Upgrade of Near Infrared Camera Array for Palomar Observatory

帕洛玛天文台近红外相机阵列升级

• 批准号: 9214418
• 负责人: Gerry Neugebauer
• 金额: $ 14.51万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1992
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1992-09-01 至 1994-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9214418&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Upgrade; Near; Infrared; Camera; Array

The Cassegrain infrared array camera currently in use on the Palomar 200-inch telescope is to be upgraded by purchasing and installing a new, state-of-the-art, infrared array. The current camera has been in service as a major instrument of the 200-inch telescope since 1988, and has been used approximately 90 nights/year during that time on a variety of scientific topics. The existing camera array is, however, becoming obsolete in comparison with arrays now commercially available. For this reason the camera is to be fitted with a new InSb detector array. The new array can be incorporated into the existing camera with a small amount of physical modification to the existing camera, new read-out electronics, and new software to read the array. The vast majority of the investment in hardware and software that has gone into the current infrared camera system will be usable with the modified camera. The new infrared sensor will increase the number of picture elements (pixels) by more than a factor of 16, will increase the solid angle of the camera by a factor of 3, and will improve the noise performance of each pixel by a factor of 7. Th gains in the scientific return from the Palomar camera will come in the following areas: increased field of view, increased sensitivity, improved cosmetics, and increased sampling of images and spectra. With these gains the science return from the camera, in studies ranging from searches for protogalaxies to diffraction limited imaging of stars in the process of forming will be vastly increased. The upgrading of the camera will enable entire new classes of problems to be undertaken, and will preserve the 200 inch telescope as a premier facility for research in infrared astronomy.

卡塞格伦红外阵列相机目前在使用的 帕洛玛200英寸望远镜将通过购买和 安装一个新的最先进的红外线阵列 目前的相机已在服务作为一个主要的工具， 200-自1988年以来，已使用了约90英寸的望远镜， 在这段时间里，我们每年都在各种科学主题上进行研究。 然而，现有的摄像机阵列正在变得过时， 与现在商业上可获得的阵列进行比较。 为此 照相机将安装一个新的锑化铟探测器阵列。 新的阵列可以结合到现有的相机， 对现有相机进行少量物理修改，新 读出电子设备和读取阵列的新软件。 绝 在硬件和软件上的大部分投资 红外摄像机系统将可用于 改装相机 新的红外传感器将增加图片的数量 元素（像素）超过16倍，将增加 立体角的相机的一个因素3，并将提高 每个像素的噪声性能提高了7倍。 在这方面， 帕洛玛相机的科学回报将在 以下方面：增加视野，增加灵敏度， 改进的外观，以及增加的图像和光谱采样。 有了这些收获，科学从相机中回归， 从寻找原星系到衍射极限 恒星形成过程中的成像将大大 增加 摄像头的升级将使整个新的 类的问题进行，并将保留200 红外线研究中最重要设备--1英寸望远镜 天文学