9.5 Science Exposure Overheads
Science-exposure overheads are dominated by the time required to move OSM1 and OSM2 and to read out the on-board memory buffer at the end of each exposure. While the Phase II
overheads computed by APT may be less than the values presented below, it is important to plan Phase I
proposals using the conservative overheads given below to ensure adequate time for each exposure.
The full overhead calculation for science exposures depends upon a number of factors including generic exposure set-ups (which depend on the detector and observing mode), whether an aperture change is required, whether a grating change is required, whether the central wavelength setting for the grating is changed, and the directional sense of any required motion to implement an FP-POS
change. Table 9.5 lists these additional overheads.
When moving to a new grating, you may specify any combination of central wavelength and FP-POS
setting with no additional overhead penalty. The FP-POS
sequence 1,2,3,4 is more efficient than 3,4,1,2, because no backward motion is required.
Starting in Cycle 30, several new policies will be in effect for G160M observations which are detailed in Section 9.5.1. In particular, G160M observations involve increased WAVECAL overheads, unless the G160M observations require the use of LP4. Figure 9.1 can be used to determine if G160M observations satisfy the requirements for an LP4 request.
Table 9.5: Science Exposure Overhead Times.
FUV | NUV | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Overhead time(s) | TIME-TAG | ACCUM | TIME-TAG | ACCUM |
Exposure set-up | 66 | 70 | 35 | 33 |
Grating change | see Table 9.3 | see Table 9.4 | ||
Central wavelength change | 801 | 75 | ||
| 3 | 3 | ||
| 70 | 70 | ||
PSA − BOA Change | 8 | 8 | ||
WCA − BOA Change | 10 | 10 | ||
| 300 (off); 315 (on) | N/A | ||
Memory readout3 | 114 | 1133 | 114 | 563 |
G160M Wavecal Exposures4 | 82 + 242 x NFP-POS | N/A |
1 This depends on the cenwaves involved and may vary by up to ±6 s. For G130M, allow up to 105 s if one of the cenwaves is 1222 and up to 132 s if one of the cenwaves is 1055 or 1096 and the other is 1291 or greater.
2 "Forward" refers to the preferred direction of motion of OSM1 or OSM2 (toward larger FP-POS
values) and "backward" to the opposite direction.
3 ACCUM
mode readout overheads can be hidden within subsequent exposures under certain circumstances, but the rules are complex. Use these values as safe upper limits for proposals.
4 NFP-POS = number of FP-POS exposures. 242 s of overhead time is required for each FP-POS exposure, with an additional 82 s of overhead time for the first FP-POS exposure. This overhead is not applicable to G160M observations that may be observed at LP4. To determine if G160M observations satisfy the requirements for an LP4 request, consult Section 9.5.1.
To estimate the overhead for an exposure, round the desired exposure time up to the next whole second and add the generic exposure setup overhead from Table 9.5. If a grating change has occurred from the previous exposure, add the appropriate values from Table 9.3 and/or Table 9.4. If a central wavelength change is made, add the appropriate value from Table 9.5. If an FP-POS
movement is made, add the appropriate value for motion in the preferred direction (toward larger FP-POS
) or non-preferred direction. Note that all dispersed-light target-acquisition exposures are obtained with FP-POS=3
. For all FUV observations except the G140L 800 Å and 1105 Å settings and those impacted by the COS 2025 policy, both detector segments are powered on by default. To turn one of them off, set SEGMENT
to A
or B
and add the associated overhead. For G160M observations add on the associated overhead for WAVECAL exposures per FP-POS used. Lastly, add the appropriate detector memory readout overhead.
Due to the 100x difference in sensitivity between the COS FUVA and FUVB segments when observing with the G130M/1055 and 1096 CENWAVE
s, it is expected that many observers will need to turn off FUVA when observing bright targets. (We refer to these SEGMENT=B
observations here as either C1055B or C1096B). Only those observers using these two configurations are affected by this issue.
Under these conditions the zero point of the wavelength solution cannot be determined because the MgF2 window on the PtNe lamps (WAVECAL
) blocks light below ~1180Å (all WAVECAL
light falls on FUVA). This results in a degradation of the resolution when FP-POS
are combined by CalCOS and decreases the archival value of the COS data. In these cases, normal TAGFLASH
es are not available and WAVECAL
exposures with FUVA turned ON must be inserted into the observing sequence adjacent to each CENWAVE/FP-POS
setting used. As a result, in these cases FP-POS=ALL
should not be used. Individual FP-POS
science exposures, and their associated WAVECAL
s, should be used instead. For more information, consult with your contact scientist.
Overheads associated with new settings introduced in Cycle 26 (Section 2.3) have not been tabulated, but they are expected to be similar to those of the other cenwaves in their respective gratings.
9.5.1 Policies when observing with G160M
Beginning in Cycle 30, the default lifetime position for G160M observations will be LP6. Wavelength calibration exposures at LP6 incur higher overheads than at other LPs due to the use of SPLIT
wavecals (Section 5.7.6). In order to help minimize the impact of these overheads, a number of policies will be in effect for G160M observations:
- The use of multiple
FP-POS
positions for each CENWAVE setting of the COS FUV detector is required in order to improve the limiting S/N and minimize the effects of flat-field artifacts (Section 5.8.2). While the use of all four FP-POS is required for FUV gratings (unless justified in the Phase I proposal), starting in Cycle 30 G160M users at LP6 are permitted to use less than 4 FP-POS based on the following S/N limits:- Users whose spectra require S/N > 25 are required to use 4 FP-POS
- Users whose spectra require S/N 20-25 are required to use at least 3 FP-POS
- Users whose spectra require S/N < 20 are permitted to use 2 FP-POS
Users are also permitted to use 4 FP-POS (to achieve the maximum FP-POS at all wavelengths) regardless of their S/N goals and may do so at their discretion.
- If the total exposure time per target is less than one orbit, and the S/N requirement requires more than 2 FP-POS, users may request to use LP4 for their G160M observations. This is to mitigate the increase in overheads associated with wavelength calibration exposures at LP6, which are required for each FP-POS exposure. LP4 will be in 'available mode' for G160M to accommodate observations of this type and as such needs to be requested by the user during the Phase I process. Figure 9.1 provides a flow-chart to guide users in determining when the use of LP4 for G160M observations can be requested.
Figure 9.1: Users can request the use of LP4 for G160M observations by assessing the exposure time and S/N requirements per target.
- If using less than 4 FP-POS, users are required to use a minimum combination of FP-POS 1+4 to enable full wavelength coverage of the G160M cenwaves.
- When calculating science exposure overheads for G160M observations, additional overheads should be included to account for
SPLIT
wavecal exposures (Section 5.7.6). G160M observations that satisfy the criteria for an LP4 request do not require the additional overheads. Science exposure overheads for all FUV gratings should be calculated using Table 9.5, or APT to derive a complete and accurate determination of overhead times.
-
COS Instrument Handbook
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1: An Introduction to COS
-
Chapter 2: Special Considerations when Observing with COS
- • 2.1 COS FUV Detector Lifetime Positions
- • 2.2 Visit Length
- • 2.3 Central Wavelength Settings Added in Cycle 26
- • 2.4 ORIENT constraints for Extended Sources
- • 2.5 COS Observations Below 1150 Angstroms: Resolution and Wavelength Calibration Issues
- • 2.6 Time-Dependent Sensitivity Changes
- • 2.7 Spectroscopic Use of the Bright Object Aperture
- • 2.8 Non-Optimal Observing Scenarios
- • 2.9 NUV Spectroscopic Acquisitions
- • 2.10 SNAP, TOO, and Unpredictable Source Programs with COS
- • 2.11 Choosing between COS and STIS
- Chapter 3: Description and Performance of the COS Optics
- Chapter 4: Description and Performance of the COS Detectors
-
Chapter 5: Spectroscopy with COS
- • 5.1 The Capabilities of COS
- • 5.2 TIME-TAG vs. ACCUM Mode
- • 5.3 Valid Exposure Times
- • 5.4 Estimating the BUFFER-TIME in TIME-TAG Mode
- • 5.5 Spanning the Gap with Multiple CENWAVE Settings
- • 5.6 FUV Single-Segment Observations
- • 5.7 Internal Wavelength Calibration Exposures
- • 5.8 Fixed-Pattern Noise
- • 5.9 COS Spectroscopy of Extended Sources
- • 5.10 Wavelength Settings and Ranges
- • 5.11 Spectroscopy with Available but Unsupported Settings
- Chapter 6: Imaging with COS
- Chapter 7: Exposure-Time Calculator - ETC
-
Chapter 8: Target Acquisitions
- • 8.1 Introduction
- • 8.2 Target Acquisition Overview
- • 8.3 ACQ SEARCH Acquisition Mode
- • 8.4 ACQ IMAGE Acquisition Mode
- • 8.5 ACQ PEAKXD Acquisition Mode
- • 8.6 ACQ PEAKD Acquisition Mode
- • 8.7 Exposure Times
- • 8.8 Centering Accuracy and Data Quality
- • 8.9 Recommended Parameters for all COS TA Modes
- • 8.10 Special Cases
- Chapter 9: Scheduling Observations
- Chapter 10: Bright-Object Protection
- Chapter 11: Data Products and Data Reduction
-
Chapter 12: The COS Calibration Program
- • 12.1 Introduction
- • 12.2 Ground Testing and Calibration
- • 12.3 SMOV4 Testing and Calibration
- • 12.4 COS Monitoring Programs
- • 12.5 Cycle 17 Calibration Program
- • 12.6 Cycle 18 Calibration Program
- • 12.7 Cycle 19 Calibration Program
- • 12.8 Cycle 20 Calibration Program
- • 12.9 Cycle 21 Calibration Program
- • 12.10 Cycle 22 Calibration Program
- • 12.11 Cycle 23 Calibration Program
- • 12.12 Cycle 24 Calibration Program
- • 12.13 Cycle 25 Calibration Program
- • 12.14 Cycle 26 Calibration Program
- • 12.15 Cycle 27 Calibration Program
- • 12.16 Cycle 28 Calibration Program
- • 12.17 Cycle 29 Calibration Program
- Chapter 13: Spectroscopic Reference Material
- • Glossary