SofI is the infrared spectrograph and imaging camera on the NTT. Its largest field of view is 4.92 arcmin, and it covers the 0.9-2.5 micron wavelength range with spectral resolution from 600 to 2200.

SofI Status

• There was a successful SofI intervention to fix a vacuum leak in mid-April. The instrument is back in good condition. (Apr 2007)
• The small field and large field + focal elongator modes are decommissioned because of a persistent collimator problem; it is not planned to recommission them for now. (Feb 2007)
• New imaging templates AutoJitterRot and JitterRot are available starting P80; they allow to rotate the instrument between the exposures. (Feb 2007)
• FastPhotometry mode is available starting P80, only in Visitor Mode; it allows to carry out imaging observations with high time resolution, as high as 10-20 milisec, windowing the detector array down to 20-30 sq. pixels; contact the SofI instrument scientist for details. (Feb 2007)

Updates

• New IR Spectral Library page (Dec 2007)
  
• SofI pipeline recipes are publicly available (Jul 2007)
• New SofI Data Quality Control page (May 2007)
  
• New detector linearity page (May 2007)
  
• New archive for detector non-linearity corrections (May 2007)
  
• New archive for distortion corrections for spectroscopy (May 2007)
  
• New archive for illumination correction 4x4 imaging grids (May 2007)
  
• SOFI Users Manual v2.10 (Apr 2007)
  
• Quick-look data reduciton tool page updated. (Dec 2006)
  
• SofI Pipeline Description (Sept 2006)
  

Please mail to ls-sofi for comments, suggestions and to report errors and inaccurate statements in the web pages and manuals.

• General Description
• Detector Characteristics
• Imaging: Filters and Objectives
• Spectroscopy: Grisms, Slits and Line Identification
• Polarimetry: Operation and Data Reduction
• Instrument Evolution - Gain, RON, Zp
• Calibration Data Archive
• Document Archive

• Calibration Plan
• Data Reduction (tools, calibration repository, etc.)
• Instrument Performance
• Exposure Time Calculator
• Useful Exposure times
• IR standard stars
• ESO User Support Services and Tools
  
• Weather Condition Limits
• Visiting astronomer : read this! (FAQ)
  

• SOFI Users Manual (NEW as of March 2006!)
• SoFI TSF Parameters Reference Guide
• SofI FAQ
• Links to other IR instruments
• SofI Instrument Package:
  Recent P2PP automatically deal with the Instrument Packages. It is not necessary anymore to download them manually.
• Brief History

• Seeing through the Dark (Mar 07, 2008)
• Star Family Seen Through Dusty Fog (Mar 13, 2007)
• The Star, the Dwarf and the Planet (Oct 19, 2006)
• HD3651b - BD companion to a planet-hosting star, Click here for an animation. (Aug 28, 2006)
• W49 Press Photo (July 22, 2003)
• Dusty Disks around YSO in Orion (June 7, 2001)
• M17 Press Photo(September 14, 2000)
• Dark Cloud RCW 108 (October 27, 2000)
• Dark Cloud Barnard 68 (July 2, 1999)
• First Light Press Release (January 29, 1998)
• SofI Publication Metrics (December 13, 2005)