LOFAR Data Reduction Reference Manual

© CC-BY-SA 4.0 (Credit: Noa Peters, Aeksandar Shulevski)

LOFAR data reduction is a complicated endeavor, luckily nowadays handled by a suite of pipelines which process the data and remove various corrupting effects along the signal path to provide science-ready data products.

In this context, there is a need for users to know the working principles of these pipelines and the basics of their optimal configuration and use at a level which is not covered in the pipeline documentation.

SDCO introduces the LOFAR Data Reduction Reference Manual Initially it focuses on interferometric imaging, namely the LINC processing pipeline, but the intention is to expand it to cover the full LOFAR processing pipeline family which is offered by the LOFAR SDC. In time it will also absorb the content currently part of the LOFAR (imaging and beam-formed) cookbooks.