HIFI Observers' Manual
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HIFI Observers' Manual Update for Start of OT2 Call for Proposals HERSCHEL-HSC-DOC-0784, version 2.4 1-June-2011 Cover image: A single sideband spectrum covering the whole of one subband of HIFI towards the Orion nebula, superimposed on a Spitzer Space Telescope colour composite of the region from IRAC and MIPS images (Credit: NASA). HIFI Observers' Manual : Update for Start of OT2 Call for Proposals Published version 2.4, 1-June-2011 Copyright © 2011 Revision History Revision version 2.4 APM, DT Update for changes made for the OT2 call including in-flight calibration information updates. Revision version 2.3 APM, DT Update for changes made for the GT2 call including HSpot 5.3 updates. Revision version 2.2 APM, DT Update for changes made for the GT2 call Revision version 2.1 APM, DT Update for changes made starting OT1 observations Revision version 2.0 APM, DT Update for initial Open Time call (OT1) Revision version 1.1 APM, DT Update for initial Open Time Key Projects Revision version 1.0 APM, DT Initial version Table of Contents 1. The HIFI Instrument Observer's Manual ........................................................................ 1 1.1. Purpose of this Document ................................................................................ 1 1.2. Preparing HIFI for Operations ........................................................................... 1 1.3. Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... 2 2. HIFI Instrument Description ........................................................................................ 3 2.1. Instrument and Concept ................................................................................... 3 2.1.1. What is HIFI? ...................................................................................... 3 2.1.2. How Does HIFI Work? ......................................................................... 3 2.2. Instrument Configuration .................................................................................. 5 2.3. HIFI Focal Plane Unit ..................................................................................... 6 2.3.1. The Common Optics Assembly ............................................................... 7 2.3.2. The Beam Combiner Assembly (Diplexer Unit) ......................................... 8 2.3.3. HIFI Mixers ........................................................................................ 9 2.3.4. The Focal Plane Chopper ..................................................................... 10 2.3.5. The Calibration Source Assembly .......................................................... 11 2.4. The HIFI Signal Chain ................................................................................... 11 2.5. HIFI Spectrometers ....................................................................................... 12 2.5.1. The Wide Band Spectrometer (WBS) ..................................................... 12 2.5.2. The High Resolution Spectrometer (HRS) ............................................... 13 3. HIFI Scientific Capabilities and Performance ................................................................ 15 3.1. What Science Is Possible With HIFI? ............................................................... 15 3.1.1. HIFI's Scientific Objectives .................................................................. 15 3.2. Primary Instrument Characteristics ................................................................... 16 3.3. General Instrument Description ........................................................................ 17 3.4. Available Spectrometer Setups ....................................................................... 18 3.4.1. Wide Band Spectrometers (WBSs) ......................................................... 18 3.4.2. High Resolution Spectrometers (HRSs) ................................................... 18 3.5. Mixer Performance ........................................................................................ 19 3.5.1. System Temperatures ........................................................................... 19 3.5.2. Tuning Ranges ................................................................................... 20 3.5.3. Sensitivity Variations Across the IF Band ................................................ 23 3.5.4. Overall Noise Performance ................................................................... 24 3.5.5. Mixer Stabilities ................................................................................. 25 4. Observing with HIFI ................................................................................................ 27 4.1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 27 4.2. The HIFI Observing Modes ............................................................................ 27 4.2.1. Modes of the Single Point AOT I .......................................................... 28 4.2.2. Modes of the Mapping AOT II .............................................................. 36 4.2.3. Modes of the Spectral Scan AOT III ...................................................... 41 4.3. Standing Wave Residuals after Calibration (Pipeline Level 2) ................................ 44 4.3.1. Bands 1-5 (SIS mixers) ........................................................................ 44 4.3.2. Position Switch, Frequency Switch and Load Chop modes .......................... 46 4.4. Bands 6-7 (HEB mixers) ................................................................................ 47 4.4.1. DBS Modes ....................................................................................... 47 4.4.2. Position Switch, Frequency Switch and Load Chop Modes .......................... 48 4.5. "Grouping" or "Clustering" of Observations ....................................................... 48 4.6. Solar System Target Modes ............................................................................ 48 5. HIFI Calibration ...................................................................................................... 49 5.1. Introduction: ................................................................................................. 49 5.2. The Intensity Calibration of HIFI ..................................................................... 49 5.2.1. Context ............................................................................................. 49 5.3. The HIFI Calibration Scheme .......................................................................... 49 5.3.1. Internal Load Calibrations .................................................................... 49 5.3.2. OFF calibration .................................................................................. 51 5.3.3. Differencing observations: .................................................................... 52 iv HIFI Observers' Manual 5.3.4. Non-linearity: ..................................................................................... 52 5.3.5. Blank-sky contribution: ........................................................................ 52 5.3.6. Conversion between Antenna Temperature and Janskys: ............................. 52 5.4. The Frequency Calibration of HIFI: .................................................................. 52 5.4.1. Context: ............................................................................................ 53 5.4.2. Frequency accuracy: ............................................................................ 53 5.4.3. Determination of Frequency Calibration: ................................................. 53 5.4.4. Frequency resolution: .......................................................................... 53 5.4.5. Frequency and Velocity Verifications ..................................................... 54 5.4.6. Spurious Responses in HIFI .................................................................. 55 5.5. The Spatial Response Calibration of HIFI: ......................................................... 59 5.5.1. Context: ............................................................................................ 59 5.5.2. Beam Characteristics ........................................................................... 60 5.5.3. Chopper Calibration ............................................................................ 68 5.6. Mixer Side-band Ratio ................................................................................... 69 5.6.1. IF Spectrum Repeatability (Sideband Line Ratios) ..................................... 69 5.6.2. Summary Sideband Ratio Information .................................................... 71 5.6.3. Intrinsic sideband ratio IF dependence .................................................... 72 5.7. Summary: overall calibration of HIFI and error budget: ........................................ 73 5.7.1. Strategy summary: .............................................................................. 73 5.7.2. Error budget ...................................................................................... 73 6. Using HSpot to Create HIFI Observations ................................................................... 74 6.1. Overview .................................................................................................... 74 6.2. HSpot Components for Setting Up a HIFI Observation ......................................... 74 6.2.1. Working with