Introduction to the Roman Wide Field Instrument (WFI) Imaging Data, including suggestions for users new to WFI data on how to get started.

Introduction

This handbook provides detailed information on the retrieval, format, calibration, and use of the imaging data from the Roman Space Telescope Wide Field Instrument (WFI). Additional information on the design and performance of the WFI, including topics related to anomalies and calibration effects, may be found in the WFI Instrumentation User Guides.

Information related specifically to the WFI spectroscopic mode (e.g., wavelength/flux calibration, 1-D extraction) or high-level microlensing exoplanet science will be maintained by the Science Support Center at IPAC. 

Where to Start

For new Roman users unfamiliar with WFI data, we strongly recommend beginning with the article WFI Data Format, which contains information on the Advanced Scientific Data Format (ASDF) and available WFI data products. There are key differences between ASDF and other, potentially more familiar data formats (e.g., Flexible Image Transport System; FITS), which users should be aware of to ensure the best experience when using WFI data. 

Once users are familiar with WFI data formats, they are encouraged to proceed to the documentation on Accessing WFI Data, which includes information on how to best retrieve WFI data for analysis, as well as other advanced topics. In addition to the science data products, this section of the handbook includes information on how to access calibration reference files via the Calibration Reference Data System (CRDS) as well as engineering telemetry data in the Calibrated Engineering Database.

Finally, for users with questions about the science data pipelines, please refer to the section on the Roman STScI Data Pipelines. This section contains detailed information on how the data are processed and tutorials on how to run the imaging data pipelines. Please also consult the WFI Imaging Mode User Guide for more information on the properties of the WFI detectors.

For additional questions not answered in this article, please contact the Roman Help Desk at STScI.