Details
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Type:
RFC
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Status: Implemented
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Resolution: Done
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Component/s: DM
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Labels:None
Description
Currently, the "flux" fields in our source catalogs are actually "on-chip, post-ISR counts", instead of "calibrated fluxes". This causes two problems: users looking for calibrated counts don't reach the correct objects, and we don't have a good place to put calibrated fluxes. I propose that all of our *Flux_flux/*Flux_fluxSigma fields be renamed *Flux_instFlux/*Flux_instFluxSigma, which will allow us to add e.g. *Flux_flux and *Flux_mag fields to our source catalogs to hold post-calibrated fluxes (in Maggies) and magnitudes (Pogson). The DPDD says in section 3.3 "Fluxes and Magnitudes" that we will distribute "flux" in units of "maggies", so this new naming is consistent with that.
This developed while I was working on the new PhotoCalib object and I realized I'd inadvertantly overloaded the term "flux" in the code (sometimes meaning counts, sometimes calibrated flux). Some of this came from borrowing from the old Calib (where the term is very overloaded), and some from an attempt to get it right in the PhotoCalib code but then tripping over the input/output catalog field names.
We will also rename the InstFlux slot to GaussianFlux, and remove the InstMag slot.
In terms of work required, searching the stack (*.h, *.cc, *.py) found 111 matches in 33 files to Flux_flux, plus about 80 total matches in about 20 files (didn't compare overlap with the former) to several variations on + "_flux.
In terms of timing, implementing this would wait until Calib was removed from the stack and replaced by PhotoCalib (not yet scheduled, but likely within the next couple months).
Attachments
Issue Links
- is triggering
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DM-10302 Rename "*_flux" fields to "*_instFlux" in SourceCatalogs
- Done
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DM-15796 Update documentation to reflect flux->instFlux change
- Done
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DM-19970 Update Flux descriptions and units in schema
- Invalid
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RFC-510 Rename table getters and setters for fluxes as per RFC-322
- Implemented
- relates to
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DM-10153 Replace Calib with finished PhotoCalib
- Done
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RFC-356 Provide reference catalog fluxes in Maggies
- Retired
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RFC-535 Make flux error a required field in reference catalogs
- Implemented
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DM-9192 Implement new spatially-variable PhotoCalib model
- Done
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DM-13231 Make photoCalib outField write to _flux instead of _calFlux
- Done
Unless InstMag is something generated automatically from InstFlux, I'm not familiar with it.
I have no idea what InstFlux was originally intended for. We've been abusing it as the slot we put GaussianFlux in for years.