Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 Instrument Handbook for Cycle 12

The WFPC2 Clearinghouse

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The WFPC2 Clearinghouse is a web-based tool designed to provide users with a searchable listing of all known journal articles, STScI documentation and reports, as well as user-submitted documents which report on all aspects of the performance, calibration, and scientific use of WFPC2. The Clearinghouse can be found at:

http://www.stsci.edu/instruments/wfpc2/Wfpc2_clear/wfpc2_clrhs.html

The primary goal of the Clearinghouse is to make it easier for WFPC2 users to take advantage of the fact that there are hundreds of researchers reducing and analyzing WFPC2 data, and of their results.

We have searched through the astronomical literature and selected all articles that contain any reference or description of the calibration, reduction, and scientific analysis of WFPC2 data. Due to the extremely large volume of material, the on-line database is only complete through 1997. After 1997, we have only continued to update the Clearinghouse with STScI documentation and reports, including Instrument Science Reports and Technical Instrument Reports. Each article that is included in our database had an estimate of its importance in up to 50 calibration topics. The entry for each article has the following format:

Author: Holtzman,Mould, Gallagher, et al. Title: Stellar Populations in the Large Magellanic Cloud: Evidence for.. Year: 1997 Reference: AJ 113, 656 Science Keyword: IMF,LMC Calibration Keyword(3): psf_fitting_photometry(3) Calibration Keyword(2): bias(2) Calibration Keyword(1): photometric_zeropoint(1) Comment: Comparison of aperture and PSF fitting photometry,

where the category number following each keyword stands for the following:

• (3)= One of the fundamental references on this topic.
• (2)= Some new information on this topic.
• (1)= General information on the subject.

The user can select from a large list of WFPC2 calibration related topics (see below). The results from a Clearinghouse search will list, alphabetically by author, all articles containing references to the selected topic. For journal articles, each reference is linked to that article's entry in the ADS Abstract Database, so that users can quickly determine if that particular article is relevant to their individual needs.

The following topics are available:

Aperture Corrections	Object Identification
Aperture Photometry	Observation Planning
Astrometry	Photometric Transformations
Bias Frames	Photometric Zeropoint
Bias Jumps	Pipeline Calibration
Calibration Observations	Polarization
CCD Characteristics	PSF Characterization
Charge Transfer Traps	PSF Fitting Photometry
Chip-to-Chip Normalization	PSF Subtraction
Completeness Corrections	Quad Filters
Cosmic Rays	Recalibration
CTE Losses	Red Leaks
Darks	Residual Images
Data Quality	Saturated Data
Deconvolution	Scattered Light
Dithering	Serial Clocks
Drizzle	Size Measurements
Field Distortion	Software
Flats	Surface Photometry
Focus	SYNPHOT
Hot Pixels	T=77 Observations
Image Anomalies	UV Throughput
Linear Ramp Filters	Vignetting
Long vs. Short Exposures	Woods Filters
Narrow Band Photometry	1997 Servicing Mission