We are under integrating off-axis freeform mirrors for the KASI Deep Rolling Imaging Fast Telescope Generation 1 (KDRIFT G1) using a coordinate measuring machine and assembly jig. The telescope is a confocal off-axis freeform threemirror system designed for the detection of extremely low surface brightness structures in the sky. The optical specifications of the K-DRIFT G1 are as follows: the entrance pupil diameter is 300 mm, the focal ratio is 3.5, and the field of view is 4.43° × 4.43°. During the integration stage, we used a coordinate measuring machine to measure the positions of the mirrors, flexures, and bezels within a tolerance range. Following the system integration, we will measure wavefront errors at several edge fields using an interferometer at 633 nm. In this paper, we briefly present the current status of the K-DRIFT G1 and the future plans for the project.
We have developed the KASI Deep Rolling Imaging Fast Telescope (K-DRIFT) to optimally detect Low Surface Bright (LSB) structure and installed a testbed for K-DRIFT performance testing and verification at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO). Achieving optimal LSB observations requires minimizing fluctuations in the night sky background value and obtaining high-quality data under stable conditions. For this reason, the remotely controlled K-DRIFT system demands continuous monitoring of the surrounding environment. We have equipped the K-DRIFT testbed with various devices for monitoring the observatory environment. This paper provides an overview of the environmental monitoring system and reports on the performance of the monitoring equipment.
We have developed the KASI-Deep Rolling Imaging Fast Telescope (K-DRIFT), adopting a 300 mm aperture off-axis freeform three-mirror design to detect faint and diffuse low-surface-brightness structures. By conducting the on-sky test observations and performing a series of simulations to analyze the performance of the K-DRIFT, we confirmed three main error sources causing optical performance degradation. The imaging performance of the K-DRIFT has successfully improved by correcting low-to-mid spatial frequency wavefront errors based on performance analysis results. This paper presents the K-DRIFT’s optical performance analysis algorithm and the optical performance improvement.
The prototype of KASI-Deep Rolling Imaging Fast-optics Telescope (K-DRIFT) pathfinder is a 300 mm confocal off-axis freeform three-mirror system that has been developed for the detection of extended low surface brightness (LSB; below μV = 28 mag arcsec-2) structures. Until now, it is still very difficult to observe the LSB features due to systematic errors introduced by natural and instrumental effects. To overcome these, we apply the confocal off-axis telescope design theory that removed linear astigmatism, and each mirror made of Zerodur is set as a freeform surface to remove the residual aberration. Through the design, we can get high-quality images in a wide field of view and minimize sky background fluctuations. The size of the entrance pupil of the telescope is 300 mm and the focal length is 1200 mm. The field of view of the telescope is ~1° × 1° and the size of the focal plane is 22.5 mm × 22.5 mm. We have measured root mean square wavefront errors of the system after integration of the mirrors, flexures, and housing. At off-axis fields, the maximum root mean square wavefront error before the alignment is 260 nm, and decreased to 115 nm after alignment. Alignment-induced astigmatism and coma were almost eliminated through the process. In this paper, we briefly present the integration and alignment process of the K-DRIFT pathfinder and the current status of the project.
The Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) is a network of three new 1.6-m, wide-field telescopes spread over three different sites in Chile, South Africa and Australia. Each telescope is equipped with a four square degree wide-field CCD camera, making the KMTNet an ideal facility for discovering and monitoring early supernovae and other rapidly evolving optical transients by providing 24-hour continuous sky coverage. We describe our inaugurating program of observing supernovae and optical transients using about 20% of the KMTNet time in 2015−2019. Our early results include detection of infant supernovae, novae and peculiar transients as well as numerous variable stars and low surface brightness objects such as dwarf galaxies.
Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute have been developing the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network aka KMTNet consists of three identical 1.6-m wide-field optical telescopes. Each telescope covers 2 deg by 2 deg FOV with an 18k by 18k mosaic CCD camera to discover Earth mass extrasolar planets using a microlensing method. A predefined 4 deg by 4 deg Bulge area will be monitored for 24-hours with the help of almost equally located three southern observatories: Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, South African Astronomical Observatory in South Africa and Siding-Spring Observatory in Australia. One of the required photometric performances of the system to accomplish its scientific goal is to secure 1% of magnitude uncertainty in the range of 13 < I < 18 at the heavily crowded Galactic bulge area. To minimize the blending effect and to maximize the photometric accuracy in the photometric process, we use the difference image analysis method for a data reduction pipeline that requires precise alignment and constant point spread function profile in the observed images. In this paper we present the test observation results and verify the observational performance of the first telescope installed at CTIO. From the test observation we obtained a pointing accuracy of 8.5 arcsec RMS, an open loop tracking accuracy of 0.166 arcsec for two minutes without autoguiding, a delivered image quality of 0.86, 0.86, 0.93, 0.98 arcsec in I, R, V, B–bands, and a photometric error of 1% for the stars with 17.0 magnitude in I-band using a prescience CCD camera which has a quantum efficiency of 30%.
We present the design, assembly, alignment, and verification process of the wide field corrector for the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) 1.6 meter optical telescope. The optical configuration of the KMTNet telescope is prime focus, having a wide field corrector and the CCD camera on the topside of Optical Tube Assembly (OTA). The corrector is made of four lenses designed to have all spherical surfaces, being the largest one of 552 mm physical diameter. Combining with a purely parabolic primary mirror, this optical design makes easier to fabricate, to align, and to test the wide field optics. The centering process of the optics in the lens cell was performed on a precision rotary table using an indicator. After the centering, we mounted three large and heavy lenses on each cell by injecting the continuous Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) silicon rubber bonding via a syringe.
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