Fanning IDL example programs (Zip file)

Homework and Lab Assignments

Homework	Due Date		Night Labs	Due Date
HW-1	9/18/09		NL-1	9/28/09
HW-2	9/22/09		NL-2	10/14/09
HW-3	10/2/09		NL-3	11/24/09
HW-4	10/16/09		NL_4	12/16/09
HW-5	10/23/09
HW-6	10/30/09
HW-7	11/6/09

Mimir Instrument Information:

Mimir Real Time Instrument Status

Mimir Instrument Web Site

Mimir Instrument Paper

Mimir PowerPoint presentation (in PDF form)

Mimir Spectroscopy Data Analysis:

1. Create a Directory and set of sub-directories for your data analysis
   1. Create a directory on your desktop named "Lab_3_Reductions"
   2. In that directory, create sub-directories named:
      • "13_Wavelength_Calibrated_Images"
      • "14_Extracted_Spectra"
      • "15_Coadded_Spectra"
      • "16_Telluric_Corrected_Spectra"
      • "17_Recombined_Spectra"
      
      
2. Download and install all software packages into your IDL/default directory:
   1. Create a sub-directory (if one is not there already) within your IDL/default software directory, named "astrolib"
   2. Download and unzip the file astrolib.zip in that new sub-directory
   3. Create another sub-directory within your IDL/default software directory, named "MSP_WCT"
   4. Download and unzip there the file MSP_WCT.zip
   5. Create another sub-directory within the IDL/default software directory, named "MSP_SXC"
   6. Download and unzpip there the file MSP_SXC.zip
   7. Create another sub-directory within your IDL/default software directory, named "SpeXtool"
   8. Download and unzip there the file SpeXtool.zip


3. Wavelength-calibrate the object and comparison star spectral images
   1. Open the project file "MSP_WCT.prj" in the MSP_WCT directory
   2. Select "Project->Compile->All files"
   3. Select "Project->Run"
   4. Use the WCT to develop wavelength calibrations and apply them to your spectral images
      1. Process one group of "Science-Quality" (reduced data) images at a time (these are the images I supplied to you on DVD)
         1. Argon Images as the calibrators, Science Images to be calibrated
      2. Put the resulting images in the directory "13_Wavelength_Calibrated_Images"


4. Extract the spectra (Stellar or Zonal) from the spectral images
   1. Open the project file "MSP_SXC.prj" in the MSP_SXC sub-directory
   2. Compile and run the program "Step_14_Extract_Stellar_Spectra.pro"
      1. Select as inputs groups of wavelength calibrated stellar images (A0 or target) from the "13_W..." directory
      2. Select as the place to put the resulting spectra your directory "14_Extracted_Spectra"
   3. For extended object spectra (PN, HII regions), instead use the program "Step_14_Extract_Zonal_Spectrum.pro"
      1. Note that at present, this program works on one spectral image at a time (not groups of images)


5. Combine similar spectra to improve S/N
   1. In the "MSP_SXC" project, run the program "Step_15_Coadd_Spectra.pro"
      1. Use as inputs groups of extracted spectra in the "14_Ex..." sub-directory
      2. Put the resulting spectra in the directory "15_Coadded_Spectra" with file names like "20091101_001-012_ave.fits" to identify the spectra that were averaged
   
   
6. Examine the averaged spectra to look for problems
   1. In the "Spextool" sub-directory, compile and run the program "xvspec.pro"
   2. Using XVSPEC, select one of the coadded spectra in the "15_C..." directory for display
   3. Open the "Help" window by clicking on the "Help" bar at the bottom of the window
   4. Click in the XVSPEC window to bring up the Zoom window
   5. Use the "X", "Y", and "W" commands to explore your spectra


7. Telluric correct your object spectra, using your reference (A0V) star spectra
   1. In the "SpeXtool" directory, run the "Xtellcor.pro" program
   2. Launch the Help tool, by clicking on the Help bar
   3. Follow the steps listed, or as per instruction in class
   4. Save the final image(s) to FITS files in the "16_Telluric_Corrected_Spectra" sub-directory
   5. Note that the best results are obtained when using the H-Band Hydrogen lines to correct the H-Band portion of the object spectrum and the K-Band Brackett-gamma line to correct the K-Band portion of the object spectrum. These resulting spectra should be saved into distinct files, with names like "IK_Tau_H-Band_spec.fits"


8. Recombine the H-Band and K-Band spectral pieces back into single spectra for each object
   1. In the MSP_SXC project, run the program "Step_17_Reassemble_JHK_Spectra.pro"
      1. You will not have J-Band spectra
      2. Leave all offsets at 0.0
   2. Save the resulting spectra in the sub-directory "17_Recombined_Spectra"
   3. These can be examined using xvplot.pro in the "Spextool" directory
      


9. Examine, plot the final spectra
   1. In the MSP_SXC project, run the program "Step_18_Plot_JHK_Spectrum.pro"
   2. You can either display the plot to the screen (in Windows) or save the plot in a Postscript file


10. Identify key spectral lines in each spectrum and interpret their meaning

Small Radio Telescope:

Link to Haystack SRT Site
SRT Operator's Manual
Intensity Calibration
Beamwidth Measurement Method

FTP Instructions for moving data files