Class
| Date
| Topics covered in this section
| Text book
| e-Book
|
1. |
'06/09/11 |
Introduction to CCD's:
A Brief History of Astronomical Detectors (The Human Eye,
The Photographic Plate,
The Photomultiplier Tube, Image Intensified Vacuum Tube Technology)
The Charge Coupled Device
The Bucket Brigade — a CCD read-out model
|
[Ch. 1] |
[Ch. 1] |
2. |
'06/09/13 |
Introduction to CCD's (cont'd):
Gates and Voltages — CCD structure and operation
CCD's in Different Flavors
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Arrays
Superconducting Tunnel Junction Arrays
Analog to Digital Conversion
|
[Ch. 2] |
[Ch. 1] |
3. |
'06/09/22 |
Characterization of CCD's:
Absorption Length, Quantum Efficiency & Charge Diffusion
Charge Transfer Efficiency & Deferred Charge
Dark Current
Bias and Overscan
Gain and Read-Noise — Janesick's method
Dynamic Range, Saturation & Linearity
|
[Ch. 3] |
[Ch. 2] |
4. |
'06/09/25 |
Astronomical Signals and Noise:
Transient Effects: Cosmic Rays, Cross-talk, Persistence,
Hot Pixels & Bad Columns
Distributions: Poisson vs. Gauss
Signal and Noise: The CCD Equation
Computing errors on magnitudes
|
[Ch. 4] |
[Ch. 3] |
5. |
'06/09/27 |
`FITS 101':
Data Storage and Transfer
The Standard FITS Header
Multi-Extension FITS (MEF)
The ESO Hierarchical FITS Header
|
|
[Ch. 4] |
6. |
'06/09/29 |
Looking Through the Earth's Atmosphere:
Transmission, Emission & Scattering
Refraction & Dispersion
Seeing & Scintillation
|
|
[Ch. 5] |
7. |
'06/10/02 |
Photometric systems + Astronomy with CCD detectors:
Vega vs. AB magnitudes
Astronomical filter systems
Types of astronomical observations with CCDs
Aperture photometry & curve of growth
PSF fitting
Differential photometry
|
[Ch. 5] |
[Ch. 6] |
8. |
'06/10/04 |
Required Calibration Data 101:
Biases
Darks
Dome flats/Pupil flats/Internal flats
Shutter shading flats
Twilight flats
Night sky flats
Orientation exposure
Focus exposures
(Spectro)Photometric standards
|
[Ch. 5] |
[Ch. 7+8.1] |
9. |
'06/10/11 |
A practical example of CCD image processing from start to finish:
(Relevant portion of) Observing Log files
Starting IRAF and DS9; loading packages; selecting display buffer
Creating an inventory of the raw FITS data
Construction of bad pixel/column file
Determining the location of the virtual overscan strip
Measuring CCD read-noise and gain
Processing the bias frames
|
|
[Ch. 8.2–8.4] |
10. |
'06/10/13 |
A practical example of CCD image processing from start to finish
(cont'd):
Processing the bias frames (cont'd)
— Keeping a processing log in the image headers
— Some IRAF and Unix/Linux intricacies
— Testing the "master" bias image
Processing the dark frames
— Do we detect the bulk dark rate?
— Warm/hot pixel mapping using mask images
|
|
[Ch. 8.5] |
11. |
'06/11/08 |
A practical example of CCD image processing from start to finish
(cont'd):
Processing the dome- and twilight-flats
— Constructing pixel-to-pixel response frames per filter
— Constructing illumination pattern frames per filter
Deriving the shutter shading pattern; evaluating its significance
Processing the science target images
— Inspection, Adding filter keyword, Conversion to 32bpp
— Correction for structure in the bias
— Subtraction of the instantaneous bias level (overscan level)
— Testing whether dark- and shutter shading corrections are needed
— Correction for small-scale sensitivity variations
— Correction for large-scale illumination variations
|
|
[Ch. 8.6] |
12. |
'06/11/17 |
A practical example of CCD image processing from start to finish
(cont'd):
Photometric calibration using standard stars
— Aperture photometry on standard star images
— Solving the photometric calibration equations
Photometric analysis of astronomical sources
— Differential photometry of SN 2005bk
|
[Ch. 6] |
[Ch. 8.7] |
13. |
'06/11/20 |
A practical example of CCD Spectroscopic data reduction:
(Additional) Calibration data to be acquired
— Example of a HeNeAr comparison lamp spectrum
Processing the calibration frames
Processing the science target and comparison lamp frames
|
[Ch. 6] |
[Ch. 9] |