NExSci PTI Support Page

The Palomar Testbed Interferometer was constructed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a testbed for the Keck Interferometer. The PTI is currently operated as a science facility by the NExScI with financial contributions from the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), the PHASES project, and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC).

PTI description:

• PTI description
• V2 sensitivities
• Complete instrument description (journal paper)
• Description of fringe measurment (journal paper)
• Requested acknowledgement if publishing PTI data or using NExScI services

General interferometry information:

• What is a visibility? (uses the Keck Interferometer as an example, but applies as well to PTI)
• Some useful references and links to complete tutorials
  
• JPL's PlanetQuest website

For PTI V²observations the NExScI provides the following types of support:

Observation Planning Support
The getCal planning package provides a suite of tools for meshing information on stars, selecting calibrators, and computing temporal accessibility and u-v coverage.

• manual
• web interface
• PTI Calibrator catalog

Data Product Definition

• Data overview
• PTI data product definitions.

Data Access
PTI data are now available.

• Archive web interface
• Archive description (including details of modifications made to the metadata files before inclusion in the database).

Data Calibration

• Calibration tutorial
• Calibration programs
  • wbCalib manual
  • nbCalib manual
  • V2Calib web interface
  • Software download page

  
  If you have any questions on PTI data please visit the the help desk page.