CALBLOCK-PV-001: Self Calibration

Observation configuration file

Scheduling

Execute 4 times during PV phase.

In case of failure, repeat as soon as possible.

Time-critical

One of the four visits must be executed a soon as possible during PV. The other visits are ideally separated by at least 7 days.

Dependencies

CALBLOCK-PV-023: VIS Astrometric Solution must be executed once, before the first execution of this CalBlock.

Objective

These observations provide the baseline to monitor Euclid’s spectrophotometric response to space weathering and outgassing. This is achieved by multiple dithered exposures of the Self-cal field.

During PV phase, the Self-cal sequence is executed four times, (1) to verify that it is working, (2) to provide tight initial monitoring of system parameters and important calibration products, (3) to monitor for contamination effects, and (4) to calibrate the grisms’ large-scale flats. The RGS270 is excluded and will be calibrated only if necessary.

Observations

  • Execute the ROS_D1 with a specific grism, at each of 60 pointings

  • A total of 4 self-cal visits is required to observe all grisms at all 60 dithers

  • BGS observations require \({\rm AA}\) offsets of at least \(\pm1.4\) to facilitate spectra-order decontamination, better \(\pm2.0\). Whether the negative or positive offset is executed first does not matter.

  • The grism order must be preserved as outlined in the pseudo-code, as it can be executed any time without violating slew constraints.

  • \({\rm AA}\) may vary during a visit due to orbit progression

  • While \({\rm AA}\) can be chosen in principle freely within \([-7.5,-3.5]\) to minimise thermal transients and meet VIS straylight requirements, we enforce \({\rm AA}=-5.5\) to ensure that the limits are not violated by the bracketing BGS observations.

  • The illumination-correction maps for the VIS and NISP imaging channels can exploit the additional, rotated blue-grism dithers, bringing the total from 60 to 76 exposures.

  • Note the rolling order of the red grisms in the 4 visits

  • The blue grism repeats 4 central dithers at the end of the 4th configuration

  • The ROS_D1 VIS variants are mostly NominalScience+ShortScience [NS+SS] (72 pointings), with 4 cases of [NS+Bias] distributed evenly. The 4 biases provide instrumental reference; each Self-cal visit starts and ends with the [NS+Bias] variant of the ROS_D1. The Short Science exposures are required for VIS absolute photometric calibration.

Observation instructions 17: Self-cal visit 1. BGS offset must be at least 1.4, ideally 2:
ma = -5.5  (chosen AA angle for red-grism observations)

Set AA = ma-2
   Dithers 42, 44, 45, 48, 2, 3, 30, 32: BGS000
Set AA = ma
   Execute 60 dithers as specified, red-grism order: RGS000, RGS180_rot, RGS000_rot, RGS180, repeat
Set AA = ma+2
   Dithers 41, 43, 47, 46, 1, 4, 29, 31: BGS000
Observation instructions 18: Self-cal visit 2:
Set AA = ma-2
   Dithers 53, 54, 49, 50, 37, 39, 26, 25: BGS000
Set AA = ma
   Execute 60 dithers as specified, red-grism order: RGS180_rot, RGS000_rot, RGS180, RGS000, repeat
Set AA = ma+2
   Dithers 56, 55, 51, 52, 38, 40, 28, 27: BGS000
Observation instructions 19: Self-cal visit 3:
Set AA = ma-2
   Dithers 10, 11, 5, 7, 23, 21, 18, 19: BGS000
Set AA = ma
   Execute 60 dithers as specified, red-grism order: RGS000_rot, RGS180, RGS000, RGS180_rot, repeat
Set AA = ma+2
   Dithers 9, 12, 6, 8, 22, 24, 17, 20: BGS000
Observation instructions 20: Self-cal visit 4:
Set AA = ma-2
   Dithers 13, 14, 33, 36, 57, 58, 41, 42: BGS000
Set AA = ma
   Execute 60 dithers as specified, red-grism order: RGS180, RGS000, RGS180_rot, RGS000_rot, repeat
Set AA = ma+2
   Dithers 16, 15, 34, 35, 59, 60, 43, 44: BGS000

Fulfilling

Targets and pointing constraints

Pointing: Straylight suppression: \({\rm AA}=-5.5\) for the red-grism pointings. They must be executed in the order given in CSV file. The 16 dithers for the blue grism use two different \({\rm AA}\).

../_images/selfcal_location_zoom.png

Figure 14: The Self-cal field is located near the NEP. It includes a hot White Dwarf (blue asterisk) for CALBLOCK-PV-002: NISP-P and VIS Absolute Photometric Standards. The green and orange outlines show the boundaries for visits at two different times, where orbit progression results in boundary rotation.

../_images/selfcal-dithers.png

Figure 15: Self-cal dither pattern. Observations must step through the dithers as specified in this CSV file

Table 38: Self-cal field CSV file

# ID

R.A.

Dec

SELFCAL-CENTER

268.812745

65.2855857

Instrument configuration

Instrument: Wide survey

Inter-operability constraints

None

In-orbit duration

In-orbit Duration: 94.0 h

Each visit takes approximately 23.5 h.

Data volume

76*ROSD1 = 99028 MB per visit

Processing input

Ground Processing Input Data: All calibration products to run the standard science pipeline (BPM, darks, flat, nonlinearity etc), small scale flat fields

Data Description: Each visit provides: 225 photo-MACC images, 76 spectro-MACC images, 76 VIS nominal science, and 76 VIS short science exposures.

Processing output

  • Large scale flat field for VIS and all NISP filters and grisms

  • NISP-S dispersion check using secondary wavelength calibrators

  • Absolute photometric zeropoint for VIS and NISP.

  • Coarsely binned (e.g. 100x100) illumination correction map, and monitoring

  • VIS and NISP focal plane astrometric solutions

  • Monitoring of system parameters

Required accuracy, constraints

Images successfully acquired

Processing tools

Pipeline: VIS_LargeFlatCalibration_Pipeline

PE: VIS_LargeFlatCalibration

Quality control parameters

DataModel: https://gitlab.euclid-sgs.uk/

Contact person

Calibration Lead