Continuing Development of Charge-Coupled Device Detectors at the Mauna Kea Observatory

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The summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii is a premier site for optical, infrared, and submillimeter astronomical observations. The University of Hawaii has access to a wide range of facilities including the 2.2 meter operated by the Institute for Astronomy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Infrared Telescope Facility, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. In order to make best use of these facilities and the superb atmospheric conditions on Mauna Kea, the Principal Investigator will undertake the development of Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detectors and associated control systems for use on these telescopes. These systems will be used in a wide-ranging program of research that includes the investigation of the nature of quasi-stellar objects and the galaxies associated with them, the distances to nearby galaxies, the motions of star clusters in other galaxies and other programs requiring very sensitive, geometrically-stable detectors. Implementation of these detectors will serve not only the Hawaiian astronomers, but also the international community of astronomers that uses the telescopes on Mauna Kea. Information about detector performance, image processing techniques, and techniques to optimize the image quality of telescopes will be of benefit to many users. The scientific return is expected to add much to our knowledge of the early era of our Universe.