Collaborative Research: The Boston University/Lowell Observatory Partnership - Bringing the Perkins Telescope into the 21st Century

建议：AST-0440936主要研究员：肯尼斯·简研究所：波士顿大学标题：合作研究：波士顿大学/洛厄尔天文台合作-将珀金斯望远镜带入21世纪简介：五年前，波士顿大学和洛厄尔天文台合作，在亚利桑那州弗拉格斯塔夫郊外的安德森台地上运营1.83米的珀金斯望远镜。在接下来的一段时间里，许多努力都是为了开发新一代望远镜仪器：棱镜是一种广域光学成像器、偏振器和光谱仪，于2003年11月投入使用。MIMIR是一种广视场1-5微米成像器、偏振器和光谱仪，白色光谱仪是一种中等分辨率的光学光谱仪，将在2004年初秋实现第一次亮相。目前方案的目标是继续对珀金斯望远镜进行现代化改造，并对其进行一些关键改进，从而创造有效的资源，支持这两个伙伴机构的科学和教育任务，并通过一个社区竞相使用望远镜的方案向天文学界提供支持。这些努力将改善帕金斯望远镜的图像质量，做出一些关键的生产率提高和教育创新。具体地说，新的开发计划包括控制室、望远镜和穹顶的通风、望远镜和穹顶的隔热、望远镜保护、学生旅行、研究生住宿计划、实时云监视器和仪器升级。智力价值：目前在帕金斯投入使用的新仪器将为洛厄尔/波士顿大学的合作伙伴提供一个重要的利基市场，在其他地方是无法获得的，包括从近紫外到近红外光谱的广场偏振测量、成像和多目标低分辨率光谱能力。这将使该望远镜很好地用于测量和天气学研究，从跟踪柯伊伯带天体，到跟踪旧的疏散星团恒星的恒星活动，到绘制银河系磁场图，再到监测火焰中的偏振变化。广泛的影响：波士顿大学有严格的研究生课程，也是全国最大的本科生课程之一，洛厄尔天文台有一个广泛的扩展项目。通过波士顿大学和洛厄尔天文台项目的下一代学生将丰富他们对天文观测方式的理解和欣赏。在天文学方面，正在进行的测量和天气观测计划将为更大的望远镜和宇宙飞船项目提供科学支持。该奖项由天文科学部和多学科活动办公室联合资助。

Proposal: AST-0440936Principal Investigator: Kenneth JanesInstitution: Boston UniversityTitle: Collaborative Research: The Boston University/Lowell Observatory Partnership - Bringing the Perkins Telescope into the 21st CenturyABSTRACT:Five years ago, Boston University and Lowell Observatory joined in a partnership to operate the1.83-meter Perkins telescope on Anderson Mesa outside Flagstaff, Arizona. Much of the efforts over the ensuing period were directed toward the development of a new generation of instrumentation for the telescope: PRISM, a wide-field optical imager, polarimeter and spectrometer went into operation in November 2003. Mimir, a wide-field 1 - 5 micron imager, polarimeter and spectrometer and the White Spectrograph, a moderate-resolution optical spectrograph, will achieve first light by early fall of 2004. The goal of the current program is to continue the modernization of the Perkins Telescope, with a few key improvements, thus creating effective resources in support of the scientific and educational missions of the two partnering institutions and to the astronomical community via a program of competitive community access to the telescope. These efforts will improve the image quality of the Perkins telescope, make some key productivity enhancements and for educational innovations. Specifically, the new development program includes ventilation of the control room, telescope and dome, telescope and dome insulation, telescope safeguards, student travel, a graduate-student-in-residence program, a real-time cloud monitor and instrument upgrades.Intellectual Merit: The new instrumentation now going into operation at the Perkins will provide the Lowell/Boston University partnership with an important niche in "observation space," not readily available elsewhere, including wide-field polarimetry, imaging and multi-object low-resolution spectroscopic capability across the spectrum from the near UV to the near IR. This will position the telescope well for surveys and synoptic studies, ranging from tracking Kuiper-belt objects, to following stellar activity in old open cluster stars, to mapping the galactic magnetic field, to monitoring polarization variations in blazars.Broader Impact: Boston University has a rigorous graduate program and one of the largest undergraduate programs in the country and Lowell Observatory has an extensive outreach program. The next generation of students that pass through the Boston University and Lowell Observatory programs will be enriched in their understanding and appreciation of the way astronomical observations are done. Astronomically, ongoing surveys and synoptic programs will provide scientific support for projects on larger telescopes and spacecraft.This award is being funded jointly by the Division of Astronomical Sciences and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities.