PACS instrument and calibration web pages

Observing with PACS

• The PACS observer's manual PDF (11 Mb)

• The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) on the Herschel Space Observatory, Poglitsch et al., 2010, A&A, 518, L2, in-flight scientific capabilities of the PACS instrument.

• PACS fact sheet A quick guide to the PACS instrument.

• AOT Release notes, particularly relevant for the spectrometer.

PACS photometer

PACS photometer data processing

• The recommend HCSS version for data reduction is HIPE 6.0 build 1985, it can be downloaded from: http://herschel.esac.esa.int/HIPE_download.shtml

• HIPE 6.0 build 1985 comes with the latest calibration tree (PACS_CAL_1_20), that will be downloaded automatically after starting HIPE on your local directory, and can also be found on ftp://ftp.sciops.esa.int/pub/hsc-calibration/latest_cal_tree/

• The corresponding PACS Data Reduction Guide (PDRG) is PDRG version 6.

• Data reduction scripts are now available in HIPE under the menu: Pipeline --> PACS --> Photometer - Scan map & mini-map

• The Nasa Herschel Science center (NHSC) has also posted some PACS Data Processing Tutorials and made convenient scripts on : PACS Script Downloads Page

PACS photometer calibration

• Point Spread Function: PACS Photometer Point Spread function, version 1.01, 3 November 2010. A detailed document of the in-flight observed PSF. The accompanying tarball can be found on ftp://ftp.sciops.esa.int/pub/hsc-calibration/PACS/PSF/PACSPSF_PICC-ME-TN-033_v1.0.tar.gz
• Herschel/PACS modelled point spread functions is a related document presenting Zemax modelled point spread functions for both an `ideal' and an 'as built' Herschel telescope model. Tarballs with corresponding broad-band and monochromatic PSFs for these two cases are at http://pacs.ster.kuleuven.ac.be/pubtool/PSF. Since the models do not capture all effects found in the observed PSFs, they are useful only in addition to the observed PSFs but cannot replace them.

• PACS photometer photometry calibration: The current photometry accuracy based on version 5 of the responsivity calibration file is believed to be better than 10% for point-sources. It is currently being refined to target the 5% accuracy, but it will only be available in HCSS 7. Important: the encircled energy fraction (EEF) for point-sources corresponding to this energy scale are available in the above note "PACS Photometer : chop/nod point-source & mini-scan map AOT release note", the colour correction factors as well. Note: The EEF to be used for photometry is consistent with version 5 of the responsivity calibration file, with a PSF normalization at 1 arcmin, and not with the latest PSF libraries posted above.

• Extended emission photometry: it is believed to be consistent with IRAS and SPITZER/MIPS to better than 20%. To match with with other instruments/missions the use of the right convolution kernel is critical.

• Point-source observations:
  • We refer to : PACS Photometer : chop/nod point-source & mini-scan map AOT release note: version 2.0, 12 November 2010 . We recommend to use the mini scan-map technique in all science cases related to point-sources, compact sources and also in cases of faint extended emission around point-sources.
  • For a more technical assessment of the original chop/nod mode sensitivity intended for point-sources, we refer to SAp-PACS-MS-0711-09

• Scan map observations: PACS Scan Map AOT release note 23 February 2010. This technical note is somewhat outdated, the correction factors for the photometry shall not be applied anymore since the HCSS track 4.

PACS spectrometer

PACS spectrometer AOTs

PACS high-sampling chop/nod mode for Line Spectroscopy and Range Spectroscopy AOTs

• PACS chopped line scan and high-sampling range scan AOT release note (19 Jan 2010)

PACS spectrometer data processing

PACS spectrometer calibration

-- BrunoAltieri - 18 Feb 2011