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Twin High-Resolution, High-Speed Imagers for the Gemini Telescopes: Instrument Description and Science Verification Results

Authors :
Nicholas J. Scott
Steve B. Howell
Crystal L. Gnilka
Andrew W. Stephens
Ricardo Salinas
Rachel A. Matson
Elise Furlan
Elliott P. Horch
Mark E. Everett
David R. Ciardi
Dave Mills
Emmett A. Quigley
Source :
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, Vol 8 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2021.

Abstract

Two new imaging instruments, ‘Alopeke and Zorro, were designed, built, and commissioned at the Gemini-North and Gemini-South telescopes in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Here we describe them and present the results from over a year of operation. The two identical instruments are based on the legacy of the DSSI (Differential Speckle Survey Instrument) instrument, successfully used for years at the WIYN and the Gemini telescopes in Hawaii and Chile. ‘Alopeke and Zorro are dual-channel imagers having both speckle (6.7″) and “wide-field” (∼1 arcminute) field-of-view options. They were built to primarily perform speckle interferometry providing diffraction-limited imagery at optical wavebands, yielding pixel scale uncertainties of ±0.21 mas, position angle uncertainties of ±0.7◦, and photometric uncertainties of Δm ± 0.02–0.04 magnitudes (for the blue and red channels, respectively) when run through the standard data reduction pipeline. One of their main scientific roles is the validation and characterization of exoplanets and their host stars as discovered by transit surveys such as the NASA Kepler, K2, and TESS missions. The limiting magnitude for speckle observations at Gemini can be quite faint (r ∼18 in good observing conditions) but typically the observed targets are brighter. The instruments can also function as conventional CCD imagers providing a 1 arc-minute field of view and allowing simultaneous two-color, high-speed time-series operation. These resident visitor instruments are remotely operable and are available for use by the community via the peer-reviewed proposal process.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2296987X
Volume :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.2c75e62dca448eea8871235c7c1d1ed
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2021.716560