The Data Reduction Pipeline for the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

Nidever, D. L.; Holtzman, Jon A.; Allende Prieto, C.; Beland, Stephane; Bender, Chad; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Burton, Adam; Desphande, Rohit; Fleming, Scott W.; García Pérez, A. E.; Hearty, Fred R.; Majewski, Steven R.; Mészáros, Sz.; Muna, Demitri; Nguyen, Duy; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Shetrone, Matthew; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Sobeck, Jennifer S.; Wilson, John C.
Bibliographical reference

The Astronomical Journal, Volume 150, Issue 6, article id. 173, 23 pp. (2015).

Advertised on:
12
2015
Number of authors
20
IAC number of authors
3
Citations
355
Refereed citations
341
Description
The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III, explores the stellar populations of the Milky Way using the Sloan 2.5-m telescope linked to a high resolution (R ∼ 22,500), near-infrared (1.51–1.70 μm) spectrograph with 300 optical fibers. For over 150,000 predominantly red giant branch stars that APOGEE targeted across the Galactic bulge, disks and halo, the collected high signal-to-noise ratio (>100 per half-resolution element) spectra provide accurate (∼0.1 km s‑1) RVs, stellar atmospheric parameters, and precise (≲0.1 dex) chemical abundances for about 15 chemical species. Here we describe the basic APOGEE data reduction software that reduces multiple 3D raw data cubes into calibrated, well-sampled, combined 1D spectra, as implemented for the SDSS-III/APOGEE data releases (DR10, DR11 and DR12). The processing of the near-IR spectral data of APOGEE presents some challenges for reduction, including automated sky subtraction and telluric correction over a 3°-diameter field and the combination of spectrally dithered spectra. We also discuss areas for future improvement.
Related projects
spectrum of mercury lamp
Chemical Abundances in Stars
Stellar spectroscopy allows us to determine the properties and chemical compositions of stars. From this information for stars of different ages in the Milky Way, it is possible to reconstruct the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, as well as the origin of the elements heavier than boron, created mainly in stellar interiors. It is also possible to
Carlos
Allende Prieto