Mr. Timothy R. Williams Profile

Timothy R. Williams

Senior Engineer at National Solar Observatory

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Publications (11)

Proceedings Article | 11 September 2024 Presentation + Paper

The US National Science Foundation Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope operations commissioning: results and lessons learned

Thomas Rimmele, Alexandra Tritschler, Andres Parraguez, Friedrich Wöger, Bret Goodrich, Luke Johnson, Heather Marshall, Paul Jeffers, Alisdair Davey, Robert Tawa, Gary Candido, David Boboltz, Tetsu Anan, Christian Beck, Gianna Cauzzi, Serena Criscuoli, André Fehlmann, Catherine Fischer, David Harrington, Sarah Jaeggli, Maxim Kramar, David Kuridze, Thomas Schad, Dirk Schmidt, Joao Manuel da Silva Santos, Lucas Tarr, Han Uitenbroek, James Arnow, Joel Davidow, Dale Deibert, Alysa Derks, Arthur Eigenbrot, Tony Hays, Erik Johansson, Daniel Spiess, Frazer Watson, Scott Wiant, Hillary Hope Head, David Morris, Manuel Díaz Alfaro, Nuria Wright-Garba, Anthony Santini, Andrew Beard, David Berst, Bryan Cummings, Andrew Ferayorni, Stephen Guzzo, John Hubbard, Jon Munoz, Isabell Scholl, Eric Cross, Colleen Donnelly, Steve O'Brien, Rodell Agdinaoay, Wade Bortz, Christopher Foster, Gary Foster, Chriselle Ann Galapon, Brian Gregory, Stephanie Guzman, Marco Guzman, James Hoag, Mary Liang, Karl Newman, Brialyn Onodera, Sebastien Poupar, Myles Puentes, Lukas Rimmele, Erik Starman, Stacey Sueoka, Richard Summers, Aimee Szabo, Louis Szabo, Timothy Williams, Charles White, Chad Bader, James Barry, Eric Bio, Terran Carter, Linda Evans, Bruce Keahi, Kealli Koki, Michael Lay, Aidan Lay, Justin Lay, Barry Poe, Norman Tong, Roberto Casini, Alfred deWijn, Jeffrey Kuhn, Haosheng Lin, Thomas Kentischer, Clemens Halbgewachs

Proceedings Volume 13094, 130940Y (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3022760

KEYWORDS: Equipment, Magnetism, Calibration, Adaptive optics, Tunable filters, Polarization, Solar telescopes, Solar processes, Optical filters, Sun

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Proceedings Article | 23 August 2024 Presentation + Paper

Hazard analysis process improvement from design, construction, and early operations

Timothy Williams, Stephanie Guzman

Proceedings Volume 13099, 130990Y (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020432

KEYWORDS: Hazard analysis, Safety, Design, Telescopes, Engineering, Control systems, Systems engineering

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The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is a four-meter off-axis telescope on the island of Maui, Hawai'i. DKIST took its first light images in 2019, making it the most powerful solar telescope in the world. From the inception of DKIST, safety was a fundamental consideration. To ensure that hazard reduction was considered throughout a Hazard Analysis Team (HAT) was formed from members of the staff. This team conducted regular meetings during the design phases to analyze design choices, assess inter-system hazards, and to ensure compliance with safety standards. In addition to the core team members, subject matter experts were brought into the meetings when specific expertise was needed. A key understanding was that hazard analysis (HA) was not a single event or deliverable, but a continuous, managed process to ensure that hazards were properly identified, analyzed, and mitigated. As the design matured, the HAT continued meetings, retiring some hazards, while identifying new hazards. New hazards would appear not only because of changes in the design but also from a better understanding of the interaction between observatory systems. The DKIST is now beyond the construction phase and moving into operations yet we find that the HAT continues to be used to refine how hazards are handled and implement mitigations appropriately. Changes to the hazard analysis process itself were also implemented as we learned how to better handle our hazard analysis procedures. During the early design and construction phases, hazard analyses were a required contract deliverable, with the HAs conducted by individual sub-system vendors. As the project shifted from design into construction and eventually integration, the various hazard analyses had to be combined. New tools for tracking hazards and methods for on-line collaboration were added to aid continuing management of hazards as the project shifted from design to construction to operations.

Proceedings Article | 29 August 2022 Presentation + Paper

The National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope: status and first results

Thomas Rimmele, Mark Warner, Roberto Casini, Jeffery Kuhn, Haosheng Lin, Friedrich Wöger, Alexandra Tritschler, Alisdair Davey, Alfred de Wijn, Andre Fehlmann, David Harrington, Sarah Jaeggli, Thomas Schad, Tetsu Anan, Christian Beck, Heather Marshall, Paul Jeffers, Andrew Beard, David Berst, Eric Cross, Bryan Cummings, Colleen Donneley, Arthur Eigenbrot, Andrew Ferayorni, Christopher Foster, Chriselle Ann Galapon, Bret Goodrich, Brian Gregory, Stephanie Guzman, Stephen Guzzo, John Hubbard, Erik Johansson, Luke Johnson, Mary Liang, Brialyn Onodera, Myles Puentes, Lukas Rimmele, Erik Starman, Stacey Sueoka, Richard Summers, Aimee Szabo, Louis Szabo, Timothy Williams, Charles White

Proceedings Volume 12182, 121820Z (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2644469

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, Solar telescopes, Telescopes, Mirrors, Visible radiation, Solar processes, Magnetism, Sun, Polarization, Polarimetry

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Proceedings Article | 6 July 2018 Paper

Construction update of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope project

Mark Warner, Thomas Rimmele, Valentin Pillet, Roberto Casini, Steve Berukoff, Simon Craig, Andrew Ferayorni, Bret Goodrich, Robert Hubbard, David Harrington, Paul Jeffers, Erik Johansson, Ruth Kneale, Jeff Kuhn, Chen Liang, Haosheng Lin, Heather Marshall, Mihalis Mathioudakis, William McBride, Joseph McMullin, William McVeigh, Predrag Sekulic, Wolfgang Schmidt, Steve Shimko, Stacey Sueoka, Rich Summers, Alexandra Tritschler, Timothy Williams, Friedrich Wöger

Proceedings Volume 10700, 107000V (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2314212

KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Optical fabrication, Cameras, Mirrors, Control systems, Solar processes, Observatories, Polarimetry, Imaging systems, Polarization

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Construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is well underway on the Haleakalā summit on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Featuring a 4-m aperture and an off-axis Gregorian configuration, the DKIST will be the world’s largest solar telescope. It is designed to make high-precision measurements of fundamental astrophysical processes and produce large amounts of spectropolarimetric and imaging data. These data will support research on solar magnetism and its influence on solar wind, flares, coronal mass ejections, and solar irradiance variability. Because of its large aperture, the DKIST will be able to sense the corona’s magnetic field—a goal that has previously eluded scientists—enabling observations that will provide answers about the heating of stellar coronae and the origins of space weather and exo-weather. The telescope will cover a broad wavelength range (0.35 to 28 microns) and operate as a coronagraph at infrared (IR) wavelengths. Achieving the diffraction limit of the 4-m aperture, even at visible wavelengths, is paramount to these science goals. The DKIST’s state-of-the-art adaptive optics systems will provide diffraction-limited imaging, resolving features that are approximately 20 km in size on the Sun.

At the start of operations, five instruments will be deployed: a visible broadband imager (VTF), a visible spectropolarimeter (ViSP), a visible tunable filter (VTF), a diffraction-limited near-IR spectropolarimeter (DLNIRSP), and a cryogenic near-IR spectropolarimeter (cryo-NIRSP). At the end of 2017, the project finished its fifth year of construction and eighth year overall. Major milestones included delivery of the commissioning blank, the completed primary mirror (M1), and its cell. Commissioning and testing of the coudé rotator is complete and the installation of the coudé cleanroom is underway; likewise, commissioning of the telescope mount assembly (TMA) has also begun. Various other systems and equipment are also being installed and tested. Finally, the observatory integration, testing, and commissioning (IT&C) activities have begun, including the first coating of the M1 commissioning blank and its integration within its cell assembly. Science mirror coating and initial on-sky activities are both anticipated in 2018.

Proceedings Article | 18 August 2016 Paper

Construction status of the Daniel K. Inouye solar telescope

Joseph McMullin, Thomas Rimmele, Mark Warner, Valentin Pillet, Roberto Casini, Steve Berukoff, Simon Craig, David Elmore, Andrew Ferayorni, Bret Goodrich, Robert Hubbard, David Harrington, Steve Hegwer, Paul Jeffers, Erik Johansson, Jeff Kuhn, Haosheng Lin, Heather Marshall, Mihalis Mathioudakis, William McBride, William McVeigh, LeEllen Phelps, Wolfgang Schmidt, Steve Shimko, Stacey Sueoka, Alexandra Tritschler, Timothy Williams, Friedrich Wöger

Proceedings Volume 9906, 99061B (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2235227

KEYWORDS: Imaging systems, Observatories, Solar processes, Telescopes, Mirrors, Optical fabrication, Buildings, Space telescopes, Control systems, Deformable mirrors

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We provide an update on the construction status of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. This 4-m diameter facility is designed to enable detection and spatial/temporal resolution of the predicted, fundamental astrophysical processes driving solar magnetism at their intrinsic scales throughout the solar atmosphere. These data will drive key research on solar magnetism and its influence on solar winds, flares, coronal mass ejections and solar irradiance variability. The facility is developed to support a broad wavelength range (0.35 to 28 microns) and will employ state-of-the-art adaptive optics systems to provide diffraction limited imaging, resolving features approximately 20 km on the Sun. At the start of operations, there will be five instruments initially deployed: Visible Broadband Imager (VBI; National Solar Observatory), Visible SpectroPolarimeter (ViSP; NCAR High Altitude Observatory), Visible Tunable Filter (VTF (a Fabry-Perot tunable spectropolarimeter); Kiepenheuer Institute for Solarphysics), Diffraction Limited NIR Spectropolarimeter (DL-NIRSP; University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy) and the Cryogenic NIR Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP; University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy).

As of mid-2016, the project construction is in its 4th year of site construction and 7th year overall. Major milestones in the off-site development include the conclusion of the polishing of the M1 mirror by University of Arizona, College of Optical Sciences, the delivery of the Top End Optical Assembly (L3), the acceptance of the Deformable Mirror System (Xinetics); all optical systems have been contracted and are either accepted or in fabrication. The Enclosure and Telescope Mount Assembly passed through their factory acceptance in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The enclosure site construction is currently concluding while the Telescope Mount Assembly site erection is underway. The facility buildings (Utility and Support and Operations) have been completed with ongoing work on the thermal systems to support the challenging imaging requirements needed for the solar research.

Finally, we present the construction phase performance (schedule, budget) with projections for the start of early operations.

Proceedings Article | 16 August 2016 Paper

Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope: integration, testing, and commissioning planning

Simon Craig, Kerry Gonzales, Robert Hubbard, Chen Liang, Ruth Kneale, William McBride, Predrag Sekulic, Timothy Williams

Proceedings Volume 9911, 991102 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2233654

KEYWORDS: Solar telescopes, Systems engineering, Telescopes, Visualization, Astronomy, Geographic information systems, Coating, Optical alignment, Wavefronts, Systems modeling

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Proceedings Article | 8 August 2016 Paper

Project management and control of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

Joseph McMullin, William McVeigh, Mark Warner, Thomas Rimmele, Simon Craig, Andrew Ferayorni, Bret Goodrich, Robert Hubbard, Rex Hunter, Paul Jeffers, Erik Johansson, Heather Marshall, William McBride, LeEllen Phelps, Steve Shimko, Alexandra Tritschler, Timothy Williams, Friedrich Wöger

Proceedings Volume 9911, 99110K (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2235225

KEYWORDS: Solar telescopes, Systems engineering, Observatories, Content addressable memory, Chromium, Control systems, Neodymium, Databases, Phase modulation, Process control

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Proceedings Article | 27 July 2016 Paper

Integration of functional safety systems on the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

Timothy Williams, Robert Hubbard, Steve Shimko

Proceedings Volume 9906, 99061D (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2233024

KEYWORDS: Safety, Hazard analysis, Solar telescopes, Control systems, Standards development, Telescopes, Telecommunications, Safety equipment, Switches, Computer programming

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Proceedings Article | 4 August 2014 Paper

Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope: integration testing and commissioning planning

Simon Craig, Scott Bulau, Kerry Gonzales, Eric Hansen, Bret Goodrich, Robert Hubbard, Eric Johansson, Chen Liang, Ruth Kneale, William McBride, Predrag Sekulic, Timothy Williams

Proceedings Volume 9150, 91500C (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056793

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Optical alignment, Optical fabrication, Safety, Telescopes, Control systems, Coating, Wavefronts, Solar telescopes, Wavefront sensors

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Proceedings Article | 4 August 2014 Paper

Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope system safety

Robert Hubbard, Scott Bulau, Steve Shimko, Timothy Williams

Proceedings Volume 9150, 915007 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056752

KEYWORDS: Safety, Hazard analysis, Injuries, Standards development, Systems engineering, Telescopes, Solar telescopes, Geographic information systems, Robots, Control systems

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Proceedings Article | 17 September 2012 Paper

Functional safety for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope

Scott Bulau, Timothy Williams

Proceedings Volume 8444, 84443L (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924572

KEYWORDS: Safety, Geographic information systems, Control systems, Hazard analysis, Standards development, Logic, Solar telescopes, Observatories, Telescopes, Astronomy

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