README web version of /home/usg/OPS/MTS/readme_xml/readme_84114900

Principal Investigator Email Address

• t.r.marsh@warwick.ac.uk

Estimated Total Execution Time (hours, including overheads)

• 8.6 hours

General Description

• The main aim of this program is to obtain time-series spectroscopy of
   two cataclysmic variable stars, OY Car and CTCV1300-3052, in order to measure precise
   radial velocities of their late-type mass donor stars. These are best seen in the
   I-band through the NaI 8200 doublet and molecular bands and, I hope, through features
   in the J-band. I will be using sky features to track the spectrograph flexure and
   so have not specified night-time arcs even though I want good radial velocities.
   The other targets (LHS 2065 etc) are late-type spectral type templates (M2 to L2)
   which will be used for cross-correlation. The main targets are both eclipsing, so
   do not be surprised if they appear fainter than you expect. The eclipses are short
   (~10 mins) so should be ignored when it comes to acquisition and observing. The
   spectra must be taken in continuous blocks to cover entire orbits in the case of
   OY Car (Period = 91 mins), or substantial fractions of orbits in the case of CTCV1300
   (P = 128 mins). I have a waiver approved for 2 hour long OBs. Exposures must be
   kept short to avoid smearing of spectral features given the 400 km/s semi-amplitudes
   expected, even at the expense of reduced duty cycles; the exposure times in the
   OBs are designed to do this. The CVs should show strong double-peaked Balmer and
   HeI emission lines from their accretion discs. There is a small chance (< 10%)
   that the CVs will be in unusually bright states when you look at them. Such states
   can be 100 times brighter than normal and drown out the light from the mass donor
   stars. If they appear much brighter compared to nearby stars than they do in the
   finding charts, they may be in such a state and it would be better to delay execution
   of the OB. If the higher Balmer lines (Hgamma, delta etc), appear mostly in absorption,
   this would be another sign of an outburst. It is unlikely to happen, but I thought
   you should be aware of the possibility.

Waiver Requests

• 1) 2 hour continuous OBs on OY_Car_OB1, OY_Car_OB2, CTCV1300_OB1, and
   CTCV1300_OB2.
  
  2) Target CTCV1300-3052 had incorrect declination in Phase I, corrected in the OBs.

Critical Observing Condition Constraints

• Clear, seeing < 1" as specified in phase I and all OBs.

Time-Critical Aspects

• There are no time-critical aspects

Special Execution Requirements

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Special Calibration Information

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ToO Information

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ToO Activators List

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Do all your OBs comply with the instrument-specific requirements listed
 on the instrument-specific Phase 2 web page ?

• YES

Do all your finding charts comply with both the general and instrument-specific
 Phase 2 Web Pages ?

• YES

If you submitted OBs for standard stars, did you specify the magnitude
 and spectral type of all standard stars in the OBs ?

• N/A

Have you specified the S/N ratio at given wavelength in the User Comments
 field of each OB?

• YES

Have you included OBs for any calibrations that you need but which are
 not part of the Calibration Plan ?

• N/A

If you are observing Moving Targets, have you attached suitable ephemeris
 files to your OBs?

• N/A

If you have preferences which OBs should be executed first, did you make
 use of the User Priority field in the OBs ?

• N/A

If this is a run that requires coordinated observations with other facilities,
 did you give proper instructions in the Time-Critical Aspects Section ?

• N/A