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Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/30368
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Record Id 30368
Title Observation Planning Tools for the ESO VLT Interferometer
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Abstract Now that the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) is producing regular scientific observations, the field of optical interferometry has moved from being a specialist niche area into mainstream astronomy. Making such instruments available to the general community involves difficult challenges in modelling, presentation and automation. The planning of each interferometric observation requires calibrator source selection, visibility pre-diction, signal-to-noise estimation and exposure time calculation. These planning tools require detailed physical models simulating the complete telescope system | including the observed source, atmosphere, array configuration, optics, detector and data processing. Only then can these software utilities provide accurate predictions about instrument performance, robust noise estimation and reliable metrics indicating the anticipated success of an observation. The information must be presented in a clear, intelligible manner, sufficiently abstract to hide the details of telescope technicalities, but still giving the user a degree of control over the system. The Data Flow System group1 has addressed the needs of the VLTI and, in doing so, has gained some new insights into the planning of observations, and the modelling and simulation of interferometer performance. This paper reports these new techniques, as well as the successes of the Data Flow System group in this area and a summary of what is now offered as standard to VLTI observers.
Organisation CCLRC , SSTD
Keywords modelling , Very Large Telescope Interferometer , Observation planning tools
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Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Paper In Conference Proceedings In SPIE Conference Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, Glasgow, UK, 21-25 Jun 2004, (2004). spie_etc_v20.txt 2004