The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Swift Cycle 11 Results

The lists below contain the proposals recommended by the Cycle 11 Peer Review panel. Note that in addition to the accepted programs below, ToO requests for exceptional transients will continue to be possible through the Swift ToO web site, even for ToOs not accepted into the GI Program. The decision on whether or not to observe a ToO of either category will be made by the Swift Principal Investigator.

PIs of Cycle 11 proposals for observation: Please note that the Cycle 11 ROSES 2014 Appendix D.5 "Swift Guest Investigator Cycle 11" states:

"It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) of an accepted ToO to alert the Swift Observatory Duty Scientist when trigger conditions for their accepted ToO have been met. This is done through the Swift ToO Request Form at https://www.swift.psu.edu/secure/toop/request.php. It is highly recommended that ToO proposers register as Swift ToO users in advance at https://www.swift.psu.edu/secure/toop/too_newuser.php. Registration is required in order to submit a ToO Request."

"ToO proposals must have an astrophysical trigger. Once the trigger criteria have been met for an approved target, the PI should check if the target location is more than 5 hours in RA from the Sun and more than 20 degrees from the Moon before requesting Swift observations (http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/Tools/Viewing.html). ToO observations that require more than 6 ks on a given day and are closer to the Sun than 5 hours RA will be less likely to be approved unless they are of exceptionally high scientific priority. Observations greater than 9 hours in RA from the Sun are particularly desirable. The purpose of the anti-Sun restriction for ToOs is to maximize the amount of time Swift is pointed toward the night sky in order to optimize optical follow-up observations of BAT-detected GRBs."

"Accepted Cycle 11 ToO proposals may be triggered until March 31, 2016."

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Recommended Proposals

Prop    PI              	Title
1114014 METZGER, BRIAN NUCLEAR BURNING IN COLLAPSAR DISKS AND THE ORIGIN OF GAMMA-RAY BURST SUPERNOVAE 1114028 ANDREON, STEFANO THE X-RAY COMPLETE CENSUS OF ALL MASSIVE CLUSTERS IN 1/16TH OF THE SKY 1114029 GEZARI, SUVI SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF EXTREME CORONAL-LINE EMITTER SDSSJ0952+2143 1114033 PERNA, ROSALBA X-RAY FLARES IN LONG AND SHORT GRBS: A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF DISK FRAGMENTATION IN HYPERACCRETING DISKS 1114046 KENNEA, JAMIE SWIFT LOCALIZATION OF MAXI DISCOVERED GALACTIC X-RAY TRANSIENTS 1114049 STANEK, KRZYSZTOF SWIFT FOLLOW-UP OF THE MOST INTERESTING ASAS-SN TRANSIENTS 1114064 JORSTAD, SVETLANA MULTI-WAVELENGTH STUDYING OF BLAZAR FLARES 1114066 BOGDANOV, SLAVKO OBSERVING THE NEXT X-RAY BINARY-RADIO MILLISECOND PULSAR TRANSITION 1114068 GODET, OLIVIER X-RAY MONITORING OF THE BEST INTERMEDIATE MASS BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49 1114070 LUNA, GERARDO THE POWER AT THE HEART OF SYMBIOTIC BINARIES 1114083 CENKO, STEPHEN THE RAPID IMAGER AND SPECTROGRAPH (RIMAS): A NEW WINDOW INTO THE HIGH-REDSHIFT UNIVERSE 1114098 TOMSICK, JOHN UNDERSTANDING THE HARD X-RAY COMPONENT FROM NEUTRON STAR TRANSIENTS 1114103 SUNTZEFF, NICHOLAS DECONTAMINATING THE SWIFT UV-GRISM SAMPLE OF SNE IA TO MEASURE THE UV DIVERSITY 1114106 CHAKRABARTY, DEEPTO STUDYING THE ONSET OF PROPELLER ACCRETION IN SAX J1808.4-3658 WITH NUSTAR AND SWIFT 1114109 MARGUTTI, RAFFAELLA EXPLOSION MECHANISMS AND ENERGY SOURCES POWERING SUPER-LUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE 1114117 SAKAMOTO, TAKANORI SWIFT RAPID FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS OF MAXI XRFS 1114122 CAO, YI FLASH SPECTROSCOPY OF NEARBY SUPERNOVAE 1114125 WILLIAMS, DAVID EXPLORING THE PECULIAR SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF HIGH REDSHIFT TEV BLAZARS 1114126 WILLIAMS, DAVID TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF NEW TEV BLAZARS 1114131 PRITCHARD, TYLER DEEPER, WIDER, FASTER: HIGH ENERGY COUNTERPARTS TO THE FASTEST BURSTS IN THE SKY 1114143 CHORNOCK, RYAN RAPID OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF SWIFT GRBS: COSMIC REIONIZATION, METAL ENRICHMENT, AND HIGH-Z HOSTS 1114147 HODGES-KLUCK, EDMUND DUST AND THE DIFFUSE IONIZED GAS AROUND NORMAL GALAXIES NORMAL GALAXIES/CLUSTERS 1114155 CORSI, ALESSANDRA UNRAVELING THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN 1998BW-LIKE SNE AND GRBS 1114161 TOMSICK, JOHN X-RAY/RADIO CORRELATIONS FOR BLACK HOLE TRANSIENTS IN THE HARD STATE 1114163 BUTLER, NATHANIEL THE REIONIZATION AND TRANSIENTS IR CAMERA: A HIGH-Z GRB SEARCH MACHINE 1114170 MARSCHER, ALAN TESTING A MODEL FOR TEV FLARES IN LOW-SYNCHROTRON-PEAK BLAZARS 1114184 FALCONE, ABE THE LARGEST FLARES FROM KNOWN TEV GAMMA RAY BLAZARS: SIMULTANEOUS OBSERVATIONS WITH TOOS 1114187 SIEGEL, MICHAEL A SWIFT STUDY OF RR LYRAE STARS 1114192 QUIMBY, ROBERT PHOTOMETRY OF A HYDROGEN-RICH SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVA 1114200 BECERRA GONZALEZ,JOSEFA CONSTRAINING THE INTERGALACTIC MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE HAWC ERA 1114206 QUIMBY, ROBERT LATE-TIME X-RAYS FROM SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE: HOW HARD COULD IT BE? 1114212 KASLIWAL, MANSI UNDERSTANDING YOUNG SUPERNOVAE AND EXOTIC TRANSIENTS WITH SWIFT AND IPTF 1114214 DEGENAAR, NATHALIE CONTINUING A SWIFT LEGACY: THE MONITORING CAMPAIGN OF THE GALACTIC CENTER 1114215 WALTON, DOMINIC SWIFT MONITORING OF THE UNIQUELY DIVERSE ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCES IN M82 1114218 DEGENAAR, NATHALIE UNDERSTANDING THE CRUSTS OF TRANSIENTLY ACCRETING NEUTRON STARS 1114220 ARCAVI, IAIR A WINDOW TO QUIESCENT MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: SWIFT FOLLOWUP OF TIDAL DISRUPTION FLARES 1114234 BROWN, PETER ULTRAVIOLET PROPERTIES OF SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE OVER TEN BILLION YEARS 1114241 VALENTI, STEFANO EARLY SPECTROSCOPY OF SUPERNOVAE WITH SWIFT AND FLOYDS 1114260 MOOLEY, KUNAL AN X-RAY VIEW OF RADIO TRANSIENTS IN THE LOCAL UNIVERSE

Recommended Targets

Definition of Columns

  1. Proposal: Proposal number assigned by Swift mission
  2. PI: Principal Investigator's last name
  3. Target_Num: Target number as listed on the proposal form
  4. Target_Name: Target name as listed on proposal forms
  5. RA: Right Ascension (equinox J2000) in degrees
  6. Dec: Declination (equinox J2000) in degrees
  7. Time: Total observing time approved, in ksec
  8. ToO: "Y" if Target of Opportunity proposal, otherwise "N"

Prop   |PI              |Target_Num|Target_Name         |Time [ ks ]|TOO|RA [ deg ]|Dec [ deg] |
1114028|ANDREON         |  1       |SPT-CLJ0051-4834    | 18.10     |N  | 12.7905  |-48.5776   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  2       |SPT-CLJ0133-6434    | 35.80     |N  | 23.4103  |-64.5668   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  3       |SPT-CLJ0214-4638A   | 40.00     |N  | 33.7017  |-46.6483   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  4       |SPT-CLJ0256-4736    | 31.60     |N  | 44.2405  |-47.6110   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  5       |SPT-CLJ0328-5541    |  3.80     |N  | 52.1675  |-55.6957   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  6       |SPT-CLJ0500-5116    |  9.30     |N  | 75.2425  |-51.2709   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  7       |SPT-CLJ0505-6145    | 38.60     |N  | 76.3966  |-61.7505   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  8       |SPT-CLJ0628-4143    |  7.40     |N  | 97.2049  |-41.7250   |
1114028|ANDREON         |  9       |SPT-CLJ0653-5744    | 29.70     |N  |103.3316  |-57.7490   |
1114028|ANDREON         | 10       |SPT-CLJ2025-5117    | 18.80     |N  |306.4836  |-51.2901   |
1114028|ANDREON         | 11       |SPT-CLJ2217-6509    |  5.10     |N  |334.4895  |-65.1506   |
1114028|ANDREON         | 12       |SPT-CLJ2254-6314    | 21.10     |N  |343.5145  |-63.2450   |
1114028|ANDREON         | 13       |SPT-CLJ2300-5331A   | 40.00     |N  |345.1761  |-53.5190   |
1114028|ANDREON         | 14       |SPT-CLJ0214-4638B   | 10.10     |N  | 33.7017  |-46.6483   |
1114028|ANDREON         | 15       |SPT-CLJ2300-5331B   | 16.00     |N  |345.1761  |-53.5190   |
1114029|GEZARI          |  1       |SDSSJ0952+2143      | 10.00     |N  |148.0398  | 21.7204   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  1       |MAXI TRANSIENT #1   |  1.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  2       |MAXI TRANSIENT #2   |  1.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  3       |MAXI TRANSIENT #3   |  1.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  4       |MAXI TRANSIENT #4   |  2.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  5       |MAXI TRANSIENT #5   |  3.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  6       |MAXI TRANSIENT #6   |  5.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114046|KENNEA          |  7       |MAXI TRANSIENT #7   |  5.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114049|STANEK          |  1       |ASASSN-15 TOO1      | 30.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114049|STANEK          |  2       |ASASSN-15 TOO2      | 30.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114049|STANEK          |  3       |ASASSN-15 TOO3      | 30.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114064|JORSTAD         |  1       |BLAZAR1             | 24.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114064|JORSTAD         |  2       |BLAZAR2             | 24.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114064|JORSTAD         |  3       |BLAZAR3             | 24.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  1       |PSR J1023+0038      |100.00     |Y  |155.9487  |  0.6448   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  2       |XSS J12270-4859     |100.00     |Y  |186.9948  |-48.8952   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  3       |PSR J1723-2837      |100.00     |Y  |260.8466  |-28.6325   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  4       |PSR J1628-3205      |100.00     |Y  |247.0292  |-32.0969   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  5       |PSR J2129-0429      |100.00     |Y  |322.4375  | -4.4849   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  6       |PSR J1816+4510      |100.00     |Y  |274.1497  | 45.1761   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  7       |PSR J2215+5135      |100.00     |Y  |333.8862  | 51.5935   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  8       |PSR J2339-0533      |100.00     |Y  |354.9115  | -5.5515   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        |  9       |1FGL J0523.5-2529   |100.00     |Y  | 80.8205  |-25.4602   |
1114066|BOGDANOV        | 10       |NEW REDBACK         |100.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114068|GODET           |  1       |ESO 243-49          | 78.00     |N  | 17.6179  |-46.0728   |
1114070|LUNA            |  1       |V4018 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |276.3625  |-28.5993   |
1114070|LUNA            |  2       |V345 NOR            | 15.00     |N  |241.6846  |-52.0417   |
1114070|LUNA            |  3       |V2756 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |273.6438  |-29.8229   |
1114070|LUNA            |  4       |V4074 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |274.0229  |-30.8531   |
1114070|LUNA            |  5       |V3804 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |275.3687  |-31.5344   |
1114070|LUNA            |  6       |AS 241              | 15.00     |N  |266.2417  |-38.3036   |
1114070|LUNA            |  7       |AS 316              | 15.00     |N  |280.6375  |-21.2967   |
1114070|LUNA            |  8       |V3929 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |275.2450  |-26.8089   |
1114070|LUNA            |  9       |AS 276              | 15.00     |N  |272.2900  |-41.2239   |
1114070|LUNA            | 10       |SS73 122            | 15.00     |N  |271.1712  |-27.1591   |
1114070|LUNA            | 11       |AS 221              | 15.00     |N  |258.0092  |-32.5736   |
1114070|LUNA            | 12       |HEN 2-374           | 15.00     |N  |273.9017  |-21.5778   |
1114070|LUNA            | 13       |V2506 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |272.7567  |-28.5444   |
1114070|LUNA            | 14       |V2905 SGR           | 15.00     |N  |274.3354  |-28.1642   |
1114070|LUNA            | 15       |AP 1-9              | 15.00     |N  |272.6204  |-28.1281   |
1114070|LUNA            | 16       |HEN 3-1383          | 15.00     |N  |260.1313  |-33.1655   |
1114070|LUNA            | 17       |SS73 141            | 15.00     |N  |273.0467  |-33.1781   |
1114070|LUNA            | 18       |AS 255              | 15.00     |N  |269.2862  |-35.2606   |
1114070|LUNA            | 19       |HEN 3-653           | 15.00     |N  |171.3854  |-59.9422   |
1114070|LUNA            | 20       |HEN 3-1674          | 15.00     |N  |275.0800  |-26.3799   |
1114070|LUNA            | 21       |AE ARA              | 15.00     |N  |265.2704  |-47.0558   |
1114070|LUNA            | 22       |SS73 117            | 15.00     |N  |270.5954  |-31.9864   |
1114070|LUNA            | 23       |VE 2-57             | 15.00     |N  |272.1000  |-24.5667   |
1114070|LUNA            | 24       |SS73 129            | 15.00     |N  |271.7738  |-29.6072   |
1114070|LUNA            | 25       |HD 319167           | 15.00     |N  |273.8521  |-30.5326   |
1114070|LUNA            | 26       |TH 3-18             | 15.00     |N  |262.1125  |-28.6428   |
1114070|LUNA            | 27       |HEN 3-1342          | 15.00     |N  |257.2292  |-23.3931   |
1114070|LUNA            | 28       |HEN 3-1410          | 15.00     |N  |262.2750  |-29.7234   |
1114070|LUNA            | 29       |QW SGE              | 15.00     |N  |296.4567  | 18.6139   |
1114070|LUNA            | 30       |HEN 3-916           | 15.00     |N  |203.8704  |-64.7625   |
1114070|LUNA            | 31       |AS 281              | 15.00     |N  |272.6979  |-27.9400   |
1114070|LUNA            | 32       |HEN 3-1103          | 15.00     |N  |237.1188  |-44.3169   |
1114070|LUNA            | 33       |V917 SCO            | 15.00     |N  |267.0167  |-36.1383   |
1114070|LUNA            | 34       |CL SCO              | 15.00     |N  |253.7163  |-30.6217   |
1114070|LUNA            | 35       |HK SCO              | 15.00     |N  |253.6625  |-30.3917   |
1114070|LUNA            | 36       |HEN 3-1092          | 15.00     |N  |236.7942  |-66.4878   |
1114070|LUNA            | 37       |V1413 AQL           | 15.00     |N  |285.9650  | 16.4755   |
1114070|LUNA            | 38       |SS73 29             | 15.00     |N  |167.1142  |-65.7883   |
1114070|LUNA            | 39       |HEN 2-171           | 15.00     |N  |248.5163  |-35.0924   |
1114070|LUNA            | 40       |RT SER              | 15.00     |N  |264.9658  |-11.9458   |
1114070|LUNA            | 41       |LMC S154            | 15.00     |N  | 72.9592  |-75.0600   |
1114070|LUNA            | 42       |LMC N67             | 15.00     |N  | 84.0117  |-64.7233   |
1114070|LUNA            | 43       |SMC2                | 15.00     |N  | 10.7004  |-74.7000   |
1114070|LUNA            | 44       |SMC N60             | 15.00     |N  | 14.3000  |-74.2167   |
1114070|LUNA            | 45       |SANDULEAK'S STAR    | 15.00     |N  | 86.3317  |-71.2694   |
1114098|TOMSICK         |  1       |AQL X-1             | 30.00     |Y  |287.8169  |  0.5849   |
1114098|TOMSICK         |  2       |AQL X-1             | 10.00     |Y  |287.8169  |  0.5849   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  1       |2005KE              |  2.00     |N  | 53.7698  |-24.9384   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  2       |2005KE              |  4.00     |N  | 53.7569  |-24.9287   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  3       |2006DD              |  2.00     |N  | 50.6625  |-37.2042   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  4       |2007SR              |  2.00     |N  |180.4717  |-18.9718   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  5       |2008HV              |  2.00     |N  |136.8975  |  3.3959   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  6       |2008HV              |  2.00     |N  |136.8969  |  3.3959   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  7       |2008HV              |  2.00     |N  |136.8969  |  3.3959   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  8       |2005DF              |  2.00     |N  | 64.4166  |-62.7646   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        |  9       |2009AN              |  2.00     |N  |185.6975  | 65.8515   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 10       |2009DC              |  2.00     |N  |237.8064  | 25.7019   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 11       |2009IG              |  8.00     |N  | 39.5504  | -1.3111   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 12       |2010EV              |  4.00     |N  |156.3742  |-39.8326   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 13       |2009DC              |  2.00     |N  |237.8064  | 25.7019   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 14       |2011AA              |  2.00     |N  |114.1828  | 74.4409   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 15       |2011AO              |  2.00     |N  |178.4654  | 33.3644   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 16       |2011BY              |  4.00     |N  |178.9447  | 55.3256   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 17       |2011IV              |  6.00     |N  | 54.7149  |-35.5756   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 18       |2012CG              |  2.00     |N  |186.8090  |  9.4206   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 19       |2012DN              |  2.00     |N  |305.8558  |-28.2761   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 20       |2013AA              |  2.00     |N  |218.1438  |-44.2259   |
1114103|SUNTZEFF        | 21       |IPTF14BDN           |  6.00     |N  |202.6909  | 32.7606   |
1114106|CHAKRABARTY     |  1       |SAX J1808.4-3658    |  5.00     |Y  |272.1151  |-36.9787   |
1114106|CHAKRABARTY     |  2       |SAX J1808.4-3658    | 45.00     |Y  |272.1151  |-36.9787    |
1114109|MARGUTTI        |  1       |SLSN1               |110.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114109|MARGUTTI        |  2       |SLSN2               |110.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114117|SAKAMOTO        |  1       |MAXI XRF1           |  7.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114117|SAKAMOTO        |  2       |MAXI XRF2           |  7.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114117|SAKAMOTO        |  3       |MAXI XRF3           |  7.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114117|SAKAMOTO        |  4       |MAXI XRF4           |  7.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114122|CAO             |  1       |IPTF15XXX           | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114125|WILLIAMS        |  1       |PKS 1424+240        | 12.00     |N  |216.7516  | 23.8000   |
1114125|WILLIAMS        |  2       |PG 1553+113         |  8.00     |N  |238.9293  | 11.1901   |
1114125|WILLIAMS        |  3       |3C 66A              | 32.00     |N  | 35.6650  | 43.0355   |
1114126|WILLIAMS        |  1       |NEW VHE BLAZAR #1   | 15.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114126|WILLIAMS        |  2       |NEW VHE BLAZAR #2   | 15.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114126|WILLIAMS        |  3       |NEW VHE BLAZAR #3   | 15.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114131|PRITCHARD       |  1       |FRB/OPTICALTRANSIENT| 16.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114147|HODGES-KLUCK    |  1       |NGC 3044            |  9.00     |N  |148.4203  |  1.5796   |
1114147|HODGES-KLUCK    |  2       |NGC 3600            |  6.00     |N  |168.9666  | 41.5914   |
1114147|HODGES-KLUCK    |  3       |NGC 3556            |  9.00     |N  |167.8790  | 55.6741   |
1114147|HODGES-KLUCK    |  4       |NGC 4013            |  9.00     |N  |179.6309  | 43.9470   |
1114147|HODGES-KLUCK    |  5       |NGC 5023            |  9.00     |N  |198.0492  | 44.0380    |
1114155|CORSI           |  1       |SN1                 | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114155|CORSI           |  2       |SN2                 | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114155|CORSI           |  3       |SN3                 | 20.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114161|TOMSICK         |  1       |BH TRANSIENT (RISE) | 28.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114161|TOMSICK         |  2       |BH TRANSIENT (DECAY)| 70.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114170|MARSCHER        |  1       |PKS1222+216         | 14.00     |N  |186.2269  | 21.3796   |
1114170|MARSCHER        |  2       |3C279               | 14.00     |N  |194.0465  | -5.7893   |
1114170|MARSCHER        |  3       |PKS1510-089         | 14.00     |N  |228.2105  | -9.0999   |
1114170|MARSCHER        |  4       |3C66A               | 14.00     |N  | 35.6650  | 43.0355   |
1114170|MARSCHER        |  5       |0716+714            | 21.00     |N  |110.4727  | 71.3434   |
1114170|MARSCHER        |  6       |BL LAC              | 21.00     |N  |330.6804  | 42.2778    |
1114184|FALCONE         |  1       |1ES 0033+595        | 10.00     |Y  |  8.9692  | 59.8344   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  2       |B3 0133+388         | 10.00     |Y  | 24.1358  | 39.0998   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  3       |RGB J0152+017       | 10.00     |Y  | 28.1652  |  1.7880   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  4       |IC 310              | 10.00     |Y  | 49.1793  | 41.3248   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  5       |1ES 0647+250        | 10.00     |Y  |102.6937  | 25.0499   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  6       |1ES 1011+496        | 10.00     |Y  |153.7672  | 49.4335   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  7       |1ES 1215+303        | 10.00     |Y  |184.4670  | 30.1168   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  8       |PKS 1222+216        | 10.00     |Y  |186.2269  | 21.3796   |
1114184|FALCONE         |  9       |3C 279              | 10.00     |Y  |194.0465  | -5.7893   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 10       |1ES 1440+122        | 10.00     |Y  |220.7010  | 12.0111   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 11       |1ES 1727+502        | 10.00     |Y  |262.0776  | 50.2196   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 12       |1ES 1741+196        | 10.00     |Y  |265.9910  | 19.5858   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 13       |HESS J1943+213      | 10.00     |Y  |295.9792  | 21.3022   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 14       |VCS1 J2001+4352     | 10.00     |Y  |300.3036  | 43.8813   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 15       |MRK 421             | 10.00     |Y  |166.1138  | 38.2088   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 16       |H 1426+428          | 10.00     |Y  |217.1358  | 42.6747   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 17       |MRK 501             | 10.00     |Y  |253.4676  | 39.7602   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 18       |1ES 1959+650        | 10.00     |Y  |299.9994  | 65.1485   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 19       |BL LAC              | 10.00     |Y  |330.6804  | 42.2778   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 20       |1ES 2344+514        | 10.00     |Y  |356.7705  | 51.7050   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 21       |1ES 1218+304        | 10.00     |Y  |185.3414  | 30.1770   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 22       |1ES 1553+113        | 10.00     |Y  |238.9293  | 11.1901   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 23       |MRK 180             | 10.00     |Y  |174.1100  | 70.1576   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 24       |1ES 0806+524        | 10.00     |Y  |122.4550  | 52.3162   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 25       |W COMAE             | 10.00     |Y  |185.3820  | 28.2329   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 26       |3C 66A              | 10.00     |Y  | 35.6650  | 43.0355   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 27       |PKS 1424+240        | 10.00     |Y  |216.7517  | 23.8000   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 28       |RGB J0710+591       | 10.00     |Y  |107.6252  | 59.1389   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 29       |1ES 0229+200        | 10.00     |Y  | 38.2025  | 20.2882   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 30       |RBS 0413            | 10.00     |Y  | 49.9658  | 18.7594   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 31       |1ES 0414+009        | 10.00     |Y  | 64.2184  |  1.0901   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 32       |1ES 0502+675        | 10.00     |Y  | 76.9846  | 67.6233   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 33       |VER J0521+211       | 10.00     |Y  | 80.4792  | 21.1900   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 34       |RXJ0648.7+1516      | 10.00     |Y  |102.1979  | 15.2733   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 35       |S5 0716+714         | 10.00     |Y  |110.4727  | 71.3434   |
1114184|FALCONE         | 36       |B3 2247+381         | 10.00     |Y  |342.5241  | 38.4103   |
1114187|SIEGEL          |  1       |OMEGA CENTAURI      | 52.00     |N  |201.6970  |-47.4795   |
1114187|SIEGEL          |  2       |M2                  | 42.00     |N  |323.3626  | -0.8233    |
1114192|QUIMBY          |  1       |SLSN-II             | 92.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114200|BECERRA GONZALEZ|  1       |HAWC FLARE          | 20.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114206|QUIMBY          |  1       |SLSN-I              | 57.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  1       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  2       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  3       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  4       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  5       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  6       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  7       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  8       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        |  9       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        | 10       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        | 11       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114212|KASLIWAL        | 12       |IPTFSWIFTTOO        |  2.50     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114214|DEGENAAR        |  1       |GALACTIC CENTER     |248.00     |N  |266.3529  |-28.9856   |
1114215|WALTON          |  1       |M82 X-1             |100.00     |N  |148.9584  | 69.6794    |
1114218|DEGENAAR        |  1       |QUIESCENT SOURCE    | 50.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114220|ARCAVI          |  1       |TDF1                | 25.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114220|ARCAVI          |  2       |TDF2                | 25.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114220|ARCAVI          |  3       |TDF3                | 25.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000    |
1114234|BROWN           |  1       |SLSN_1              | 40.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114234|BROWN           |  2       |SLSN_2              | 40.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114234|BROWN           |  3       |SLSN_3              |  5.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114234|BROWN           |  4       |SLSN_4              |  5.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114241|VALENTI         |  1       |TOO_NEWSUPERNOVA    | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114241|VALENTI         |  2       |TOO_NEWSUPERNOVA    | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114241|VALENTI         |  3       |TOO_NEWSUPERNOVA    | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114241|VALENTI         |  4       |TOO_NEWSUPERNOVA    | 10.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114260|MOOLEY          |  1       |TOO1                |  4.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114260|MOOLEY          |  2       |TOO2                |  4.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114260|MOOLEY          |  3       |TOO3                |  4.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114260|MOOLEY          |  4       |TOO4                |  4.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000   |
1114260|MOOLEY          |  5       |TOO5                |  4.00     |Y  |  0.0000  |  0.0000

Proposal Abstracts

1114014 / BRIAN METZGER / COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

"NUCLEAR BURNING IN COLLAPSAR DISKS AND THE ORIGIN OF GAMMA-RAY BURST SUPERNOVAE"

Although long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from the collapse of massive rotating stars, the mechanism responsible for powering GRB supernovae remains unknown. We propose a theoretical investigation of the effects of nuclear burning in collapsar disks, motivated by recent numerical simulations which show that nuclear heating in such disks can lead to powerful outflows and even explosive burning (similar to as occurs in Type Ia SNe). The time evolution of the accretion rate will be calculated using realistic collapsar progenitor models, from which a time sequence of 1D disk models will be generated to explore when and where reactions (C+C, He+O, He+C) become dynamically important. Directed 2D hydrodynamic simulations will explore representative models in greater detail.

1114028 / STEFANO ANDREON / OSSERVATORIO ASTRONOMICO DI BRERA

"THE X-RAY COMPLETE CENSUS OF ALL MASSIVE CLUSTERS IN 1/16TH OF THE SKY"

Our view of the properties of the intracluster medium of the galaxy clusters is almost entirely based on X-ray selected samples, which are inadequate since they offer a biased view of the cluster population. Sunyaev-Zeldovich surveys just opened a new era because they offer selection criteria close to a mass selection. We aim at collecting high-quality X-ray data (2000 photons) of *all* clusters with M>4e14 Msun in 1/16th of the sky and at 0.08<z<0.30 to probe, for the first time, the thermodynamics of a mass-selected sample at low redshift. More specifically, of the 40 clusters composing the whole sample, 14 clusters already have high-quality X-ray data, and we ask to observe half of the remaining (13 clusters, 15 pointings) in this proposal, for a total of 325.4 ks.

1114029 / SUVI GEZARI / UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (COLLEGE PARK)

"SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF EXTREME CORONAL-LINE EMITTER SDSSJ0952+2143"

We request Swift UVOT observations to determine the nature of the enigmatic extreme coronal-line emitter SDSS J0952+2143. The strong, fading, high ionization lines in this source have been interpreted as either powered by a tidal disruption event or an interacting supernova. We have recently uncovered a new piece of the puzzle from archival LINEAR data: the light curve of the transient that powered this source! In the discovery paper, Komossa et al. 2008, they associate the GALEX AIS detection, which we now know was obtained 2 years after the start of the event, with the transient. We will test this assumption by checking to see if the ultraviolet emission has indeed faded away, now 8 years later, or if it is persistent, and instead associated with young stars in the host galaxy.

1114033 / ROSALBA PERNA / STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY

"X-RAY FLARES IN LONG AND SHORT GRBS: A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF DISK FRAGMENTATION IN HYPERACCRETING DISKS"

X-ray flares following the prompt GRB have arguably been one of the biggest surprises of the Swift satellite. Neither the collapsar model for long GRBs, nor the binary merger model for short GRBs, naturally predicted the presence of such late-time flaring activity. Motivated by the fact that Swift flares are observed in both long and short GRBs, and by their common observed properties, Perna et al. proposed that late injections of energy could be provided by late accretion of clumps in a fragmented disk. Here we propose to numerically investigate this idea, using the DISCO code developed by MacFadyen and collaborators. The statistical properties of the numerically simulated light curves will be directly compared to the observed ones to further explore the physics of the GRB engine.

1114046 / JAMIE KENNEA / THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

"SWIFT LOCALIZATION OF MAXI DISCOVERED GALACTIC X-RAY TRANSIENTS"

We propose to continue the highly successful program to use Swift to perform localization of Galactic X-ray Transients newly discovered by MAXI. MAXI scans almost the entire X-ray sky every ~91 minutes, with a source detection sensitivity of ~60 mCrab in one orbit and ~15 mCrab in one day, discovering X-ray transients with 0.1-0.5 degree accuracies in the 0.5-20 keV energy band. Swift is able to provide rapid follow-up observations of MAXI triggers and localization <3.5 arc-second error radius, which is vital for identifying any optical/radio counterpart. XRT observations will also provide measurements of the low energy X-ray spectra. UVOT will be used to provide astrometric corrections, and to search for any optical counterparts. Swift is proven to be uniquely capable in this task.

1114049 / KRZYSZTOF STANEK / OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

"SWIFT FOLLOW-UP OF THE MOST INTERESTING ASAS-SN TRANSIENTS"

We propose to use Swift UVOT to obtain TOO observations of 1 AGN, 1 TDE and 1 SN discovered by All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) in 2015. We request 10-15 epochs per object with 2-3 ks per epoch, for the total of 90 ks. The ASAS-SN project presently scans the extragalactic sky every ~2 days and has been running real-time detections since April 2013. The survey is already having a significant impact in transient research. Besides discovering about half of all bright (V<17) SNe, ASAS-SN is also finding many other bright transients, including the closest TDE found to date, dramatic AGN outbursts, many cataclysmic variables, and extreme M-dwarf flares. We have already used Swift TOO observations to obtain very significant results in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015.

1114064 / SVETLANA JORSTAD / BOSTON UNIVERSITY

"MULTI-WAVELENGTH STUDYING OF BLAZAR FLARES"

We propose to observe 3 blazars with the XRT at 0.3-10 keV and UVOT (all 6 filters) over a 2 week period during a flaring state. The targets are from the list of gamma-ray blazars that we monitor with the VLBA at 43 GHz and at optical wavelengths. For each blazar in the sample, the triggering criteria are based on its history of gamma-ray and optical behavior. We will determine (1) the lag between the synchrotron and Compton light curves at various frequencies, (2) the dependence of spectral index on wavelength, (3) relative amplitudes and timescales of variability at different wavebands, and (4) the timing of changes in VLBI images at mm wavelengths relative to outbursts at shorter wavelengths. This information is needed for theoretical modelling of high energy production in blazars.

1114066 / SLAVKO BOGDANOV / COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

"OBSERVING THE NEXT X-RAY BINARY-RADIO MILLISECOND PULSAR TRANSITION"

Recently, three neutron star binaries have been observed to switch between accreting and rotation-powered pulsar states, thereby unambiguously establishing the long-suspected link between low-mass X-ray binaries and "recycled" pulsars. In the accreting state, they exhibit X-ray and optical variability unlike anything observed in other X-ray binaries. We propose a continuation of our Swift XRT/UVOT target of opportunity program approved in Cycle 10 to observe the next nearby binary recycled pulsar transformation to an accreting state. This will result in an improved understanding of the peculiar phenomenology of these systems, which may shed light on the little-understood low-luminosity ("quiescent") regime in neutron star X-ray binaries.

1114068 / OLIVIER GODET / INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE EN ASTROPHYSIQUE & PLANETOLOGIE

"X-RAY MONITORING OF THE BEST INTERMEDIATE MASS BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49"

We request 26 x 3ks snapshots of the intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1, to be taken every 7-10 days from 2015-04-01 to 2016-03-01. The data will be used to understand 1)how the accretion onto the BH evolves with time; 2)how the system orbital period evolves with time; 3)whether the donor could be ejected from the system. These data will serve to trigger proposed ATCA & XMM ToOs in a similar way to previous programs. The Swift & multiwavelength data will help us to test whether there is a compact radio jet when HLX-1 is in the low state and if the star is still feeding the BH. Understanding how IMBHs are fed is essential for trying to identify other good candidates for this poorly understood population, that are possibly the building blocks of supermassive BHs.

1114070 / GERARDO LUNA / INSTITUTO DE ASTRONOMIA Y FISICA DEL ESPACIO (IAFE)

"THE POWER AT THE HEART OF SYMBIOTIC BINARIES"

We propose to use the unique capabilities of Swift and the flexibility of its Fill-in program to determine whether symbiotic binaries are mostly powered by accretion alone or accretion that fuels quasi-steady nuclear shell burning on the surface of the white dwarf. We will use the detection of significant fractional amplitude for variability in the UV light curves to discriminate between the two sources of power and find out what drives the symbiotic phenomenon. Our results will have implications for whether symbiotic stars can accrete enough material to produce a significant fraction of type Ia supernova.

1114083 / STEPHEN CENKO / NASA/GSFC

"THE RAPID IMAGER AND SPECTROGRAPH (RIMAS): A NEW WINDOW INTO THE HIGH-REDSHIFT UNIVERSE"

RIMAS is a new NIR instrument designed expressly to identify high-redshift GRBs from Swift, scheduled to be installed on the 4.3 m Discovery Channel Telescope in the first half of 2015. RIMAS can operate in and switch rapidly (10s of seconds) between three modes: 1) simultaneous 2-band imaging; 2) high-throughput, R~25 NIR spectroscopy; 3) high-resolution (R~4500), cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy providing simultaneous coverage from 0.9-2.4um. Unlike most classically scheduled facilities, RIMAS will be continuously available for rapid-response (dt <~ minutes) ToO observations. By Cycle 11, RIMAS will be routinely obtaining rapid multi-color photometry and NIR spectra of Swift afterglows to measure their redshifts and constrain properties of their host galaxies and the surrounding IGM.

1114098 / JOHN TOMSICK / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (BERKELEY)

"UNDERSTANDING THE HARD X-RAY COMPONENT FROM NEUTRON STAR TRANSIENTS"

At low luminosities, the X-ray spectra of neutron star (NS) LMXB transients often contain two components: one is due to thermal emission from the NS surface and is reasonably well-understood, while the other is a hard power-law of unknown origin. By observing Cen X-4 in quiescence, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) has given us our first look at the hard component above 10 keV, and we see a sharp cutoff that is consistent with a bremsstrahlung emission mechanism. After Cen X-4, the next brightest system that would provide a comparison to Cen X-4 is Aql X-1, but the source is often too faint for NuSTAR. Thus, we propose to monitor Aql X-1 during the decay of its next outburst in order to trigger approved NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations near quiescence.

1114103 / NICHOLAS SUNTZEFF / TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

"DECONTAMINATING THE SWIFT UV-GRISM SAMPLE OF SNE IA TO MEASURE THE UV DIVERSITY"

We propose to revisit the fields of 17 previously observed Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) to gather UVOT UV-grism template images. Currently, spectra of 17 of the 27 total SNe observed with the UV-grism show signs of contamination from their host galaxies and nearby stars. The proposed observations will allow us to remove this contamination using our background subtraction method and make the entire UV-grism sample of SNe Ia available for analysis. These observations require 56ks of observing time and will decontaminate 397ks of existing UV-grism observations that are otherwise unreliable. We will use this decontaminated sample along with the 10 uncontaminated UV-grism SNe Ia to investigate the spectroscopic origins of the diversity observed in SNe Ia UVOT absolute magnitudes and colors.

1114106 / DEEPTO CHAKRABARTY / MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"STUDYING THE ONSET OF PROPELLER ACCRETION IN SAX J1808.4-3658 WITH NUSTAR AND SWIFT"

We propose a joint program with NuSTAR and Swift to monitor the accreting millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 during its return to quiescence at the end of a transient outburst. The goal of this campaign is to measure the hard X-ray spectrum and to detect pulsations from the source in the tail of the outburst. This will probe the role of the magnetosphere in the "propeller" accretion regime, and explore whether magnetically channeled accretion still occurs there. The flexible monitoring capability of Swift will be used to trigger high-sensitivity NuSTAR hard X-ray observations at the appropriate flux level during the decay of an outburst. Based on the previous outburst history of SAX J1808.4-3658, we estimate a high likelihood that the source will outburst again during Swift Cycle 11.

1114109 / RAFFAELLA MARGUTTI / HARVARD UNIVERSITY

"EXPLOSION MECHANISMS AND ENERGY SOURCES POWERING SUPER-LUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE"

With bolometric peak luminosities L>7E43 erg/s, the new class of Super Luminous Super Novae (SLSNe) outshine standard SN explosions of a factor ~10 and represent the death of the most massive stars in our Universe. Their exceptional luminosity requires exotic explosion mechanisms and/or sources of energy whose nature is unclear. Here we propose rapid Swift follow up of 2 SLSNe to map their UV and X-ray emission during their evolution as part of our multi-wavelength effort through our approved programs on the EVLA, XMM, Chandra and optical/NIR facilities. The final aim is to: (i) Pin down the energy source of SLSNe; (ii) Map the diversity of their progenitor stars and pre-explosion evolution.

1114117 / TAKANORI SAKAMOTO / AOYAMA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY

"SWIFT RAPID FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS OF MAXI XRFS"

We propose a Swift ToO program to observe XRFs detected by MAXI to identify an afterglow with the Swift NFI instruments. Our proposed "faster and better" GRB position from MAXI should enhance the afterglow detection of XRFs. Furthermore, our program should also increase the number of redshift measurements of XRFs if the X-ray afterglow can be identified by Swift XRT. We request a maximum of 4 ToOs in 7 tiling-mode observation (1 ks per tiling) to search for an X-ray afterglow candidate for the MAXI XRFs.

1114122 / YI CAO / CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"FLASH SPECTROSCOPY OF NEARBY SUPERNOVAE"

Diagnostics of UV spectra obtained within a few days after a supernova explosion probes uniquely to the photospheric temperature of its hot ejecta, supernova ejecta metallicity, mass loss of its progenitor before explosion, and collision with its companion star if the supernova is in a binary system. The fast response nature of Swift makes itself a distinct tool to acquire such early UV spectra of supernovae. Here we propose to take one UV spectra of one young and bright supernova discovered by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory which has demonstrated its capability of finding and studying supernovae within hours to a few days after explosion. In order to maximize science return, this program is accompanied by other multi-wavelength observations.

1114125 / DAVID WILLIAMS / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (SANTA CRUZ)

"EXPLORING THE PECULIAR SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF HIGH REDSHIFT TEV BLAZARS"

We propose multiwavelength (MWL) observations coordinated with Swift of three blazars that are among the very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray sources with the highest redshifts. The spectra of these blazars extend to energies where gamma-ray absorption by the extragalactic background light (EBL) is expected to be strong, with optical depths greater than 3. The VHE observations of these targets therefore study both the amount of extragalactic background light and possible spectral components that are immune to absorption. Swift observations in the UV and X-ray provide information on synchrotron emission from electrons in the blazar jet that is crucial for the proper interpretation of the higher energy gamma-ray emission.

1114126 / DAVID WILLIAMS / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (SANTA CRUZ)

"TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF NEW TEV BLAZARS"

We propose target of opportunity observations of blazars showing strong evidence with VERITAS of being new very-high-energy gamma-ray sources. The known TeV blazars have spectral energy distributions with a synchrotron peak in the X-ray/UV/optical bands and a second peak at GeV energies, often thought to be inverse Compton emission. The VHE detection of a blazar often occurs when the blazar is in an active state, potentially lasting only a few days. Swift X-ray and UV observations during the discovery observations by VERITAS will probe the correlated flux and spectral variability patterns of the highest energy electrons. This will unveil information on the energetics and time scales of particle acceleration and cooling, critical to understanding the physics of jets in these new sources.

1114131 / TYLER PRITCHARD / SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

"DEEPER, WIDER, FASTER: HIGH ENERGY COUNTERPARTS TO THE FASTEST BURSTS IN THE SKY"

Transient astrophysical phenomenon have been continuously discovered as faster timescales have been probed. For example, fast radio bursts (FRBs) have been discovered on millisecond timescales, which are likely extragalac- tic in origin but whose physical mechanisms are currently unknown. In addition, minutes-to-hours time sampling have discovered optical counterparts to gamma ray bursts that once would have been thought to be optically dark . Furthermore, supernova discovery programs are pushing to shorter and shorter cadences in an effort to discover new transients such as kilonovae and supernovae shock breakouts. In a joint effort with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the CTIO-4m telescope, Parkes radio observatory, and Molongo radio observatory, we propose to use Swift to help ident

1114143/ RYAN CHORNOCK / OHIO UNIVERSITY

"RAPID OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF SWIFT GRBS: COSMIC REIONIZATION, METAL ENRICHMENT, AND HIGH-Z HOSTS"

Our group uses some of the world�s largest telescopes to obtain spectroscopic observations of Swift GRB afterglows, taking advantage of Swift�s rapid and accurate positions. These observations provide redshifts, a crucial quantity for any subsequent analysis (e.g. energetics, broadband modeling). Equally important, they probe the chemical composition of high-redshift galaxies, providing information that is inaccessible with either quasars or traditional galaxy surveys. Our recent studies of GRBs 130606A and 140515A were the first to use these z~6 GRBs as probes of reionization comparable in quality to quasars at similar redshifts. We propose to continue aggressively pursuing searches and studies of GRBs at z>6 to trace the process of reionization and to pinpoint high redshift galaxies.

1114147 / EDMUND HODGES-KLUCK / UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

"DUST AND THE DIFFUSE IONIZED GAS AROUND NORMAL GALAXIES"

Diffuse ionized gas above the disks of many spiral galaxies indicates that the ISM is porous to ionizing radiation. The amount of light that escapes the disk (and then the galaxy) is important to understanding the disk-halo interaction and ionizing backgrounds. However, some of the nebular Halpha is scattered rather than recombination in situ, and the gas is hotter than expected from photoionization equilibrium, preventing a complete understanding of the diffuse ionized gas.

1114155 / ALESSANDRA CORSI / TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

"UNRAVELING THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN 1998BW-LIKE SNE AND GRB"

The progress in our understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) has been quite spectacular. We now know that these events are the most relativistic explosions, likely arising from a collapsing compact object (long GRBs). However, it is still a mystery what makes some small fraction of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) produce the relativistic ejecta that powers a GRB. Our proposal aims at clarifying the GRB-SN connection, via follow-up observations of broad-line (BL) Ic SNe detected by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF), using Swift and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). This proposal is a renewal of our approved Swift Cycle 10 program (PI: A. Corsi).

1114161 / JOHN TOMSICK / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (BERKELEY)

"X-RAY/RADIO CORRELATIONS FOR BLACK HOLE TRANSIENTS IN THE HARD STATE"

An important step in improving our understanding of black hole (BH) jets is to determine the physics of BH systems in their hard state, which is the only BH state in which a steady and powerful jet is seen. We propose to monitor a BH transient when it is in the hard state during the rise and decay of an outburst with Swift and radio observations. Previous observations show strong X-ray/radio correlations, but it is currently unknown why there are two correlation tracks. The proposed observations will allow us to follow one source over a wide range of luminosities and to greatly improve the coverage at low luminosities.

1114163 / NATHANIEL BUTLER / ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

"THE REIONIZATION AND TRANSIENTS IR CAMERA: A HIGH-Z GRB SEARCH MACHINE"

We have completed two highly-successful years of science operation with the RATIR camera, mounted on an autonomous 1.5m telescope at SPM observatory. RATIR is dedicated to the followup and identification of high-redshift Swift GRBs, and the team has agreed to continue the project for an additional two years. Within minutes of receiving a Swift position, RATIR is able to detect optically faint afterglows in the IR and quickly alert the community to potential GRBs at z>6-10. In the coming year, we must renew the export license and we will enhance the system via maintenance and software upgrades. Modest support requested here for shipment, parts, and travel is critical to the continued success of RATIR.

1114170 / ALAN MARSCHER / BOSTON UNIVERSITY

"TESTING A MODEL FOR TEV FLARES IN LOW-SYNCHROTRON-PEAK BLAZARS"

Low-synchrotron-peak (LSP) blazars have occasionally been detected as sources of 0.2-0.6 TeV radiation. This contrasts with high-synchrotron-peak BL Lac objects, which are routinely detected. The latter have synchrotron spectra that extend up to X-ray energies. The recent finding that the quasar 1222+216 was detected at 0.2-0.6 TeV during 2 periods when its variable optical component had a spectral index < 1 suggests that LSPs may turn into TeV emitters when their electron distribution attains a high-energy extension. The investigators propose to test this hypothesis by monitoring at optical, UV, and X-ray frequencies 6 blazars with redshifts <0.54, with incidences of flat optical polarized flux spectra and X-ray synchrotron flares triggering VERITAS observations.

1114184 / ABE FALCONE / THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

"THE LARGEST FLARES FROM KNOWN TEV GAMMA RAY BLAZARS: SIMULTANEOUS OBSERVATIONS WITH TOOS"

We propose to study known TeV blazars, most of which have never previously benefited from multiwavelength campaigns, during their highest flaring states. These proposed simultaneous multiwavelength observations will place severe constraints on the emission models. Simultaneous observations of X-ray, UV/optical, and gamma-ray emission during high states from these sources will provide the means to study relative flux, time delays, and the SED, thus enabling studies of particle acceleration and emission processes in blazar jets. Since the 1st peak of these SEDs is typically in the X-ray band and the 2nd peak is in the GeV/TeV band, Swift, VERITAS, and Fermi are ideal for these studies. The high flaring states required by the trigger criteria will ensure high science return.

1114187 / MICHAEL SIEGEL / THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

"A SWIFT STUDY OF RR LYRAE STARS"

RR Lyrae variable stars are a component of the cosmic distance ladder and a contributor to the integrated ultraviolet (UV) light of unresolved extragalactic stellar populations. Our completed study of the globular clusters M3 and M15 has shown that Swift/UVOT has an outstanding capability for studying RR Lyrae stars in the NUV, producing dramatic light curves, the first NUV Bailey diagram and a potential connection between period, metallicity and luminosity. We now propose to expand this study to two more RR Lyrae-rich globular clusters to further explore the effects of metallicity and Oosterhoff classification on the NUV properties of RR Lyrae stars.

1114192 / ROBERT QUIMBY / SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

"PHOTOMETRY OF A HYDROGEN-RICH SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVA"

There is a rare class of supernovae with peak luminosities ten times greater than a typical Type Ia supernovae in the optical and hundreds of times greater in the UV. Some of these ��superluminous�� supernovae (SLSNe) show evidence for hydrogen in their spectra, and some do not. Surprisingly, there are no confirmed examples of any hydrogen-rich SLSN-II above redshift 0.4. As a result, we have no rest-frame UV spectra of SLSN-II, the spectral range most critical for understanding the nature of these events and for verifying their utility as potential probes of the high redshift universe. Here we propose for UVOT photometry to compliment an approved HST program to obtain the first UV spectra of a SLSN-II.

1114200 / JOSEFA BECERRA GONZALEZ / NASA/GSFC & UMD

"CONSTRAINING THE INTERGALACTIC MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE HAWC ERA"

The primary objective of this project is to probe the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) using simultaneous multi-wavelength (MWL) observations of distant blazars during strong flaring states. While direct measurements can only provide upper limits on the IGMF strength, gamma-ray observations can be used to constrain the expected reprocessed emission due to their interaction with the extragalactic background light (EBL), the IGMF and the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In order to disentangle the direct and reprocessed gamma-ray emission from the blazar, the Swift observations are essential since they will trace the intrinsic flare emission. This project can only be develop thanks to the synergy between Swift and different gamma-ray observatories: HAWC, VERITAS, MAGIC and Fermi-LAT.

1114206 / ROBERT QUIMBY / SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

"LATE-TIME X-RAYS FROM SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE: HOW HARD COULD IT BE?"

A new class of supernova has emerged with peak luminosities well over 10^44 erg/s and bolometric outputs greater than 10^51 erg. The physical explanation for how these outshine typical SNe by factors of 10-100 is still a matter of debate, but two plausible models have emerged. Superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) may draw power through interaction with previously ejected material, or, alternatively, spin-down of a nascent magnetar, could add energy into the ejecta. So far, UV and optical observations of SLSNe have been unable to conclusively distinguish between these possibilities. Several recent works suggest, however, that X-ray observations at late times may provide a definitive answer. Here we propose an intensive, late-time XRT monitoring program to elucidate the power sources of SLSNe.

1114212 / MANSI KASLIWAL / CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON

"UNDERSTANDING YOUNG SUPERNOVAE AND EXOTIC TRANSIENTS WITH SWIFT AND IPTF"

The intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) operations are now in full swing with a focus on faster cadence and even more rapid response follow-up of optical transients. Our new software pipeline, building on the PTF legacy, regularly issues automated alerts for intra-night spectroscopic follow-up of extremely young supernovae. Here, we propose to continue our very productive Swift-iPTF program focused on young supernovae and fast evolving transients. UV observations have proved to be of unique value for the youngest supernovae. X-ray observations have played a key role in both identifying and understanding non-thermal sources. The proposed Swift-iPTF program will be complemented with an aggressive multi-wavelength (HST, Palomar, Magellan, Keck, Gemini, CARMA and EVLA) program.

1114214 / NATHALIE DEGENAAR / UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

"CONTINUING A SWIFT LEGACY: THE MONITORING CAMPAIGN OF THE GALACTIC CENTER"

The center of our Galaxy has been monitored with the Swift/XRT almost every day since 2006. This is an excellent setup to capture X-ray flares from Sgr A* and to study the accretion properties of 15 nearby X-ray binaries. Here, we propose to continue this Swift legacy program in cycle 11 and request daily 1-ks observations that amount to 248 ks. Our main objectives are to: 1) collect and study new flares from Sgr A*, 2) closely monitor if the gaseous object G2 is disrupted and feeds matter to the supermassive black hole, 3) test accretion models on very-faint X-ray binaries, and 4) unmask a possible X-ray binary / millisecond radio pulsar transitional object.

1114215 / DOMINIC WALTON / NASA/JPL

"SWIFT MONITORING OF THE UNIQUELY DIVERSE ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCES IN M82 "

The M82 galaxy has proven to be a uniquely exciting target for studying "Ultraluminous Phenomena", from potential intermediate mass black holes (X-1; Pasham et al. 2014) to literally stellar mass neutron stars that can radiate comparable energy (X-2, Lx > 1e40 erg/s; Bachetti et al. 2014), making it an ideal laboratory for studying both the exotic physics of super-critical accretion onto compact objects and how intermediate mass (~400 Msun) black holes might form. We propose a monitoring program on M82 of 50 x 2ks observations with Swift, in order to further explore the long-term variability from the two dominant ULXs, X-1 and X-2, and to identify periods of high flux from either source, upon which to trigger our approved target-of-opportunity observations with Chandra and/or NuSTAR.

1114218 / NATHALIE DEGENAAR / UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

"UNDERSTANDING THE CRUSTS OF TRANSIENTLY ACCRETING NEUTRON STARS"

We propose 50 ks of ToO observations, spread over 25 pointings of 2 ks each, to monitor a transient neutron star X-ray binary as it transitions from outburst to quiescence. Studying how the accretion-heated crust of the neutron star cools after an outburst yields very valuable information about its structure and nuclear reactions occurring in a neutron-rich, high density environment. The main outstanding question is how much heat is generated in the outer crustal layers and requires dense sampling of the early cooling curve. This only can be addressed by Swift.

1114220 / IAIR ARCAVI / LAS CUMBRES OBSERVATORY GLOBAL TELESCOPE

"A WINDOW TO QUIESCENT MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: SWIFT FOLLOWUP OF TIDAL DISRUPTION FLARES"

Tidal disruption flares (TDFs) present a unique opportunity to study otherwise quiescent black holes. Until the last few years, the optical signatures of TDFs weren�t well known. We recently identified three new flares and were able to tie them together with other candidates into a first optical characterization of TDFs, allowing us to identify them more readily in optical transient surveys. We aim to use Swift and JVLA ToO observations to study the UV, X-ray and radio emission of three new optically-selected TDF candidates to be discovered during Cycle 11. Since many TDFs display high effective temperatures, UV observations are critical for obtaining the full SED. X-ray and radio observations can help relate the optical TDFs to the emerging class of high-energy TDFs.

1114234 / PETER BROWN / TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

"ULTRAVIOLET PROPERTIES OF SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE OVER TEN BILLION YEARS"

The Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) has been observing over three hundred nearby supernovae (SNe) in the ultraviolet (UV). Meanwhile, deep optical surveys have been observing a new class of distant (up to z~4) superluminous SNe (SLSNe) in the rest-frame UV. The redshifting of the SN light prevents the fair comparison of objects at the same rest-frame wavelengths across redshifts from optical data alone. We propose to observe relatively nearby SLSNe (z<0.5) with Swift/UVOT to measure the mid and near-UV flux of these objects. These Swift/UVOT observations will allow a comparison of the rest-frame mid-UV region (1200-3000 Angstroms) of these incredible supernovae across nearly ten billion years of history.

1114241 / STEFANO VALENTI / LAS CUMBRES OBSERVATORY GLOBAL TELESCOPE NETWORK, INC.

"EARLY SPECTROSCOPY OF SUPERNOVAE WITH SWIFT AND FLOYDS"

The Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) has recently deployed two completely robotic spectrograph (FLOYDS) at the Faulkes Telescopes (North and South). This new unique capability in the optical, combined with the unique Swift capability of fast response allow us to get simultaneous UV and optical observations of bright transients. Our project is aimed at gaining a better understanding of Type II SNe through the analysis of their early-phase UV and optical spectra. With a total spectral range of 200nm-1000nm and their flexibility, Swift and FLOYDS will provided a unique data set. These data will allow us to get an independent estimate on the radius of the SN progenitor, to learn about the progenitor density structure and the environment where the SN exploded.

1114260 / KUNAL MOOLEY / CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"AN X-RAY VIEW OF RADIO TRANSIENTS IN THE LOCAL UNIVERSE"

The upgraded Jansky Array (JVLA) has enabled deep multi-epoch radio surveys, ushering for the first time, a systematic exploration of the decimetric sub-milliJansky sky on timescales of hours and longer. The expected rates of supernovae, tidal disruptions (Swift J1644-like), orphan long-duration GRB afterglows and neutron star mergers are within the reach of these surveys. The facility of prompt UV and X-ray followup makes Swift a powerful tool to understand the nature of such transients. This will address key areas of extragalactic science such as star-formation rate, intermediate-mass black holes, circum-nuclear environment, and launching of jets. Here, we propose a rapid Swift XRT/UVOT followup of local Universe radio transients found in our on-going JVLA legacy survey in Stripe 82.