Data Processing

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Pipeline Heuristics system is being developed to automatically reduce data taken with the standard observing modes such as single fields, mosaics or single dish "on-the-fly" maps. The goal is to make ALMA easily accessible also for astronomers who are not experts in radio interferometry. The Pipeline Heuristics must capture the expert knowledge required to provide data products that can be used for scientific analysis without further processing.

Despite the high flight altitude of SOFIA, operating in the lower stratosphere, the spectra obtained with GREAT's instrument suite are affected by the limited transmission of the atmosphere. Beyond the pseudo-continuum of collision-induced absorption by nitrogen and oxygen, and broad features due to water vapor, one needs to account for narrower, yet strong, features that are mostly due to ozone. Since these features can make the observations unusable, they need to be considered both in the preparation and calibration of airborne far-infrared spectra.