FITS data format for the ASTRI DL0 DATA

Abstract

This document deals with the definition of the FITS format of the ASTRI SST-2M Level 0 (DL0) raw data (scientific EVT0, calibration CAL0, and engineering TECH0 data). For the time being, only the DL0 data coming from the camera system (EVT0, CAL0 and HK&VAR data ) are considered. A future version of this document will account for the contents and FITS formats of the files that will contain all those engineering pieces of information needed for the scientific data analysis (the so-called SCI-TECH0 data (extracted from TECH0), hereafter called TECH0) coming from all the other individual subsystems (mirrors, drive, ...) and ancillary units (weather station, ...) of the ASTRI prototype. The design of the FITS data format proposed in this document is based on the available documents concerning the ASTRI prototype raw data stream, acquisition system and format and on previous discussions among ASTRI collaborators. Furthermore, the general requirement to have a raw data FITS format as much as possible optimized for the first steps of the analysis reconstruction software has been taken into account as well. This document deals only with the FITS format of the DL0 data of the ASTRI prototype. The data formats for the subsequent data analysis levels (DL1, DL2, ...) and the possible generalization to the ASTRI/CTA mini-array data will be addressed in separate documents. In this document, we assume that the MC-DL0 data needed for the analysis reduction of the scientific ASTRI prototype real data should be formatted with a FITS structure as much s possible identical to the one developed for real data (taking properly into account all the intrinsic differences between real and simulated DL0 data). A dedicated section of this document describes the FITS format for the ASTRI MC-DL0 data.