A&A 583, A115 (2015) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201526497 & c ESO 2015 Astrophysics The FORS1 catalogue of stellar magnetic field measurements? S. Bagnulo1, L. Fossati2;3, J. D. Landstreet1;4, and C. Izzoy 1 Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DG, UK e-mail: [sba;jls]@arm.ac.uk 2 Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstrasse 6, 8042 Graz, Austria e-mail:
[email protected] 3 Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany 4 Physics & Astronomy Department, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada Received 8 May 2015 / Accepted 3 August 2015 ABSTRACT Context. The FORS1 instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope was used to obtain low-resolution circular polarised spectra of nearly a thousand different stars, with the aim of measuring their mean longitudinal magnetic fields. Magnetic fields were measured by different authors, and using different methods and software tools. Aims. A catalogue of FORS1 magnetic measurements would provide a valuable resource with which to better understand the strengths and limitations of this instrument and of similar low-dispersion, Cassegrain spectropolarimeters. However, FORS1 data reduction has been carried out by a number of different groups using a variety of reduction and analysis techniques. Our understanding of the instrument and our data reduction techniques have both improved over time. A full re-analysis of FORS1 archive data using a consistent and fully documented algorithm would optimise the accuracy and usefulness of a catalogue of field measurements. Methods. Based on the ESO FORS pipeline, we have developed a semi-automatic procedure for magnetic field determinations, which includes self-consistent checks for field detection reliability.