Development of TCal: a mobile spectrophotometric calibration unit for astronomical imaging systems

Peter Ferguson; D. L. DePoy; L. Schmidt; J. L. Marshall; T. Prochaska; Daniel Freeman; Lawrence Gardner; Isaac Gutierrez; Doyeon Kim; Zeeshan Kunnummal; Marcus Sauseda; Hugh Sharp; Michael Torregosa

doi:10.1117/12.2313752

6 July 2018 Development of TCal: a mobile spectrophotometric calibration unit for astronomical imaging systems

Peter Ferguson, D. L. DePoy, L. Schmidt, J. L. Marshall, T. Prochaska, Daniel Freeman, Lawrence Gardner, Isaac Gutierrez, Doyeon Kim, Zeeshan Kunnummal, Marcus Sauseda, Hugh Sharp, Michael Torregosa

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII; 107023A (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2313752
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018, Austin, Texas, United States

Abstract

We describe TCal, a mobile spectrophotometric calibration system that will be used to characterize the throughput as a function of wavelength of imaging systems at observatories around the world. TCal measurements will enhance the science return from follow-up observations of imaging surveys such as LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) and DES (Dark Energy Survey) by placing all tested imaging systems on a common photometric baseline. TCal uses a 1 nm bandpass tunable light source to measure the instrumental response function of imaging systems from 300 nm to 1100 nm, including the telescope, optics, filters, windows, and the detector. The system is comprised of a monochromator-based light source illuminating a dome flat field screen monitored by calibrated photodiodes, which allows determination of the telescope throughput as a function of wavelength. This calibration will be performed at 1-8m telescopes that expect to devote time towards survey follow-up. Performing the calibration on these telescopes will reduce systematic errors due to small differences in bandpass, making follow-up efforts more precise and accurate.

Citation Download Citation

Peter Ferguson, D. L. DePoy, L. Schmidt, J. L. Marshall, T. Prochaska, Daniel Freeman, Lawrence Gardner, Isaac Gutierrez, Doyeon Kim, Zeeshan Kunnummal, Marcus Sauseda, Hugh Sharp, and Michael Torregosa "Development of TCal: a mobile spectrophotometric calibration unit for astronomical imaging systems", Proc. SPIE 10702, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII, 107023A (6 July 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2313752

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
8 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Calibration

Photodiodes

Telescopes

Imaging systems

Light sources

Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

Monochromators

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years