2021-03-26
Note to FAST observers:
All the accepted proposals will be carried out in service observation mode, and the PIs don't need to travel to the FAST site to conduct the observations.
Proposal submission:
FAST proposal abstract, source list and body should be submitted through the proposal management system at:
https://fast.bao.ac.cn/
This website also contains all the documents on FAST technical specifications, observing modes, observation set-ups, and data reduction guides.
The FAST proposals will be classified into nine science categories. The category information is used to distribute the proposals to the most qualified referees for review:
1. Pulsar Timing 2. Pulsar Search 3. Single Pulse 4. Galactic Spec-line
5. Extragalactic Spec-line 6. Masers 7. FRB 8. Continuum
9. Other (please specify)
NOTE: Source List should be included in the proposal body if it was not given in the cover sheet. If there are too many sources in your proposal, the system will display only part of them, but you still need to upload all the sources to the system when submitting the proposal.
Proposal preparation:
Users are encouraged to use the LaTeX template developed by FAST for preparation of their proposals. The template is saved in the system account of individual application, and can be downloaded after login. FAST proposals must be written in English, and should be a single PDF file, uploaded via the web form. The proposal body should be at most 4 single-column pages long with a font of 12pts size, not including the cover sheet and source list. The recommended breakdown is 2 pages for the science case and 2 pages for figures, tables, references and publicity statement. The proposal body should contain the following two sections:
1. Scientific justification 2. Technical justification
Each proposal must describe the astronomical importance of the proposed project and include a clear statement of its immediate observing goals. Additionally, it should explain how the expected intensity of the target source(s) was estimated and justify the Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio required to achieve the scientific objectives of the project.
Technical Justification shall describe the manner in which the data will be taken, and estimate of the observing time needed to carry out the program. This should also include a description of any observing modes needed to carry out the project. A list of implemented observing modes is available on the FAST web page/helps.
Should you have any questions, please contact us at fast-proposal-support@bao.ac.cn.