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Optimized Herschel/PACS photometer observing and data reduction strategies for moving solar system targets

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Abstract

The “TNOs are Cool!: A survey of the trans-Neptunian region” is a Herschel Open Time Key Program that aims to characterize planetary bodies at the outskirts of the Solar System using PACS and SPIRE data, mostly taken as scan-maps. In this paper we summarize our PACS data reduction scheme that uses a modified version of the standard pipeline for basic data reduction, optimized for faint, moving targets. Due to the low flux density of our targets the observations are confusion noise limited or at least often affected by bright nearby background sources at 100 and 160 \(\mu \)m. To overcome these problems we developed techniques to characterize and eliminate the background at the positions of our targets and a background matching technique to compensate for pointing errors. We derive a variety of maps as science data products that are used depending on the source flux and background levels and the scientific purpose. Our techniques are also applicable to a wealth of other Herschel solar system photometric observations, e.g. comets and near-Earth asteroids. The principles of our observing strategies and reduction techniques for moving targets will also be applicable for similar surveys of future infrared space projects.

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Notes

  1. Asteroids Dynamic Site by A. Milani, Z. Knezevic, O. Arratia et al., http://hamilton.dm.unipi.it/astdys/, calculations based on the OrbFit software.

  2. http://herschel.esac.esa.int/Docs/PACS/html/pacs_om.html.

  3. http://herschel.esac.esa.int/twiki/pub/Public/PacsCalibrationWeb/PhotMiniScan_ReleaseNote_20101112.pdf.

  4. Targets: 42355 Typhon (two observations), 79360 Sila, 82075 (2000 YW\(_{134}\)), 126154 (2001 YH\(_{140}\)) and 208996 (2003 AZ\(_{84}\)).

  5. Target 136472 Makemake (two observations).

  6. http://herschel.esac.esa.int/twiki/pub/Public/PacsCalibrationWeb/PhotMiniScan_ReleaseNote_20101112.pdf.

  7. For details, see the PACS Data Reduction Guide: http://herschel.esac.esa.int/twiki/bin/viewfile/Public/PacsCalibrationWeb?rev=1;filename=PDRG_Dec2011.pdf.

  8. Interactive Data Language, Research Systems Inc.

  9. Well, this is not exactly half. The two negative beams contain the half flux of the first and second visits separately, which is half the co-added DDIFF flux only if the flux of the target has not changed between the two visits.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the Hungarian Research Fund (OTKA) grant K 104607, the PECS-98073 grant of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Hungarian Space Office and the Bolyai Research Fellowship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. E.V. acknowledges the support of the German DLR project # 50 OR 1108. The work of A.P. has been supported by the Lendületgrant # LP2012-31/2012 of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. We are indebted to the Herschel observation planning team for their enthusiastic work during the active phase of the program which has highly contributed to the great success of the observations. We also thank the referee for providing constructive comments and help in improving this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Konkoly Observatory, MTA CSFK, Budapest, Hungary

    C. Kiss, A. Pál, G. Marton, E. Verebélyi & N. Szalai

  2. Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany

    T. G. Müller & E. Vilenius

  3. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía–CSIC, Granada, Spain

    P. Santos-Sanz

  4. LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France

    E. Lellouch, F. Henry & A. Delsanti

  5. Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

    P. Hartogh

  6. Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    J. Stansberry

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  1. C. Kiss
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  2. T. G. Müller
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Correspondence to C. Kiss.

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Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

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Kiss, C., Müller, T.G., Vilenius, E. et al. Optimized Herschel/PACS photometer observing and data reduction strategies for moving solar system targets. Exp Astron 37, 161–174 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-013-9350-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-013-9350-5

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