S. M. Faber, A. C. Phillips, G. D. Wirth
Version 2.0, December 2002

C. Alvarez
Version 2.1, January 2022

Contents


Definitions and procedures

Standard Slitmasks

Complete list of standard slitmasks

Internal lamps

Order-blocking filters

One of these, or a broadband filter, must be in place at all times in order for the camera to be able to focus on the CCD mosaic.

Complete list of order-blocking filters

Procedure to handle dome flat lamps

  1. Bring up the dome lamp control GUI found under Telescope GUIs → Dome Lamp Control GUI on the VNC pulldown menu.
  2. Turn ON the desired dome flat lamps.
  3. Alternatively you can use the DCS keywords for lamp control on a vm-deimos or polo terminal. The keyword that controls the imaging dome flat lamps is flimagin. The keyword that controls the spectal dome flat lamps is flspectr. The spectral lamps are brighter than the imaging lamps. These are some examples of utilization of the DCS keywords to turn on and off dome flat lamps:
  4. In a vm-deimos or polo terminal type:
    modify -s dcs domecals=true
    This is required to let the summit crew know that you are are going to take dome flats and they cannot enter the dome.
  5. Manually take the flats using the recommended times in the tables below.
  6. Make sure to Turn OFF the dome flat lamps once you are done taking your flatfield frames.
  7. In a vm-deimos or polo terminal type:
    modify -s dcs domecals=false
    This is required to let the summit crew know that you have finished taking dome flats and they can enter the dome.


Direct-imaging recipes

Through-focus series using GOH-X mask with internal lamps

Filter Lamp Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
B Qz 4 40,000
V Ne 10 30,000
R Hg 2 30,000
I Ne 2 40,000
Z Ne 4 35,000

Through-focus series using GOH-X mask using dome lamps

Follow de procedure to handle dome flat lamps and use the exposure recipes in the next table:

Filter Lamp Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
B FLSPECTR 10 12,000
V FLSPECTR 3 30,000
Dome fluor 1 25,000
R FLSPECTR 1 30,000
FLIMAGIN 20 8,000
Dome fluor 1 ?
I FLSPECTR --- too bright
FLIMAGIN 10 8,000
Z FLSPECTR 1 50,000
FLIMAGIN 10 10,000

Through-focus series using GOH-X mask and night sky

Filter Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
B 200 70
V 200 100
R 100 200
I 100 1000
Z 100 800

Direct images of slitmasks using internal lamps

Filter Lamp Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
R Xe 2 10,000
OG550 Zn 1 30,000

Spectroscopic recipes

Through-focus series using GOSPH-3 mask with internal lamps

Also good for wavelength calibration. Note: be sure to let Cd, Zn, and Hg warm up for at least 3 minutes!

Grating Filter Central
Wavelength
Lamps Time
[sec]
830G OG550 7500 A NAKX 1
1200G OG550 8000 A NAKX 1
600 GG455 7000 A NHCXZ 2
Xe 100
600 GG400 6500 A NHCXZ 2
BAL12 XeKrAr 100
900 BAL12 6600 A NHCXZ 2
Xe 100
900 GG400 5600 A NHCXZ 2
XeKrAr 100

Blue lines below 5500 A:

Note: Kr is deleted from short-exposure blue recipes because it crowds the red spectrum at low dispersion. Ar is deleted because it is already in the Hg lamp.

Spectral twilight flats

Exact times and counts depend on when taken. The following data are for a series of 5 exposures each taken at sunset in two gratings. The series started 4 minutes after sunset and was taken in the order shown. Spectral twilight flats should really start 15 minutes BEFORE sunset (note: special Director's permission is needed to open that early).

Grating Filter Central
Wavelength
Time
[sec]
Avg signal
[DN]
830G OG550 7900 30 20,000
120G OG550 8300 100 5,000

Typical night-sky spectral intensities

Grating Typical continuum level between OH lines Typical OH-line peak intensity
1200G 0.01 e/sec/px 1.0 e/sec/px
830G 0.015 e/sec/px 1.5 e/sec/px


Direct imaging flat fields

Broadband dome flats

Follow de procedure to handle dome flat lamps and use the exposure recipes in the next table:

Filter Lamp Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
B FLSPECTR+FLIMAGIN 3 21,000
V FLIMAGIN 11 19,000
R FLIMAGIN 10 30,000
I FLIMAGIN 7 40,000
Z FLIMAGIN 10 32,000

Broadband twilight flats

Filter Time Peak counts
B 2 20,000
V 2 20,000
R 6 20,000
I 10 20,000
Z 10 20,000

Typical sky counts in a dark-sky broadband exposure

Filter Sky flux
[DN/s]
B TBD
V TBD
R TBD
I TBD
Z TBD


Spectroscopic flat fields

Internal spectroscopic flats using Qz lamp

Grating Filter Central wavelength
[A]
Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
Slitwidth
[arcsec]
830G OG550 7500 15 45,000 0.75
1200G OG550 8000 12 40,000 1.00
600 GG455 7500 6 40,000 1.00
600 GG400 6500 TBD TBD TBD
900 BAL12 6600 TBD TBD TBD
900 BAL12 5600 10 42000 (red)
2,000 (blue)
0.50

Dome spectral flats

Follow de procedure to handle dome flat lamps and use the exposure recipes in the next table:

Grating Filter Central wavelength
[A]
Time
[sec]
Peak counts
830G OG550 7500 100 30,000
1200G OG550 7800 150 25,000
600 GG495 7500 TBD TBD
600 GG455 7000 90 30,000
600 GG400 6500 TBD TBD
900 BAL12 6600 TBD TBD
900 BAL12 5600 TBD TBD

Archival slitless dome spectral flats

Grating Filter Central wavelength
[A]
Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
830G OG550 8000 15 40,000
830G BAL12/GG400 7000 15 40,000
1200G OG550 7750 20 45,000
1200G BAL12/GG400 6600 20 45,000

Archival GRATEFOP exposures

Iillumination comes from positioning LED on grating transport stage. Shines light directly through camera, illuminating bubbles in coupling fluid and other defects. Recipe:

Slitless standard star spectra


FCS exposure times

The FCS lamps are a bit too bright and need adjustment. The following are the data for the current brightnesses (2002 December) before adjustment.

Direct imaging

Filter Lamp Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
B LED 1 50,000
V Cu1 1 50,000
R LED 1 Slightly saturated
I Cu1 1 Heavily saturated
Z Cu1 1 10,000

Spectroscopy


TV exposures

Broadband TV dome flats

Follow de procedure to handle dome flat lamps and use the exposure recipes in the next table:

Filter Time
[sec]
Peak flux
[DN]
Mirror Slitmask
B 20 7,000 1,000
V 20 13,000 2,000
R 5 17,000 4,000
I 2 16,000 4,000
R1 10 16,000 5,000
R2 10 20,000 1,000
Clear 1 14,000 4,000

TV through-focus using dome FLSPECTR lamps

Follow de procedure to handle dome flat lamps and use the exposure recipes in the next table:

Filter Light source Exposure time
[msec]
Comments
B FLSPECTR 2000
V FLSPECTR 500
I FLSPECTR 1000
R FLSPECTR 300
R1 FLSPECTR 1500
R2 FLSPECTR ?
ND2 Internal Ne 10000 FLSPECTR too faint
Clear FLSPECTR 100

TV through-focus using internal lamps

Filter Light source Exposure time
[msec]
Comments
B Qz 500 Lots of scattered light
V Qz 150
I Ar 50 Ar illumination unven. Try using Qz next time
R Qz 1 Really that short? Compare V.
R1 Qz 1 "
R2 Qz 1 "
ND2 Qz 200 Big reflection off focal plane
Clear Ne 1