JWST Acronyms and Abbreviations
A reference list of acronyms and abbreviations used in JWST user documentation is provided in this article.
Also, the University of Arizona NIRCam team have provided a more extensive project-wide listing of JWST acronyms that you may find useful. (This link goes outside the JWST documentation site.)
Updates to this listing will be republished periodically as new articles/acronyms are added.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 2MASS | Two Micron All-Sky Survey |
| 4QPM | 4-quadrant phase mask (also FQPM) |
| 4QPMC | 4-quadrant phase mask coronagraph |
| AA | Associate Administrator |
| AC | association candidate |
| ACS | (Context sensitive) Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys, or JWST attitude control subsystem |
| AD | attempt duration |
| ADI/ADIS | angular differential imaging/ADI strategy |
| ADU | analog-to-digital units |
| AGB | asymptotic giant branch |
| AGN | active galactic nuclei |
| ALMA | Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array |
| AMI | aperture masking interferometry |
| AO | adaptive optics |
| APA | aperture position angle (also PA) |
| API | application program interface |
| APT | Astronomer's Proposal Tool |
| AR | anti-reflective |
| ASDF | Advanced Scientific Data Format |
| ASIC | Application Specific Integrated Circuit |
| AU | astronomical unit |
| APO | anamorphic pre optics |
| BB | blackbody |
| BF | blocking filter |
| BMG | background model generator |
| BOTA | bright object target acquisition |
| BOTS | bright object time series |
| C | contrast (used in high contrast imaging discussions) |
| C&DH | Command & Data Handling |
| CAA | calibration assembly (NIRSpec) |
| CANDELS | Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey |
| CANUCS | Canadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey |
| CCD | charge coupled device |
| CDBS | Calibration Database System |
| CDS | correlated double sampling |
| CFM | coarse focus mechanism |
| CHM | constrained heat map |
| COBE | Cosmic Background Explorer |
| CoI | co-investigator |
| COLL | collimator optics |
| COM | coronagraphic optical mount |
| CSA | Canadian Space Agency |
| CSV | comma separated variable |
| CVT | Coronagraphic Visibility Tool |
| CVZ | continuous viewing zone |
| CV3 | cryo-vacuum test #3 |
| DBS | dichroic beam splitter |
| DCL | Detector Characterization Laboratory |
| DD-ERS | director’s discretionary early release science (see also ERS) |
| DDT | director's discretionary time |
| Dec/DEC | declination |
| DHS | dispersed Hartman sensing |
| DMS/DMSWG | Data Management System/Data Management System Working Group |
| DN | digital number |
| DP | Discovery Portal |
| DPA | double prism assembly |
| DRM | Design Reference Mission |
| DSFG | dusty star forming galaxies |
| DSN | Deep Space Network |
| DSS | Digital Sky Survey |
| EE | encircled energy |
| EGS | extended Groth strip |
| ELG | emission line galaxy |
| EOG | extreme outer galaxy |
| EPPO | Every Page is Page One |
| ERS | early release science (see also DD-ERS) |
| ESA | European Space Agency |
| ETC | Exposure Time Calculator |
| FC | failed closed (NIRSpec micro-shutters) |
| FDF | Fight Dynamics Facility |
| FGS | Fine Guidance Sensor |
| FFA | full frame astrometry |
| FITS | Flexible Image Transport System |
| FO | failed open |
| FOR | field of regard |
| FOT | Flight Operations Team |
| FOV | field of view |
| FP | failure probability |
| FPA | focal plane array |
| FPE | focal plane electronics |
| FQPM | 4-quadrant phase mask (also 4QPM) |
| FRC | Financial Review Committee |
| FRD | focal ratio degradation |
FS | fixed slit |
| FSW | FGS flight software |
FSM | fine steering mirror |
FW | filter wheel |
| FWA | filter wheel assembly |
| FWHM | full width at half maximum |
GO | general observer |
| GOODS | Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey |
| GS | guide star |
| GSC | Guide Star Catalog |
| GSFC | Goddard Space Flight Center |
| GSC2.3 | Guide Star Catalog 2.3 |
| GSMF | galaxy stellar mass function |
| GSSS | Guide Star Selection System |
| GTO | guaranteed time observer |
| GTVT | General Target Visibility Tool |
| GUI | graphical user interface |
| GWA | grating wheel assembly |
| H2RG | HAWAII 2RG Astronomical Wide Area Infrared Imager |
| HCI | high-contrast imaging |
| HDU | Header data unit |
| HFF | Hubble Frontier Field |
| HGA | high gain antenna |
| HgCdTe | mercury-cadmium-telluride |
| HLA | Hubble Legacy Archive |
| HSC | Hubble Source Catalog |
| HST | Hubble Space Telescope (a.k.a. Hubble) |
| HUDF | Hubble Ultra-Deep Field |
| HWHM | half width at half maximum |
| IBC | impurity-band conduction |
| ICDH | ISIM Command and Data Handling |
| ICE | instrument control electronics |
| ICRS | International Celestial Reference System |
| IDS | interdisciplinary scientist |
| IDT | instrument development team |
| IEC | ISIM electronics compartment |
| IFS | integral field spectroscopy (or spectrograph) |
| IFU | integral field unit |
| IMF | initial mass function |
| IPAC | Infrared Processing and Analysis Center |
| IPC | Inter-pixel capacitance |
| IPR | internal phase retrieval |
| IPS | intra-pixel sensitivity |
| IRAC | Infrared Array Camera (Spitzer) |
IRC | Infrared Camera (AKARI satellite) |
| IRS | Infrared Spectrograph (Spitzer) |
| IRS2 | improved reference sampling and subtraction |
| IS | instrument scientist |
| ISIM | Integrated Science Instrument Module |
| ISM | Interstellar medium |
| IWA | inner working angle |
| JADES | JWST Advanced Extragalactic Survey |
| JBT | JWST Background Tool |
| JDox | JWST User Documentation (shorthand) |
| JIST | JWST Interactive Sensitivity Tool |
| JPL | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| JWST | James Webb Space Telescope |
| KLIP | Karhunen-Lo`eve image projection |
| L2 | Lagrange point #2, specifically Sun-Earth L2, about which JWST orbits |
| LAE | Lyman alpha emitter |
| LAP | limited access parameters |
| LED | light emitting diode |
| LOCI | locally optimized combination of images |
| LOS | line of sight |
| LRP | long range plan |
| LRS | low resolution spectroscopy (or spectrograph) |
| LSF | line spread function |
| LT | light traps |
| LW | long wavelength |
| LWC | long wavelength channel |
| LyC | Lyot coronagraph |
| MAST | Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes |
| MAZ | micrometeoroid avoidance zone |
| MCAO | multi-conjugate adaptive optics |
| MCE | micro-shutter control electronics |
| MGA | medium gain antenna |
| MIMF | multi-instrument multi-field |
| MIPS | Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer |
| MIR | MIRI |
| MIRI | Mid-Infrared Instrument |
| MIRIM | MIRI imager |
| MOCD | Mission Operations Concept Document |
| MOS | multi-object spectroscopy (or spectrograph) |
| MOSViz | Multiobject Spectrometer Visualization Tool |
| MPC | Minor Planet Center |
| MPPT | NIRSpec MOS pre-image planning tool |
| MPT | NIRSpec MSA Planning Tool |
| MRDP | minimum recommended data products |
| MRE | mono-propellant rocket engine |
| MRP | minimum recommended products |
| MRS | medium resolution spectroscopy (or spectrograph) |
| MSA | micro-shutter assembly |
| MTVT | Moving Target Visibility Tool |
| MU | momentum unload |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NAVO | NASA Astronomical Virtual Observatory |
| NCP | north celestial pole |
| ND | neutral density |
| NEA | noise equivalent angle or near Earth asteroid |
| NEATM | near Earth asteroid thermal model |
| NED | NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database |
| NEO | near Earth object |
| NEP | north ecliptic pole |
| NGST | Next Generation Space Telescope |
| Northrop Grumman Space Technologies | |
| NIRCam | Near Infrared Camera |
| NIRISS | Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph |
| NIRSpec | Near Infrared Spectrograph |
| NIS | NIRISS |
| NLR | narrow line region |
| NOI | notice of intent |
| NOVT | NIRSpec Observation Visualization Tool |
| NRC | NIRCam |
| NRM | non-redundant mask |
| NRS | NIRSpec |
| NSF | National Science Foundation |
| OPD | optical path difference |
| OPE | observation plan executive |
| OSF | observatory status file |
| OSS | Onboard Script Subsystem |
| OTE | Optical Telescope Element |
| OTIS | Optical Telescope Element/Integrated Science Instrument Module |
| PA | position angle (also APA) |
| PAPPA | pupil alignment pinhole projector assembly |
| PAR | pupil alignment reference |
| PC | program coordinator |
| PCA | principal component analysis |
| PCE | photon conversion efficiency |
| PCG | Proposal Constraint Generator |
| PCR | Proposal Change Request |
| PCS | pointing control system |
| portable document format | |
| PI | principal investigator |
| PIL | pupil imaging lens |
| PMS | pre-main sequence |
| PN | planetary nebula |
| POM | pick-off mirror |
| POSS | Palomar Observatory Sky Survey |
| PPC | post pixel coupling |
| PPS | Proposal Planning Subsystem |
| PRD | Project Reference Database |
| PSF | point spread function |
| PTC | photon transfer curve |
| PW | pupil wheel |
| PV | pointing verification |
| QE | quantum efficiency |
| QY | quantum yield |
| RA | right ascension |
| RAL | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| RDI | referenced differential imaging |
| RMA | refocus mechanism assembly |
| RMS | root mean square |
| ROI | region of interest |
| RPS | ram pressure stripping |
| RQE | relative quantum efficiency |
| RSS | reference star strategy |
| RVS | Raytheon Vision Systems |
| s | apparent separation |
| SAM | small angle maneuver |
| SCA | sensor chip assembly |
| SCP | south celestial pole |
| SCAT | Secondary Combustion Augmented Thruster |
| SCS | simple cone search |
| SD | slew duration |
| SDP | Science Data Processing subsystem |
| SDSS | Sloan Digital Sky Survey |
| SED | spectral energy distribution |
| SGD | small grid dither (or dithering) |
| SGDS | small grid dither strategy |
| Si:Ar | arsenic-doped silicon |
| SIAF | Science Instrument Aperture File |
| SIAP | Simple Image Access protocol |
| SIDECAR ASIC | System for Image Digitization, Enhancement, Control, and Retrieval Application-Specific Integrated Circuit |
| SIMBAD | Set of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data |
| SMD | NASA Science Mission Directorate |
| SMO | spectrometer main optics |
| SNR | signal-to-noise ratio (also S/N) |
| SPO | spectrometer pre-optics |
| SODRM | Science Operations Design Reference Mission |
| SOSS | single object slitless spectroscopy |
| SPO | spectrometer pre-optics |
| SR | special requirement |
| SSAP | Simple Spectral Access Protocol |
| SSR | Solid State Recorder |
| SSS | same scheduling set |
| STM | standard thermal model |
| STScI | Space Telescope Science Institute |
| SW | short wavelength |
| SWC | short wavelength channel |
| SWG | Science Working Group |
| TA | target acquisition |
| TAC | time allocation committee |
| TAP | Table Access Protocol |
| TDF | time domain field |
| TFI | tunable filter imager |
| TMA | three mirror assembly |
| ToO/TOO | target of opportunity |
| TPS | target pointing specification |
| TSO | time-series observation |
| TSV | tab separated variable |
| TTRB | Telescope Time Review Board |
| TVT | target visibility tool(s) |
| UDF | Uktra Deep Field |
| UT | universal time |
| V3PA | position angle of the JWST Observatory V3 reference axis |
| VAS | variable aperture system |
| VO | Virtual Observatory |
| VOT | Virtual Observatory Table |
| VP | visit planner |
| WATA | wide aperture target acquisition |
| WCS | world coordinate system |
| WFC | wide field channel |
| WFC3 | Wide Field Camera 3 (HST) |
| WFE | wavefront error |
| WFS&C | wavefront sensing & control (also WS&C) |
| WFSS | wide field slitless spectroscopy |
| WISE | Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission |
| WL | weak lens |
| WOPR | Webb Operations Problem Report |
| WS&C | wavefront sensing & control (also WFS&C) |
| YSO | young stellar object |