Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Instrument Handbook for Cycle 14

12.3 Time-Resolved Observations

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There are two ways to obtain time-resolved spectroscopic and imaging observations with STIS:

• Use the MAMA TIME-TAG operating mode (described in Section 11.1.3) in the ultraviolet.
• Take a series of multiple, short, identical repeated observations (described in Section 11.2.4) of your target in ACCUM operating mode with either the CCD or the MAMAs.

Both the data products received (an event stream in the case of TIME-TAG and a series of individual images from each ACCUM-mode exposure in a repeated sequence) and the basic parameters of the time-resolved observations (e.g., sample time, interval between samples, total number of samples or equivalently duration) differ dramatically in these modes. In Table 12.1 we summarize and contrast the ranges of parameter space covered by the different methods of obtaining time-resolved observations.

The information presented in Table 12.1 can be summarized into the following set of guidelines for performing time-resolved observations with STIS:

• If you wish to observe variability on second or less timescales, observe in the ultraviolet using TIME-TAG mode. Figure 12.3 shows an example of a time profile of the Crab Pulsar obtained with STIS G140L in TIME-TAG mode overlaid on prior HSP observations.
• In the optical, variability can be observed on tens-of-seconds timescales using subarrays and multiple exposures with the CCD.
• In the ultraviolet, variability on the several-minute or more timescale can be observed by multiple ACCUM-mode exposures with the MAMAs or using TIME-TAG (subject to count rate limitations).
• Remember that a series of identical exposures that are each less than three minutes in length incurs additional data management overheads when compared to longer exposures (see Table 9.2).
• Remember that single MAMA visits are limited to five orbits (see Chapter 2, so continuous variability can be tracked for only that duration with the MAMAs.

Table 12.1: Summary of Time-Resolved Imaging and Spectroscopy

Observation Type	Detector	Spectral Range (Å)	Minimum Sample Time ()	Interval Between Samples ()	Total Duration of Uninterrupted Time Series1
Repeat ACCUM	CCD	2000- 10,300	0.1 sec	45 sec-full frame 20 sec-1060 x 32 subarray	For >3min, no limit For <3 min:   dur=(+)x 7, full frame (1062 x 1044)   dur=(+)x 256, 1060 x 32 subarray
Repeat ACCUM	MAMAs	1150- 3100	0.1 sec	30 sec for > 3 min 2 min for < 3 min	No limit2 No limit
TIME-TAG3	MAMAs	1150- 3100	125 µsec	0	6.0x107 / R seconds if R < 21,000 counts/sec   or 4.0x106 / R seconds if R > 21,000 counts/sec where R is rate in counts/sec,

1 = duration of an individual exposure. 2Note, with BINAXIS1=BINAXIS2=2, 7 images separated by 1 minute and each of duration  < 3 minutes can be obtained. 3Above 30,000 counts/sec timing accuracy suffers.

Figure 12.3: Crab Pulsar Observed Using the STIS FUV-MAMA with G140L in TIME-TAG Mode. The resulting integrated time profile is shown superimposed on the early results from the HSP. The full period of the Crab pulsar is 33 milliseconds. (Figure courtesy of Don Lindler and Ted Gull, see also Gull et al. 1998, ApJ, 495, L51).


 

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