# Description¶

The background subtraction step performs image-from-image subtraction in order to accomplish subtraction of background signal. The step takes as input one target exposure, to which the subtraction will be applied, and a list of one or more background exposures. Two different approaches to background image subtraction are used, depending on the observing mode. Imaging and most spectroscopic modes use one method, while a special method is used for Wide-Field Slitless Spectroscopy (WFSS).

## Non-WFSS Modes¶

If more than one background exposure is provided, they will be averaged together before being subtracted from the target exposure. Iterative sigma clipping is applied during the averaging process, to reject sources or other outliers. The clipping is accomplished using the function astropy.stats.sigma_clip. The background step allows users to supply values for the sigma_clip parameters sigma and maxiters (see Step Arguments), in order to control the clipping operation.

The average background image is produced as follows:

• Clip the combined SCI arrays of all background exposures

• Compute the mean of the unclipped SCI values

• Sum in quadrature the ERR arrays of all background exposures, clipping the same input values as determined for the SCI arrays, and convert the result to an uncertainty in the mean

• Combine the DQ arrays of all background exposures using a bitwise OR operation

The average background exposure is then subtracted from the target exposure. The subtraction consists of the following operations:

• The SCI array of the average background is subtracted from the SCI array of the target exposure

• The ERR array of the target exposure is currently unchanged, until full error propagation is implemented in the entire pipeline

• The DQ arrays of the average background and the target exposure are combined using a bitwise OR operation

If the target exposure is a simple ImageModel, the background image is subtracted from it. If the target exposure is in the form of a 3-D CubeModel (e.g. the result of a time series exposure), the background image is subtracted from each plane of the CubeModel.

## WFSS Mode¶

For Wide-Field Slitless Spectroscopy expsoures (NIS_WFSS and NRC_WFSS), a background reference image is subtracted from the target exposure. Before being subtracted, the background reference image is scaled to match the signal level of the target data within background (source-free) regions of the image.

The locations of source spectra are determined from a source catalog (specified by the primary header keyword SCATFILE), in conjunction with a reference file that gives the wavelength range (based on filter and grism) that is relavant to the target data. All regions of the image that are free of source spectra are used for scaling the background reference image. Robust mean values are obtained for the background regions in the target image and for the same regions in the background reference image, and the ratio of those two mean values is used to scale the background reference image. The robust mean is computed by excluding the lowest 25% and highest 25% of the data (using the numpy.percentile function), and taking a simple arithmetic mean of the remaining values. Note that NaN values (if any) in the background reference image are currently set to zero. If there are a lot of NaNs, it may be that more than 25% of the lowest values will need to be excluded.

For both background methods the output results are always returned in a new data model, leaving the original input model unchanged.

Upon successful completion of the step, the S_BKDSUB keyword will be set to “COMPLETE” in the output product.