MIKE Data Reduction [v1.2; August 2004]

MIKE Suggested Calibrations

Pre-Reduction Setup

     Setup

Initial Setup (Repeat for each night)

  1. Create a new directory for the night (e.g. 06aug02) and enter it
  2. Create a 'Raw/' directory and put all the raw data in it.
  3. If the filenames do not read mb(r)####.fits or b(r)####.fits it is quite likely the code will be unhappy
  4. gzip the data (gzip *.fits)
  5. Launch idl in the directory above Raw/ :: (e.g. idl -32 or idlde -32)
  6. mike_strct :: Create the MIKE structure.

  7. mike_editstrct :: Modify the MIKE structure. The previous step creates the structure and takes a guess at the initial values of many of the tags based on the header card info. It is difficult, however, to automate all of the values for the tags and therefore the user should carefully check the structure. Also, the user should set flg_anly = 0 for all of images which should be ignored during data reduction (bad flats, etc.). For most of the important tags, one can use mike_editstrct. The rest must be done from the command line by hand or through a simple IDL script (recommended). The obvious tags to modify are:

  8. mike_wrstrct :: Write the MIKE structure to disk. In IDL you can modify the values of any of the tags. You can then save the structure in fits form and rewrite the ASCII file with the routine mike_wrstrct.
        Example: IDL> mike_wrstrct, mike, FITS='mike_name.fits'
        Time : fast

  9. If you exit (or crash) IDL, you will need to read the structure back in.
    mike_ar :: Read the MIKE structure from disk. If no name is given, the file looks for the first fits file starting 'mike' that contains a '_'.
        Example: IDL> mike = mike_ar()
        Example: IDL> mike = mike_ar('mike_name.fits')
        Time : fast
  10. You know the code is working right when IDL> help, mike, /str
    lists the structure.

Setup

     Calibrations

Create Bias (Zero) frames [Optional and NOT recommended]

Set Gain

Process Flats

Arc Images

Slit Profile


     Extraction

Process the Image

Identify and Trace the Object

Sky Subtraction

Extraction

Standard Star (Optional, and recommended)

Flux



Last modified 2004-08-31