LUCIFER Quick Reference Wiki Page

In the afternoon

• Log into LBTO workstation using your partner account (INAF,LBTB,OSURC,AZ)
• Start NXclient from the lucifer desktop icon, or in the menu Applications/Internet/NXClient/NXClient for Linux.
• On the client login popup, log in as observer (get password from the ISA). This will get you to the Solaris desktop on the lucifer machine
• Double-click the Start_Lucifer icon.
• Re-arrange the panels to your liking. Do not exit out of the two xterms, just icon them
• In the GEIRS (detector) initialization window, set observer to your partner ID, press enter in the box; press OK
• Set the archive information with reasonable defaults, these are overwritten by script values
• If not already correct in the ReadOutManager:
  • Set the SavePath to the current UT date and create it from the pop-up (not from a terminal)
  • Set the FileRoot to luci.20100410. (replace 20100410 with current UTDate, and don't forget final period)
  • Press Set New Values in the ReadOutManager
• Data are saved on the lucifer computer in /data/luci/20100410 (replace with current UTDate)
  • A cron job copies data into the archive in /archive/ (mounted as /newdata on the LBTO workstations) once a minute.
  • You may see a log message complaining there is no data until an image is taken and saved safe to ignore).
• Check that 'Wait for collimation' is on
• Check that the Calibration unit it out of the beam
• Open TCS GUIs as desired, but these must be run on the linux workstation, not the lucifer computer:
  • open xterm
  • type GCSGUI left & at the command line prompt for the guider GUI
  • type IIFGUI & for the IIF GUI (shows telescope state, coords, etc.)
  • Be careful with the TCS GUIs, they have control functions that can mess you up.
• Supply the OSA the approximate coordinates of your intended first target. The OSA will:
  • Correct pointing near that location
  • Collimate the telescope
  • Inform you when you can commence your observations

Twilight Flats

• For all filters:
  • Keep maximum counts below 15,000 if possible
  • Take high and low sets to difference
  • Aim for a minimum of 5 exposures at each level with Delta_ADU about 5000
• Narrowband flats
  • Must be started up to 45 minutes before sunset
  • Are taken with the telescope parked at zenith
• Broadband filters
  • Start around sunset
  • After sunset you can preset to a preferred field and dither
• For K/Ks bands:
  • Monitor brightness in Br_gam + K/Ks before starting
  • Switch to K/Ks when Br_gam counts drop below 2000 ADU
• For flats in the H, J, or z bands
  • K/Ks flats are usually completed before starting these

During the Night

• Scripts are tested as: executeLUCIScript.sh --test scriptname
• Scripts are started as: executeLUCIScript.sh scriptname
• If a fits file does not show up in skycat, open with file->open.
• The calibration unit is never moved by a script: move IN/OUT manually on the instrument control panel.
• Please keep a night report, links on the PartnerObserving wiki page
• Submit EoN, EoR reports from webforms on the Science Operations website
• If images look odd or out of focus but GCS images look good, and all status panels are green, click initialize
• In case of a temperature alarm, inform LBTO instrument support
• Pressure 'alarms' are safely ignored, but check with ISA the first time it happens or if you're not sure.

Mask alignment

• Run acquisition script - it should take a sky (if needed) and source image
• Send mask to FPU
• Take through-slit image once mask is in place
• Display through-slit image on skycat, adjust stretch to see the reference slit
• Press 'MOS ACQ' button in telescope GUI
  • Check use LMS file for Ref. Stars box, change camera as needed
  • Click Set Mask reference slit #3 button; pick third ref slit from upper right
• Display source minus sky image on skycat, adjust stretch to see the sources
  • Click Set Alignment Stars button; follow directions to ID reference stars (use FC)
• Click Calculate Transform
  • Check if offsets are reasonable and rms values are low (usually << 1 pixel)
  • Commit the offsets if acceptable
• Repeat acq and pick object if you think this is needed. if rotation and offset were small, probably don't bother
• Take source+slit image
  • Display, adjust stretch to see sources in alignment boxes (if any) or slits
• Check alignment; apply any residual X/Y correction (manually) if needed
• Stop alignment script on command line (carriage return to exit) and start science script

End of the Night

• Run the script: ~/Scripts/EndOfNight.
  • This configures LUCI with the blind mask (NB3), both blind filters, N3.75 camera, and the mirror.
  • Watch the instrument move to make sure it completes.
• Copy DoDarks.txt dark.txt, dark_int.txt and clean.txt from ~/Templatescripts/ to your script dir
• Edit dark.txt and dark_int.txt to produce darks for all readout modes and DITs used that night (3-5 each or so)
• Edit (comment in/out) DoDarks.txt, run it on the command line, and go to bed.
• NOTE#1: Darks are better taken in the afternoon to reduce persistence effects
• NOTE#2: Darks are stable over several nights; they do not need to be taken daily

Passwords

Troubleshooting

• If you are using HKspec or zJspec
  • Inform the OSA or Support Astronomer prior to sending the script
  • If the script fails, have the OSA or SA check that the grating order is correctly set.
• If any subpanels on the Instrument Manager GUI turn red other than the MOS panel, click initialize
• If the MOS subpanel turns red, or initialize fails, call the Support Astronomer
• If a panel disappears, it can be restarted from the ~/bin directory ( start_*.sh )
  • For GEIRS, run clean_geirs.sh then start_geirs.sh