Apply to Join TFOP

Observer-related Applications: Individuals with the desire, ability, and access to appropriate facilities to contribute to the TFOP WG can apply to become a TFOP WG member. Applications are freeform (e.g. email text, text file, PDF, Word document, etc.) and should be sent to the chair(s) of the appropriate Sub Group(s) (see table at the bottom of the overview page) and will be reviewed by the Steering Committee. An approved member of the TFOP WG may include more junior scientists as part of his/her research group without the junior scientists having to apply to be members. In this scenario, the approved member is responsible for the conduct and behavior of the junior members with whom he/she is associated, and the junior members are bound by the same conduct and behavior rules as the approved member. A junior member needing access to the online TFOP tools and/or intending to lead a TFOP-based paper, should apply to be a member of the TFOP WG on their own; such an application is subject to the same approval process as any other application.

General Member applications: Individuals that do not have access to observing facilities, but desiring to propose to contribute to TESS science, including leading a scientific project or publication based on TESS and/or TFOP data may request to join TFOP as a general member. General applications should be emailed to Dave Latham <dlatham@cfa.harvard.edu>.

Applications must contain:

• A statement that the applicant has read and agrees to abide by the TFOP WG Charter and the TFOP WG Publication Policy.
• An indication of which Sub Group(s) the applicant is interested to join (or specify ‘general’ if not intending to contribute observations).
• A summary of the applicant’s scientific background, research interest and expertise, and expected/planned contribution to the TFOP WG. Citizen scientist applicants should include 2-3 examples of observational results you have produced (i.e., transit light curves for SG1 applicants), or references to publications containing previous observations, if applicable.
• SG1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 applicants should include a description of the instrumentation available for TESS follow-up work. In addition to instrumentation specs, include the observatory name(s), latitude, and longitude. SG1 applicants should also include the corresponding time zone code(s) from this list.
• SG1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 applicants should include an estimated amount of time available on the above instrument(s) for TESS follow-up.

Note: The TFOP steering committee encourages suggested improvements to the TFOP WG draft charter and TFOP WG draft publication policy from current and prospective TFOP WG members.

Contact the TFOP Steering Committee

Please contact Dave Latham and relevant Sub Group Chairs at the e-mail addresses on the overview page under the “Steering Committee” section to express your concerns and/or to suggest improvements, in particular, if prospective members are reluctant to apply to join the TFOP WG due to requirements outlined in the current documents.

Preferred Applicant Capabilities

Sub Groups have outlined preferred member capabilities. While these capabilities should not be considered absolute requirements, applicants with the listed capabilities will be able to efficiently contribute quality data to the TFOP WG.

SG1: Applicants should ideally have access to a facility with the capability to maintain the position of the field on the detector to within a few pixels throughout a sequence of time-series observations. On-axis guiding is preferred over off-axis guiding, but both are preferred over no telescope guiding. Also, pixel scales of 1 arcsec or less are preferred. Applicants should also be capable of calibrating their own image sets, performing differential photometry, and submitting light curve plots, finder field images, and photometric data to ExoFOP-TESS.

SG2: Applicants should ideally have access to a facility that satisfies one or more of the following approximate guidelines: RV precision better than ~300 m/s (to detect massive companions), resolving power greater than ~20,000 (to resolve blends and measure rotational broadening), or the aperture to observe faint stars (to complement the facilities with better precision and resolving power).

SG3: Applicants should have access to facilities that produce better-than-seeing-limited images, preferably with the capability to detect with a 5-sigma significance contaminating objects with a delta-magnitude of 5 or more at 0.5 arcsec or less from the target. Applicants should have the capability to extract the reduced image near the target star, perform photometry, and produce contrast curves showing delta-mag limits vs. distance from the target.

SG4: Applicants should have access to facilities with RV precisions better than a few m/s in order to contribute to precise mass measurements of small planets.

SG5: Applicants should have experience with reducing and analyzing space-based photometry, or access to space-based photometry facilities.

General: Applicants should have expertise in an exoplanet-related field and be interested to collaborate and/or coordinate within the TFOP WG for the purposes of maximizing science from the TESS mission and minimizing duplication of effort. Students often qualify as general members if they have no access to appropriate observing facilities, but are pursuing TESS and/or TFOP-based science as part of their degree program.