Sky subtraction with fibers

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Abstract
Sky subtraction with fibres is known to be more difficult than with slits. The scientific objectives relevant to carry out with multifibre instruments, even in the new age of 8-10 m telescopes, mainly deal with objects of magnitude <EQ 22. The requirement in beam switching methods to reach the ultimate performances is controversial. In this paper, we present the results of sky subtraction tests that have been performed on the 3.6 m ESO telescope. The two basic points we wanted to address were the ability of fibres to allow sky subtraction up to the 22nd magnitude, and whether or not beam switching is required. We detail the data reduction steps we have employed. We define all the possible techniques that can be used for sky subtraction and give the corresponding expressions for spectrum extraction. Last, we present the results we have obtained, and conclude that sky subtraction with fibres is quite feasible, even on 4 m telescopes, up to b(subscript $japproximately equals 22 without resorting to beam switching techniques.

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