An IDL-Based Package for GBT Data Reduction (GBTIDL)

GBTIDL is an interactive package for reduction and analysis of spectral line data taken with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). The package consists of a set of straightforward yet flexible calibration, averaging, and analysis procedures (the "GUIDE layer") modeled after the UniPOPS and CLASS data reduction philosophies, a customized plotter with many built-in visualization features, and Data I/O and toolbox functionality that can be used for more advanced tasks. GBTIDL makes use of data structures which can also be used to store intermediate results.

GBT discovery spectrum of the circumnuclear water maser in NGC 6323 at ~100 Mpc distance (Braatz et al. 2004, ApJ, 617, L29).

• The package consumes and produces data in GBT SDFITS format. Observers after May 31, 2005 have uncalibrated SDFITS data available to them at the end of a run; observers prior to this date must create their own SDFITS offline prior to analysis.
• GBTIDL can be run online, and have access to the most recent data coming off the telescope, or can be run offline on preprocessed SDFITS files.
• What if I don't have an IDL license? If you cannot download and use the package directly from your home institution, you can use one of NRAO's licenses by logging into your GB account, or by reserving the dedicated IDL machine in Charlottesville.
• Can I use GBTIDL on my data from a single-dish telescope other than the GBT? With some extra work, yes. Please see the FAQ for a description and outline of that work.