Calibration close-out highlights
Over the next two years we hope to make a number of improvements to the STIS calibration software and reference files, with the goal of generating a "final" calibration of as many STIS observing modes as possible.
Improvements being evaluated include, but are not limited to:
- New echelle-mode wavelength solutions based on a physical model of the echelle optics and new laboratory measurements of calibration line-lamp wavelengths. See http://www.wavecal.org for more details.
- Improved echelle-mode flux calibrations including better treatment of blaze shift mis-alignments and secondary wavelength settings.
- Better first-order flux calibration for secondary wavelengths and off-axis data, including data taken at the E1 aperture locations.
- Improved x2d extractions and error arrays to allow better interpolation and fitting of spatially under-sampled data.
- Improved MAMA distortion corrections and PRISM calibrations.
- Final versions of all reference files.
- Detailed color corrections for STIS imaging modes.
- CTE corrections for CCD photometry and spectroscopy of extended sources.
- CTE correction script for CCD photometry of point sources.
- Improvements to allow more observations taken using available-but-unsupported modes or without auto-wavecals to be calibrated by the OTFR pipeline.
We hereby invite the community to send us suggestions for improvements to calibrations of specific observing modes that are not listed above. Please send your suggestion(s) to the Help Desk using the subject title of "STIS calibration suggestion". We will be happy to consider and evaluate your suggestions.