Liger at Keck Observatory: Design of the Data Reduction System and Software Interfaces

Liger is a second generation near-infrared imager and integral field spectrograph (IFS) for the W. M. Keck Observatory that will utilize the capabilities of the Keck All-sky Precision Adaptive-optics (KAPA) system. Liger operates at a wavelength range of 0.81 mu m - 2.45 mu m and utilizes a slicer and a lenslet array IFS with varying spatial plate scales and fields of view resulting in hundreds of modes available to the astronomer. Because of the high level of complexity in the raw data formats for the slicer and lenslet IFS modes, Liger must be designed in conjunction with a Data Reduction System (DRS) which will reduce data from the instrument in real-time and deliver science-ready data products to the observer. The DRS will reduce raw imager and IFS frames from the readout system and provide 2D and 3D data products via custom quick-look visualization tools suited to the presentation of IFS data. The DRS will provide the reduced data to the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA) and will be available to astronomers for offline post-processing of observer data. We present an initial design for the DRS and define the interfaces between observatory and instrument software systems.

Automated summary

Liger is a second generation near-infrared imager and integral field spectrograph for the W. M. Keck Observatory. It utilizes the capabilities of the Keck All-sky Precision Adaptive-optics system and offers a variety of modes for astronomers to choose from. To handle the complex raw data and deliver science-ready data products, Liger must be designed in conjunction with a Data Reduction System. This article presents the initial design for the DRS and defines the interfaces between observatory and instrument software systems.