P2PP: UVES Information

This page contains information specific to the creation of UVES Observations Blocks (OBs) for Service Mode programs. For more general OB creation information, see the P2PP Web page.

Requirement Compliance Policy: Observing runs which do not adhere to the procedures and policies presented in this document will not be scheduled for execution. If you feel you must violate one of these procedures or policies, you must submit a Phase 2 Waiver Request before submitting any Phase 2 material.

This document has the following sections:

Read the Manuals
Target definition and Finding Charts Requirements
UVES Standard Instrument Configurations
Calibrations
Additional requirements for UVES OBs

Read the Manuals!

It is absolutely essential that all users read the following manuals:

Further useful information and tools for the OB preparation phase can be accessed from the User Support Department's Web pages (such as links to the Exposure Time Calculator, object visibility, catalogues, etc.). A tutorial on the use of P2PP to prepare UVES observations is also available.

Target Definitions and Finding Charts Requirements

Target acquisition with UVES relies on precise target coordinates. The UT2 pointing accuracy is better than 1 arcsec RMS. Therefore, an accuracy of the provided target coordinates of better than 1 arcsec is requested which will bring the object already close to the slit center. For faint targets (V>20mag, B>19mag) or extended objects, offset stars have to be used to define the precise slit position. In addition to the standard Service Mode finding chart requirements, the finding charts for UVES have to be provided in the North up - East left convention with a field size of 1x1 arcminutes and the target clearly identified. If offset stars are used for target aquisition, a corresponding 1x1 arcminute chart for the offset star has to be provided, too. Finding Charts are not Searching Charts. They are used for target identification in case of close multiple objects or crowded fields. No searches for targets will be performed if the object cannot be identified with the provided finding chart. If in the acquisition templates the slit is oriented with a specific position angle ("SKY" mode), the slit orientation and size have to be indicated on the finding chart, too.

UVES Standard Instrument Configurations

In Service Mode (SM) only certain specific Standard Instrument Configurations are allowed. Only the following specific templates are allowed:

`UVES_red_obs_exp`	`UVES_blue_obs_exp`
`UVES_red_obs_std`	`UVES_blue_obs_std`
`UVES_dic1_obs_exp`	`UVES_dic2_obs_exp`
`UVES_dic1_obs_std`	`UVES_dic2_obs_std`

NOTE: The allowed slit widths are restricted to the width steps of 0".1 below 1".2 and 0".2 above that.

For observations with the iodine absorption cell the new red standard setting with a central wavelength of 600 nm has to be used. This standard setting is provided by the UVES_red_obs_exp and UVES_red_obs_std templates. Only the following detector readout modes (parameter: SPEED,BINNING,GAIN) are allowed:

225kHz,1x1,low

50kHz,2x2,high

NOTE: In Visitor Mode (VM), the free exposure definition templates and three additional readout modes are also available. This includes the new high-speed 625kHz,1x1,low mode.

Starting with Period 73, a new mode, the Rapid Response Mode (RRM), is offered for observations of transient phenomena such as Gamma-ray bursts or Supernovae in semi-automatic mode.

Starting with Period 76, the red arm setting with central wavelength 600nm can be used without Iodine Cell in service mode. In addition, due to the unavailability of a red arm setting with central wavelength 760nm, the possibility of using the combination of Image Slicer #3 with Dichroic #2 and the setting with a central wavelength of 760nm has been implemented.

Calibrations

The following gives a short overview of the calibrations provided by the Observatory. Further details e.g. on the calibration frequencies are available in the UVES Calibration Plan. For the standard configurations, the Observatory provides the following daytime calibrations automatically:

wavelength calibration frames
flatfield calibration frames
order definition frames
formatcheck frames
detector calibration frames (bias)

Attached ThAr calibrations for the settings 760 and 860 are NOT taken in SM, because of the remnants at the positions of the heavy saturated lines.

For observations with the iodine absorption cell flatfields with and without the cell are provided. All other possible types of nighttime calibrations (spectrophotometric standards, radial-velocity standards, telluric standards, spectra templates etc.) must be specifically requested by the users. OBs for these calibrations must be supplied by the user. The time needed to execute these OBs will be charged to the user.
Note: the UVES_mode_obs_std templates are only to be used for flux standards. Radial velocity or telluric standard star observations have to be defined with the normal science templates UVES_mode_obs_exp.
In case that the highest possible wavelength calibration or flatfielding accuracy is required (e.g. for radial-velocity studies or high S/N observations in the regime of CCD fringing) the use of attached calibrations at nighttime is possible (cf. Template Reference Guide). However, the execution time will be charged to the corresponding program.

Additional requirements for UVES OBs

S/N Ratio

Starting with P76, it is mandatory to specify in the Instrument Comments field in P2PP (this is the one just below the User Comments field) the following UVES specific information (an example of the syntax is provided below):

Recommended Syntax: S/N=... @ ...nm, S/N=... @ ...nm

Example: S/N=100 @ 620nm, S/N=40 @ 760nm