TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1. INTRODUCTION
   • IRAF Background
   • Before Using the Hamilton
   • CCD Reduction and Calibration Background
     • Analog to Digital Conversion Errors
     • Read--Noise
     • Amplifier Bias Level, The Overscan Correction
     • Electronic Bias
     • Thermal (Dark) Current
     • Pixel Gain Variations
     • Saturation
     • Charge Transfer Efficiency
   • Basic Calibration Reduction Steps
   • Overall IRAF Reduction Step Outline
   • Sample Data Set
     • Th--Ar Lamps
     • Flat Fields

2. DATA I/O: IRAF FORMAT
   • A Word About IRAF Format
   • Setting the UNIX `TAPE' Environment
   • Copying FITS files from Tape to Disk 1
     • The UNIX Approach
     • The `t2d' Approach
   • Converting FITS to IRAF
     • Disk to Disk
     • Tape to Disk

3. OVERSCAN: AMPLIFIER ZERO POINT

4. TRANSLATION TABLE AND `IMAGETYP' CARDS
   • Defining the Translation Table
   • Inserting the `IMAGETYP' Cards

5. CALIBRATION BIAS FRAME
   • Inspecting the Bias Frames
     • Visual Inspection
     • Distribution Check
     • Statistical Check
   • Cleaning and Combining Bias Frames

6. CALIBRATION DARK FRAME
   • Really Treating Dark Current

7. CALIBRATION FLAT FIELD FRAME

8. TRIMMING, BIAS, AND DARK CORRECTIONS
   • Trimming Concerns
   • Running \tenbf ccdproc
   • Processing Status

9. MODELING THE APERTURES
   • Getting to know the Apextract Package
     • The Aperture Game Plan
     • On Filters, Light Paths, and Apertures
     • Using an Aperture Template Frame
   • Preparing for apall
     • Getting the Template Aperture Model
     • Tailoring the Aperture Model for the Flat Field
     • Interactively Resizing Aperture Widths
     • Interactively Setting Aperture Background
     • Tailoring the Aperture Model for the Program Data
   • What is the Background?

10. NORMALIZING THE FLAT FIELD FRAME
    • Choosing a Flattener Task
    • Modeling the Illumination Profiles
    • Examining the Normalized Flat Field

11. FLATTENING IMAGES AND ARCS

12. REMOVING SCATTERED LIGHT
    • Is \tenbf apscatter Useful for the Hamilton

13. EXTRACTING THE SPECTRA
    • The Program Data
    • The Th--Ar Lamps
    • Viewing the Unweighted, Background, and Sigma Spectra

14. WAVELENGTH CALIBRATION
    • Echelle Dispersion Relation
    • A Calibration Cook--Book
      • The Game Plan
      • A First Fit
      • Matching Coordinates: First Pass
      • Tuning the Fit
      • Matching Coordinates: Second Pass, Third Pass
      • Fine Tuning the Fit
    • The Database Record

15. ATTACH AND APPLY THE DISPERSION SOLUTION
    • Attach the Dispersion Solution
    • Apply the Dispersion Solution
      • Setting the Interpolation Type
      • The Dispersion Correction
    • Looking at the Calibrated Spectra
      • \tenbf bplot
      • \tenbf splot
      • \tenbf specplot

16. NORMALIZE THE CONTINUUM
    • Pitfalls and Techniques

    \capphead A IRAF V2.10.2 BUGS \cappsec A APEXTRACT and the GAIN Parameter \cappsecA APNORMALIZE and the CENORM Parameter \cappsecA CCDPROC and the CCDMEAN Card \capphead{B}{VARIANCE WEIGHTED EXTRACTION}{90} \capphead{C}{ON THE HAMILTON SCATTERED LIGHT}{92} \cappsec{C}{The Model}{93} \cappsec{C}{The Background Surface}{95} \cappsec{C}{Reduction Using the Model}{95} \cref{REFERENCES}{97} \vfill\eject \centerline{\tenbf PAGE REFERENCE TO FIGURES} \vglue 18pt \figref{\q1--1}{Cross Dispersion Overplot of Flat Field and Data}{9} \figref{\q3--1}{Interactive Fitting of Bias Frame Overscan Column}{15} \figref{\q3--2}{Interactive Fitting of Data Frame Overscan Column}{16} \figref{\q5--1}{Row Average of Bias Frame showing 60 Hz Pick--up Structure}{22} \figref{\q5--2}{Histogram of Calibration Bias Frame Distribution}{23} \figref{\q9--2}{Cross Dispersion Cut showing Aperture Locations in {\bf apall}}{41} \figref{\q9--3}{Expanded Version of Figure 9--2}{41} \figref{\q9--4}{Interactive Aperture Tracing in {\bf apall}}{43} \figref{\q9--5}{Interactive Resizing of Apertures in {\bf apall}}{45} \figref{\q9--6}{Interactive Background Fitting of Flat Field in {\bf apall}}{46} \figref{\q9--7}{Interactive Background Fitting of Data in {\bf apall}}{46} \figref{10--1}{Interactive Flat Field Normalization}{52} \figref{10--2}{Surface Plot of Normalized Flat Field}{53} \figref{10--3}{Dispersion Direction Vector Plot along Flat Field Aperture}{53} \figref{12--1}{Interactive Fitting of Scattered Light along Cross Dispersion}{56} \figref{12--2}{Interactive Fitting of Scattered Light along Dispersion}{58} \figref{12--3}{Residuals to Scattered Light Fit along Cross Dispersion}{59} \figref{12--4}{Scattered Light Subtracted Data Frame along Cross Dispersion}{60} \figref{13--1}{Typical Extracted Spectrum}{64} \figref{13--2}{Typical Extracted Th--Ar Arc}{65} \figref{13--3}{Typical Extracted Background Spectrum}{66} \figref{13--4}{Typical Extracted Sigma Spectrum}{66} \figref{13--5}{Normalized Continuum Plot using {\tenbf splot}}{67} \figref{14--1}{Hamilton Echelle Blaze Wavelength Dispersion Relation}{70} \figref{14--2}{Th--Ar Arc showing Over Exposed Thorium Features}{70} \figref{14--3}{Interactive Echelle Dispersion Function Fitting}{75} \figref{14--4}{Interactive Echelle Dispersion Function Fitting}{77} \figref{14--5}{Residuals verses Pixels of Echelle Dispersion Function Fit}{77} \figref{14--6}{Identified Lines along Typical Order of Th--Ar Arc}{78} \figref{14--7}{Distribution of Identified Lines in Order verses Pixel}{79} \figref{14--8}{Residuals verses Wavelength of Echelle Dispersion Function Fit}{79} \figref{15--1}{Example Plot of Spectra using {\tenbf specplot}}{85} \figref{16--1}{Interactive Continuum Fitting}{87} \figref{16--2}{Interactive Continuum Fitting showing Resulting Fit}{88} \figref{C--1}{Cross Dispersion HAMSCATT Fit: Fitted Data}{92} \figref{C--2}{Cross Dispersion HAMSCATT Fit: Global Component}{93} \figref{C--3}{Cross Dispersion HAMSCATT Fit: Background Model}{94} \figref{C--4}{Dispersion HAMSCATT Fit: Corrected Data}{95} \figref{C--4}{Surface Plot HAMSCATT Fit: Model Surface}{96} \vfill\eject \centerline{\tenbf PAGE REFERENCE TO TASKS} \vglue 18pt The following references IRAF tasks and packages to the pages upon which they appear. Tasks are listed in alphabetical order, though they are proceeded by their package locations. Bold face pages give the page upon which the task parameters are listed. \vglue 10pt \taskref{system.allocate}{11} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract (package)}{34} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apall} {35,37,{\tenbf 38},39,41--44,47,{\tenbf 62},63--65} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apbackground (on--line help)}{49,62} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apedit}{40,45} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apfind}{39} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apflatten}{49,{\tenbf 50},51,54} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apnormalize}{49} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.approfiles (on--line help)}{49,62} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apscatter}{56,{\tenbf 57},58--62} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apsum}{62} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.aptrace}{40} \taskref{noao.twodspec.apextract.apvariance (on--line help)}{49,62} \taskref{noao.onedspec.bplot}{84,85} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred (package)}{{\tenbf 18},24,27} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred.ccdlist}{32,55} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred.ccdproc}{19,24,27,28,{\tenbf 30},{\tenbf 54},55} \taskref{xtools.center1d}{35,39} \taskref{noao.imred.bias.colbias}{14--16} \taskref{noao.echelle.continuum}{{\tenbf 86},87} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred.darkcombine}{{\tenbf 27},28--30} \taskref{system.deallocate}{12} \taskref{images.tv.display}{29,37,39,51,60} \taskref{noao.echelle.dispcor}{82,{\tenbf 83},84} \taskref{noao.imred.echelle.ecidentify}{39,69,{\tenbf 71},73--80,82,83} \taskref{language.eparam}{1} \taskref{system.files}{12,19} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred.flatcombine}{{\tenbf 29},30} \taskref{langauge.flprcache}{42,64} \taskref{plot.gkimosaic}{84} \taskref{images.hedit}{{\tenbf 19},54} \taskref{xtools.icfit}{16,17,35,43,46,51,59,68,88} \taskref{images.imarith}{{\tenbf 14},51,55,60,71} \taskref{images.imcombine}{24,27,28,51} \taskref{images.imdelete}{42,64} \taskref{images.tv.imexamine}{52,53} \taskref{images.imhead}{17,20} \taskref{images.imhistogram}{{\tenbf 22},23} \taskref{images.imstatistics}{{\tenbf 23},26,28} \taskref{plot.implot}{21,60} \taskref{lick.lickbase}{14,{\tenbf 15},30,31,39} \taskref{stsdas.hst\_calib.wfpc.noisemodel}{25} \taskref{noao.onedspec (package)}{{\tenbf 82},83,84} \taskref{system.page}{17} \taskref{noao.echelle.respectra}{{\tenbf 81},83} \taskref{dataio.rfits}{10,{\tenbf 12},14} \taskref{images.sections}{14} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred.setinstrument}{18} \taskref{noao.onedspec.specplot}{84,85} \taskref{noao.onedspec.splot}{65,67,68,85} \taskref{dataio.td2}{10,{\tenbf 11},12} \taskref{noao.imred.ccdred.zerocombine}{{\tenbf 24},27,29,30} \vfill\eject