ترغب بنشر مسار تعليمي؟ اضغط هنا

The performance of the blue prime focus Large Binocular Camera at the Large Binocular Telescope

585   0   0.0 ( 0 )
 نشر من قبل Andrea Grazian
 تاريخ النشر 2008
  مجال البحث فيزياء
والبحث باللغة English
 تأليف E. Giallongo




اسأل ChatGPT حول البحث

We present the characteristics and some early scientific results of the first instrument at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), the Large Binocular Camera (LBC). Each LBT telescope unit will be equipped with similar prime focus cameras. The blue channel is optimized for imaging in the UV-B bands and the red channel for imaging in the VRIz bands. The corrected field-of-view of each camera is approximately 30 arcminutes in diameter, and the chip area is equivalent to a 23x23 arcmin2 field. In this paper we also present the commissioning results of the blue channel. The scientific and technical performance of the blue channel was assessed by measurement of the astrometric distortion, flat fielding, ghosts, and photometric calibrations. These measurements were then used as input to a data reduction pipeline applied to science commissioning data. The measurements completed during commissioning show that the technical performance of the blue channel is in agreement with original expectations. Since the red camera is very similar to the blue one we expect similar performance from the commissioning that will be performed in the following months in binocular configuration. Using deep UV image, acquired during the commissioning of the blue camera, we derived faint UV galaxy-counts in a ~500 sq. arcmin. sky area to U(Vega)=26.5. These galaxy counts imply that the blue camera is the most powerful UV imager presently available and in the near future in terms of depth and extent of the field-of-view. We emphasize the potential of the blue camera to increase the robustness of the UGR multicolour selection of Lyman break galaxies at redshift z~3.



قيم البحث

اقرأ أيضاً

139 - D. Defr`ere , P. Hinz , E. Downey 2015
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer is a NASA-funded nulling and imaging instrument designed to coherently combine the two 8.4-m primary mirrors of the LBT for high-sensitivity, high-contrast, and high-resolution infrared imaging (1.5-13 um) . PHASECam is LBTIs near-infrared camera used to measure tip-tilt and phase variations between the two AO-corrected apertures and provide high-angular resolution observations. We report on the status of the system and describe its on-sky performance measured during the first semester of 2014. With a spatial resolution equivalent to that of a 22.8-meter telescope and the light-gathering power of single 11.8-meter mirror, the co-phased LBT can be considered to be a forerunner of the next-generation extremely large telescopes (ELT).
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a versatile instrument designed for high-angular resolution and high-contrast infrared imaging (1.5-13 microns). In this paper, we focus on the mid-infrared (8-13 microns) nulling mode and presen t its theory of operation, data reduction, and on-sky performance as of the end of the commissioning phase in March 2015. With an interferometric baseline of 14.4 meters, the LBTI nuller is specifically tuned to resolve the habitable zone of nearby main-sequence stars, where warm exozodiacal dust emission peaks. Measuring the exozodi luminosity function of nearby main-sequence stars is a key milestone to prepare for future exoEarth direct imaging instruments. Thanks to recent progress in wavefront control and phase stabilization, as well as in data reduction techniques, the LBTI demonstrated in February 2015 a calibrated null accuracy of 0.05% over a three-hour long observing sequence on the bright nearby A3V star beta Leo. This is equivalent to an exozodiacal disk density of 15 to 30 zodi for a Sun-like star located at 10pc, depending on the adopted disk model. This result sets a new record for high-contrast mid-infrared interferometric imaging and opens a new window on the study of planetary systems.
Habitable zone dust levels are a key unknown that must be understood to ensure the success of future space missions to image Earth analogues around nearby stars. Current detection limits are several orders of magnitude above the level of the Solar Sy stems Zodiacal cloud, so characterisation of the brightness distribution of exo-zodi down to much fainter levels is needed. To this end, the large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) will detect thermal emission from habitable zone exo-zodi a few times brighter than Solar System levels. Here we present a modelling framework for interpreting LBTI observations, which yields dust levels from detections and upper limits that are then converted into predictions and upper limits for the scattered light surface brightness. We apply this model to the HOSTS survey sample of nearby stars; assuming a null depth uncertainty of 10$^{-4}$ the LBTI will be sensitive to dust a few times above the Solar System level around Sun-like stars, and to even lower dust levels for more massive stars.
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) can perform Fizeau interferometry in the focal plane, which accesses spatial information out to the LBTs full 22.7-m edge-to-edge baseline. This mode has previously been used to obtain science data, but has been limited to observations where the optical path difference (OPD) between the two beams is not controlled, resulting in unstable fringes on the science detectors. To maximize the science return, we are endeavoring to stabilize the OPD and tip-tilt variations and make the LBTI Fizeau mode optimized and routine. Here we outline the optical configuration of LBTIs Fizeau mode and our strategy for commissioning this observing mode.
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer is a high contrast imager and interferometer that sits at the combined bent Gregorian focus of the LBTs dual 8.4~m apertures. The interferometric science drivers dictate 0.1 resolution with $10^3-10^4$ con trast at $10~mu m$, while the $4~mu m$ imaging science drivers require even greater contrasts, but at scales $>$0.2. In imaging mode, LBTIs Adaptive Optics system is already delivering $4~mu m$ contrast of $10^4-10^5$ at $0.3-0.75$ in good conditions. Even in poor seeing, it can deliver up to 90% Strehl Ratio at this wavelength. However, the performance could be further improved by mitigating Non-Common Path Aberrations. Any NCPA remedy must be feasible using only the current hardware: the science camera, the wavefront sensor, and the adaptive secondary mirror. In preliminary testing, we have implemented an ``eye doctor grid search approach for astigmatism and trefoil, achieving 5% improvement in Strehl Ratio at $4~mu m$, with future plans to test at shorter wavelengths and with more modes. We find evidence of NCPA variability on short timescales and discuss possible upgrades to ameliorate time-variable effects
التعليقات
جاري جلب التعليقات جاري جلب التعليقات
سجل دخول لتتمكن من متابعة معايير البحث التي قمت باختيارها
mircosoft-partner

هل ترغب بارسال اشعارات عن اخر التحديثات في شمرا-اكاديميا