The data processing pipeline for the MUSE instrument

¹ Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
e-mail: pweilbacher@aip.de
² ESO, European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
³ Univ. Lyon, Univ. Lyon1, Ens de Lyon, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon UMR5574, 69230 Saint-Genis-Laval, France
⁴ Gemini Observatory/NSF’s OIR Lab, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
⁵ Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
⁶ European Southern Observatory, Ave. Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile

Received: 29 February 2020
Accepted: 13 June 2020

Abstract

The processing of raw data from modern astronomical instruments is often carried out nowadays using dedicated software, known as pipelines, largely run in automated operation. In this paper we describe the data reduction pipeline of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) integral field spectrograph operated at the ESO Paranal Observatory. This spectrograph is a complex machine: it records data of 1152 separate spatial elements on detectors in its 24 integral field units. Efficiently handling such data requires sophisticated software with a high degree of automation and parallelization. We describe the algorithms of all processing steps that operate on calibrations and science data in detail, and explain how the raw science data is transformed into calibrated datacubes. We finally check the quality of selected procedures and output data products, and demonstrate that the pipeline provides datacubes ready for scientific analysis.