The Gemini Observatory plans to announce a Call for Proposals for Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) Campaign Science. We now request letters of intent from prospective GPI campaign projects.

GPI is a technologically advanced instrument designed specifically for obtaining images and low-resolution spectra of faint objects or features very near to bright objects. While GPI's primary science goal is the detection and characterization of exoplanets, its high contrast capabilities will allow significant scientific advances in such areas as circumstellar disks, stellar evolution and mass transfer, fundamental stellar astrophysics including binaries, and Solar System objects. All areas are open to campaign science proposals.

Full details are available in the request for letters of intent, and a document describing campaign policies is available. We are also releasing a draft of the Call for Proposals now. The amount of time available for campaign projects and the expected instrument performance will be clarified in the final Call for Proposals.

Letters of intent are due January 20, 2011. We expect to release the final Call for Proposals February 1, 2011, with an anticipated deadline of March 31, 2011.