JCMT Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorials

Tutorials

There are now a number of tutorials offered for new users of the JCMT.

General Data Reduction Tutorials

• 1. JCMT data reduction: pipelines, recipes and parameters – Introduction to the Wesley, ORAC-DR and PICARD pipelines, how to select data reduction recipes and customize your reduction via parameter files.

SCUBA-2 Tutorials

• 1. SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 1 – Simple reduction of a SCUBA-2 dataset using the ORAC-DR pipeline software using different data reduction recipes; an introduction to basic Gaia use.
  2. SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 2 – Modification of the behavior of standard reduction recipes using a recpars (Recipe Parameters) file, standard imaging of a SCUBA-2 dataset using the makemap command and manual modification of the process by specifying a different dimmconfig file.
  3. SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 3 – Creation and use of an external mask with a simple SCUBA-2 dataset. This is usually used to help recover/improve large scale structure and decrease the negative bowling in large Pong maps.
  4. SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 4 – Use and modification of PICARD matched filters for point source detection in an already-reduced map.
  5. SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 5 – Investigating the contamination in the 850-micron bandpass from CO molecular line emission. This advanced tutorial will reduce and use both SCUBA-2 and HARP data.

POL-2 Tutorial

• 1. POL-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 1 – Simple reduction of a SCUBA-2 dataset using the SMURF pol2map command; an introduction to basic Gaia polarimetry toolbox use.

Heterodyne Tutorials

• 1. Heterodyne Instrument Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 1 – Simple reduction and analysis of heterodyne datasets using the ORAC-DR pipeline software.
  2. Heterodyne Instrument Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 2 – building on the basic/simple Data Reduction and Analysis tutorial. Modification of the behavior of standard reduction recipes using a recpars.

JCMT Observing Tool Tutorials

• 1. General JCMT Observing Tool tutorial (2023 version) — Introduction to the OT, how to organize programs and use the built-in validator.
  2. JCMT Observing Tool basics tutorial (2020 version) — Installation of the OT, creation of a simple program and visualization with the position editor.
  3. JCMT Observing tool tricks tutorial (2020 version) — Inheritance, folders, survey containers and understanding of validation results.

Analysis Tutorials and HowTos

Analysis with Starlink tutorial – looking at some of the many analysis tools within Starlink

Analysis How-Tos: these are short tutorials also available as jupyter notebooks from here,  and data available from here

1. Masking Cubes based on peak SNR 
2. Calculating SCUBA-2 fluxes
3. Estimating Excitation Temperatures from 12CO
4. Clumpfinding

Python & Starlink Jupyter notebooks:

• 1. starlink-pywrapper introduction and overview notebook
  2. Python version of the Starlink Analysis tutorial

Datasets for Tutorials

• 1. Dataset for JCMT data reduction: pipelines, recipes and parameters (Filesize: ~260 MB)
  2. Dataset for SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorials 1 – 3 & 5 (Filesize: ~650 MB)
  3. Dataset for SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 4 (Filesize: ~31 MB)
  4. Dataset for POL-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 1 (raw data only) (Filesize: ~2.9 GB) and dataset for POL-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 1 (reduced data only) (Filesize: ~276 MB)
  5. Dataset for Heterodyne Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 1 also required for SCUBA-2 Data Reduction/Analysis Tutorial 5 (Filesize: ~77 MB)
  6. Dataset for Example Heterodyne Data Cube Analysis Script (see below) (Filesize: ~125 MB)
  7. Example files for General JCMT Observing Tool tutorial (Filesize: ~21 MB)
  8. Example files for JCMT Observing Tool basics tutorial
  9. Example files for JCMT Observing Tool tricks tutorial
  10. Starlink Analysis tutorials (Python and non python)
  11. Analysis How Tos

Additional Training Materials

• 1. Getting started with Starlink: A two-page cheat-sheet is available here.
  2. Example commands used for analysing heterodyne cubes: A shell script using the example data given above is available here.

     Note: The intention of this script is that the user will read the comments in that file and try the commands in a directory where the example data have been unzipped. This is not exactly a tutorial, but rather a source of additional hints.

  3. For users new to computing we recommend reading the “Good Enough Practices in Scientific Computing”  Wilson et al. 2016.