The installation of fully-depleted Hamamatsu CCDs in GMOS-N in February/March 2017 marked the conclusion of the CCD upgrade project for the two Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs. The corresponding upgrade for GMOS-S was completed in June/July 2014, so that both GMOS instruments are now operated with a detector array of three fully-depleted Hamamatsu CCDs. We present results from the commissioning of the GMOS-N Hamamatsu CCDs and discuss their on-sky performance. We provide a comparison of the GMOS-N and GMOSS detector parameters and summarize the main observing and data reduction strategies that apply to both detector arrays.
Z. Ali, P. Alvarez, D. Black, G. Ediss, S. Granen, K. Hanna, M. Kandlagunta, C. Koerber, J. Lott, G. Perryman, E. Sandberg, L. Tanaka, P. Waddell, C. Kaminski, W. Latter
The NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), is a 2.5 meter telescope in a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that is flown at high altitude to do unique astronomy in the infrared. SOFIA is a singular integration of aircraft operations, telescope design, and science instrumentation that delivers observational opportunities outside the capability of any other facility. The science ground operations are the transition and integration point of the science, aircraft, and telescope. We present the ground operations themselves and the tools used to prepare for mission success. Specifically, we will discuss the concept of operations from science instrument delivery to aircraft operation and mission readiness. Included in that will be a description of the facilities and their development, an overview of the SOFIA telescope assembly simulator, as well as an outlook to the future of novel science instrument support for SOFIA
CIRCE is a near-infrared (1-2.5 micron) imager (including low-resolution spectroscopy and polarimetery) in operation as a visitor instrument on the Gran Telescopio Canarias 10.-4m tele scope. It was built largely by graduate students and postdocs, with help from the UF Astronomy engineering group, and is funded by the University of Florida and the U.S. National Science Foundation. CIRCE is helping to fill the gap in time between GTC first light and the arrival of EMIR, and will also provide the following scientific capabilities to compliment EMIR after its arrival: high-resolution imaging, narrowband imaging, high-time-resolution photometry, polarimetry, and low-resolution spectroscopy. There are already scientific results from CIRCE, some of which we will review. Additionally, we will go over the observing modes of CIRCE, including the two additional modes that were added during a service and upgrading run in March 2016.
GMOS-S has been recently upgraded with Hamamatsu deep depletion CCDs, replacing the original EEV detector array. The new CCDs have superior quantum efficiency (QE) at wavelengths longer than 680nm, with significant sensitivity extending beyond 1 micron. Furthermore, the fringing level in GMOS-S data is now much lower due to the much thicker CCDs, additionally improving delivered sensitivity above that afforded by quantum efficiency alone. Soon after the Hamamatsu CCDs were installed in June 2014, some issues were noticed that impacted the ability to execute some science programs. In October 2015 the ARC controller electronics were upgraded and a cable was replaced, and since November 2015 GMOS-S has again been taking science data with the Hamamatsu detectors with no sign of the previous limitations. We present the results of the GMOS-S on-sky commissioning of the Hamamatsu detector array, and provide an update on the status of the GMOS-N portion of the project.
The instrumentation group of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics was commissioned by the Gemini Observatory to
develop a new focal plane assembly for the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph with an array of three deep-depletion
Hamamatsu CCDs. The main objective of the upgrade is to improve the sensitivity of the instrument in the red and nearinfrared
wavelengths, with the additional benefits of reduced fringing, faster readout, and better performance in the "nod
and shuffle" mode. We describe what we learned about these relatively new CCDs, including several problems
encountered during testing, and report on the performance of the system.
The GMOS-N instrument was upgraded with new CCDs in October 2011, improving the instrument sensitivity at both red and blue wavelengths. The deep depletion devices are manufactured by e2v (42-90 with multi-layer 3 coating) and extend the useful wavelength range of GMOS-N to 0.98 microns (compared to 0.94 microns previously). These detectors also exhibit much lower fringing than the original EEV detectors that had been in use since GMOS-N was commissioned in 2002. All other characteristics of the new detectors (readout speed, pixel size and format, detector controller, noise, gain) are similar to the original CCDs. Operating the new detectors in all amps mode (2 per CCD) has effectively improved the readout speed by a factor of 2. The new devices were selected to provide a quick and relatively simply upgrade route while technical issues with the Hamamatsu devices, originally planned for the upgrade, were investigated and resolved. We discuss the rationale for this interim upgrade, the upgrade process and attending issues. The new detectors have been used for science since November 2011. We present commissioning results illustrating the resulting gain in sensitivity over the original detector package. Gemini is still committed to installing Hamamatsu devices, which will further extend the useful wavelength range of GMOS to 1.03 microns, in both North and South GMOS instruments. We discuss the status of the Hamamatsu project and the current planned schedule for these future upgrades.
The Gemini Observatory is going through an extraordinary time with astronomical instrumentation. New powerful
capabilities are delivered and are soon entering scientific operations. In parallel, new instruments are being planned and
designed to align the strategy with community needs and enhance the competitiveness of the Observatory for the next
decade. We will give a broad overview of the instrumentation program, focusing on achievements, challenges and
strategies within a scientific, technical and management perspective. In particular we will discuss the following
instruments and projects (some will have dedicated detailed papers in this conference): GMOS-CCD refurbishment,
FLAMINGOS-2, GeMS (MCAO system and imager GSAOI), GPI, new generation of A&G, GRACES (fiber feed to
CFHT ESPaDOnS) and GHOS (Gemini High-resolution Optical Spectrograph), and provide some updates about
detector controllers, mid-IR instruments, Altair, GNIRS, GLAO and future workhorse instruments.
We report on the design, on-sky performance, and status of the FLAMINGOS-2 instrument – the fully-cryogenic facility
near-infrared imager and multi-object spectrograph for the Gemini 8-meter telescopes. FLAMINGOS-2 has a refractive
all-spherical optical system providing 0.18-arcsecond pixels and a 6.2-arcminute circular field-of-view on a 2048x2048-
pixel HAWAII-2 0.9-2.4 μm detector array. A slit/decker wheel mechanism allows the selection of up to 9 multi-object
laser-machined plates or 3 long slits for spectroscopy over a 6x2-arcminute field of view, and selectable grisms provide
resolutions from ~1300 to ~3000 over the entire spectrograph bandpass. FLAMINGOS-2 is also compatible with the
Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics system, providing multi-object spectroscopic capabilities over a 3x1-arcminute
field with high spatial resolution (0.09-arcsec/pixel). We review the designs of optical, mechanical, electronics,
software, and On-Instrument WaveFront Sensor subsystems. We also present the on-sky performance measured during
acceptance testing in 2009, as well as current status of the project and future plans.
We have performed some initial characterization of back-illuminated deep-depletion CCDs from Hamamatsu Photonics.
Three of these 2048×4096, three-side buttable devices will replace the current CCDs in the Gemini Multi-Object
Spectrograph to improve the performance of the instrument in the red and near-infrared wavelengths. We describe our
testing campaign and report on the results.
In this paper we analyze different solutions to implement a fast photometry mode in the Canarias InfraRed Camera
Experiment (CIRCE), a visitor-class near-IR imager, spectrograph, and polarimeter for the 10.4 meter Gran Telescopio
Canarias (GTC). The fast photometry mode will be one of the enhanced capabilities of CIRCE that will differentiate our
instrument from similar instruments. The fast photometry capability, along with the polarimetric and spectroscopic
capabilities of the instrument will provide a unique instrument for the study of rapidly-varying objects. We combine the
different output modes of the HAWAII-2 2048x2048 detector, with very simple modifications in our already built Array
Controller Subsystem (MCE-3), and with modifications in the firmware of the readout control electronics to provide the
instrument with this powerful capability. We expect to increase the frame capture rate on the order of 5 to 14 times faster
depending on the frame size and the final solutions chosen.
Jian Ge, Bo Zhao, John Groot, Liang Chang, Frank Varosi, Xiaoke Wan, Scott Powell, Peng Jiang, Kevin Hanna, Ji Wang, Rohan Pais, Jian Liu, Liming Dou, Sidney Schofield, Shaun McDowell, Erin Costello, Adriana Delgado-Navarro, Scott Fleming, Brian Lee, Sandeep Bollampally, Troy Bosman, Hali Jakeman, Adam Fletcher, Gabriel Marquez
We report design, performance and early results from two of the Extremely High Precision Extrasolar
Planet Tracker Instruments (EXPERT) as part of a global network for hunting for low mass planets in the
next decade. EXPERT is a combination of a thermally compensated monolithic Michelson interferometer
and a cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph for extremely high precision Doppler measurements for nearby
bright stars (e.g., 1m/s for a V=8 solar type star in 15 min exposure). It has R=18,000 with a 72 micron
slit and a simultaneous coverage of 390-694 nm. The commissioning results show that the instrument has
already produced a Doppler precision of about 1 m/s for a solar type star with S/N~100 per pixel. The
instrument has reached ~4 mK (P-V) temperature stability, ~1 mpsi pressure stability over a week and a
total instrument throughput of ~30% at 550 nm from the fiber input to the detector. EXPERT also has a
direct cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy mode fed with 50 micron fibers. It has spectral resolution of
R=27,000 and a simultaneous wavelength coverage of 390-1000 nm.
We report performance of a new generation multi-object Doppler instrument for the on-going
Multi-object APO Radial-velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey (MARVELS) of the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) program. This instrument is based on dispersed fixed-delay
interferomtry design. It consists of a multi-object fiber-feed, a thermally compensated monolithic
fixed-delay interferometer, a high throughput spectrograph and a 4kx4k CCD camera. The
spectrograph resolving power is R=11,000 and the wavelength coverage is 500-570 nm. The
instrument is capable of measuring 60 stars in a single exposure for high to moderate precision
radial velocity (3-20 m/s) measurements depending on the star magnitudes (V=7.6-12). The
instrument was commissioned at the SDSS telescope in September 2008 and used to collect
science data starting in October 2008. Observations of reference stars show that the measured
photon noise limiting errors are consistent with the prediction for most of the measurements.
CanariCam is the facility multi-mode mid-IR camera developed by the University of Florida for the 10-meter Gran
Telescopio Canarias (GTC) on La Palma. CanariCam has four science modes that provide the GTC community with an
especially powerful research tool for imaging, grating spectroscopy, coronagraphy, and dual-beam polarimetry.
Instrument commissioning in the laboratory at the University of Florida indicates that all modes perform as required, and
the next step is on-telescope commissioning. After commenting on the instrument status, we will review key features of
each of these science modes, with emphasis on illustrating each mode with science examples that put the system
performance, particularly the anticipated sensitivity, into perspective.
FLAMINGOS-2 is a near-infrared wide-field imager and fully cryogenic multi-object spectrometer for Gemini
Observatory being built by the University of Florida. FLAMINGOS-2 can simultaneously carry 9 custom cryogenic
multi-object slit masks exchangeable without thermally cycling the entire instrument. Three selectable grisms provide
resolving powers which are ~1300 to ~3000 over the entire spectrograph bandpass of 0.9-2.5 microns. We present and
discuss characterization data for FLAMINGOS-2 including imaging throughput, image quality, spectral performance,
and noise performance. After a lengthy integration process, we expect that FLAMINGOS-2 will be in the midst of
commissioning at Gemini South by the fall of 2008.
We present the design for a high-speed readout imaging mode for the Canarias InfraRed Camera Experiment (CIRCE), a
visitor-class near-IR imager, spectrograph, and polarimeter for the 10.4 meter Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). This
mode, along with the polarimetric and spectroscopic capabilities of the instrument will provide a powerful and unique
instrument for the study of fast variability objects. Modification in the firmware of the readout control electronics of the
HAWAII-2 2048×2048 detector will allow us to select the effective detector size and hence reduce the readout time. We
present a description of the final design along with a discussion of potential future improvements.
CanariCam is the facility multi-mode mid-IR camera developed by the University of Florida (UF) for the 10.4-
meter Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). CanariCam contains a 320 × 240-pixel Raytheon array, which will
Nyquist-sample the diffraction-limited point-spread-function at wavelengths longer than 8 microns, yielding a
field of view of 26"×19". In Aug. 2007, the University of Florida instrument team held a successful Acceptance
Testing (AT) of CanariCam. We describe key performance requirements, and compare these to the actual performance
during formal AT. Among the results considered are detector noise characteristics, image quality, and
throughput. We focus particularly on the unique dual-beam polarimetric modes. We have demonstrated that
with a half-wave plate, it achieves or exceeds the design goals for imaging both polarization planes simultaneously.
We report on the design and status of the FLAMINGOS-2 instrument - a fully-cryogenic facility near-infrared imager
and multi-object spectrograph for the Gemini 8-meter telescopes. FLAMINGOS-2 has a refractive all-spherical optical
system providing 0.18-arcsecond pixels and a 6.2-arcminute circular field-of-view on a 2048×2048-pixel HAWAII-2
0.9-2.4 μm detector array. A slit/decker wheel mechanism allows the selection of up to 9 multi-object laser-machined
plates or 3 long slits for spectroscopy over a 6×2-arcminute field of view, and selectable grisms provide resolutions from
~1300 to ~3000 over the entire spectrograph bandpass. FLAMINGOS-2 is also compatible with the Gemini Multi-
Conjugate Adaptive Optics system, providing multi-object spectroscopic capabilities over a 3×1-arcminute field with
high spatial resolution (0.09-arcsec/pixel). We review the designs of optical, mechanical, electronics, software, and On-
Instrument WaveFront Sensor subsystems. We also present the current status of the project and future plans, including
on-sky delivery planned for late 2008.
We present the current status of the Canarias InfraRed Camera Experiment (CIRCE) an all-reflective near-IR,
imager, spectrograph, and polarimeter for the 10.4-meter Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). In particular, we
review the progress of the opto- and cryo- mechanical design and manufacture, focusing on the custom filter,
lyot, and grism wheels, lightweight optics, and mirror brackets. We also outline our progress with the optical
bench. Finally, we discuss a number of CIRCE's features that both complement and augment the planned suite
of GTC facility instruments.
We report on the design and status of the FLAMINGOS-2 instrument - a fully-cryogenic facility near-infrared imager
and multi-object spectrograph for the Gemini 8-meter telescopes. FLAMINGOS-2 has a refractive all-spherical optical
system providing 0.18-arcsecond pixels and a 6.2-arcminute circular field-of-view on a 2048×2048-pixel HAWAII-2
0.9-2.4 μm detector array. A slit/decker wheel mechanism allows the selection of up to 9 multi-object laser-machined
plates or 3 long slits for spectroscopy over a 6×2-arcminute field of view, and selectable grisms provide resolutions from
~1300 to ~3000 over the entire spectrograph bandpass. FLAMINGOS-2 is also compatible with the Gemini Multi-
Conjugate Adaptive Optics system, providing multi-object spectroscopic capabilities over a 3×1-arcminute field with
high spatial resolution (0.09-arcsec/pixel). We review the designs of optical, mechanical, electronics, software, and On-
Instrument WaveFront Sensor subsystems. We also present the current status of the project, currently in final testing in
mid-2006.
We report on the design status of the Canarias InfraRed Camera Experiment (CIRCE), a near-infrared visitor instrument for the 10.4-meter Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). Besides functioning as a 1-2.5 micron imager, CIRCE will have the capacity for narrow-band imaging, low- and moderate- resolution grism spectroscopy, and imaging polarimetry. Other design features include fully cryogenic filter, slit, and grism wheels, high-speed photometry modes, and broad-band imaging in J, H, and Ks filters. We anticipate that a myriad of scientific projects will benefit from CIRCE's unique combination of capabilities.
We report on the design and status of the FLAMINGOS-2 instrument - a fully-cryogenic facility near-infrared imager and multi-object spectrograph for the Gemini 8-meter telescopes. FLAMINGOS-2 has a refractive all-spherical optical system providing 0.18-arcsecond pixels and a 6.2-arcminute circular field-of-view on a 2048x2048-pixel HAWAII-2 0.9-2.4 mm detector array. A slit/Dekker wheel mechanism allows the selection of up to 9 multi-object laser-machined plates or 3 long slits for spectroscopy over a 6x2-arcminute field of view, and selectable grisms provide resolutions from ~1300 to ~3000 over the entire spectrograph bandpass. FLAMINGOS-2 is also compatible with the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics system, providing multi-object spectroscopic capabilities over a 3x1-arcminute field with high spatial resolution (0.09-arcsec/pixel). We review the designs of optical, mechanical, electronics, software, and On-Instrument WaveFront Sensor subsystems. We also present the current status of the project, midway through its construction phase in June 2004.
The University of Florida is developing a mid-infrared camera for the 10.4-meter Gran Telescopio CANARIAS. CanariCam has four science modes and two engineering modes, which use the same 320 x 240-pixel, arsenic-doped silicon, blocked-impurity-band detector from Raytheon. Each mode can be remotely selected quickly during an observing sequence. The pixel scale is 0.08 arcsec, resulting in Nyquist sampling of the diffraction-limited point-spread-function at 8 μm, the shortest wavelength for which CanariCam is optimized. The total available field of view for imaging is 26 arcsec x 19 arcsec. The primary science mode will be diffraction-limited imaging using one of several available spectral filters in the 10 μm (8-14 μm) and 20 μm (16-25 μm) atmospheric windows. Any one of four plane gratings can be inserted for low and moderate-resolution (R = 100 - 1300) slit spectroscopy in the 10 and 20-μm regions. Insertion of appropriate field and pupil stops converts the camera into a coronagraph, while insertion of an internal rotating half-wave plate, a field mask, and a Wollaston prism converts the camera into a dual-beam polarimeter.
We report on the performance of FLAMINGOS, the world's first fully cryogenic near-IR multi-object spectrometer. FLAMINGOS has a fast all refractive optical system, which can be used at telescopes slower than f/7.5. This makes FLAMINGOS a very efficient wide-field imager when used on fast small aperture telescopes and a high AW spectrometer using laser machined aperture masks for MOS spectroscopy. FLAMINGOS uses a 2048x2048 HgCdTe HAWAII-2 array by the Rockwell Science Center. The array is readout through 32 amplifiers, which results in low overheads for observations. We describe both the operating characteristics of the HAWAII-2 array and of the array controller and data acquisition system. FLAMINGOS has been in operation for about 1.5 years and is now in routine use on four telescopes: The Kitt Peak 4-m and 2.1-m, The 6.5-m MMT and the 8-m Gemini South Telescope. We will describe the operating characteristics of FLAMINGOS on each of these telescopes that deliver fields-of-view from 21x21 arcminutes to 2.7x2.7 arcminutes and pixels from 0.6 arcseconds to 0.08 arcseconds. While providing a large AW product for fast telescopes (i.e. f/8), FLAMINGOS becomes progressively less efficient on slower telescopes. Since nearly all large telescopes have fairly slow optical systems (f/12 or slower) the combination of large aperture and slow optical systems makes FLAMINGOS ill suited for optimal performance on current large aperture telescopes. Thus, we are beginning construction of FLAMINGOS-2, which will be optimized for performance on the f/16 Gemini South 8-m telescope. Similar to FLAMINGOS, FLAMINGOS-2 will be fully refractive using grisms, laser machined aperture masks and a 2048x2048 HgCdTe HAWAII-2 array. FLAMINGOS-2 will provide a 6.1 arcminute field-of-view with 0.18 arcsecond pixels. FLAMINGOS-2 will also be designed to except an f/32 beam from the Gemini South MCAO system.
The University of Florida is developing the mid-IR imager, called GatirCam, to be used primarily, but not solely, at the southern hemisphere Gemini telescope at Cerro Pachon, Chile. Key features of GatirCam are its fully reflective optics, its very high mechanical rigidity, and the fact that the associated electronics are very similar to those is in use successfully on similar instrumentation. Design studies for GatirCam indicate that it will meet or exceed all critical requirements of image quality and performance. A low-resolution spectroscopic mode is also currently under consideration for implementation in GatirCam.
The spectral-photometric IR camera SPICA is proposed as one of the German science instruments of the Stratospheric Observatory for IR Astronomy (SOFIA). It will cover a wavelength range of 20-220 micrometers with three large area detector arrays. With the 2.5 m SOFIA telescope, SPICA will provide unprecedented diffraction limited spatial resolution in the far-IR. In addition, low resolution 3D-imaging spectroscopy is planned. While the silicon array will be commercially available, the germanium arrays are being developed, including their cryogenic multiplexers. The overall instrument concept, its camera optics and the status of the detector development will be presented. The instrument is being developed by the DLR Institute of Space Sensor Technology in Berlin with support of several German and US partners.
Rapid development of large format InSb and HgCdTe FPAs and the recent availability of Si:As impurity band FPAs to the scientific community have driven the need for flexible high performance drive and readout electronics. Simultaneously, increasing economic pressure throughout the global research community has emphasized the need for design efficiency. The development of a new third-generation scaleable architecture utilizing PGAs, fiber optics, on- camera CPU, and distributed frame processing with VME system compatibility is discussed.
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