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VLT Science Verification Policy and Procedures
December 20, 2001
1. Science Verification Observations
After the conclusion of Commissioning of a new VLT instrument, and prior to the start
of regular operations, a series of Science Verification (SV) observations with such in­
strument are conducted. SV observations may also be conducted in the case of a major
instrument upgrade.
The equivalent of at least 11 VLT UT nights should be dedicated to SV observations.
SV Observations are conducted during the dry runs preceding the instrument regular
operations. At the end of the scheduled dry runs the VLT Programme Scientists submits
to the Director General a report on the status of completion of the planned SV observations.
If the corresponding set of data is judged insufficient to reach the goals of SV, the Director
General may decide for further SV observations to be executed during the first scheduled
regular runs in Service Mode.
All SV Observations are conducted in Service Mode, but one or two members of the SV
Team may be present at Paranal Observatory for a prompt reduction of the data, and the
selection of the observations to be executed.
2. Goals of Science Verification
The goals of SV are manifold, and include:
ffl Offer to ESO users first science­grade data from a new instrument
ffl Demonstrate the scientific potential of the VLT+instrument
ffl Foster an early scientific return from the VLT+instrument
ffl Experiment any pipeline and reduction tools that may be available at the time of SV
ffl Provide feedback to Operation (Paranal and Garching), Instrument Division, and Data
Flow System, as appropriate
ffl Involve scientists from the ESO community in the prompt scientific exploitation of
the data.
3. Science Verification Programmes and Data Policy
The SV Plan of an instrument is developed by a dedicated SV Team.
The PI(s) of the instrument subject to SV and the Instrument Science Team are involved
in the definition of the SV plan.
The SV Programme is presented to the ESO Faculty for discussion.
The SV Programme is finally submitted by the VLT Programme Scientist to the Director
General for approval.
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SV observations of targets already included in GTO or approved GO programmes with
the same instrument could be executed only with the agreement of the PI.
Raw and calibration SV data passing quality control are made immediately public via the
ESO archive, following the ``Data Access Policy for ESO Data''.
The SV Team will make efforts to release reduced SV data within two months from the
conclusion of SV observations.
3. Selection Criteria for SV Programmes
SV Programmes are selected according to the following criteria:
ffl Should have outstanding scientific interest
ffl Push the VLT+Instrument close to their limit
ffl Address a scientific issue widely studied within the ESO Community
ffl Result in a sufficiently complete dataset for its prompt exploitation to be scientifically
rewarding
ffl Use the core modes of the instrument
ffl Help PIs and Co­Is of approved GO and GTO programmes to get promptly acquainted
with the data from the instrument
ffl Exploit complementarity with other public datasets (e.g. HDF­S/CDF­S/EIS etc.), if
appropriate.
4. The SV Team
4.1 Composition of the SV Team
A dedicated SV Team is assembled for each of the various SV phases, including Garching
and Chile staff and fellows (typically up to 8­10 people).
In the selection of the SV Team members the VLT Programme Scientist will follow the
following criteria:
ffl Strong scientific interest for the specific capabilities of the instrument
ffl Technical experience with the type of data being produced by the instrument
ffl Wide coverage of the main scientific areas that the instrument is designed to satisfy
To all activities of the SV Team will also be invited to participate:
ffl The Instrument PI and Co­PI, or one person designated by each of them
ffl The ESO Instrument Scientist
ffl The ESO and Consortium Instrument Pipeline experts
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4.2 Duties of the SV Team
The duties of the SV Team include:
ffl Development and pre­selection of the SV projects
ffl Preparation of the OBs, and their delivery to Paranal Observatory prior to the
instrument dry runs (in part, prior to Paranalization­2)
ffl Maintenance of SV WEB pages, describing the SV plan well in advance of the SV
Observations, and including informative lists of SV data as they become public
ffl Real time assessment of the SV data at Paranal Observatory (maximum 2 SV Team
members)
ffl Reduction of the SV data
ffl Delivery through the SV WEB and the ESO Archive of the raw, calibration, and
calibrated data
ffl On users request provide information on the data
ffl The SV Team can have access to the Commissioning data prior of SV observations.
5. Scientific Exploitation of the SV Data
The scientific exploitation of the SV data can start as soon as the data are publicly released.
The formation of groups and teams for the scientific exploitation of SV data is left to the
initiative of the individuals.
SV Team members are encouraged to promptly use the data and to stimulate the parti­
cipation of scientists from the community.
Authors are kindly asked to send to ESO (Office of the VLT Programme Scientist) at
submission time copy of any paper that may result from the use of SV data, along with a
concise technical report on the use of the data, pipeline, etc.
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