Appendix 3. Long Exposure (6x) Scan Databases, Catalogs and Images
5. Data Processing
d. Extended Source Processing
Identification and characterization of extended sources in
the 6x image data is based closely on the extended source processor
used for the main survey data that is described in
IV.5. A number of modifications have been
made to optimize processing for the enhanced surface brightness
and sensitivity of the deeper imaging. The most important
changes are as follows:
- Adjust all SNR-related magnitude thresholds
one magnitude fainter relative to those used for the main survey to account
for the enhanced sensitivity of the 6x measurements.
- Replace the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) seedlist with
the 2MASS All-Sky XSC, which
is better matched in astrometry and photometry to the 6x observations,
as well as being inclusive of the largest galaxies in the sky.
Using the XSC also supports proper background removal and enables direct
comparisons between survey and 6x photometry. Figures 1 and 2
illustrate background removal performance for a sample
6x Atlas Image.
|
|
Figure 1 - J-band 6x Atlas Image with extended sources
marked in red
and bright stars artifacts and masked area marked in blue. The left panel
shows the raw image. The middle panel shows the "mask", and the right panel
shows the background-removed image. |
Figure 2 - 3-color (J+H+Ks) composite of image in
Figure 1, where the left panel shows the original Atlas Images
and the right panel shows background-removed Images.
|
- Adjust bright star masking parameters, effectively increasing the
mask radii to account for the enhanced sensitivity to low surface brightness
scattered light in the 6x observations. Also take the
bright star seedlist for masking from the 2MASS All-Sky PSC.
Bright star masking performance
for 6x data is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.
| |
Figure 3 - J-band Atlas Image with extended sources marked
in red and bright stars artifacts and masked area marked in blue.
The left panel shows the raw image. The middle panel shows the "mask",
and the right panel shows the background-removed image.
|
Figure 4 - 3-color (J+H+Ks version of image
in Figure 1, where the left panel shows the original Atlas Images
and the right panel shows the background-removed Images. |
- Adjust the confusion noise and stellar number density thresholds
to reflect the greater confusion noise at fainter flux levels.
- Eliminate e_score and
g_score thresholding. In the
main survey data reduction, full
shape and photometric characterization was run only on sources that
fell within specified e_score and g_score limits
to minimize cpu runtime and to save output disk space. These savings
were less critical for the modest amount
of 6x data. The additional e_score and g_score is
used for characterization purposes.
- Correct a "bug" that existed in survey extended source processing that
on rare occasions corrupted the reported isophotal radii due to
a memory register corruption.
- Add photometric analysis and diagnostic tables used
in characterization and quality assurance, that compare
main survey and 6x extended source results. Figure 5 is a
sample diagnostic plot showing the comparison of 6x and All-Sky XSC
7" circular aperture photometry of galaxies observed on 2000 May 30 UT
from Cerro Tololo. The 6x scans on this night covered the
Abell 3558 cluster.
|
Figure 5 - 2MASS 6x Quality Assurance diagnostic plot showing the
difference between 6x and All-Sky Data Release (ADR) XSC 7" circular aperture
photometry of galaxies in the Abell 3558 cluster observed on 2000 May 30 UT
plotted as function of All-Sky XSC magnitude.
Small blue (J), green (H) and red
(Ks points represent magnitude differences for individual
galaxies and black point
with vertical error bars are the standard deviation of difference
in 0.5 mag bins.
|
Important Note About Large Galaxies:
The 6x extended source processor is not modified or tuned to properly measure
large galaxies. As a result, the
6x extended source WDB and 6x-XSC do not contain accurate
measurements of extended sources that span more than one scan.
Because large galaxies are well-characterized by
the Large Galaxy Atlas (LGA) processing from the main survey, such
processing was not carried out for the 6x data.
i. Sample 6x Extended Sources
Figures 6-9 show images of a selection
of extended sources extracted during 6x data processing.
In each image, the left panel shows a three-color, background-removed
"postage stamp" image. The right panel shows the same image
with stars removed. The Ks-band (fiducial) elliptical isophotal
radius is shown in the figures in blue. The isophotal elliptical
Ks magnitude (k_m_k20fe),
sem-imajor axis length and axial ratio of the galaxies are given in
in the figure captions. Only one image is displayed for
the faint galaxy in Figure 9 because no foreground stars were subtracted.
| |
Figure 6 - Ks=10.89 r=17.8" b/a=0.9 |
Figure 7 - Ks=11.06 r=21.2" b/a=0.9 |
| |
Figure 8 - Ks=11.67 r=23.9" b/a=0.4 |
Figure 9 - Ks=15.46 r=5.0" b/a=1.0 |
[Last Updated: 2007 January 8; by T. Jarrett and R. Cutri]
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