Combining Science Exposures

Overview

PypeIt can combine multiple science exposures (without optimal weighting) as part of the data reduction process. See Coadd 2D Spectra for an optimally weighted coadd, which uses the squared S/N of the extracted objects as weights and is done by a separate script (pypeit_coadd_2dspec) after the standard reduction.

To combine multiple science exposures (without optimal weighting), the user needs to edit the PypeIt Reduction File according to the desired reduction. The process to combine multiple science exposures is basically identical to A-B image differencing without the subtraction of a background frame.

PypeIt File Edits

In the last run of pypeit_setup, the user should include the -b option so that the calib, comb_id, and bkg_id columns are added to the Data Block. They can also be added by hand, particularly if you’ve already made by-hand edits to your pypeit file, as long as they are formatted correctly (see the example below).

Data Block

The columns calib and comb_id should be edited according to the desired reduction, while bkg_id is not used here and its value should be set to -1. These columns are defined as follows:

  • calib assigns each frame to one or more Calibration Groups. Calibration frames with the same calibration group number will be used to reduce a science frame with that calibration group number. Importantly, calibration frames (e.g., biases) can be part of multiple calibrations groups, but each science frame must be assigned to only one calibration group. Calibration groups should form a running sequence from \(1...N\) for \(N\) calibration groups, where \(N\leq 63\). The value can also be set to all meaning the frame is part of all calibration groups.

  • comb_id represents a combination ID assigned to each science frame. Frames with the same value of comb_id will be combined. Note that this is an unweighted co-add (and hence may not be necessarily be “optimal” in terms of S/N ratio). The comb_id must be a single integer, but the integers can be anything. Science frames that are combined together can have the same calib value if they use the same set of calibrations. For the calibration frames, comb_id is irrelevant and its value should be set to -1.

  • bkg_id represents a combination ID assigned to each frame that will be used as a background image. Frames with the same value bkg_id will be combined. Note that this is an unweighted co-add (and hence may not be necessarily be “optimal” in terms of S/N ratio). The bkd_id must be a single integer and the integers can be anything. However, the integer must match one of the provided comb_id values, and this pairs the background images with the associated science images.

Remember that bkg_id should have a value of -1 when not performing difference imaging.

See additional discussion here and here, and see a worked example in the Gemini-GNIRS HOWTO.

Note

The values of the calib ID have no relation to the values for the comb_id and bkg_id.

Parameter Block

The combining process is guided by the parameters in ProcessImagesPar Keywords. Currently, there are only 2 available methods to combine multiple frames: median and weightmean; see Image Combination. The default is weightmean, which computes an average image using uniform weighting. The user can change this parameter in the PypeIt file as follows:

[scienceframe]
    [[process]]
        combine = median

Example

The following is the Data Block of a PypeIt file where two of the three science frames are combined:

                 filename |                 frametype | ... | calib | comb_id | bkg_id
DE.20170425.09554.fits.gz |                  arc,tilt | ... |     1 |      -1 |     -1
DE.20170425.09632.fits.gz | pixelflat,illumflat,trace | ... |   all |      -1 |     -1
DE.20170425.09722.fits.gz | pixelflat,illumflat,trace | ... |   all |      -1 |     -1
DE.20170425.09803.fits.gz | pixelflat,illumflat,trace | ... |   all |      -1 |     -1
DE.20170425.50487.fits.gz |                   science | ... |     1 |     101 |     -1
DE.20170425.51771.fits.gz |                   science | ... |     1 |     101 |     -1
DE.20170425.53065.fits.gz |                   science | ... |     1 |     201 |     -1

Here, all frames are part of the same calibration group: each science frame is assigned a value of calib=1 and the calibration frames are assigned a value of 1 or all. At least for the calibration frames, this example is contrived because, since there is only one calibration group, setting calib=all is identical to setting calib=1. In cases when science frames are also used as calibrations (e.g., in near-IR observations where the OH lines are used for wavelength and tilt calibration), different values of calib for science frames can be used.

The comb_id is set to be the same value for the first two science frames and a different value for the third. This means the first two will be combined and the 3rd one will be reduced separately. To combine all three science frames, you would set comb_id=101 for all three frames. Again, the specific values given to comb_id can be any integer (i.e., we could have set the three values to 1, 1, and 2).

Note

If the user does not want to combine frames, but only wants to associate different calibrations with different science frames, they still need to add the three extra columns (calib, comb_id and bkg_id) in the Data Block of the PypeIt file, or run pypeit_setup with the -b flag; see Calibration Groups.

Summary

  • A common comb_id should be used for all science frames that the user wishes to combine (without optimal weighting) before spectral extraction.

  • For the calibration frames (e.g., arc, tilt, illumflat, pixelflat, and trace), the user should set calib to match the individual values assigned to each science frame; setting calib=all means the calibration frame is member of all calibration groups.

  • If you only wish to assign specific calibrations to each science frame, the comb_id should be set to -1.

  • To assign background frames for each science frame using bkg_id, see A-B image differencing.