Mid-Infrared Array Camera for Astronomical Continuum and Line Imaging

该奖项将支持亚利桑那大学参与亚利桑那大学、史密森天体物理天文台和海军研究实验室在建造和天文使用中红外阵列相机方面的合作。这台相机将使用休斯飞机公司的20×砷掺杂硅杂质带传导混合阵列，带有电容传输放大器读数。该探测器特别适用于在高本底通量地面观测条件下，在10微米和20微米大气窗口中提供高灵敏度。反射光学系统将提供衍射受限(0.7角秒/像素)和超分辨率(0.34角秒/像素)操作。相机电子设备和计算机提供高达5000帧/秒的操作，以防止在高延迟时检测饱和度。最初的观测计划将集中于对银河系和其他星系中恒星形成区域的各种连续谱和谱线观测。一些例子包括：低质量恒星的星盘热发射，恒星形成区的激波气体，NeII线成像的星系中心速度流，以及活动星系的核。

This award will support the University of Arizona participation in a collaboration of the University of Arizona, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Naval Research Laboratory in the construction and astronomical use of a mid-infrared array camera. This camera will use a Hughes Aircraft Company 20 x 64 Arsenic Doped Silicon Impurity Band Conduction Hybrid Array with a Capacitance Transimpedances Amplifier readout. This detector is particularly suited to providing high sensitivity in both the 10 and 20um atmospheric windows under high background flux ground-based observing conditions. Reflective optics will provide both diffraction limited (0.7 arc seconds/pixel) and superresolution (.34 arc seconds/pixel) operation. The camera electronics and computer provide for operation up to 5000 frames/second to prevent detect saturation at high backorder. The initial observing program will focus on a variety of continuum and spectral line observations of star forming regions in the Milky Way and other galaxies. Some examples are: thermal emission from circumstellar disks of low-mass stars, shocked gas in star formation regions, velocity flows in the galactic center with NeII line imaging, and the nuclei of active galaxies.