FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012 FORS1+2: The First of the VLT work horses –...
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Transcript of FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012 FORS1+2: The First of the VLT work horses –...
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
FORS1+2: The First of the VLT work FORS1+2: The First of the VLT work horses – The User Perspectivehorses – The User Perspective
Mario van den Ancker – Mario van den Ancker – DMO/USDDMO/USD
Gero Rupprecht - INSGero Rupprecht - INS
Instrument Operations Team: Ivo Saviane (PSO), Henri Boffin (PSO), David Jones (Instrument Fellow), Alfredo Leiva (LPO), Pedro Baksai (LPO), Mario van den Ancker (USD), John Pritchard (USD), Monika Petr-Gotzens (USD), Wolfgang Hummel (QC), Gero Rupprecht (INS)
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Is FORS2 the right instrument for your science?
VIMOS: More slits/mask (but limited grating options). X-Shooter: Higher throughput for single-object
spectroscopy.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Is FORS2 the right instrument for your science?
VIMOS: More slits/mask (but limited grating options). X-Shooter: Higher throughput for single-object
spectroscopy. Observing Mode: Visitor or Service Mode?
All FORS2 modes with the exception of HIT-S offered in both VM and SM.
Instrument configuration limited to standard setups in SM.
Blue (E2V) CCD only offered in VM! Maximum number of 10 MXU masks can be used within
one night.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Is FORS2 the right instrument for your science?
VIMOS: More slits/mask (but limited grating options). X-Shooter: Higher throughput for single-object
spectroscopy. Observing Mode: Visitor or Service Mode?
All FORS2 modes with the exception of HIT-S offered in both VM and SM.
Instrument configuration limited to standard setups in SM.
Blue (E2V) CCD only offered in VM! Maximum number of 10 MXU masks can be used within
one night.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Is FORS2 the right instrument for your science?
VIMOS: More slits/mask (but limited grating options). X-Shooter: Higher throughput for single-object
spectroscopy. Observing Mode: Visitor or Service Mode?
All FORS2 modes with the exception of HIT-S offered in both VM and SM.
Instrument configuration limited to standard setups in SM.
Blue (E2V) CCD only offered in VM! Maximum number of 10 MXU masks can be used within
one night.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Is FORS2 the right instrument for your science?
VIMOS: More slits/mask (but limited grating options). X-Shooter: Higher throughput for single-object
spectroscopy. Observing Mode: Visitor or Service Mode?
All FORS2 modes with the exception of HIT-S offered in both VM and SM.
Instrument configuration limited to standard setups in SM.
Blue (E2V) CCD only offered in VM! Maximum number of 10 MXU masks can be used within
one night.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Use the FORS2 Exposure Time Calculator
(www.eso.org/observing/etc) to estimate integration times.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Use the FORS2 Exposure Time Calculator
(www.eso.org/observing/etc) to estimate integration times. Requested time should include overheads.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Use the FORS2 Exposure Time Calculator
(www.eso.org/observing/etc) to estimate integration times. Requested time should include overheads. SM Observations: Are all necessary calibrations covered by
the calibration plan?
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Use the FORS2 Exposure Time Calculator
(www.eso.org/observing/etc) to estimate integration times. Requested time should include overheads. SM Observations: Are all necessary calibrations covered by
the calibration plan?
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Use the FORS2 Exposure Time Calculator
(www.eso.org/observing/etc) to estimate integration times. Requested time should include overheads. SM Observations: Are all necessary calibrations covered by
the calibration plan? Is pre-imaging required (if so, request this as a separate
observing run and flag this as a pre-imaging run in your proposal).
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Use the FORS2 Exposure Time Calculator
(www.eso.org/observing/etc) to estimate integration times. Requested time should include overheads. SM Observations: Are all necessary calibrations covered by
the calibration plan? Is pre-imaging required (if so, request this as a separate
observing run and flag this as a pre-imaging run in your proposal).
Observing constraints for SM observations (sky transparency, seeing, sky brightness) requested at Phase 1 are binding!
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Select your targets wisely!
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 2 Observation Preparation All observations prepared using p2pp.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 2 Observation Preparation All observations prepared using p2pp. Advanced scheduling options introduced with p2pp version
3.3 (used for FORS2 as of ESO period 90).
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 2 Observation Preparation Some observing modes (e.g. MOS, MXU) require use of
another tool, FIMS.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Phase 2 Observation Preparation Some observing modes (e.g. MOS, MXU) require use of
another tool, FIMS. Astrometrically accurate images (or FORS1/2 pre-images)
needed for mask preparation with FIMS. 32 bit Linux version (or 32 bit Linux running as a virtual
machine) needed to run FIMS.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Do’s and Don’ts at Phase 2 Do not deviate from your Phase 1 proposal (constraints,
targets, instrument setup). Do use the standard instrument set-ups. Do check the definition of offsets and rotator angles
(instrument-dependent!). Do not use offsets > 1’. Do include a few bright stars in any mask. Mind the gap!
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Do’s and Don’ts at Phase 2 Do not deviate from your Phase 1 proposal (constraints,
targets, instrument setup). Do use the standard instrument set-ups. Do check the definition of offsets and rotator angles
(instrument-dependent!). Do not use offsets > 1’. Do include a few bright stars in any mask. Mind the gap!
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Do’s and Don’ts at Phase 2 Do not deviate from your Phase 1 proposal (constraints,
targets, instrument setup). Do use the standard instrument set-ups. Do check the definition of offsets and rotator angles
(instrument-dependent!). Do not use offsets > 1’. Do include a few bright stars in any mask. Mind the gap! Check for vignetting (HR collimator only).
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Do’s and Don’ts at Phase 2 Do not deviate from your Phase 1 proposal (constraints,
targets, instrument setup). Do use the standard instrument set-ups. Do check the definition of offsets and rotator angles
(instrument-dependent!). Do not use offsets > 1’. Do include a few bright stars in any mask. Mind the gap! Check for vignetting (HR collimator only).
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science FORS is essentially used for all types of science.
A: CosmologyB: Galaxies and Galactic NucleiC: ISM, Star Formation and Planetary SystemsD: Stellar Evolution
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science FORS is essentially used for all types of science. FORS2 is currently the most popular instrument on the VLT. Publication rate: 886 papers so far with FORS1 (of which 14
in Nature), 909 (of which 17 in Nature) with FORS2. 9/20 most cited ESO papers resulting from FORS data. Five science highlights.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science Highlights: 1/5 Derivation of the internal structure of a dark cloud on the
verge of collapse.
Alves et al. (2001, Nature 409, 159)
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science Highlights: 2/5 Discovery of a very energetic supernova associated with a
long-duration GRB at redshift z = 0.1685.
Hjorth et al. (2003, Nature 423, 847)
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science Highlights: 3/5 Discovery of clouds in the transmission spectrum of the
transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ 1214b.
Bean et al. (2010, Nature 468, 669)
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science Highlights: 4/5 Measurement of the polarization signal from biosignatures
in the Earthshine (sunlight reflected from the earth to the dark side of the moon).
Sterzik et al. (2012, Nature 483, 64)
Red line: dataBlack line: modelGreen: Error estimate
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Science Highlights: 5/5 Non-spherical ejecta in Planetary Nebulae are due to
binarity.
Boffin et al. (2012, Science 338, 773)
PN Fleming 1 in Halpha (red), [O III] (green) and [O II] (blue). Instrument: FORS2.
FORS Instrument Lunchtalk | ESO Garching | 09.11.2012
Conclusions FORS1 and FORS2 are amongst the most successful ESO
instruments ever. After 13 years still in high demand and productive. On the hardware side, no obvious signs of aging. Good for the next 13 years?