Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

Caltech Submillimeter Observatory Office,  111 Nowelo St., Hilo, Hawai'i 96720  Voice: (808) 935-1909 Fax: (808) 961-6273

Since installed at the CSO SHARC opened up new possibilities in the study of dust emission from protostars to protogalaxies. With 20 bolometers (4 dysfunctional out of the total 24), mapping is faster than ever before, with the added benefit of approximately diffraction and background limited performance. We invite you to look at some of the First results from SHARC.

The SHARC Array

The Dewar Awaiting Mounting

Before You Propose

Read this section for a description of SHARC. Included is NEFD data to help you estimate your observing time, as well as atmospheric transmission and SHARC filter curves and information on tracking times as a function of source declination
 
Observing with SHARC
 
The SHARC CookBook will give you step-by-step instuctions on using SHARC, with up-to-date tips to get the most out of the instrument. The SHARC Software Manual contains a detailed description of the SHARC Data Aquisition software running on the Macintosh and the Alpha (VMS). Also, there is the original Observer's Cookbook  with just about everything on CSO and SHARC (though some of the information may be out-dated).
 
 
Data Reduction Software
 
There are two software packages that will aid you in reducing your data. Depending whether you made maps or observed point sources, you will use either CAMERA or BADRS.
 

Orion with Camera

Markarian 273 with BADRS

Maps
If you have made maps (using OTF_MAP), then you'll need to use CAMERA, by Darek Lis. This package is currently available for UNIX only (download for Solaris). Darek has written a SHARC Data Reduction Cookbook to help you along.

Point Sources
If you have made pointed observations (using CHOP_SLEWY), then you should use BADRS (Bolometer Array Data Reduction Software), by Dominic Benford. It works very much like CLASS, and has online help. There is a guide to BADRS and an anonymous FTP site for the BADRS Package.