Prototyping a New Telescope Design for Unprecedented Survey Speed in the Infrared

我们的宇宙充满了烟火。像碰撞中子星这样的事件不仅壮观，而且可以解释像金这样的重元素是如何产生的。然而，就像烟花隐藏在自己的烟雾中一样，科学家只能“听到”它们的引力波。此外，天文学家还需要“看到”闪光，才能确切地知道这些爆炸的位置、它们的颜色和它们的秘密。幸运的是，红外线可以穿透这种遮蔽的物质。为了在这些事件消失之前捕捉到它们，我们需要一台红外相机，在一张图像中记录下比目前可用的更大的天空区域。在该奖项下开发的系统中，整个望远镜将被低温冷却，这样它就不会发出红外线的光芒。该项目将建造一个直径为1米的望远镜的四分之一比例原型，该望远镜计划用于红外线天空要暗得多的南极。这样的系统将是对维拉鲁宾天文台的红外补充。该团队将通过支持直接从事这项技术开发的本科生工程学和天文学专业学生来整合教育和研究。研究生将在项目科学家的指导下进行演示科学。该项目将开发一种新的红外望远镜，该望远镜将利用一对对称放置在瞳孔周围的熔融石英半月面透镜来校正球面主镜引入的像差。这种几何结构实现了低色差，在不需要不同玻璃的情况下，以高达f/1.2的焦比提供衍射受限图像。凸形熔融二氧化硅第二元素的强度足以支持大气压力，通过将其用作杜瓦窗口，实现了完全低温的光路。探测器看到的唯一温暖的表面是透明的第一元素和光瞳止动处的薄环，它被配置为低发射率的水仙镜。样机的主要目标是确认预测的低热背景、高吞吐量和使用250 mm口径的f/2的良好图像质量。一个2.5μm截止的Teledyne H_2RG探测器将以7.4arcsec/像素的采样覆盖17.8°2的视场。三名本科生将参与演示关键技术。这些措施包括保持入射窗口高于露点的措施，通过主镜支撑两个吊舱的热膨胀实现高精度聚焦和倾斜控制，以及一种新的探测器读出模式，以提高观测效率和扩大动态范围。这个项目推进了宇宙大理想之窗的目标。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Our Universe is full of fireworks. Events like colliding neutron stars are not only spectacular but can explain how heavy elements like gold were created. However, like fireworks hidden by their own smoke, scientist can only “hear” their gravitational waves. Astronomers in addition need to “see” the flash of light to know exactly where these explosions are, their colors and their secrets. Fortunately, infrared light penetrates the obscuring material. To catch these events before they fade, we need an infrared camera that records larger sections of the sky in one image than what is available at present. In the system being developed under this award, the entire telescope will be cryogenically cooled so that it doesn't emit a glow in infrared light. This project will build a quarter-scale prototype of a 1m diameter telescope that is planned for use in the Antarctic where the infrared sky is much darker. Such a system will be an infrared complement to the Vera Rubin Observatory. The team will integrate education and research by supporting undergraduate engineering and astronomy students working directly on this technology development. Graduate students will conduct demonstration science under the supervision of the project scientist. This project will develop a new infrared telescope that will utilize a pair of fused silica meniscus lenses placed symmetrically about the pupil to correct for the aberrations introduced by the spherical primary. This geometry achieves low chromatic aberration to deliver diffraction limited images at focal ratios as fast as f/1.2, without requiring dissimilar glasses. The convex fused silica second element is strong enough to support atmospheric pressure, enabling a fully cryogenic optical path through its use as the dewar window. The only warm surfaces seen by the detector are the transparent first element and a thin annulus at the pupil stop, which is configured as a low emissivity narcissus mirror. Key goals of the prototype are to confirm the predicted low thermal background, high throughput and good image quality at f/2 using a 250 mm aperture. A 2.5 μm cutoff Teledyne H2RG detector will cover a 17.8 deg2 field of view with 7.4 arcsec/pixel sampling. Three undergraduate students will be involved in demonstrating key technologies. These include measures to keep the entrance window above dew point, high precision focus and tilt control via thermal expansion of the primary mirror support bipods, and a novel detector readout mode for higher observing efficiency and enhanced dynamic range. This project advances the goals of the Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.