The new era of Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) Survey projects, in particular WEAVE (on the WHT at the ING) and 4MOST (on VISTA at ESO Paranal), require complex data flow systems. These systems encompass the software development for target selection, fibre configuration and observation at the telescope front-end and spectral processing, spectral analysis and archiving at the back-end. The system must also include quality control procedures, signaling mechanisms and alert reporting to ensure optimal use of telescope time and scientifically robust data products. Key to ensuring a fully functioning data flow system by first light are Operational Rehearsals (OpR) which use simulated data in end-to-end tests of the entire system. The Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU) has been integral in defining and coordinating these OpR efforts, in its role of providing the back-end data management and the spectral processing pipelines, for both WEAVE and 4MOST. The WEAVE OpR programme is complete and we await first light. The first two rehearsal stages (OpR1 and OpR2) of the 4MOST OpR programme are complete while the third, and most complex, stage will commence in 2022.
The scientific productivity of complex instrumentation strongly depends on the availability of data-reduction pipelines. In the case of AF2+WYFFOS, the multi-object one-degree field-of-view fibre-fed spectrograph at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), the full scientific exploitation of the data has often been slowed down because of the non-availability of a pipeline. A dedicated pipeline has been developed to overcome this. Running in IDL, it performs full reduction of AF2+WYFFOS data: fibre-to-fibre sensitivity corrections, fibre tracing, wavelength calibration, optimal extraction, sky subtraction.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.