Projet de recherche SC/05 (Action de recherche SC)
The basic aims of this project are to promulgate within the Belgian astronomical community the use of large telescopes and to facilitate the reduction and analysis of astrophysical data.
An essential source of observational date and reduction software (e.g. MIDAS) lies with E.S.O., the European Southern Observatory; other major observatories are accessible as well and have developed similar software techniques applicable through a world-wide defined standard data format. It is of utmost importance for Belgian astrophysicists that the most recent developments in the field be made available to them.
The MIDAS package was developed at the European Southern Observatory (ESTO) and is made available by ESO free of charge. It is the result of 30-40 man-years of work, containing 70 Mbytes of code and documentation that allows a flexible and interactive treatment of images in general, and astrophysical data in particular. Such extensive packages have become a basic need in astronomy due to the tremendous increase of data production by satellites and modern detectors coupled to large telescopes which are computer controlled (via MIDAS, IRAF, IDL, STSDAS, ...). Without easy access to these, an efficient participation to competitive observational astronomy is impossible to achieve.
Our orientation toward MIDAS is natural, considering that an important fraction of our data is obtained at ESO. La Silla (see our involvement in ESO Key Programs). MIDAS pays special attention to specific ESO instrumentation and has been chosen to be implemented on all La Silla telescopes for on-line control and reduction purposes, so that every potential observer has to acquaint himself with at least the basics MIDAS. Moreover, several Belgian astronomers already have gathered experience with MIDAS while using the infrastructure of the ESO headquarters in Garching (Germany).
Amongst other advantages, thorough knowledge of MIDAS (or subsequent packages) will simply be prerequisite to the efficient use of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), in which Belgium has invested an appreciable amount of money.
The scientific objectives of the institutes involved cover diversified fields of interest : extragalactic astrophysics (galaxies, quasars, gravitation lenses) and galactic astrophysics (star forming regions, stars), but similar problems appear during data reduction. A coordination of efforts and intensive exchange of experience therefore is bound to significant enhancement of the time available for analysis of the reduced observations.
The duties of the collaborators to be engaged in the frame of this project will include (non exhaustive) :
a. installation of successive MIDAS versions (other packages as required
testing and debugging in cooperation with ESO, training of new users,
implementation of new software, interaction in the set-up and
development of specialised applications devoted to specific scientific
projects together with the researchers;
b. the use and further development of those tools in a coordinated and
optimized way, and the acquaintance with modern observing facilities.
