title (Dr., Ms., Mr., Prof.). The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
Your first name. Up to 30 characters are allowed. Required.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
If you like, you may add your middle name or initial(s). Optional.
Up to 30 characters are allowed. The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
Your last name (surname). Up to 30 characters are allowed. Required.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
The name of your department at your institution. Up to 60 characters are allowed.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
Your institutional affiliation. Required.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
The first line of your institution's address, e.g., the street name, any number
within it, etc. Up to 60 characters.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
The second line of your institution's address, if needed. Up to 60 characters.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to submission.
Your city or town. Up to 45 characters. Required.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
The name of the state/province/prefecture in which your institution is located.
Up to 30 characters. Required. For states in the U.S., please use USPS-standard,
two-letter abbreviations.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
The postal code, ZIP code, or equivalent of your institution. Up to 10
characters.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
The name of the country in which your institution is located. Required.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
If your country is not listed, please contact the
RPS Help Desk.
Your telephone number, plus any extension. Please include the international
prefix if appropriate.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
Your fax number, if available. 24 characters allowed.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
Your e-mail address. Up to 60 characters. Required. An e-mail receipt will
be sent to this address within 24 hours of the electronic submission
of your proposal, if the e-mail receipt option is checked in your
ARK user profile.
The value for this field comes from your
ARK user profile. If it is incorrect,
update your ARK user profile prior to proposal submission.
This form contains the details of how the Target of Opportunity should be
observed.
If the Target of Opportunity is from an accepted NRA proposal, you only
need to fill out the following two fields in this form:
The five-digit number assigned by the RXTE team to your proposal.
The one- or two-digit number of the target in the specified proposal.
Otherwise, if this is a request for a new TOO, leave the above two fields blank and fill out the remainder of this target form:
The commonly accepted name for the object. Up to 20 characters. Required.
Please use standard names for known targets (e.g., NGC 2237 or Eta Car).
The J2000 right ascension of the source. The standard format is
HH MM SS.SS -- hours, minutes, seconds, separated by spaces. Optionally, it
may be entered as degrees (DDD.DDDDDD), in which case it will be converted
to sexagesimal during verification and submission. Required.
The J2000 declination of the source. The standard format is
[+/-]DD MM SS.S -- degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds, separated by spaces
( # indicates an optional sign). Optionally, it may be entered as decimal
degrees ([+/-]DD.DDDDDD), in which case it will be converted to sexagesimal
during verification and submission. If no sign is given, it will be assumed to
be positive. Required.
The preferred duration in kiloseconds of the observation. This is the
total observation time, so for monitoring observations, this is the
sum of all pointings. For example, for two observations of 40 ksec each,
specify 80 ksec as the Total Observation Time and 2 for the
Number of Observations. The minimum Total Observation Time for one target
is 1 ksec. Required.
Indicates that this is a scanning observation. Details of the observations
should be entered into the Remarks fields.
Number of observations of the target. This should be 1 unless
constraints are specified. For monitoring observations this will give the
number of parts into which the total exposure will be evenly divided.
Targets that require uneven splitting (such as an initial long stare,
followed by monthly short pointings) should fill out a separate target form
for each part of the campaign (indicating in the Remarks that they are
linked).
Number of constraints specified for a particular target.
Source count rate in counts/sec typical of the faint state of the
source; optional; ignore if the source is steady.
Source count rate in counts/sec typical of the bright state of the source.
Required. For steady sources, it is sufficient to use the sum of the
mean count rates for each of the six PCA bands.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 1. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 2. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 3. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 4. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 5. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 6. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 1. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 2. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 3. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Source count rate in counts/sec for band 4. The bands are defined in the
output of PIMMS.
Maximum source count rate in counts/sec. Required.
The particular configuration desired for the PCA data that will be
processed by the EDS. The general format for, as an example, an event
configuration is:
X_NNuu_Ng_L_rr example: E_2us_8A_0_8s
where X is the mode (B = binned, E = Event, SB = single bit, F = Fourier,
etc.), NNuu = time resolution in microsec (us) or in millisec (ms), N = no.
of channels and their grouping (g), L = low channel cutoff (most modes also
have a high channel cutoff), rr = readout time (generally in seconds).
Details for all configurations are available in Appendix F of the RXTE NRA.
The software tool 'recommd' (Web
interface or stand-alone code that you can download and compile from our
anonymous FTP
area) will provide guidance in specifying the PCA/EDS configuration. If
you do not wish a configuration for a particular EA, then specify IDLE. No
more than three IDLE configurations are allowed. Do not use NULL for a
configuration. A listing of valid
PCA/EDS configurations is also available.
Note: For all sources with total
PCA count rates less than 1200 ct/s (including all extragalactic
observations) and HEXTE count rates less than 80 ct/s, the SOC strongly
recommends that proposers choose the following set of instrument
configurations:
PCA EA3: GoodXenon1_2s
PCA EA4: GoodXenon2_2s
PCA EA5: Idle
PCA EA6: Idle
HEXTE Cluster A: E_8us_256_DX1f
HEXTE Cluster B: E_8us_256_DX1f
The particular configuration desired for the HEXTE data processing.
The configuration string will resemble the PCA configuration string
(as described above). Chapter 10 of Appendix F lists the available
configurations. The software code 'HEXTEmporize' will provide some
guidance in choosing an appropriate configuration based upon count
rates in 4 spectral bands. 'HEXTEmporize', a small stand-alone program,
is available from the
HEASARC anonymous FTP account. Note that IDLE is no longer a valid
HEXTE Cluster Mode.
Low energy boundary in keV below which source counts will be ignored. Used to
reduce the telemetry rate when softer photons are undesirable. Range: 10-30
keV in 1 keV steps. The default value for this field is DEFAULT. When DEFAULT
is chosen by the proposer, the operations team will use the Instrument
Team-specified default. The default values determined during IOC are: Low
Energy Bound = 12 keV; Source Dwell Time = 16 sec; Switching Angle = +/- 1.5
degrees. These values are subject to change at the discretion of the HEXTE
team. All proposers requesting "DEFAULT" will have the HEXTE team default
values in effect at the time of their observation.
This is the on-source exposure time. The choices are continuous stare, 16,
32, 64, and 128 seconds. The default value for this field is DEFAULT. (See
description above.)
The beam switch angle for the cluster. Choices are 0 degrees (stare),
+1.5 degrees, -1.5 degrees, +3 degrees, -3 degrees, (all single-sided
rocking), and +/-1.5 degrees and +/-3 degrees (both double-sided
rocking). The default value for this field is DEFAULT. (See
description above.)
Range of options for the burst trigger setting. Choices are NO,
EDS, OTHER, or INTERNAL. The default value for this field is NO.
The particular configuration desired for the HEXTE data processing.
The configuration string will resemble the PCA configuration string
(as described above). Chapter 10 of Appendix F lists the available
configurations. The software code 'HEXTEmporize' will provide some
guidance in choosing an appropriate configuration based upon count
rates in 4 spectral bands. 'HEXTEmporize', a small stand-alone program,
is available from the
HEASARC anonymous FTP account. Note that IDLE is no longer a valid
HEXTE Cluster Mode.
Low energy boundary in keV below which source counts will be ignored. Used to
reduce the telemetry rate when softer photons are undesirable. Range: 10-30
keV in 1 keV steps. The default value for this field is DEFAULT. (See
description above.)
This is the on-source exposure time. The choices are continuous stare, 16,
32, 64, and 128 seconds. The default value for this field is DEFAULT. (See
description above.)
The beam switch angle for the cluster. Choices are 0 degrees (stare),
+1.5 degrees, -1.5 degrees, +3 degrees, -3 degrees, (all single-sided
rocking), and +/-1.5 degrees and +/-3 degrees (both double-sided
rocking). The default value for this field is DEFAULT. (See
description above.)
Range of options for the burst trigger setting. Choices are NO,
EDS, OTHER, or INTERNAL. The default value for this field is NO.
Any relevant comments you wish to make regarding the target
and the observation mode. Up to 500 characters.
This section contains the details for any time-critical observation. The
following types of constraint are possible:
Coordinated: In a fixed time-window
Time of Day: At a fixed time of day
Monitoring: Samples at a given interval
Phase dependent: Samples at a given phase
Contiguous: Not split into many slots
Target of Opportunity: TOO triggered by ASM Count Rate
Other TOO: TOO triggered by other observations
Indicates if the observation is linked with other simultaneous
observations. If the exact co-ordinated times are known, choose Y.
Choose U if the observation is to be co-ordinated, but the time
is still unknown. If Y is chosen, the start and end times must
be given in UT (year, month, day, hour, minute). See the AO document
for the anticipated dates for the AO period. The default is no.
Up to 4 coordinated observations per month, chosen by the peer review panel,
will be accepted with the GO's request for special handling. For these
observations, the SOC will accommodate changes in the requested time of the
observation up to 60 days prior to the start of the coordinated observation.
The proposer may elect to place the proposed observation in this category;
the appropriateness of the "special handling" flag will be reviewed during
the proposal selection process. The default is no.
The year to start in for time-critical observations.
The month to start during for time-critical observations.
The day to start on for time-critical observations.
The hour to start at for time-critical observations.
The minute to start at for time-critical observations.
The year to end in for time-critical observations.
The month to end in for time-critical observations.
The day to end on for time-critical observations.
The hour to end for time-critical observations.
The minute to end for time-critical observations.
Indicates that the observation is linked with other simultaneous
observations, making the exact time of day of the observation important.
The start and end times must be given in UT (hour, minute). The default
is no.
The hour to start for time-critical observations.
The minute to start for time-critical observations.
The hour to stop for time-critical observations.
The minute to stop for time-critical observations.
Indicates whether the observation is to be made in several parts at fixed
intervals but with no fixed starting time. The number of parts is
specified in the "Number of Observations" field. The default is no.
The desired minimum time interval between monitoring observations, in
kiloseconds.
The desired maximum time interval between monitoring observations, in
kiloseconds.
Indicates that the observation is to be spread over a number of intervals
with a fixed interval between them and a given reference date. The Epoch
is the reference date given in MJD and the Period is the orbital period of
the source in days. The Minimum (Start) and Maximum (End) Phase are the
minimum and maximum orbital phase. The default is no.
For phase dependent observations, the reference date in Modified Julian
Day (MJD) number format. The observations will be made at an integral
number of Periods from this date.
The period for the ephemeris, in days.
Minimum or starting orbital phase to be observed. Values must be between 0
and 1.
Maximum or ending orbital phase to be observed. Values must be between 0 and 1.
For phase dependent observations, the reference date (MJD) of the second phase.
The period for the ephemeris, in days.
Second phase at which an observation should begin. Values must be between 0
and 1.
Second phase at which an observation should end. Values must be between 0
and 1.
Used to indicate that the observation should be uninterrupted for the
minimum time specified. The default is no.
The minimum desired time, in kiloseconds, that RXTE must be locked on target,
without slewing to another source, but still allowing interruptions for
occultations, SAA passage, etc.
The minimum desired time, in kiloseconds, for a good time interval before the
next orbital event (occultation or SAA).
The All-Sky Monitor (ASM) count rate above which will trigger the TOO
observation.
The All-Sky Monitor (ASM) count rate below which will trigger the TOO
observation.
Used to indicate that this is a TOO triggered by other observation(s).
The default is no.
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