ACS ISRs

A New Geometric Distortion Solution for the ACS/SBC (ISR 08-02)
We have used ACS/SBC observations of two UV astrometric fields derived from ACS/HRC data to create a new geometric distortion solution for the Solar Blind Channel. The new solution consists of three components: (a) a filter-dependent linear part that takes into account the existence of three epoch ranges in the SBC alignment; (b) the remaining 24 higher-order components of a 4th degree polynomial; and (c) a fine-correction look-up table. Some of the previous solutions introduced possible errors of several pixels when producing mosaics due to an incorrect orientation. That issue has been solved and the accuracy due to the solution itself (excluding rotation) has been improved by an additional factor of 1.5-2.0. As a result, it is now possible to measure positions of medium to high S/N stars with a relative astrometric accuracy of 3-4 mas.
Jesus Maiz Apellaniz 10 Apr 2008 (pdf)

HST Focus Variations with Temperature (ACS ISR 08-03)
One of the main advantages of space observatories is the quality and stability of the point spread function that allows programs not feasible from the ground. However, when pushed to the limits, even the Hubble Space Telescope exhibits variations in the PSF that can be problematic for studies like weak lensing or identification of the host halos of bright quasars at high redshift. These variations are primarily due to small displacements in the focus of the telescope, which to a first approximation can be ascribed to temperature variations. The aim of this report is to characterize the variation of the focus position for HST in terms of the average temperature sensor values of the telescope. We propose a comprehensive temperature-focus model able to predict the position of the focus at the micron level over a dynamic range that extends from sub-orbital variations (< 1 hour) to seasonal and yearly variations. This allows us to predict the focus position significantly more accurately than using interpolation of the monthly direct measurements. Our model is also at least as accurate as the previously proposed breathing model for sub-orbital variations and it is the first one that describes longer term variations, potentially helping the determination of the model point spread function for observations lacking reference point sources.
Daiana Di Nino 08 May 2008 (pdf)

Updated Flux Calibration and Fringe Modelling for the ACS/WFC G800L Grism (ISR 08-01)
A revised flux calibration is presented for the G800L grism with the ACS Wide Field Channel.
H. Kuntschner, et al 25 Jan 2008 (pdf)

Two astrometric fields for UV observations (ACS ISR 07-09)
I present the data for two fields that can be used to obtain accurate astrometric calibrations in the UV. The two fields are located in NGC 604 (a Scaled OB Association in M33) and NGC 6681 (a Galactic globular cluster). The coordinates are derived from multiple ACS/HRC exposures, use the Anderson and King (2004) geometric distortion solution, have typical relative uncertainties of 1 mas, and can be used to derive geometric distortion solutions for detectors with a field of view smaller than 1′. In the process of generating the astrometric fields, the long-term stability of the HRC geometric distortion solution has been successfully tested. In two future ISRs these results will be used to derive new geometric distortion solutions for the STIS NUV- and FUV-MAMA and for the ACS SBC(Revised on 4 Oct 2007).
Jesus Maiz Apellaniz 19 Nov 2007 (pdf)

ACS PSF Variations with Temperatures (ISR 07-12)
We have used the HST ACS/WFC observations of a Galactic bulge field taken over a continuous interval of 7 days (Prop 9750) to investigate the possible dependence of the ACS focus with the external temperatures. This dataset allows us to investigate possible focus variations over timescales of a few hours to a few days. The engineering data related to the external temperatures for this duration show that the maximum temperature change occurred over the first 1.5 days. Among all the different temperatures recorded, the truss diametric differential and the truss axial temperatures are the only two temperatures which have the same timescale of variation as the PSFwidth variations. The PSF-widths also strongly correlate with these two temperatures during this time interval. We empirically fit the PSF-width variations with these 2 temperature sensor values. This suggests that the focus has a similar dependence, and we recommend that this finding be followed up with the determination of actual focus values to check if the focus values indeed have the same correlation. If so, the temperature data can be useful in estimating the focus values, which can then be used to predict the PSFs to a first order.
K.C.Sahu 18 Sep 2007 (pdf)

Calibration of Ramp Filters Using the ACS Grism (ISR 07-11)
Ramp filters provide ACS users with the equivalent of tunable narrow and medium-width passband filters. Here we analyze images taken under calibration programs CAL 9671 and CAL 10742 to measure the wavelength calibration of the ACS ramp filters by observing standard stars with the ramp filters crossed with the ACS G800L grism. We find that the tested HRC ramp filters are relatively well centered on the requested wavelengths. A number of the WFC filters, however, display significant o sets from the desired central wavelength. While the WFC direct images show large image o sets (wedges) due to the crossed filters, we have attempted to remove these o sets. Our results suggest we have reduced these o sets to one pixel or less both in images taken with the ramps crossed with wideband filters and in the spatial direction of images taken with the ramps crossed with the grism. O sets in the spectral direction of the grism images cannot be distinguished from a wavelength miscalibration. Data taken of line emission from an astrophysical source through the FR782N filter and compared to ground-based imaging suggest that this filter is well calibrated, in contrast to the result of the crossed filter observations reported here. Ray tracing simulations, deeper second order grism spectra, and further observations of astrophysical targets with known strong spectral features should be able to determine the extent to which the wavelength o sets reported here are real or an artifact of the calibration method.
A.S.Fruchter 18 Sep 2007 (pdf)

ACS Polarization Calibration - Data, Throughput, and Multidrizzle Weighting Schemes (ISR 07-10)
A subset of the polarized images from calibration proposals 9586, 9661, and 10055 were analyzed to help determine the polarization calibration accuracy level of the ACS camera. The polarization values found here are shown to be accurate to better than 1%. Differences in Multidrizzle weighting schemes are examined.
M. Cracraft, B. Sparks 20 Aug 2007 (pdf)

Variation of the Distortion Solution of the WFC (ACS ISR 07-08)
The linear skew terms have changed monotonically since ACS was installed 2002. These skew terms cancel out when relating data sets taken at the same epoch and same orientation, but they must be accounted for when dealing with observations taken at different roll angles.
J. Anderson 18 Sep 2007 (pdf)

Calibration of ACS/WFC Absolute Scale and Rotation for Use in Creation of a JWST Astrometric Reference Field (ISR 07-07)
Astrometric calibrations of JWST will use observations of a reference field in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This field will itself be astrometrically calibrated using observations with ACS/WFC on HST. The understanding of the ACS/WFC scale and rotation obtained through these analyses is sufficiently accurate to meet the JWST astrometric requirements.
R. P. van der Marel, et al. 05 Jul 2007 (pdf)

Photometric Calibration of the ACS CCD Cameras (ISR 07-06)
The absolute flux calibration of the standard WFC and HRC filters is derived from the available constraining observations of spectrophotometric standard stars. Values for the encircled energy (EE) of one arcsec radius relative to an infinite aperture radius are derived for hot stars and compared to the EE for cooler stars. The sensitivity degradation for five year ACS lifetime is defined and used to correct the ACS photometry before deriving revised quantum efficiency (QE) curves for the CCD detectors. Broad band EQ changes with a maximum of 2.3% for WFC are also included in the revised QE curves for both CCD cameras. Revisions of the average filter transmissions of up to 4% are required to bring both broad and narrow band photometry into exact agreement with synthetic photometry from the primary white dwarfs (WD) stars.
R.C. Bohlin 12 Jun 2007 (pdf)

Detection of Optical Ghost in the HST ACS Solar Blind Channel Filter 122M (ISR 07-05)
We report the detection of an optical ghost in the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Solar Blind Channel (SBC). The ghost was first detected in deep imagery of two Herbig Ae stars, HD 169142 and HD 100453, using filter F122M in April and June of 2006, respectively.
K.A. Collins et. al. 04 Jun 2007 (pdf)

ACS/WFC:Differential CTE corretions for Photometry and Astrometry from non-drizzled images (ISR 07-04)
We present an analysis of the CTE correction for a science project using high-precision photometry in a crowded field derived with the ``effective PSF'' (ePSF) method of Anderson & King (2006) on ACS/WFC non-drizzled images. We present a CTE correction technique which can be used for data sets where images of a given field with different exposure times are compared or combined. The CTE-induced photometric losses and centroid shifts are parameterized in terms of the location of the source on the ACS/WFC CCD chips and the magnitudes of sources.
V.Kozhurina-Platais et al. 08 Jun 2007 (pdf)

ACS CCDs UV and narrow-band filters red leak check (ISR 07-03)
We present results of the observations of the star 15 Mon, obtained with the aim of checking the impact of red leaks in the UV (and U-band) and two narrow-band filters on ACS CCDs. We derive updated passbands for the three filters and we present the updated correction table for different spectral types.
M. Chiaberge and M. Sirianni 16 May 2007 (pdf)

WFC Zeropoints at -80C (ISR 07-02)
Following the recovery of ACS with the side-2 electronics in July 2006, the temperature of the WFC detector was lowered from -77C to -80C in order to mitigate CTE and hot pixels. A revised detector QE curve and a new set of photometric zeropoints have been computed for all WFC observations obtained at the new operating temperature. These zeropoints must be applied manually until the new QE curves are implemented in SYNPHOT.
J. Mack et al. 03 May 2007 (pdf)

Pixel-to-pixel Flat Field Changes on the WFC (ACS ISR 07-01)
The pixel-to-pixel flat field changes noted by Bohlin and Mack (2005) for the WFC are further quantified. During each period between anneals, a population of pixels with lowered sensitivity develops which is largely reset by the next anneal.The sensitivity deficits are twice as large in the blue as in the red.The low QE pixels recover 90% of their losses on a time scale of a few monthly anneals, but never return fully.
R. Gilliland, R. Bohlin 22 Jan 2007 (pdf)

SBC FLATS: PRISM P-FLATS and IMAGING L-FLATS (ACS ISR 06-08)
The internal deuterium lamp was used to illuminate the SBC detector through the PR110L and PR130L prisms for 12.2 hours each to produce a total of ~12,000 counts/pixel. This illumination does not simulate the OTA optics and, therefore, is not suitable for the production of a low frequency L-flat. However, the pixel-to-pixel P-flat is an improvement over the laboratory SBC P-flat currently used in the ACS pipeline for the two dispersing modes. In addition, short exposure internal lamp flats were obtained in the standard imaging filters. These flats have sufficient signal to define the low frequency L-flat field for five filters relative to the high signal F125LP flat, assuming that the relative lamp illumination does not vary with wavelength. These five ratio L-flats are smoother than the ratios of the current pipeline L-flats; but there is evidence for variation of the internal lamp illumination with wavelength. Thus, the current SBC L-flats may have some errors of a few percent due to local inappropriate lumpiness; but the alternative flats defined by the internal illumination may also have errors.
R.C. Bohlin, J. Mack 12 Dec 2006 (pdf)

WFC L-flats Post Cooldown (ISR06-06)
Following the recovery of ACS with Side 2 electronics, the temperature setpoint for WFC was lowered from -77C to -81C. By comparing internal tungsten exposures taken before and after cooldown, spatial changes in the WFC sensitivity (L-flats) have been computed for all filters with a unique useafter of July 4, 2006.
Gilliland, Bohlin, & Mack 31 Oct 2006 (pdf)

ACS Post Flash Measurements (ACS ISR 06-07)
The ACS CCDs are equipped with LEDs that can illuminate the chips with a controllable short exposure added to an image. The purpose of this is to counteract the loss of efficiency due to charge traps which develop from exposure to ionizing radiation causing a readout loss or redistribution of charge in science images. The LED post-flash exposure fills these traps but adds statistical noise. Mainly because of this noise, the mechanism has not been used yet on science data, but might come into play as radiation damage accumulates. Once a year the procedure has been tested to confirm that it is in working order and to measure its stability. Over a four year period the mechanism has continued to function and shows no variation in output.
C. Cox 24 Oct 2006 (pdf)

Relative Astrometry Within ACS Visits (ACS ISR 06-05)
The log files from APSIS, the ACS science team's image processing pipeline, have been analyzed to determine the relative astrometric scatter among ACS images observed within a single visit.
R. White 07 Aug 2006 (pdf)

Policy and Procedure for MAMA Targets Subject to Unpredictable Outbursts (ACS ISR 06-04)
The policy and procedure are described for the implementation of MAMA (currently, ACS/SBC) observations of targets subject to infrequent and unpredictable large outbursts, that would exceed the countrate limits should they occur during the observations.
N. Walborn, I. Dashevsky, A. Welty, J. Biretta 21 Apr 2006 (pdf)

Wavelength and Flux Calibration of the ACS/HRC PR200L prism (ISR 06-03)
Calibrations derived from cycle 13 observations for the PR200L prism are available as configuation files to aXe software.
S.S.Larsen, J. Walsh, M. Kummel 21 Mar 2006 (pdf)

Wavelength and Flux Calibration of the ACS/SBC PR110L and PR130L prisms (ISR 06-02)
Calibrations derived from cycle 13 observations are available as configuation files to aXe software.
S. Larsen 06 Mar 2006 (pdf)

PSFs, Photometry, and Astrometry for the ACS/WFC (ISR 06-01)
The effective PSF for 6 filters is presented.
J. Anderson, I. King 20 Feb 2006 (pdf)

SBC L-flat Corrections and Time-Dependent Sensitivity (ISR 05-13)
Corrections to the SBC flatfields are described as well as the time-dependent component. Six new flats were delivered to the pipeline, the resulting photometric accuracy is now +/-1% for F115LP F122M, F125LP, and F140LP and +/-2% for F150LP and F165LP.
J. Mack et al. 18 Nov 2005 (pdf)

Earth Flats (ISR 05-12)
These HRC earth flats are not available in the routine pipeline, but may be more appropriate than the regular pipeline flats for observations of some large, diffuse objects such as the Moon, Jupiter, or the Orion Nebula, for example.
R. Bohlin et al. 28 Oct 2005 (pdf)

ACS/HRC Polarimetry Calibration IV. Low-Frequency Flat-Fields for Polarized Filters (ISR 05-10)
The goal of polarimetry calibrations for the ACS/HRC polarizer filters is to obtain photometric accuracy from polarized images at the level of 1%. So far such calibration has been done only for the standard wide-band filters. Thus, observations of the globular cluster 47 Tuc exposured through the filters F220W, F250W, F330W, F435W crossed with three blue-optimized UV polarizers, and F475W, F606W, F658N, F775W crossed with three visible-light-optimized polarizers have been used to examine how the sensitivity varies across the detector.
V.Kozhurina-Platais & J.Biretta 15 Aug 2005 (pdf)

The Internal CCD Flat Fields (ISR 05-09)
The internal flat field lamp has been used since launch to monitor the stability of the ACS HRC and WFC flat fields. The only ubiquitous change observed in these flat fields is an excess of pixel responses that are low. This excess of values that are low by more than 3 ? varies from factors of two to several over what is expected from the tail of the Gaussian distribution of Poisson statistics. Occasionally, a pattern resembling the growth rings of a tree are seen on the WFC with an amplitude of ~1%; but this anomaly is sufficiently rare and short lived, so that the monitoring frequency can be decreased.
Ralph Bohlin & Jennifer Mack 20 Jul 2005 (pdf)

Updated Wavelength Calibration for the WFC/G800L Grism (ISR 05-08)
A revised wavelength calibration is presented for the G800L grism used with the ACS Wide Field Channel.
S. S. Larsen, J. R. Walsh 12 Jul 2005 (pdf)

Two-Gyro Pointing Stability of HST Measured with ACS (ISR 05-07)
We present the results of the pointing stability tests for HST as measured with the ACS/HRC during the two-gyro test program conducted in February 2005.
A. Koekemoer et al. 13 Jul 2005 (pdf)

Demonstration of a Significant Improvement in the Astrometric Accuracy of HST Data (ISR 05-06)
We demonstrate a technique that can significantly improve the absolute astrometric accuracy of HST data.
A. Koekemoer, B. McLean, M. McMaster, H. Jenker 13 Jul 2005 (pdf)

ACS Coronograph Performance in Two-Gyro Mode (ISR 05-05)
An analysis of the coronographic data quality during the February 2005 two-gyro test.
C. Cox & J. Biretta 29 Jun 2005 (pdf)

Flats: SBC Internal Lamp P-Flat (ISR 05-04)
The internal deuterium lamp was used to illuminate the SBC detector through the F125LP filter. This illumination does not simulate the OTA optics and, therefore, is not suitable for the production of a low frequency L-flat. However, the pixel-to-pixel P-flat is an improvement over the laboratory SBC flat currently used in the ACS pipeline for the six SBC imaging filters.
R.C.Bohlin & J.Mack 23 May 2005 (pdf)

Internal monitoring of ACS charge transfer efficiency (ISR 05-03)
We present the results of over two years of inflight charge transfer efficiency (CTE) monitoring of the CCDs in the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), based on two internal tests: Extended Pixel Edge Response (EPER), and First Pixel Response (FPR). In general, we find that CTE losses are worst at the lowest signal levels, and at each signal level, CTE declines linearly over time, at a rate which is consistent with results from external photometric tests (Riess, 2004). We compare our inflight results to similar pre-flight baseline data, and to predictions for inflight performance, which were based on radiation tests.
Max Mutchler 08 Apr 2005 (pdf)

Flat-field and Sensitivity Calibration for ACS G800L Slitless Spectroscopy Modes (ISR 05-02)
The flat-fielding of the ACS WFC and HRC for the G800L grism is described. The efficacy of this flat-field cube has been investigated from observations of a spectrophotometric standard at different positions in the field. By requiring the extracted spectra from different positions over the field to match in flux, a smooth function was derived and applied to the flat-field cube. The single sensitivity curve for the whole detector area is then determined from the mean spectrum at the different positions. Flat-fields and sensitivity curves are supplied for routine spectral extraction of ACS slitless spectral data as part of the aXe package.
J. R. Walsh and N. Pirzkal 03 Mar 2005 (pdf)

Switching ACS from Side 1 to Side 2 electronics (ISR 05-01)
This ISR describes the steps taken to switch from MEB1 to MEB2 including detector startup procedures and recalibration requirements.
C. Cox 10 Feb 2005 (pdf)

The Photometric Stability of ACS: Revisiting the Hubble Deep Field (ISR 04-17)
We utilized 10 epochs of 15-tile ACS WFC mosaics imaging the HDFN in the F850lp filter over two years, and originally obtained for the science goal of finding type Ia supernovae at z>1, to examine the photometric stability of the WFC (with at least filter f850lp). Using repeated measurements of 371 stars, we performed a multi-variate linear regression to determine the dependence of photometric variations on the time-dependent components of parallel and serial CTE degradation as well as an overall time-dependence which would indicate a change in the WFC?s sensitivity. Despite important differences between the HDFN scenes and those in the original calibration field of 47 Tuc (i.e., source crowding and sky level), we find the losses due to imperfect CTE to be consistent between the two independent calibrations. Interestingly, we also find a decrease in the overall sensitivity of the ACS WFC at a rate of 0.004 +/- 0.001 magnitudes per year (consistent with findings based on 47 Tuc data from work in progress by Mack et al. 2005, in prep.).
A. Riess 27 Dec 2004 (pdf)

ACS coronographic flat fields (ISR04-16)
The effects of vignetting by the Lyot stop and the presence of the occulting spots and their time dependent motion on the ACS coronographic flat fields.
John Krist 30 Aug 2004 (pdf)

Multi-filter PSFs and Distortion Corrections for the HRC (ISR 04-15)
Fitting the low frequency and high frequency components of the HRC geometric distortion.
J. Anderson, I. King 23 Feb 2006 (pdf)

SBC Dark and Cumulative Images (ISR 04-14)
SBC dark images have been collected to provide dark current subtraction for science images and to monitor the instrument health and performance. Cumulative images which add counts from the whole history of the detector's use are also generated to anticipate any long-term degradation in performance. Images collected to date show no loss of efficiency or indications of any problem.
Colin Cox 23 Aug 2004 (pdf)

Cross-Talk in the ACS WFC Detectors. II: Using GAIN=2 to Minimize the Effect (ISR 04-13)
Cross talk is observed when using ACS/WFC. A strategy using GAIN=2 is described to minimize cross talk in ACS.
Mauro Giavalisco 10 Aug 2004 (pdf)

Cross-Talk in the ACS WFC Detectors. I: Description of the Effect (ISR 04-12)
Images acquired with ACS/WFC are affected by cross talk which is observed as negative ghost images. The phenomenology is described and its effect on photometry.
Mauro Giavalisco 10 Aug 2004 (pdf)

ACS/HRC Polarimetry Calibration III: Astrometry of Polarized Filters (ISR 04-11)
The goal of the astrometric calibration of the ACS/HRC polarizer filters is to obtain a coordinate system free of distortion to a precision level of 1 mas.
Vera Kozhurina-Platais and John Biretta 12 Jul 2004 (pdf)

ACS Polarization Calibration - II. The POLV Filter Angles (ISR 04-10)
Describes the discovery, possible cause and POLV filter geometry of the anisotropy between polarized and non-polarized images.
J. Biretta, V.Kozhurina-Platais 17 Jun 2004 (pdf)

ACS Polarization Calibration I. Introduction and Status Report (ISR 04-09)
A status review of the ACS polarization calibration begins with a brief description of the instrument and the GO science program, reviews the pre-flight calibration and on-orbit data. Various key parameters are derived and discussed. Closes with a summary of remaining issues, advice for observers, and a summary of future plans.
J. Biretta, V. Kozhurina-Platais, F. Boffi, W. Sparks, and J. Walsh 15 Jun 2004 (pdf)

Detector Quantum Efficiency and Photometric Zero Points of the ACS (ISR 04-08)
Characterizes the on-orbit sensitivity of the ACS CCDs cameras via observations of spectrophotometric standard stars including updates to SYNPHOT. Photometric zero points are calculated for the WFC and HRC in VEGAmag, STmag and ABmag.
G. De Marchi, M. Sirianni, R. Gilliland, R. Bohlin,C. Pavlovsky, M. Jee, J. Mack, R. van der Marel & F. Boffi 15 Jun 2004 (pdf)

Bias and dark calibration of ACS data (ISR 04-07)
Production of the routine superbias and superdark reference files is explained. We describe the primary features contained in these files, and provide some guidance on how ACS users can produce even higher signal-to-noise calibrations for datasets with extraordinary calibration requirements (e.g. deep field observations).
Mutchler, Sirianni, Van Orsow, and Riess 24 May 2004 (pdf)

Time Dependence of ACS WFC CTE Corrections for Photometry and Future Predictions (ISR 04-06)
We see evidence for a modest increase in these photometric losses with time. We provide a global fitting formula to correct for CTE losses for all flux levels, sky values, and times. We extrapolate our time-dependent correction formula to the end of the decade and predict that the vast majority of science applications will retain their precision of flux measurements to better than a few percent.
A. Riess and J. Mack 05 May 2004 (pdf)

Results of UV Contamination Monitoring of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ISR 04-05)
The UV performance and contamination of the HRC and SBC are discussed.
F. R. Boffi, R. C. Bohlin, G. De Marchi 08 Apr 2004 (octet-stream)

Elevated temperature measurements of ACS charge transfer efficiency(CTE) (ISR 04-04)
The ACS charge transfer efficiency (CTE) is analyzed during March 2003 when the elevated temperature program was executed.
Max Mutchler and Adam Riess 01 Mar 2004 (pdf)

Best Gyroscope Usage to Maximize the HST Mission Lifetime (ISR04-03)
Without SM4, gyroscope survival is a critical factor for the HST Mission lifetime. A simple Monte-Carlo model is presented to calculate the survival probabilities for various scenarios. Predictions are made for the HST Mission end date (~2007) based on current gyroscope usage. Recommendations are made for alternative usage strategies that will maximize the overall HST mission lifetime. Such strategies have the potential to push forward the HST Mission end date by as much as 10 months.
R. van der Marel 21 Jan 2004 (pdf)

Lossy Compression of ACS images (ISR 04-02)
The Lossy Compression of ACS images is analyzed and discussed.
Colin Cox 20 Jan 2004 (pdf)

ACS CCD Gains, Full Well Depths, and Linearity up to and Beyond Saturation (ISR 04-01)
Corrections to the supported gain values, maps of the full well depth saturation and linearity at different levels are presented.
R. L. Gilliland 05 Jan 2004 (pdf)

Modelling the fringing of the ACS WFC and HRC chips (ISR 03-12)
Modelling of the layer structure of the ACS HRC and WFC CCD's is described. Application of a fringe model to the correction of extracted spectra is outlined.
J. R. Walsh, W. Freudling, N. Pirzkal, A. Pasquali 10 Dec 2003 (pdf)

Flat Fields for Filter Wheel Offset Positions (ISR 03-11)
The ACS filter wheel movements are accurate to one motor step, which leads to errors that exceed one percent in the flat fields over small regions for a few filter combinations. For seven of these filter modes on the WFC and six on HRC with the worst blemishes, flat fields are available as a function of filter wheel offset step; and the pipeline data processing will select the flat corresponding to the offset step of each observation.
Bohlin, Wheeler, Mack 29 Oct 2003 (pdf)

Determination of Low-Frequency Flat-Field Structure from Photometry of Stellar Fields (ACS ISR 03-10)
A method is presented for determination of the low-frequency flat-field (L-flat) structure from photometry of a stellar field that is imaged multiple times with different pointing or roll. A numerical implementation of the algorithm is presented and its accuracy verified using tests with artificially generated data. The software was used to generate the L-flats currently in the ACS pipeline. Newly implemented features in the software should allow further improvements in these L-flats.
R. van der Marel 30 Sep 2003 (pdf)

On-orbit Calibration of ACS CTE Corrections for Photometry (ISR 03-09)
A preliminary on-orbit calibration of the photometric losses due to imperfect CTE. The characterization of the WFC CTE in this report has been superseded by ACS ISR 04-06.
Adam Riess 21 May 2004 (pdf)

Baseline Tests for the Advanced Camera for Surveys Astronomer's Proposal Tool Exposure Time Calculator (ISR 03-08)
The verification tests for the Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) for the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) are presented.
F.R. Boffi et al. 10 Jul 2003 (pdf)

The in-orbit wavelength calibration of the HRC G800L grism (ACS ISR 03-07)
G800L grism spectra of the Wolf-Rayet star WR45, obtained with the High Resolution Channel (HRC) during the Servicing Mission Orbital Verification (SMOV) tests, are presented. The target has been observed in five different positions across the HRC field of view in order to quantify the field dependence of the grism physical properties and wavelength solution.
A. Pasquali, N. Pirzkal, J. R. Walsh 09 Jul 2003 (pdf)

ACS WFC and HRC field-dependent PSF variations due to optical and charge diffusion effects (ACS ISR 03-06)
The ACS point spread function remains fairly stable over its field of view, compared to the PSFs in WFPC2 or STIS. However, ACS/WFC PSF core width and ellipticity variations are large enough to be of concern to those undertaking very small aperture photometry or measuring small, bright-nucleus galaxy ellipticities.
J. Krist 25 Jun 2003 (pdf)

ACS Background Light vs. Bright Earth Limb Angle (ACS ISR 03-05)
The background contributed by scattered Earth light at various angles is discussed along with flat field artifacts.
John Biretta et al. 23 Jun 2003 (pdf)

Elevated Temperature measurements of Hot Pixels (ACS ISR 03-04)
We have investigated the dark rates and hot pixel counts by raising the WFC temperature. We find that the predominant effect of a change in temperature is a simple scaling of the dark rate in each pixel. These results are applicable to the effects of the Aft Shroud Cooling System installation in in Servicing Mission 4.
C. Cox, M. Mutchler, D. van Orsow 23 Jun 2003 (pdf)

Stability and Accuracy of HRC and WFC Shutters (ACS ISR-03-03)
Calibration observations (9662) have been used to quantify precise exposure time values, stability and shading effects down to the shortest allowed exposures (0.1s HRC, 0.5s WFC).
Gilliland R.L., Hartig G. 03 Jun 2003 (pdf)

NUV Earth Flats (ACS ISR 03-02)
Creation of Earth flats for ACS/HRC modes are described including red leak and dust mote information.
R.C. Bohlin, J. Mack 21 Apr 2003 (pdf)

Wavelength calibration of the WFC G800L grism (ACS ISR 03-01)
We present the G800L grism spectra of Wolf-Rayet stars acquired with the ACS/WFC during SMOV and early Cycle 11. We discuss the procedure for fitting the dispersion correction of the grism. We also describe the calibration files derived from these data which are used by the ST-ECF extraction package "aXe".
Pasquali, Pirzkal, Walsh (ST-ECF) 05 Mar 2003 (pdf)

ACS Coronagraph Update for Cycle 12 Proposers (ISR 02-11)
Small time-and-initialization-dependent instabilities in the ACS coronagraph have led to revisions of the coronagraph commanding procedures and to the suggested methods for optimizing coronagraphic observations. An example optimized sequence is given.
J. Krist 18 Dec 2002 (pdf)

ACS software tool development (ISR 02-10)
We describe the anticipated software tool development requirements for ACS for the period September 2002 to mid-2003, including issues related to image registration and combination.
W.B. Sparks, W.J. Hack, R.N. Hook, A. Koekemoer 16 Dec 2002 (pdf)

The Projected Growth of Hot Pixels on ACS WFC (ISR 02-09)
The anneal rate of hot pixels on the ACS WFC is discussed. A fitted, successive annealing function is used to project forward in time the expected fractional coverage of the CCD by hot pixels.
A. Riess 13 Dec 2002 (pdf)

ACS L-Flats for the WFC (ISR 02-08)
The uniformity of the WFC detector response has been assessed by using multiple dithered pointings of dense stellar fields. The original WFC laboratory flat fields produce photometric errors of +-5 to +-9 percent from corner-to-corner.
J. Mack 21 Aug 2002 (pdf)

A first look at cosmic rays on ACS (ISR 02-07)
We have made an initial study of the characteristics of cosmic ray impacts on the two ACS imaging cameras, HRC and WFC. Distributions of sizes and anisotropies are determined for both cameras, characteristics which can be useful for distinguishing cosmic rays from astrophysical sources in a single image.
Riess 06 Jun 2002 (pdf)

A first look at hot pixels on ACS (ISR 02-06)
We have made an initial study of hot pixels on the ACS CCD s, i.e.those with elevated dark current. The characteristics of these pixels are similar to those seen on previous CCD s flown on HSTand are likely caused by radiation damage.
Riess, Mutchler, Van Orsow 06 Jun 2002 (pdf)

HRC Flats: Dust-Mote Patch (ISR02-05)
Description of the patch used to correct the HRC external illuminated LP-flats after the disapperance of a dust-mote during the flight-level acoustics test in March 2001.
J. Mack, R.C. Bohlin 08 May 2002 (pdf)

HRC and WFC Flat Fields: Dispersors, Anomalies, and Photometric Stability (ISR 02-04)
The flat field correction scheme for the ACS prism (PR200L) and grism (G800L) is discussed.
R. Bohlin 18 Mar 2002 (pdf)

Relative Gain Values Among the Four WFC Amplifiers (ISR 02-03)
The relative gain ratios among the four WFC amplifiers are determined from flat field observations for each of the four gain settings.
R. Bohlin, G. Hartig, Wm. Sparks 19 Feb 2002 (pdf)

ACS Distortion derived from RAS-HOMS Measurements (ISR 02-02)
Aperture positions and image distortion coefficients are determined from RAS-HOMS measurements.
C. Cox 05 Feb 2002 (pdf)

HRC and WFC Flat Fields: Ramp Filters (ISR 02-01)
Discusses the ground flats for HRC and WFC ramp filters.
Bohlin 15 Jan 2002 (pdf)

HRC and WFC Flat Fields: Standard Filters, Polarizers, and Coronograph (ISR 01-11)
Laboratory flats with simulated sky illumination of the CCD cameras have been obtained for supported and many unsupported ACS modes. All 157 flats are now available as reference files for the pipeline processing of ACS observations from Cycle 11.
Ralph Bohlin 17 Dec 2001 (pdf)

ACS software tool development (ISR 01-10)
We describe the anticipated software tool development requirements for ACS for the period November 2001 to mid-2002, a period which is expected to include the installation of ACS on HST.
W.B. Sparks 12 Dec 2001 (pdf)

Selection of Wavelength Calibration Targets for the ACS Grism (ISR 01-09)
Criteria for selection of wavelength calibration targets for the ACS grism in order to determine its dispersion and zero point are discussed.
A Pasquali 14 Nov 2001 (pdf)

ACS dither and mosaic pointing patterns (ISR 01-07)
We provide some background on pointing the ACS, and present the dither and mosaic patterns that will be provided as a convenience for HST Cycle 11 Phase II proposal writers.
Max Mutchler 21 Dec 2001 (pdf)

Revised IDCTAB Definition: Application to HST Data (ISR 01-08)
Describes a calibration reference file format and how it will be used to calibrate ACS observations for geometric distortion.
W. Hack 01 Aug 2001 (pdf)

ACS Default (Archival) Pure Parallel Program (ISR 01-06)
An update of ACS/ISR 2000-02. The initial default non-proprietary pure parallel program is described including the observing sequence and scientific questions that can be addressed. The field of view plot has been updated.
W.B. Sparks 01 Aug 2001 (pdf)

ACS thermal control with ASCS (ISR 01-05)
The components of the ACS need to be maintained within certain temperature limits for health and safety considerations and for the optimal scientific use of the cameras. Current planning calls for the NICMOS cryolcooler to be installed at the same time as the ACS but the ASCS to be placed on a later mission. The ACS will operate for at least a year without the cooling benefit of the ASCS.
C. Cox 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Initial Implementation Strategy for Drizzle with ACS (ISR 01-04)
In order to provide geometric correction for single pointing ACS images, and to provide geometric correction together with simple image combination for associations of ACS images, we describe plans to implement the "drizzle" code by means of a python wrapper, and to use this wrapper in calacs.
W. Sparks 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

ACS Grism Simulations using SLIM 1.0 (ISR 01-03)
We introduce SLIM, a slitless spectroscopy simulator written in Python which can be used to simulate the ACS grism and prism modes. Here, we outline the features of SLIM and present some WFC and HRC grism simulations of emission line objects.
N. Pirzkal 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

The Effective Spectral Resolution of the WFC and HRC Grism (ISR 01-02)
We present SLIM simulations of the WFC and HRC grism, obtained by varying the object size and orientation with respect to the dispersion axis. Our aim is to quantify the extent by which the object extension along the dispersion axis can degrade the nominal spectral resolution of the grism.
A. Pasquali 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Polarization Properties of ACS (ISR 01-01)
Tables of the essential properties for polarization measurement of all the ACS filters are presented. The tables provide a comparative assessment of the quality of the polarization measurements between the different filters. The data will be compared with ground-based and in-flight calibrations to refine the polarization properties, especially for the most popular filters.
J. Walsh 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Geometric Distortion Table: IDCTAB (ISR 00-11)
The new reference table, IDCTAB, will support the description of geometric distortion models for instruments. This report describes the columns in the table and how the coefficients in the table can be used.
W. Hack 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Flats: Preliminary WFC Data and Plans for Flight Flats (ISR 00-10)
The ACS WFC pixel-to-pixel P-flats with the build-3 detector are discussed and compared to the HRC build-2 P-flats. The goals for these WFC and HRC ground flats are stated.
R. Bohlin 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

ACS WFC CCD Radiation Test: The Radiation Environment (ISR 00-09)
The space environment is a complex, orbit dependent phenomenon. CCD detectors are particularly vulnerable to damage by ionizing radiation. This document summarizes the modeling and analysis that was performed to determine the appropriate exposure level for ground testing of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Wide Field Channel (WFC) Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detector.
M. Jones 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Advanced Camera for Surveys Exposure Time Calculator: III. Baseline Tests for the Spectroscopic Modes. (ISR00-08)
Our baseline suite of test cases for the Spectroscopic Exposure Time Calculator are documented for all five spectroscopic modes with a variety of point source flux distributions.
F. R. Boffi 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Advanced Camera for Surveys Exposure Time Calculator: II. Baseline Tests for the Ramp Filter Modes. (ISR 00-07)
The verification tests for the ACS Ramp Filter Exposure Time Calculator are presented. Our baseline suite of test cases includes one calculation for all filter modes with the same target, plus one subset for all kinds of targets through the same filter.
D. Van Orsow 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Advanced Camera for Surveys Exposure Time Calulator: I. Baseline Tests for the Broadband Imaging Modes. (ISR 00-06)
The verification tests for the Imaging Exposure Time Calculator for the Advanced Camera for Surveys are presented. Our baseline suite of test cases includes one calculation for all filter modes with the same target, plus one subset for all kinds of targets through the same filter.
F. Boffi 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Measured Throughput and Bandpass of the RAMP Filters (ISR 00-05)
The ACS ramp filters are characterized by transmission curves which populate the STScI Synphot database for use in the Exposure Time Calculator.
R. Bohlin 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

The predicted performance of the ACS coronograph (ISR 00-04)
The Aberrated Beam Coronograph (ABC) on the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) is modeled to determine what the coronagraph can do and how to get the most out of it.
J. Krist 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Software tools for ACS: Geometrical Issues and Overall Software Tool Development (ISR 00-03)
We describe the issues relating to internal geometrical distortions in the ACS. A software tool development route is outlined and we describe other software tool development activities.
W. Sparks 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

ACS Default (Archival) Pure Parallel Program (ISR 00-02)
We describe the initial default non-proprietary pure parallel program for the Advanced Camera for Surveys. We describe the observing sequence and outline scientific questions that may be addressed with the data.
W. Sparks 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Predicted Sensitivity and Dispersion of the Prisms and Grism (ISR 00-01)
The three prisms and grism in ACS are characterized in terms of dispersion relations and sensitivity.
R. Bohlin 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

ACS Quicklook PDF products (ISR 99-10)
This report details the features of the ACS quicklook PDF products produced by the HST data pipeline.
A. Suchkov 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

ACS calibration pipeline testing: cosmic ray rejection (ISR 99-09)
We describe the testing that was done to ensure that CALACS properly rejects cosmic ray contamination when combining multiple images.
M. Mutchler 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

CALACS reference files (ISR 99-08)
This report describes the reference files used by CALACS to calibrate ACS observations.
W. Hack 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

The Solar Blind Channel Bright Object Limits for Astronomical Objects (ISR 99-07)
Tables of limiting magnitudes for all observation modes of the ACS Solar Blind Channel are calculated for a range of stellar energy distributions, using Kurucz model fluxes and observed standard stars.
F.R. Boffi and R.C. Bohlin 25 Oct 2004 (pdf)

ACS calibration pipeline testing: error propagation (ISR 99-06)
This report details how CALACS produces ERR (error) array output.
D. VanOrsow 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Design of the ACS science headers (ISR 99-05)
The decisions made in the design of the data format and packaging of the ACS science headers.
R. Jedrzejewski 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

ACS calibration pipeline testing: basic image reduction (ISR 99-04)
This report describes the basic testing that was done to ensure that CALACS properly reduces raw ACS images and makes the corresponding modifications to their headers.
M. Mutchler 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

CALACS operation and implementation (ISR 99-03)
This report describes the usage and implementation of CALACS. Instructions for using stand-alone tasks and the format of the input data are described in this paper. Furthermore, the processing steps for ACS data and the functional flow of the entire pipeline is outlined, along with descriptions of how the memory model was implemented.
W. Hack 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Flats: SBC Data from Thermal Vacuum Testing (ISR 99-02)
SBC flats for the six filters and two prisms taken during thermal vacuum testing at GSFC in 1999 March are characterized.
R.C. Bohlin 16 May 2002 (pdf)

Flats: Preliminary HRC Data and On-Orbit Plans (ISR 99-01)
The flat field baseline goal is to obtain a complete set of pixel-to-pixel P-flats before launch and to use the onboard lamps to track changes. A second goal of the ground calibration program is to obtain the low fre-quency L-flat variation over the field of view.
R. Bohlin 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Performance of the onboard compression algorithm for ACS (ISR 98-04)
An extensive set of experiments was performed to test the performance of the onboard compression algorithm created for ACS by R. White.
F. Boffi 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Bright object protection for the ACS MAMA detector (ISR 98-03)
Bright object protection for the ACS MAMA is similar in concept to that for the STIS FUV MAMA, but several mechanisms are discussed which provide better protection for the ACS MAMA.
C. Cox 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Dithering strategies for ACS (ISR 98-02)
We review the motivations for dithering exposures with the ACS, discuss possible strategies for combining dithered exposures automatically and the implementation of dither patterns in RPS2.
M. Stiavelli 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

CALACS Design: Lessons Learned from CALSTIS (ISR98-01)
This report documents the basic design of those parts of CALSTIS relevant for CALACS.
W.Hack 13 Dec 2006 (pdf)

Data Compression for ACS (ISR 97-02)
The algorithm for on-board compression on the fly of ACS data is briefly reviewed and its benefits discussed.
M. Stiavelli 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

HST Cycle 9 reference mission (ISR 97-01)
We describe the expected usage of the ACS during Cycle 9 and estimate ground system requirements for the full complement of HST instruments available for Cycle 9. We recommend that the current ground system throughput capacity be doubled to support an average daily capacity of 12 Gbits/day and a peak capacity of 18 Gbits/day following the third servicing mission.
M. Stiavelli 08 Jun 2001 (pdf)

Related ISRs from the Telescopes Branch

HST Pointing Improvements: Some Recent Statistics
TIPS/JIM Presentation. FGS guiding statistics illustrate accuracy of current HST focal plane calibrations
M. Lallo 26 Jul 2007 (pdf)

HST Focus & PSF Stability
Telescopes Group Talk Series, Talk #1
M. Lallo 21 Sep 2007 (pdf)

Improving HST Pointing & Astrometry
TIPS/JIM Presentation. Describes plan and motivation for recent and future improvements in HST pointing & astrometry via FOV alignment, GSC2 use, and archive reprocessing.
M. Lallo 26 Jul 2007 (pdf)

Improving Hubble Space Telescope's Pointing & Absolute Astrometry
This paper, presented at the summer 2007 AAS, describes the benefits and details of an improved HST focal plane model and operational guidestar catalog.
M. Lallo et al. 12 Jul 2007 (pdf)

ISR-TEL-2006-01, Modeling Aberrations in the Advanced Camera for Surveys
Investigates the plausibility of optical misalignments as the cause of apparent aberration changes implied by phase retrieval of HRC PSFs
K. Houairi et al. 13 Oct 2006 (pdf)

ISR-TEL-2006-01, Modeling Aberrations in the Advanced Camera for Surveys
Investigates the plausibility of optical misalignments as the cause of apparent aberration changes implied by phase retrieval of HRC PSFs
K. Houairi et al. 13 Oct 2006 (pdf)

ISR-TEL-2005-03, HST Temporal Optical Behavior & Current Focus Status
Reviews the timescales, mechanisms, and importance of variations in aberrations (focus, coma, astigmatism). Presents focus status of the observatory.
M. Lallo et al. 27 Oct 2005 (pdf)

ISR-TEL-2005-02, Guiding Errors in 3-Gyro: Experience from WF/PC, WFPC2, STIS, NICMOS and ACS
As background information to support interpretation of results during testing under 2-gyro operation, this report summarizes typical behavior gleaned from several observations with ACS, WF/PC, WFPC2, STIS and NICMOS.
R. Gilliland 13 Apr 2005 (pdf)

ISR-TEL-2005-01, Recent Jitter and PSF Variations
This ISR documents Point Spread Function (PSF) and pointing drifts from a recent 5-orbit program with the HRC of ACS.
R. Gilliland 13 Apr 2005 (pdf)