Upgrade of Vacuum UV Detector Calibration Facility

莱斯特大学物理与天文系的空间研究中心（SRC）在空间科学方面有着悠久的传统，自1967年以来，每年都有莱斯特制造的仪器在地球轨道上运行。SRC在包括NASA、ESA、UKSA、ISRO（印度）和JAXA（日本）在内的空间机构的许多空间任务中发挥了重要作用，用于天文、行星和地球观测科学任务。这种空间仪器的持续开发和生产需要专业的定制设施来支持早期任务阶段的研究和开发，以及飞行仪器所需的表征任务。其中一个这样的设施，最初是在20世纪80年代后期为ROSAT任务组装的，是真空紫外探测器校准设施（VUV-DCF），需要多波长测试和校准仪器，从200纳米到10纳米，紫外被分子氧强烈吸收，需要真空环境。该开发满足了英国学术研究团体和商业制造商的战略需求，他们在开发最先进的200纳米以下紫外波长探测器系统方面拥有强大的传统，用于天文学，国防，空间天气，地球遥感等应用。其中包括：lSAS Solar B：极紫外成像光谱仪哈勃太空望远镜：宽视场相机3日地关系天文台（STEREO）太阳动力学观测台TESIS MKA-FKl-PN5 ARKA望远镜。具体来说，这一设施升级将为目前正在开发的下列仪器提供重要支持：世界空间天文台- uv； WUVS仪器-光谱仪（Teledyne-e2v）。世界空间天文台-紫外：成像和无缝隙光谱学仪器（ISSIS） （Photek）。世界空间天文台- uv：野外照相机（FCU）（马德里康普顿斯大学）。越来越多地参与中国团体的发展，例如空间气象卫星星座（Photek）。然而，目前没有最新的英国真空紫外线测量设备，可以随时获得这些仪器的绝对校准，并提供绝对校准标准。这样的设施是英国研究团体和行业能够测量和验证仪器性能的先决条件，更广泛地说，是展示其技术能力的先决条件。莱斯特的VUV-DCF设施于90年代投入使用，并提供了这种能力。然而，由于更换寿命有限的硬件基本组件的资金有限，例如真空泵、控制电子设备和软件、校准标准探测器、阀门、密封件、光源等，该系统已被废弃。为应付这方面的需要，我们建议一项综合计划，包括(i)翻新，更换老化的硬件；以及（ii）升级，提高设施的能力，使其符合今天的要求，增加新的紫外线光源和校准标准，扩大波长覆盖范围至200纳米以上，以适应更广泛的仪器，以及更新设施控制和自动化软件，以使用最新的操作系统。一个国家可用的设施（可供英国境内的所有学术团体和行业使用）是维持英国在紫外天文学国际空间任务中领导地位的先决条件，并将提供继续突破性创新、研究和开发紫外光电阴极、探测器和系统的能力。

The Space Research Centre (SRC) within the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester has a long heritage in space science which has seen a Leicester-built instrument operating in earth orbit and beyond for every year since 1967. The SRC has played significant roles in many space missions with space agencies including NASA, ESA, UKSA, ISRO (India) and JAXA (Japan), for astronomical, planetary and Earth observation science missions. This continuous development and production of space instruments requires specialist custom facilities to support both research and development in early mission phases, and the characterisation tasks required for flight instruments. One such facility, originally assembled in later 1980s for the ROSAT mission, is the Vacuum UV Detector Calibration Facility (VUV-DCF), required for the multi-wavelength test and calibration of instruments from 200 nm down to 10 nm where UV is strongly absorbed by molecular oxygen and a vacuum environment is required. The development fulfils a strategic need of the UK academic research groups and commercial manufacturers who have a strong heritage in the development of state-of-the-art detector systems at UV wavelengths below 200 nm for applications such as astronomy, defence, space weather, earth remote sensing, etc.. These have included: lSAS Solar B: Extreme UV Imaging Spectrograph Hubble Space Telescope: Wide field camera 3 Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) Solar Dynamics Observatory TESIS MKA-FKl-PN5 ARKA Telescope.Specifically, this facility upgrade would provide important support for the following instruments currently under development: World Space Observatory-UV: WUVS instrument - spectrographs (Teledyne-e2v). World Space Observatory-UV: Imaging and Slitless Spectroscopy Instrument (ISSIS) (Photek). World Space Observatory-UV: Field Camera Unit (FCU) (Universidad Complutense de Madrid). Growing involvement with Chinese groups developing e.g. space weather satellite constellations (Photek)However there is currently no up-to-date UK-based vacuum UV measurement facility for absolute calibration of such instruments which is both readily available, and provides an absolute calibration standard. Such as facility is a prerequisite for UK research groups and industry to be able to measure and verify instrument performance and more broadly, demonstrate their technological capabilities.The VUV-DCF facility at Leicester was commissioned in the 90's and provided that capability. However, the system has fallen into disuse due to limited funds to replace essential components of the hardware that have limited lifetime e.g. vacuum pumps, control electronics and software, calibration standard detectors, valves, seals, light sources, etc. To address this need, we propose a combined programme of (i) refurbishment, to replace ageing hardware, plus (ii) upgrade, to improve the capabilities of the facility bringing it up to date with respect to today's requirements, by adding the new UV sources and calibration standards, extending wavelength coverage above 200 nm to accommodate broad range instruments, and updating facility control and automation software to use the latest operating system.A nationally available facility (available to all academic groups and industry within the UK) is a prerequisite to sustain UK leadership roles on international space missions in UV astronomy and will provide the capability to continue ground-breaking innovation, research and development of UV photocathodes, detectors and systems.