Optimizing PyKOALA for processing RSS and IFS data

CI: – Dr. A. Lopez-Sanchez

The Hi-KIDS team is developing a Python package, PyKOALA, for producing full calibrated (wavelength, flux and astrometry) data cubes ready for science using data obtained with the integral field unit KOALA in conjunction with the AAOmega spectrograph at the Anglo- Australian Telescope. PyKOALA needs the (pre-reduced) RSS (Raw Stacked Spectra) data using 2dFdr. However, we have identified problems when processing KOALA+AAOmega data with 2dFdr. The aim of this proposal is double: (i) fixing 2dFdr with some specific KOALA- related problems, and (ii) optimizing the PyKOALA code to be as modular as possible with the aim of processing any kind of RSS data (multi-object spectroscopy or integral-field unit) in the future. ODC developers with experience in Fortran 95 and familiarity with the 2dFdr code base have estimated that fixing the 2dFdr issues will take 7 weeks, with 4 additional weeks for PyKOALA code audit and refactor. Hence, this project will take 11 weeks in total. The PyKOALA code, which contains around 14k lines of code to date, will be made publicly available to the community with a full documentation and examples allowing everyone with existing KOALA+AAOmega observations to process quickly and efficiently their data.